1988 4x4 V1500- the work begins!

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geocrasher

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Location
Northern NV
First Name
Ryan
Truck Year
1988
Truck Model
V1500
Engine Size
350
Howdy all,

I've owned three suburbans. The first two were 3/4 ton trucks, and this is my first half ton. What is it? Well I'm glad you asked. 350, 700r4, 3.73's, 10 bolts front and rear, on stock wheels and 31's. Barn doors. 40 gallon tank. Factory tow package. I bought it as a family rig and used it that way, but it currently needs some work and currently we're driving a different vehicle.

The good: The drivetrain is solid. Get in and drive it as far as you can afford gas for! The body is straight, and only one of the smaller windows in a back door is cracked. The factory tint is holding it together. The engine is strong and this is the most powerful Suburban I've owned, by far. The previous owner said the 700r4 had about 70K miles on it, and the motor less than 100K. It was apparently a Goodwrench motor, but I still need to get the numbers off the block by the alternator so I can see what it is. It scoots pretty good and runs great though.

The not so good but not big deal: No headliner, speakers don't always work, stock radio, antenna not hooked up, paint job could use some work. very minor rust in a few spots, mostly near a door seam and the rear window edges at the bottom toward the rear of the truck. It could use a tune-up, or at least a timing adjustment. It idles a bit rough.

The ugliest:

- Needs tires. I'll be going for a set of 16" wheels and somewhere between 245/75/16 and 265/75/16. It depends on what kind of deals I can find. I dont' expect to buy new. I'm not made of money lol.

- Door issues. The rear doors are fine, but the front doors are extremely hard to close, and the door strikers are worn from sagging hinges. The windows won't go down. The drivers side used to, but it made a grinding noise, and now I'm fortunate that it's staying up! The passenger side works but is slow as molasses uphill on a cold day in a headwind. New rubber is needed in both window frames, and new felts too. Plus there are the usual issues with the switch hanging out the door card, that kind of thing.

- Drivers seat frame back broke. Welding that up next week

- Dirty, dusty. I'm going to take both seats out, vacuum everything and give it a good cleaning. It needs it.

- Bouncy oil pressure guage

- Intermittent wipers only work on high after my daughter called and said there was smoke coming from under the dash! Surely the wires are bare probably burned. It's okay for now, but I need to replace those wires.

- Horn doesn't work. Will fix at the same time as the wiper wiring.

For almost all of these items, I could use some tips! I'll be youtubing a lot of it, but I'm open to suggestions for how to fix things like the doors and windows. I'm on a tight budget, and unless my little car sells, I won't be able to afford most of this. One thing at a time!

I've been reading this forum for a few days, and it looks like a friendly place. It's nice to meet you all!
 

1973c10

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Don
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1973
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C10
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454
Welcome aboard
 

86suburbanNJ609

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Aaron
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1986
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Suburban
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383
The horn is a probably a fuse and my oil pressure guage did the same thing before it died.
 

Crispy

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Chris
Truck Year
1989
Truck Model
Suburban V1500
Engine Size
5.7
The switches can be be taken apart and cleaned to ensure good contact. That wont help with the speed of the windows but it will help with having to press down hard or multiple times to get them to work.

We have a member that sells easy to install window relay harnesses but since you said cash it tight you'll have to do a search on a DIY method. Its a common problem across older GM vehicles.

You will probably need new door pins, but check out the condition of your hinges well. It may be worth it to buy a new set.

You can bypass the wiper delay and they should work on low and high by unplugging the delay module about halfway down the steering column. Also read this thread for some good wiper info:
http://www.gmsquarebody.com/threads/wiper-delay-not-working-right-works-on-low-and-high.20899/

Pull the horn button off and with a screw driver touch the spring. If it works then you need to bend the metal tab on the back of the horn button a little to make better contact. If not then check fuses, and the horns themselves. If that still doesnt work you will need to trace wiring.

Depending on what radio you have and if it works properly, you may be able to sell your stock radio for more than what a newer radio with usb costs. I think 1988 models started using 1.5 din size radios so replacing it wouldnt involve cutting your dash.

How about some pics of the Burb?
 

Charlie

Mopar by Birth. Chevy by Choice.
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Truck Year
1974
Truck Model
Cheyenne 10 LWB
Engine Size
350/TH350/AC/4 BBL Quadrajet
:welcome:
 

HotRodPC

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Welcome to GMSB !!! Great Description but we comprehend so much better with pics !!! :waytogo:

Feel Free to fire up a build and progress thread in the Under Construction section. Your intro post would make a great start to that thread. I can copy that post to start that thread if you'd like, then you can add NOW aka BEFORE pics. Then track your progress from there. It'll turn into a cool storyline. :shrug:

http://www.gmsquarebody.com/forums/4wd-suburban-blazer-and-jimmy.84/
 

geocrasher

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Posts
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Location
Northern NV
First Name
Ryan
Truck Year
1988
Truck Model
V1500
Engine Size
350
Thanks for the warm welcome! I'll copy this post over toe the mentioned section, @HotRodPC Thanks for the idea! Oh, and there are pics going with it ;)
 

Old77

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Engine Size
350/350/454
:welcome:
 

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