My New Tractor Hauler

[Ketchamized 2]

Guys, I thought that this situation was so amazing (bittersweet) that I had to share this with you guys. I got a new tractor hauler. Nothing special about that, except I basically got a $7,000 dollar hauler for just $3,000 To make a long story short, I purchased a crappy 1997 Ford Explorer for $2,700.00 on eBay. At the time, it seemed like an excellent deal... Only to find out that it needed $2,000 PLUS in repairs. (Previous owner was MORE THAN VERY dishonest in the eBay auction and the problems were well-masked). }:) The crappy Ford Explorer:

(You can't tell, but there's a 2 foot crack in the windshield) Anyhow, I got lucky and I managed to trade the Explorer with another guy... For this beautiful 1995 Suburban, of which is my new tractor hauler. (Only 88k miles!)

In the end, after the trade, I only paid in the neighborhood of just $3,150 for this excellent truck. (Cost of Explorer plus some repairs) We traded 100% even- his Suburban for my Explorer.

This thing runs great. Has new tires, new alternator, new brakes/rotors/drums, new exhaust. It's also a little bit faster than it's supposed to be. The other guy (Suburban guy) was aware of everything that was wrong with the Explorer and what was replaced, but he apparently knows his car stuff, and his wife wanted an Explorer badly, so it worked out for everyone in the deal. To my surprise, they seem quite happy with the Ford Explorer. (If they're happy, I'm happy.) I'd like to state that the Explorer had 185,000 miles. The other guy seemed not to mind, (as the Suburban only has 88,000 miles) which is beyond me. Unfortunately, the Suburban guy reported that after the trade, the transmission on the Explorer started to go bad. Even though he was cool about it and said for me not to worry about it, I feel so terrible. :( The Suburban runs beautifully, and I drove it for around 250 miles today without a problem. Nothing leaks, nothing is broken, except for one little power window switch in the back. That can easily be replaced for $20 bucks. (Be assured, I went through this thing with a fine-tooth comb) The paint job was done by the guy, and it has 3 coats of clearcoat over the entire paint job. It was really really well done. He also did a good job on the undercoating. No rust anywhere at all. I'm not much for the Tony Stewart theme (see the #20 and signature on the rear and the side of the truck) But, boy, for the price, I'll happily deal with it. As per agreement to the trade, I installed a new radiator and a new windshield on the Explorer before the trade, hence the $450 expense on top of the purchase price (for the Ford Explorer) I forgot to mention that the Chevy Suburban has a Chevy v8 350 engine in it, which is a gas guzzler, but boy, it'll haul anything I'll ask it to.

That hood is going, and as soon as I get my hands on some extra cash, I'm going to buy a stock hood and put it on and sell that silly hood. This is a deal of a lifetime, so I figured, I ought to share pics with ya guys. :o)

[RHA 0]

From my experience with GM trucks,before you replace the switch for the rear window,check the wiring.Sometimes the wiring in the door jam frays from opening and closing the door.In the past I've replaced the motor and the switch only to find out that the power wire to the switch had frayed!!!!!(Just trying to help)RHA

[Ketchamized 2]

Richard, Thanks for that info. I'll have to keep an eye out for that in the future if that happens. :) The switch itself seems to be missing the spring that gives it that bounce going back and forth. Right now, it's very loose and it doesn't "click" when you press the buttons. I'm very sure that the switch is physically broken. It's still good to know that tidbit about Chevy's. Thanks again, Richard. Much appreciated. :)

[Scott Salmons 7]

Now if you can just find someone with a Dodge truck with a Cummins to trade with you'll be set. Just kidding, glad your bad e-bay experience worked out well.

[plastikosmd 1,002]

was always a bit concerned on buyin an auto on ebay...bad enough buyin one in person and getting scammed, internet=impossible. nice surburban...personally i'd keep the hood! scott

[wminmi 0]

quote:

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Originally posted by Scott Salmons
Now if you can just find someone with a Dodge truck with a Cummins to trade with you'll be set.

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hmmm, i have a dodge with a cummins diesel...... SCOTT ~ NOT going to be able to make it this weekend....something major has popped up, can we reschedule? i'll e-mail/PM you ERICK~ she looks GOOD!!! Congrats :D

[shanhamm 0]

Keep the hood, I love that look!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D:D:D:D But thats just me. I'm sure you could put that hood on ebay and get at least a hundred for it. a bone yard would probably sell you a stock one for dirt cheap.

[FastPaul 0]

Ya got my vote Erick,Best truck I ever had ,I love my 96 Burb.:D:D Love that 42 Gal tank

[Ketchamized 2]

Scott (s), Thank you for the kind comments. :o) I'm into more 'stock' vehicles, with a little "Surprise" under the hood. :o) (Sleepers) William, Thanks, :o) It is a really excellent deal. I helped my friend today, he had a rusted, what looked like a '38 sedan frame, with locked wheels. The whole thing was pretty heavy. Anyhow, I pulled it 30 feet like it was nothing. Didn't even work at all. That Chevy 350 sure is nice! :o) Shanon, :D That's what I'm thinking. The hood does look mean, but I like to be able to have as much view possible. :o) Also, the winter time, snow will get under there. The master cylinder is starting to rust because of the water getting underneath there. So it'll be better for the engine in the long run to put the stock hood on. :o)

[Ketchamized 2]

Paul, I've owned the Suburban only for 2 days, but boy, it got me converted. Your Suburban looks just like mine, except the front lenses were changed to European style lenses and a bumper that accmodiates 2 fog lights are on it. What size are your tires? They seem somewhat bigger than mine. Are there any tips you know of that helps gas mileage on these? Thanks for posting the pic of yours... It's a beauty! :o)

[Ketchamized 2]

Scott, (Plastikosmd) The Explorer is the 2nd car I bought on eBay. The 1st time was a 1994 or 1995 (can't remember, it was back in 1998) Mistubishi Expo LRV in mint condition, just for $900, and it was only 3 years old at the time. No problems at all. Lasted me 2 years before I got bored with it and changed vehicles. I'd say that eBay is a hit and miss venture. Sometimes it'll be good, sometimes, it'll be bad. My experience is 90% good, 10% bad.

[ehertzfeld 1]

quote:

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Originally posted by Ketchamized
Are there any tips you know of that helps gas mileage on these?

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Yeah, leave it home!:D:o)

[builder386 0]

you could always try one of those "tornado" things that go on top of the throttle body. A trim guy at work swears but them in his Ford van.

[Ketchamized 2]

Elon, LOL, That's what we'll be doing most of the time. ;) But for those times that I'm using it, it'd be nice to save a little. :D PJ, I did wonder about those... I have read conflicting reports on the internet, and I'm having trouble deciding which side is right. Some people say that it's a waste of money, and that it really doesn't work. Some people (not as many, though) swear on them. My new Suburban has a carburetor, so I'm wondering if buying a smaller carb would do the trick? Or, buying a carb airbox with a nice filter band around it, like muscle cars have. Right now, I have the stock carb airbox that has a hose that leads to the wheel well. Seems kinda restrictive to me. Not sure if that'd improve gas mileage if that was changed? There are also conflicting reports on which saves more gas- cold air intake or warm air intake. *sigh* It seems that when it comes down to gas mileage, people hasn't figured it out quite yet.

[builder386 0]

1995 should have a throttle body, unless alot of things have been swapped out. It may look like a carb at first glance but it's got an injector inside. Chevy stuck with those a little longer then Ford did. Most Fords had multi-port injection (one injector for each cyl) years before. I had a 1995 Cheyenne with a 350 in it, then a 2003 Silverado with a 4.8 V8 now a 2006 ext cab with a 5.3 V8. I'm getting almost 18 MPG highway while towing my Fleetwood Bayside pop-up camper which weighs right around 3000# maybe slightly more. Check that carb/throttle body out, I'm curious as to what you have.

[Ketchamized 2]

PJ, That's interesting. I'll have to take the air breather off and see what is inside. My 350's a 5.7 liter engine. Will get back to you on whether if it has a carb or fuel injection. :) I'm supposed to get 13mpg city, 17 highway with an empty load. But I don't know yet if that's what I'm actually getting. Aside from the fact that your engine's a 5.3, I wonder what Chevy did to push it up to 18mpg, loaded.

[Ketchamized 2]

PJ, You're right, it's fuel injection. :D There's no choke lever in there, and it has wiring in the center. There's also no distributor cap- just an electronic fuel injection module. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I was kinda bummed out when I thought it had a carburetor. I think it's odd that they have a carburetor-looking air box. Would a lesser restrictive airbox help save on the gas or make it worse?

[builder386 0]

anything you can do to make the engine breath easier should improve gas mileage. intake or exhaust. The new 5.3 engine has more HP than the old 5.7 350. In 1997 the 350 was putting out 255 HP. The 2006 5.3 is boasting 295 HP. The HD cast iron engine puts out slightly more than that. The smaller 4.8 that was in my 2003 had 285 HP. The are just figuring out how to make more HP with smaller engines. Good R&D.

[Ketchamized 2]

PJ, Thanks, appreciate the info a lot. I'll be tweaking it as much as possible. There was one last thing I wanted to ask, on the manifold cover, on the left side, there is supposed to be some kind of small 1" diameter hose going from that manifold cover to the bottom of the air breather. My guess it's to carry hot air from the manifold to the air box? Anyhow, that 1" diameter hose is missing. Is that bad? It seems to me that the previous owner might have taken it off so that the air coming in is strictly cold air? Thanks

[comet66 0]

Very nice! I would think you'd have a good chance of getting some one to swap hoods with you. If you're patient even a black one. Isn't there an outfit some where that makes replacement computer modules that allow you to tune for power or efficient operation?

[builder386 0]

I think you can actually reprogram the computer on those. I remember watching one of those truck shows and they even adjusted the speedo for the new larger tires they installed. I can't tell you what effect the hose would have on the gas mileage. But I know that cold air makes more HP! The guys down at the local short track love the early spring and late summer night racing just for that reason.

[MPH 12]

Believe that hose off the manifold is for start-up as the warm air helps the engine warm up faster. Part of emission stuff I think. Also helps prevent frost in the venturea at about 28 degrees. Had a Fish carb on my 318 that really needed one. Should have a sensor on it to close when the engine ios warmed up.

[Nick 0]

Nice buy. Here's a picture of our Fire Department's 1996 Chevy Suburban Diesel, just after I waxed it. It's used for Fire Police Duty.
[img]http://www.exit109.com/~mikezac/departments/cronomervalley/307cronomervalley.jpg[/img]

[Ketchamized 2]

John, Thanks. :) That swap idea is a good one. I'll have to try one of those Suburban forums online. Most people seem to focus more on increasing HP when manipulating a computer module. For that reason, I can't find information on improving gas mileage. sm00 2 days ago, I pulled a very heavy 30's car frame that had locked wheels on it, like it was nothing. At the most, I'd be hauling 1,500 lbs maximum. But, that would be maybe 3 times a year. I also don't travel more than 200 miles to pick up a tractor. So, power isn't really an issue for me. PJ, Thanks. :) I'll have to look into that. I am going to get the needed manifold hose first. Once that hose is installed, I'll do a full tune up, and then bring it in to be programmed for best gas mileage and performance. Marty, I think you're right on spot about that "hose" thing. It makes complete sense. There's a sensor and a "door" there that shuts off the air. So, it has to be what that is. I can't think of any other possible thing that it could be for. Thanks again, another question/issue on the list solved. 8D Nick, That Suburban is a thing of beauty! (That goes for Paul's too) It seems that those vehicles has a special place in many people's hearts. The more I look at it, the more things I find that I love about it. In the past, I have wanted one for a long time, but stayed away from them because of the gas mileage. But now my wife has a good mpg car, so why not? :D I must say, it's the most fun vehicle I've owned, and I've owned more than 14 cars in the past 15 years.