Hey all! I'm thinking harder and harder about doing a 73-91 Suburban project and I need some advice.

I've currently got about 1.5 years left on the lease for my 2017 Jeep Wrangler and when it ends I think I want to get away from a new vehicle (depreciation sucks) and go a little older school. I want to get the project started now so I am ready to transition over to driving it once my Jeep goes back to the dealership.

I've more-or-less settled on the 7th-gen Suburban because they are easy to find, easy to fix, have plenty of room for carpooling the kiddos and for car-camping in the back, reliable drivetrain, classic looks, etc.

I'm thinking that I could find a low-mile creampuff for around $10k to start. I really, really want to have a K5 Blazer removeable hardtop grafted onto the back. If 4WD I might lift it a little bit, if 2WD I might bag it.



So... I guess the first question I have is, is there a particular year (or years) that I should aim for or avoid? I suppose that if I get a later model I would have fuel injection and more/reliable features?

I want to include the community in my project! Tell me your thoughts!

 

i would aim for one with OD. in 91 the 2500 burb came with the 700r4 and the 4l80e. but i would just aim for one thats not rusted out and has OD but you can always add that later on. the barn door ones from what i understand are harder to find and might cost a little more but you wont be using them so stay away

 

Yeah, I was either thinking of going for the first few years with the round headlights and then updating the drivetrain to newer specs (from a junked 2000s era or something) or just going with the last few years and reconditioning the parts that needed it. It would probably much, much easier in the long run to just go with the late version and keep it closer to stock.

Looks like 1989-1991 gives me the quad-light front end. Are there any major differences that happened in those three years? Did they all come with O/D? Does Chevy vs GMC make any difference? 1500 vs 2500?

Definitely gonna avoid the barn doors since I want to incorporate the Blazer removable roof. Has anyone here seen this conversion done in person? Tips?