1997 Suburban

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 9:27 am

scalabro wrote:
Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 8:56 am
Invest in a set of larger front & rear anti-sway bars, they’ll greatly improve the trucks handling characteristics especially in a panic situation. Also throw the rear drums in the garage and install a disc setup. You can probably upgrade using newer suburban components.

https://www.addco.net/?s=&ymm_search=1&post_type= ... engine=5.7
This has the 3.5” wide shoes and is known to be a very reliable setup. If the disc parts are a direct swap and available from a picking yard I will give it strong consideration.


 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 9:29 am

joeq wrote:
Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 9:20 am
I've never heard rear brakes affecting the directional pull of a vehicle. Frt calipers, definitely. Rear? Have you?
I have not, but there is only so many things that can cause this. Front calipers are brand new. Maybe I have a partially collapsed hose.

 
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Post by scalabro » Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 10:05 am

Rob, here’s a good read for you with links to further info…

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/tech-tips ... 875/page1/

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 10:09 am

scalabro wrote:
Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 10:05 am
Rob, here’s a good read for you with links to further info…

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/tech-tips ... 875/page1/
That would have been great to read before I bought new rotors and calipers. :cry:

 
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Post by scalabro » Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 10:12 am

Rob R. wrote:
Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 10:09 am
That would have been great to read before I bought new rotors and calipers. :cry:
Sorry Dude!

Check this out too…

https://www.tsmmfg.net/

 
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Hambden Bob
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Post by Hambden Bob » Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 10:16 am

Eh,What Da' Hell... Sooner or later,You're "Inner Mechanical Mastermind" would've had You "Renewing" Your Braking System on that "Land Yacht"!! A Family Guy,which You are,does these things... Now,Paul Harvey,You'll soon be publishing "The Rest Of The Story" regarding "The Burb" right here!! Enjoy that Hockey!!

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Jan. 29, 2022 5:14 pm

Brake update:

Upon more research I have determined that the C2500 Suburban with the "heavy duty" brake package has the same rotors and calipers as the '99 C3500 truck, so I already have the heavy duty rotors and larger caliper pistons. Nice to know I didn't miss out on a cheap upgrade.

I finally got on some dry roads and had a chance to bed the new pads in, and also back up & stop a bunch of times to adjust the rear drums. Overall that made a noticeable difference in pedal feel and the brake pull seems to be gone. Not really sure what the story was but happy with the outcome.

Steering update:

Ever since I started driving this Suburban the steering has felt strange to me. It wandered, and steered so easily it had very little road feel. The front end alignment was a big improvement to tracking straight, but the road feel was still nonexistent. I learned that this vehicle has "EVO" power steering, which means electronic variable orifice. When working correctly it gives more assist at low speeds (easy parking lot maneuvers) and reduced assist at higher speed. There is a sensor on the steering column that can go bad, and when it does the system operates in max steering assist all the time. I considered a bypass kit to remove the EVO system entirely, but from what I read the vehicle should drive good with the EVO setup as long as it is working correctly. I found a new sensor on ebay for short $ and installed it this afternoon. A quick road test was encouraging, but the real test will be tomorrow when I need to drive it for a few hours.

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Old EVO Sensor

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Hambden Bob
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Post by Hambden Bob » Sun. Jan. 30, 2022 6:41 am

Daft,to say the least! Glad you had that Ring Module on Da' Shelf! Between this and the Brakes,I'd say you've got the "Hockey Freighter" back in Good Stead! Stay Warm,Mister!!

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sun. Jan. 30, 2022 9:40 am

Huge improvement in the steering. I drove through some wicked crosswinds this morning and it was a totally different experience.

When I snapped this picture it was -15 with roaring winds.

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HandFire
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Post by HandFire » Sun. Jan. 30, 2022 11:29 am

Rob R. wrote:
Sun. Jan. 30, 2022 9:40 am
I drove through some wicked crosswinds this morning
Boy, I'll say. It must have had you on 2 wheels. :o Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Good deal it was an easy fix.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sun. Jan. 30, 2022 5:07 pm

HandFire wrote:
Sun. Jan. 30, 2022 11:29 am
Boy, I'll say. It must have had you on 2 wheels. :o Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Good deal it was an easy fix.
ha - seems like I get on 2 wheels anytime I post a picture from my phone. :roll:

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Feb. 03, 2022 2:52 pm

Found this picture in with all the service records. 1998 in Yuma AZ right after the pinstripes were put on.

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Post by HandFire » Sat. Feb. 05, 2022 7:38 pm

Nice to be able to document the service records with paper on a vehicle and having photos makes it better. Funny how that picture has that age tint when 1998 doesn't seem that long ago. To me that's one of the "new" body styles. Hard to believe they have gone through 4 other model changes since then.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Mar. 12, 2022 7:55 am

A/C Compressor locked up on the old girl - unplugged clutch for now. Will need to decide if I want to tackle A/C repair or just remove it entirely. I think it is shame to not have the AC work on a vehicle that is otherwise fully functional, but I probably wouldn't use it that often.

 
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Post by StokerDon » Sat. Mar. 12, 2022 8:10 am

Rob R. wrote:
Sat. Mar. 12, 2022 7:55 am
Will need to decide if I want to tackle A/C repair or just remove it entirely.
That was the dilemma I faced with my Black 1999 GMC. A new compressor, parts and labor is about $1600. It turned out being one of those jobs I never got around to fixing. :lol:
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Then again, I never had to haul the family around on a hot Summer day.

-Don


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