Anyone have specs for a 1984 Suburban K20?

[occupant]

I'm buying this truck tomorrow and I want to know what it can pull. It's got a Class III or IV receiver on the back, no trailer brake controller (I'll get one), 350 4bbl V8, 700R4 trans, and I assume the stock 3.73 axle. 3/4 ton, 4x4, what can it do?

[capriceman]

at least you know you can haul a refridgerator.

as a guess around 3-5 tons so about 8000 lbs. its just a guess though.

[Croc]

Aren't these the side-saddle fuel tank models? Buyer beware...

[occupant]

Aren't these the side-saddle fuel tank models? Buyer beware...

Wouldn't bother me. I won't be crashing any Citations into it at 45mph with gas bottles under the hood. I'm not NBC.

The guy isn't calling me back, but we exchanged six or seven emails last night. Guess he hasn't woke up yet. If he doesn't call back I'll be forced to find something else.

[occupant]

OK, it's home. It's big. Reminds me of an '87 C30 Crew Cab I used to drive as a company truck. Except no bed. And no amber rotating light on the roof.

I found the '84 truck brochure at TOCMP. According to page 8, the GVWR for a K20 should be 8600#. Some guy on another forum told me the GCWR should be 12000#. But I haven't found anything on the truck to confirm it yet. I'll need to copy down the SPID label and see what I can find out. But it's no problem. No matter what the truck can pull, it won't be doing it with this receiver hitch since it's rated for only up to 5000#. But if I need to tow more than that, I'll probably be looking at a different truck. This one came from Colorado apparently, and the tailgate and door bottoms are pretty well rusted through. Frame is solid. Got the NP208 and 10-bolts front and rear. New exhaust, stainless, the converter and everything behind it. Definitely needs a battery (525CCA FTL), probably needs a starter (painfully slow cranking when hot, hope the battery swap fixes it FTW), and the brakes pull to the right (expensive 3/4 ton HD parts FTL).

For $900 including fresh tags and state inspection, I'm pleased.

[Croc]

Wouldn't bother me. I won't be crashing any Citations into it at 45mph with gas bottles under the hood. I'm not NBC.

Let's just hope you don't get T-boned ever.

[occupant]

Let's just hope you don't get rear-ended by a concrete mixer ever.

Fixed. SPID label confirms tank is 40-gallon. It's out behind the rear axle.

My mother rear-ended a Suburban back in '88. The guy didn't care that she smacked her face on the steering wheel, didn't care that my sister hurt her wrist on her car seat, didn't care that I hit the windshield with my head. He didn't want his 40-gallon tank to leak.

Anyway, the sending unit must be shot. Full tank reads 1/3 full on the gauge. At empty I could onlyu squeeze in 19.5 gallons.

WARN hubs, 5000/10000# hitch, big front bumper guards, 9-passenger seating, stock Delco AM-FM radio, and the original bottle jack, handles, and lug wrench are all still under the hood.

For $900, I'm darned impressed. Started easy cold this morning, too. But definitely need a battery. 525CCA ain't gonna cut it when its hot.

[Croc]

Oops, you're right. It was the pickups that had the tank side-saddle, but not the SUVs. My bad.

[occupant]

Page is up on CarDomain with 19 pictures of the truck and a page full of wheel options and other things I want to do.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2534514

Edited December 28, 2006 by occupant

[Camino LS6]

Oops, you're right. It was the pickups that had the tank side-saddle, but not the SUVs. My bad.

I'm surprised at you,Croc. Those tanks aren't the risk the hype would have you believe, they did rot out though. I watched an '86GMC with a full tank get slammed directly in the side at the fuel fill by a car going about 40-45mph and it didn't even leak let alone blow-up. The bedside was so caved-in that you could see the shape of the tank behind it.

[Croc]

I'm surprised at you,Croc. Those tanks aren't the risk the hype would have you believe, they did rot out though. I watched an '86GMC with a full tank get slammed directly in the side at the fuel fill by a car going about 40-45mph and it didn't even leak let alone blow-up. The bedside was so caved-in that you could see the shape of the tank behind it.

Nah, it isn't the hype...I've seen internal documents of the testing of the tanks and they just barely met the 15 mph side crash standards of their time. Getting hit by a car prolly didn't do too much due to the height mis-match, but a contact with a truck or SUV...that's a hot engine compartment going into the side of a gas tank.

[Camino LS6]

Maybe.

But, I've seen plenty of smashed ones and none that burned. I have owned at least six trucks with those tanks and still own one today - not worried in the least.

[Croc]

That's fine...I just feel obligated to let anyone thinking of buying one know the potentially flawed design. I do believe they created a fuel tank shield retrofit later...and those supposedly improved the integrity of the tank greatly. Could the examples you've seen have had the shield retrofitted?

[Camino LS6]

That's fine...I just feel obligated to let anyone thinking of buying one know the potentially flawed design. I do believe they created a fuel tank shield retrofit later...and those supposedly improved the integrity of the tank greatly. Could the examples you've seen have had the shield retrofitted?

I've only ever seen the shield on trucks where the tank(s) was (were) exposed (flatbeds, dump trucks etc.). It was more like a cage around the tank than a shield. When that class-action suit was settled I received two 1k certificates which I used in purchasing new GM products. I felt a little guilty, but not guilty enough not to use the thousand bucks. I don't believe that the cage/shield was ever offered to owners of the trucks as I would have been notified by GM.

[occupant]

10 bolts front and rear? Are you sure you bought a K20?

10 front, 14 rear, I hadn't actually counted the bolts right the first time. Bumped my head on the receiver and must've lost count.

4wd pulls good on this thing. But it sure hates turning on wet concrete. Front end shakes from side to side like my wheels were bent in half! It likes gravel and mud, though.