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World Expedition Suburban Build - Cummins/NV4500/Dana 60 - Build back on?

53K views 118 replies 43 participants last post by  kkodet 
#1 · (Edited)
Here is what I am starting with: I picked up this 1999 Suburban 3/4 in Detroit off Craigslist for $1,600. It is fully loaded, it even has heated seats. The previous owner started dismantling the 454 because he thought it was bad. The truck has just over 100,000 on the ticker, is rust free, and appears to have been garage kept.



Here is the build plan:

1990 Cummins 12 valve motor
1998 Dodge Ram NV4500 and 241 transfer case
Swap in a Ford Dana 60 front axle
3.50 gears
H1 Beadlocks
ARB Front bumper/warn winch
Detroit Lockers Front/Rear

Here is a pic of the donor engine. I bought the entire 2wd truck that had been rolled for $1,200. It runs great and has 200,000 miles on it:



Bought this piece of crap for $350.00 from a local scrapper. Had a HP dana 60 front and a Chevy 35 spline Dana 60 rear. Much to my surprise, both axles ended up having Detroit lockers in them.




Lastly, I called Ryan at B&L auto wrecking out in Oregon. He has always gotten me great prices on late model stuff. He sold me this 1998 Ram NV4500 with everything else (flywheel, bellhousing, clutch, pedal assembly, slave, etc.) for $1,450 shipped to my door. This all came out of a Truck with 80,000 miles that had gotten wrecked.

I traded a friend of mine a junk low pinion 77 Ford Dana 60 for a 241 Diesel T-case (large 29 spline is specific to diesel sticks)



Now that I have all the parts, let the building began!

My end goal is to have a wheelable tow rig that I can also take anywhere with the whole family and tons of gear.
 
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#115 ·
BTW, I'm a BIG fan of the 60-66 trucks, but they never made a four door version from the factory. I like, but am not too big a fan of the 68-72 style. I have thought quite a bit about adding the extra doors and windows to a one ton panel.
 
#119 ·
Heres the official scoop. The panel truck is now home and all I wished for. It will become the long term buildup tow rig project someday. Being that I needed a reliable tow rig for the business right away, I went out and purchased a Cummins Dodge extended cab. That leaves me with the only want for the Suburban project its "expedition" qualities.

After speaking with some other expedition guys and some freinds from europe the general concensus is that the Suburban is too big. My close freind from Germany looked at it and says it won't even fit on many of the roads by his house. So, it seems that my 3.9 cummins Cherokee build is better suited for true expedition travelling. Plus, it should get much better mileage and range.

I have "officially" decided to find the Suburban a new home. Many of its parts will be used in my 83 Cherokee, others in other projects. So, if anyone is interested in the Suburban body and/or 5.9 Cummins motor, let me know.
 
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