67-72 suburban as a tow vehicle?

[sawzall]

I am sure someone here has done it?
but would like to get some feedback.

I'm thinking about building a 67- 72 burban as a tow vehicle for my 20' enclosed trailer..

obviously big block power would be a must,
what else would need done before attempting such a feat?


anyone currently use their vintage suburban to tow?

for what its worth... from time to time..I'd be hauling this inside the trailer..

http://recycled40fordwoodie.blogspot.com/

[JimmyFloyd]

I never used mine to tow, but the previous owners did. Mine was a 3/4 ton 4x4, with 5.13's in the rear (4:10's in the front, but I think this was just left from factory) The power train was a 76 350 motor, the original th350 with a Fairbanks shift kit. The truck also had electric trailer brakes, aux battery, cruise, and Aux gas tank under the 2nd row seat. Looked like it was a pretty beefy tow rig before it succumbed to NY winters and rust.

[capev86]

A 3.73 or better rear gear is a good idea for trailer towing. be sure and have a good hitch and wiring/brake controller rated for the job. also, 3/4 ton rear springs are a must for a trailer as heavy as yours. but yes, a classic burb makes a great tow vehicle if properly equipped.

i have already used my 72 burb to tow an s10 on a tow dolly and plan to be pulling a 6000 pound vintage holiday camper in the future. i bought my burb to use as a truck, not just grace car shows. i really believe that is most worthy calling for a classic truck. you don't need a new truck to play hard!

[vectorit]

My burb (68 K20) was a tow vehicle most of it's life, pulling a 25' travel trailer and a truck load of people and stuff. Gears were, and still are 4.57's.
It's hitch set up was a torsion bar design, and electric brakes for the trailer.

I plan to put a hidden hitch on mine when I get around to it.

But - If I were to start towing stuff again, first thing I'd do is upgrade the brakes. Since I have all the confidence in the world that my baby could pull some pretty big weight, but I can't say that about the other very important part in towing. Which is stopping!

Currently running 4 wheel 12" drum brakes.

Wasn't a problem back in the day.
But now a days as we all know driving conditions have changed.

[capev86]

i had 4.57's in my 72 burb until a week ago when i had a 4.10 swap done. now i can actually drive it on the highway (still keep it under 60). with a q-jet swap (was a 2 barrel) it has a lot more get up and go and i don't miss the 4.57's at all. should have no problem towing the family camper. my truck is a 3/4 ton but a 1/2 ton is fine for most jobs provided you swap in the better rear springs (eliminates sag) and other things mentioned above.

i would advise anyone not running a sway bar to get one. and disc front brakes are another must. my 72 burb had them from the factory and it stops great. other than that, makes sure the chassis is serviced and any issues are taken care of for safe, trouble free towing.

i put a Curt 15,000 lb rated hitch on my burb because it is a HD model after all, otherwise 10,000 is a good rating for most class III-IV towing.

[monte2low]

I tow with my 72 2wd. It has a 400 small block and a th400. It has the power to tow, tows really well but I had to install a rear bag kit because I have it lowered to the limits without a notch. But I tow my camper and 20' trailer. It also looks awesome doing it. The burb was a must because I only drive older vehicles (the burb being the newest) and a new truck would ruin the look of my driveway.

[72freak]

Always did well for me. 350 TBI and 700R4

[capev86]

72freak.....that was such a jewel.....you should never have given it up!

[72freak]

Originally Posted by capev86

72freak.....that was such a jewel.....you should never have given it up!

Cant keep them all and the new owner appreciates it as much as I did. Anyone wanting to build or own a 72 2x4 3/4 ton Suburban really missed out on this one. For the price it was a great deal! I am slowly working my way out of the 67-72's but will always have a fondness/sickness for them. Ive got a few more for sale!

[blue 72 gmc 4x4]

I used to use my 72 gmc 4x4 burb to tow my weekend warrior travel trailer. I put a 502 bbc in it and had Hughes transmissions do a bunch of work to the tranny. I had airbags put on it (a must if you're towing heavy loads) but it would tow good. Only bad thing is it gets about 8 mpg and it has a 40 gal tank..so ouch when its time to fill it up! Now I have a duramax desiel and it KILLS that gas motor at towing.

[capev86]

there was a company called PPE featured on a recent episode of Gearz. they will double the hp and tq from a Duramax. you could run the absolute softest gearing and a killer overdrive and still tow big trailers.

as for the air bags, i'd save my money and just put stiffer springs in the back (or more leaves in the case of leaf springs).

[dougo]

I tow about 1500-2000 pounds... flat bed trailer with dirtbikes/quads. I don't even know it's back there.... no issues to speak of. I've got a big block, 454 in mine.

[Ackattack]

I'm planning on a 3/4 ton 4x4 burb in the future to be my family hauler / tow rig.....but I'm planning on setting the burb body onto a 3/4ton dodge cummins chasis with a few upgrades

[capev86]

i know the cummins is a nice powerplant, but i'd rather keep the gm chassis and run a duramax. i like most brands (except korean stuff), but i don't like mixing them.

[LuckyScott]

I towed racecars with my '72 Suburban for years. My biggest problem was the center driveshaft support. I finally replaced the stock shaft with a sliding shaft from inland empire driveshaft and that cured the problem.
I think since mine was lowered, it added to the issue.

dont tow with the truck anymore, but still drive it.

[72 DIRTY RAT]

On a similar note, I think I have 3:73s or 4:11s?? I do use mine for towing my Vette to tracks but I also do drive it a lot without towing.... I want to change the ratio to about 3:25s? I realise this will probably put more stress on the suburban whilst towing but I also want a better milage/less revs whilst cruising. What are some problems that might occur with 3:25 gears? I have a 454, so its got plenty of torque!

[72gmguy]

The previous owner of my 72 2 wheel drive burb used it to tow enclosed car trailers from texas to pennsylvania with no problems. It has a factory 402 bb with 2 aux gas tanks, an oil cooler, electric aux fans and air bags in the rear coils with a compressoor wired to a guage and swith on the dash.

[capev86]

my dad's 84 and 87 burbs (1/2 ton 2wd's with 3.73 gears and 700r4) got 18mpg on the highway and his current 99 burb (same setup except 3.42) gets 22mpg.

the 87 had a 3.08 rear (texas truck) which was just too soft and didn't get any better mpg because the engine worked harder. on a bad boy diesel a 3.08 would be fine. the 700r4 also has a more aggressive 1st gear than a t350 while the 2004r which is a nearly bolt in swap for the t350 has a better overdrive ratio.

i picked up a rare 66-69 saginaw 3 speed with the borg warner overdrive so i can keep my factory 3 on the tree but have overdrive to offset that 4.10 rear on the highway when driving solo.

[classicfins]

Originally Posted by monte2low

I tow with my 72 2wd. It has a 400 small block and a th400. It has the power to tow, tows really well but I had to install a rear bag kit because I have it lowered to the limits without a notch. But I tow my camper and 20' trailer. It also looks awesome doing it. The burb was a must because I only drive older vehicles (the burb being the newest) and a new truck would ruin the look of my driveway.

Your burb has the perfect stance I've been looking for. I'm also planning on dropping mine and not doing a c notch so I had planned on rear bags of some sort. What combo did you use front and rear to get your stance? And did you keep springs in the rear and go with a set of auxillary bags just for towing, or switch over to strictly bags?