1997 Chevrolet Suburban

K2500 SUV

6.5L Turbo Diesel

Automatic

1GNGK26F9VJ395840

Clear

Diesel

Up for sale is my 1997 Chevy Suburban 6.5TD 4WD with 187,000 original miles. I am the second owner of the truck, which was originally ordered for and delivered to the City of Sunrise, Florida Fire & Rescue department. I purchased the truck from the city surplus auction in 2007 when it had 116,000 miles. I had searched for several years to find this vehicle and although the roof and hood were sunburned, the vehicle was totally rust free and was one of the primary motivating factors in my decision to purchase it. Knowing the truck came from a municipal fleet was also one of my motivation factors, as I was able to obtain copies of all service records compiled during the vehicle's first 10 years of service. This was going to be my project truck that I have put an insane amount of money into to bring it to pristine condition. The truck came with a few minor oil leaks and a peculiar vibration at highway speeds when I drove it home from Ft. Lauderdale. I identified the oil pan and valve cover leaks, and discovered the left engine mount had been oil soaked for some time. I re-sealed the valve covers and oil pan and while I was at it also replaced both engine mounts. Much to my delight after replacing the engine mounts, that annoying vibration also went away. I have installed a number of aftermarket upgrades to the power train during my ownership, including Penninsular Diesel glow plugs and manual/automatic adjustable timer. This is shown in the photo of the lower dash where the open storage compartment is located. A toggle switch just below the transmission shift lever allows the driver to manually heat the glow plugs, or leave in timer mode where the timer will light the plugs for a period up to 60 seconds. The truck recently underwent a complete cooling system upgrade with Heath Diesel high output water pump, manual turbo wastegate control and Heath's own specially programmed PCM for towing applications. Also at that time I replaced the factory radiator with a Mishimoto all aluminum radiator and silicone upper and lower radiator hoses. The cooling system had a complete flush at that time. After finding that the factory block drain is directly behind the left engine mount and virtually inaccessible, I pulled out the rear soft plug from the block to facilitate a complete flush of the system and replace the soft plug with an expansion plug so the next time a flush is scheduled, the last gallon or so of coolant remaining in the block can be drained easily through the removal of this plug. The factory pcv system leaves much to be desired as it allows crankcase oil mist enter the turbo, so you will see in the underhood photos that I installed a Mishimoto aluminum oil catch can between the factory pcv valve and the turbo inlet hose from the S&B cold air intake. This eliminates dirty oil from entering the turbo and all you have to do is unthread the catch can from the mount at every oil change, clean out the can and reinstall. This also prevents a lot of mess where the factory pcv tube and hose allowed oil mist to escape and make for lot of mess around that area underhood. From the time I brought the truck home I have used nothing but Mobil 1 5w-40 oil changed every 5k miles. I have also replaced the transmission filter and fluid twice along with transfer case fluid using Mobil 1 synthetic transmission fluid and changed both front and rear differential fluids. I recently removed and resealed the front differential and installed the updated electric 4WD acuator that replaced the thermal activated version, which was the cause of a fluid leak on the differential. The factory build sheet shows the truck has a locking rear differential with 4.10 gear ratio. I'll be glad to email the factory build sheet to any interested buyer. The truck came with factory steel wheels and well worn tires, so I recently replaced them with a set of later model OEM aluminum rims and a brand new set of Firestone tires which have less than 3,000 miles on them. Over the time I have owned the truck I have replaced the front hub and bearing assemblies, front brake rotors with dimpled and grooved upgrades and heavy duty pads with new caliper assemblies. I also replaced the rear brake shoes, springs and hardware. Replacing upper and lower ball joints and tie rods ends along with new pitman arm and idler have brought the steering system to almost new condition. New shocks front and rear. When I purchased the truck the rear a/c was not working. About 2 years ago I needed a new compressor so decided to tackle the rear air conditiong portion of the system while I was at it. I decided to replace the aluminum lines with rubber hoses because the aluminum portion of the factory lines run along behind the passenger side rocker panels and are notorious for vibrations rubbing holes in the aluminum. While replacing the rear lines I discovered that the factory a/c compressor had been replaced at some point before my ownership, because it was evident that whoever did this work paid no attention to the rear evaporator coil and expansion valve. Both were plugged with debris that cut loose when the original compressor failed, so at that time I replaced the rear evaporator coil and expansion valve, had the remainder of the system thoroughly flushed and cleaned out, and the result is that both the front and rear air conditioning systems now blow nice cold air and keep the whole cabin nice and cool in the hottest summer months. You will note the new complete paint job (fall 2010) that took care of the original sunburned roof and hood. It took a local and very reputable local paint and body shop nearly a month to complete this process. While in this process I decided to replace the factory hood with a new cowl induction hood that allows much better cold air intake than the factory version. The roof had numerous holes left from various radio antennas from the truck's years of service in the fire & rescue department. The orignal paint had shadows of the Sunrise Fire & Rescue on the door panels, and the side rear glass still had shadows of #39 decals on them. Also while having the paint work completed, I decided to take the opportunity to replace the rear barn door glass with defrost / defog version, as I had already replaced the heat and a/c control panel which came with the rear defrost feature, so it was a no-brainer since the factory wiring harness already contained the connectors to plug & play. I asked for and received a factory build sheet from my local GM dealer which shows the deep tinted glass that was ordered from the factory, which has helped keep the interior in good condition. Also while in the body shop, I decided to replace the black factory grill with a new one and had it painted at the same time the body was being prepped. The factory fender flares were black and had a few cracks in them, so I decided to replace them, however GM had discontinued the factory flares, so I had to go with Bushwacker as a replacement and had the paint shop color match them while they were at it. I have used the truck to haul a lot of material so the rear cargo area includes an aftermarket rubber mat. Although the truck did not come from the factory with a third row seat, you will see in a couple of the photos that I picked one up from a salvaged suburban and have used it a number of times, but it has spent more of its time out of the truck than in it. It can be easily snapped in place for carrying an extra 2 adults or 3 children. The truck was originally ordered with no carpet since it was to be used in emergency service, so the factory vinyl floor material has numerous cuts where the city installed radio antenna cables and wires. Believe it or not, the original siren was still mounted under the front bumper, but before the city put the truck up for sale, the electrical driver for this was removed which left the siren unusable, so I removed it and threw it away. I may be insane for letting this beautiful truck go, but my wife and I recently decided to replace our bumper hitch travel trailer with a 5th wheel, so we purchased an HD2500 Duramax for the purpose and no longer have a need for the suburban. If you have an understanding of the history of the 6.5 L turbo diesel, you will know that GM discontinued the diesel suburban back in 2000 when the Duramax was introduced. Finding a diesel suburban is hard enough, let alone a 2500 chassis and 4WD. It took me well over 5 years to find this truck, and with only 187k original miles, it has a lot of life left in it. The undercarriage will show some rust, but this is only due to the fact that I have resided in Nebraksa for the last 5 years and the roads carry a lot of de-icing material in the winter. However this is not my daily driver, so for the past 4-5 years the truck has really only accumulated about 15K miles As my wife would tell you, I am fanatical about keeping the truck as clean and free of rust causing chemicals by thoroughly washing and rinsing the undercarriage as frequently as the weather will allow. You may notice the lack of decals and body side mouldings that for some people help identify the model. With the exception of the new bow tie in the new grille, you would have to look close to determine it to be Chevrolet. My only answer here is that after seeing that beautiful new victory red paint job, I just didn't have it in my heart to ruin it with adding those details that were part of the truck before the sanding started. This truck was never involved in an accident when it was owned by the City of Sunrise, and the same is true under my ownership. A car fax report would show this to be true. From a condition perspective for a truck that is 16 years old, it just doesn't get any better than this. I have invoice records to show and prove all of the upgrades mentioned and service records for all work that was completed by my local GM dealer. As you can see, I have invested a lot of time and money in this truck and the new owner will enjoy the fruit of my labor, and money. I think this truck may be one of a kind, or at least one of only a few left, especially in this kind of condition. GM has decided to bring back the diesel in the suburban for 2014, but it is a much smaller displacement and is not intended for towing or heavy duty use. This truck will tow about anything you can hook to it and do it with ease. My wife has often commented on how soft this truck rides in spite of the fact it is a 2500 chassis. I owned a '95 5.7L gas 1/2 ton suburban with higher miles before this one, but this truck seems to ride more comfortable down the open highway as any 1/2 ton version would hope for. Now if you have been interested enough in my truck to read all of this, I encourage you to give me a call if you would like to test drive and take a closer look. Feel free to give me a call at 402-661-4647 any time and I will gladly accommodate your request. I live in southeastern Nebraska about 1-2 hours from either the Omaha or Kansas City airports. For the successful buyer I will oblige by meeting you at either the Omaha or Kansas City airport to finalize our transaction and pass the clear title to you at that time. When I purchased the truck, I flew to Ft. Lauderdale and drove the truck home the same day, so I was a serious buyer. With all this in mind, please don't waste my time or yours if you are not a serious buyer. I've put a seriously huge amount of money in this truck since I've owned it and would expect that only serious buyers contact me and place bids with the full intention of completing the transaction. I enjoy a 100% seller rating with Ebay, and my personal integrity stands behind that. I will ask for a $500 deposit to be paid via Pay Pal within 48 hours of the end of the auction, with full payment in cash or certified funds at the time of pick up. Thank you for taking the time to read about my truck. Good luck and happy bidding!