mike did you take the plow off it? btw the 96 is a batch fire efi and the lower intake manifolds were a huge problem when i worked at the dealer in the mid 90's..i was doing 3 a week for a while,,they leak coolant into the cylinders and some would come in with bent rods..

yes the plow is off but the plow undercarrage was not what the new truck needed so i left the undercarrige on it.it also has the plow wiring harness left on it.

yes i have replaced some of the intake gaskets,the vortec small blocks were famous for it also.

I just got rid of an 07 2500 4dr 4wd 6.0 truck. That 6.0 never left me wanting more. I pulled dads 30 scarab sport (boat not that heavy) but it was loaded from cabin to stern up to gunwales. It was a move of a storage full of tools and heavy chit. Truck did great. No trouble running 80 on the highway. Truck never hesitated pulling anything. Traded in for a dually diesel cause 1 the truck is badass and 2 I think a 42 fountain will look great behind it. Lol also many cheap easy mods to significantly up the power of a 6.0 if you so choose. We all know the ls motors are capable of gobs of reliable power.

Don't think you can go wrong with the 6.0, 454 or 8.1. All great engines.

the wire harness will fit the newer gm,,on hiniker plows all the harness's are the same,the pig tails at the head lamps are what you change..but you going from a gm to a gm the lights should be the same..also the hitch part on the mount shouls also be the same and all you should need is the parts that mount to the frame..

Just drove my new to me 2000 2500 4x4 suburban back from Florida.

Truck is kind of beat up on the interior. Must have been a work truck. But it's a southern truck that saw salt for the first time this morning.

It's rolling 285/75r16. Which are a 33" tire, well 32.8. 1.075 times taller than stock.

Got about 14.5mpg 70-73mph GPS unloaded highway in warm flat Florida. That's accounting for the tire diameter in the trip mileage as well. Dropped down to about 13mpg highway in the cold weather.

Are these numbers normal? Should I check anything?

I miss the ride and overall niceness of my old '02 half ton suburban that my sister totaled. This one has lots of things not working and beat up. But I'm ready to tow somehting heavy!

Other notes. These trucks have rear leaf springs instead of trailing arms and coils. It rides higher in the rear and also gains tank capacity. I put 33 gallons in it at one point.

Also they only have the 9.5" semi floater and not the full floating corporate 14 bolt.

What engine is in it?

6.0 and 4l80e. 496s were rare and expensive. I got this one dirt cheap.

to calculate your milage try a gps instead of using your odometer..also try 69 mph..i have a big block tbi and i get 14 hwy and 6-10 around town..summer or winter.. i know the 14 bolt diff comes with the heavy duty towing pkg..and the 8.1 liter..

My '06 8.1litre has the full floating 14bolt rear end and the 4l80e tranny. Geared with 3.73's, it averages 10.4 on the dash for the life of the truck. I can get 12mpg's on the hwy if I keep it below 75. I have done the math numerous times myself. I bought it with 24,000 and it now has 124,000 miles on it, been a great truck/SUV.