Several questions from a new Suburban owner!

I just purchased a 1989 Suburban with no rust and very few dents with an original 136,000. It has the throttle body injected 350 sb and I am looking to upgrade the injection and put a small supercharger on it for better fuel economy and power for the lift and larger tires going on it. I live in mountainous SW Montana so more power for those long mountain passes is a big plus. Any guidance as to where to go on that?
Second question. Does anyone know the best type of lift to put on. I am going for a 6" Lift with 35" tires. To be shortly followed up by gears and ARB Air lockers front and rear. I was planning on a 3.73 gear ratio but any suggestions on that would be great as well.
Third Question. I am planning on doing 16 x 8 wheels and was not sure on the backspacing. I was hoping to push the tires out just a little so some fender flares would cover and give the overall vehicle a wider look.
Fourth and Final Question. I am looking for a nice well built replacement bumber for the front. Just this past winter I was with a friend that hit an Elk at 35 MPH and did $3,500 in damage. I don't want to do it the hard way and can't seem to find a company that makes an attractive replacement.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Sounds like a cool project. I would probably go with 4.10 gears on tires that big especially for a big heavy suburban that sounds like it will be your trail rig. I might be a little hesitant on running boost on a motor that is that old. The TBI's were very reliable but they are kind of a pooch on power. Sounds like you have a big tire and suspension budget so my suggestion would be to rebuild the motor. Turn it into a 383 with some higher flowing heads and exhuast. Combine that with low gears and you should have plenty of power.

My plan was actually to do a stock rebuild on the motor as well. I am going to port the heads myself and do a small cam upgrade along with the intake and new fuel injection system to support the blower. I was hoping to get a little more fuel economy going for the supercharger rather than a higher compression gas guzzler. I know fuel economy in a suburban is a lot to ask. :grinyes:
Thanks for the suggestions.

Anyone have any input?

If you can keep your foot out of it, a supercharger can give you more mpg because of increased efficiency.

But you will spend a LOT of money to buy and install it. Some blowers, and especially turbos, create access problems to frequently-serviced areas of the engine.

For less money, a 383 TBI with optimized intake, headers and a torque-biased RV cam can give you big-block power with no mileage penalty over a stock 350.

sub006 is right. I do not know anyone with a supercharger that gets better gas mileage. A 383 will give better gas mileage and more power with less headaches. With those tires , go with the 4:11 gears. No power with 3:73s.

I was told by a very prominent engine builder by the name of Andy Jensen back in PA that a 383 stroker is not a good daily driver engine because of the steep stroke driving the rings into the cylinder wall. Trail buggies and dragsters are ok but too much work will oval the cylinders. Thats why i thought forced air would be better. It is cheaper and I would much rather go with the 383 stroker if its not going to matter. :iceslolan Then i can do all the work myself except for the machine work and i will retain my stock computer.
If i go with the 4.11 gear will I still retain a 75 mph speed? Out here in Montana you are rarely on a highway under 70.
Thanks for the input.

Its hard to have it all. Power, speed and gas mileage. I have had a 383 with 4:11 gears and had no problems doing 70. Tire size will be a big factor. You might have to do a little math to get the right size. Bigger tires will give you more top end and better gas mileage but less power. Bigger engine will give you more power.