68 GMC 4x4 Suburban build up

[vectorit]

That was a pic I had handy on my phone, so I will get you what you want tomorrow morning.

[68SWB4x4]

Originally Posted by vectorit

That was a pic I had handy on my phone, so I will get you what you want tomorrow morning.

Thanks a ton

[vectorit]

From underneath.

[68SWB4x4]

Originally Posted by vectorit

From underneath.

Thanks Chris,

Looks like I am missing that little forked piece at the end of the rod

[vectorit]

Glad the pic was helpful to ya.
You can get just about everything you need from just about any of the vendors.
That piece you are missing isn't all that expensive either.

Let me know if you need anything else, since you and I have basically the exact same rig.

[68SWB4x4]

Originally Posted by vectorit

Glad the pic was helpful to ya.
You can get just about everything you need from just about any of the vendors.
That piece you are missing isn't all that expensive either.

Let me know if you need anything else, since you and I have basically the exact same rig.

Part ordered, Thanks again for the help.

Yes same rig except yours looks A LOT cleaner underneath

[68SWB4x4]

My friend Sage came over and towed the burb up the hill from the field to in my driveway I feel a lot better now that is safe and it sure will be a lot easier to work on now!








Good feeling

[68SWB4x4]

My brother is currently working at a machine shop and I talked to him and we are going to turn down the dually hubs on the DRW Dana 60

Had to see how the slot mags will look




Stick out pretty funny with the dually hubs...

[vectorit]

I was wondering why the front wheels stuck out from the fenders edge so much.

[68SWB4x4]

Thinking of getting a 1" body lift (going to replace the body mounts anyways) I found an old kit I bought in the back years ago!

I remember on my 68k10 all the issues I had installing an MSD distributor I feel like a body lift would solve a lot of issues down the road and give me a tad more height... I don't feel like a 1" body lift would throw anything off too bad but maybe I am wrong?

ORD sells this one for a blazer... http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/oneinchlift.htm

could more pucks be bought for it to work?

[68SWB4x4]

Originally Posted by vectorit

I was wondering why the front wheels stuck out from the fenders edge so much.

Yea it is funky right now especially with the 12 bolt back there still.

[vectorit]

Back when I did my body off, no one was making burb body to frame mounts. So I used 2 Blazer kits of body mount hardware to make it happen, so if that's all you have to choose from then buy a couple and you should be ok.

[68SWB4x4]

I needed to collapse the steering shaft a bit after installing the P/S gear box so while at it I put in the steering wheel I had laying around. I found it a few years back laying around a friends barn and he gave it to me. Appears to be for a corvette? Just need to find a horn button now. Preferably one that says

[60sIron]

What size are those slotted mags? If they're 16.5's good luck finding tires for them. I've had mine for 20+ years and have been looking for tires for months...........

[68SWB4x4]

Originally Posted by 60sIron

What size are those slotted mags? If they're 16.5's good luck finding tires for them. I've had mine for 20+ years and have been looking for tires for months...........

Yes 16.5 tires are not easy to find but its not impossible.

What size do you want?


I can get BFG 35s all day long for 869 mounted in the east bay.
Even cheaper for 37" military surplus goodyear MTR (bit bigger than I want to go)
There is a set for sale here with over 80% tread for 400 as well.
I got my current set which are 40% trade for $100 bucks... Not the greatest but they are good rollers while I work on it

[68SWB4x4]

Going to chronicle some of the fixes/upgrades on my site (as well as here) I saw all the old photos are broken so I will be hosting them on my new site going forward here is one on the DIY4x shackle flip

[Mr-Jack]

Looking good bud, glad to see this thing moving forward. I also have some pictures of the DIY4X Shackle Flip in my build thread. I'm currently considering a complete 350 rebuild/stroke & port match or an LS swap

[68SWB4x4]

Originally Posted by Mr-Jack

Looking good bud, glad to see this thing moving forward. I also have some pictures of the DIY4X Shackle Flip in my build thread. I'm currently considering a complete 350 rebuild/stroke & port match or an LS swap

Thanks it hit a wall as the tax man hit m hard... Still plugging away though on what I can,

I'll check your build out for sure

[68SWB4x4]

Having some brake line woes. Has anyone tried the kit from The Right stuff?

I noticed the drip rail seal was failing and some not so good rust starting to form so I cleaned it all out wire wheeled it and resealed it so that doesn't become a bigger burden down the road...

Replaced the body mounts with a old POLY site I forgot I bought that was in the back of the burb and noticed its missing one of the 2nd position mounts Also the 3-6 position don't seem to match up right and are too short.

I'll get there.

[68SWB4x4]

I think they needed replacing...


In the process of getting all the body bushings done just waiting on new bolts. its also car week here in Monterey county so I am looking forward to driving the Pontiac around and checking out the concours

[68SWB4x4]

Got all the bolts for the body bushings and I plan to install later today the past week was spent enjoying the annual Pebble Beach Concours D'elegance and I recapped it here with a bunch of pictures
http://carmelvalleyclassics.com/2015...015-experince/

[68SWB4x4]

Body mounts all done and installed with new hardware 7/16th carriage bolts for the radiator support I had to order.

Here is a picture with the old mounts vs new. Guess which side has new...


Cleaned out the whole interior including misc parts and tools, vacuumed it with my new shop vac, etc and pulled the rubber mat that was recovering the old plywood which I think looks sweet.



I'll probably throw the mat back in but for now it serves a better purpose of being UDNER the suburban for me to lay on while I work on it

Little rattle can on the frame rails with new bushings.... Nothing fancy as I don't want this truck to be either



Really getting antsy to get some serious work done on this and actually drive it. Still a few big hurdles to conquer but it IS closer. Its also discouraging as you find more and more rust the more time you spend working on these trucks but thats just how it goes.

I have a ton more pics and will do a play by play on the body mount replacement in the next few days as well.

Next steps are

Finally get the damn brake lines figured out for the front.

Whatever the hell is up with my clutch not returning or engaging all the way?

Get a 14 bolt rear axle and mounted up

Convert the Dana 60 to single wheel and rebuild it.



Find the mounting brackets for the back seat as PO cut mine for the ghetto gas tank

Drive it for a bit and ENJOY

[68SWB4x4]

Write up on body mount replacement.
http://carmelvalleyclassics.com/2015...t-replacement/

https://youtu.be/qUOU-RymPqs

Parts List

Energy Suspension part # 3.411OG


VHT Rust Converter



Bolts

Radiator Support *7/16 by 3.5" carriage bolt (somewhat hard to find)
Position 1: Kept original
Position 2 3/8 by 6" carriage bolt
Position 3 3/8th by 3.5" hex bolt<
Position 4 3/8th by 6" carriage bolt
position 5 3/8th by 7" carriage bolt

*Note** If going with original style bushings and not poly the bolt sizes will be about 1" inch shorter

Couple tips to keep in mind before doing this job yourself.

SOAK every bolt in PB Blaster
Buy all new bolts in advance (some kits come with new hardware)
Pull carpet back to get to carriage bolts
Be prepared to have to cut every bolt
Loosen every bolt before hand then do one side at a time (driver and passenger)
Prep and treat the frame once removed for rust damage.

Once you have all the bolts loosened in every position and have removed every ground strap and anything else that would restrict movement of the body place a jack with block of wood under the front body brace up near the 2nd position mount, run a long 2x4 across the brace to distribute the weight as much as possible to prevent body damage.

Slowly raise the jack checking to make sure nothing is in a bind or that the jack isn't causing any indention on the body. Once there is enough room to remove the old bushings pull them out and now clean the mount area with a wire wheel on a drill or whatever method you prefer and repaint/treat for rust.

For the back two positions you may need to move the jack to back near the shackle. I did on the drivers but not on the passenger side?

hand tighten all bolts and do the same on the opposite side. While you are at it you might as well clean up your frame rails for paint



1st position Cab mount with original hardware


Before/after original mounts on passenger side new on drivers


Original 5th position mount


old vs new 5th position


Rust damage and cleaned up on 5th position

Used VHT rust converter to stop further damage

http://carmelvalleyclassics.com/2015...t-replacement/

[68SWB4x4]

http://carmelvalleyclassics.com/2015...-and-findings/



After finishing the body mount install I noticed how many tools and parts have acquired in the Suburban. I decided to remove everything and organize it a bit better. As things go this snowballed into cleaning the interior panels and then removing the original rubber mat (back portion) to clean as redoing the interior is still a bit far off so I want to make it as nice as possible with what I got (not spending $)

Thankfully I had help


So I got to cleaning the rubber mat with a brush and some degreaser solution in water. I scrubbed it for a good hour and it started to change color, turns out its actually green.



As clean as it would get reinstalled



When spending a lot of time in a vehicle you always learn more about them and there is always something new to find. I got pretty lucky and found this in the glove box.





The little things make all the difference.

Speaking of little things I found the missing "G" from the tailgate which is very hard to find as it is not reproduced and only available on GMC Suburbans with a tailgate as some had barn doors as well. It clearly had a poor design as the mounting pins are too spaced out and why most all of these are broken.





Now how to securely mount it?



Also glad for how good of shape the original headliner is in



These original stickers make it for me




Wood rear floor uncovered



No cracks! The previous owners addition of a cover was very nice of him



Turns out the transfer case has been replaced with a NP205 in the past. This a good thing I guess as the original is very hard to find parts for



Thats an old tire




Holder doesn't look original...



And here is why!

I was originally caught up in the "50th" craze as the GMC is gold/white exterior (ordered with special paint) which matches the 50th anniversary Chevy trucks but after looking at pictures I am appreciating the original fawn interior.



Now to find someone who actually makes the seat covers as this isn't going to do



Restored buddy buckets (Which I have) I think this would be a good look!



Couple front end pictures showcasing the character and patina.

Next up is new front brake lines and Hydroboost

[notchbackgta]

Originally Posted by 68SWB4x4

Parts List

Energy Suspension part # 3.411OG

Are you sure that is correct? I can't find that in ES's catalog. But I see 3.4149 for Suburban and 3.4110 for Blazer