A hell of a way to go

[cal30_sniper]

Thought y'all might like to see some pictures I took of my '90 2WD Suburban on her last hard ride. After I put in the one-ton springs, rebuilt suspension, rebuilt tranny, and Vortech headed 350, I got t-boned by a kid texting a driving here at the college. He hit me going about 50, and completely destroyed his F-150. It didn't kill the suburban, but it did some frame damage, and the rear quarter was pretty much irreparable.

This march, my dad, my little brother, my best friend from the academy (now a Navy Doc), and the local Baptist preacher (also a Suburban guy), took the old '90 down to Big Bend State Park for some trail riding and backpacking. We stayed down there a week, and made many great memories. We packed in everything we needed for a weeks stay in the old burban, and ended up running about 200 miles of 4WD High-Clearance Only (haha) and Jeep trails before the week was done, all without ever spinning a tire. It turned 295,000 miles on the way home, a Hell of a way to end a 22 year career. I've driven this thing over 17 U.S. States and 2 Canadian Provinces in the last 2 years. It towed my boat all the way from Annapolis, MD to College Station, TX last summer. It survived two blizzards while it was up North with me too. The Previous owner covered about 20 more U.S. States, and some of Mexico in it as well. This was its second trip to the big bend. Now its getting parted out/serving as a donor truck for the 3/4 ton. Here's a few of the best pictures I got from the trip:

Day One and Two - Fresno Canyon Jeep Trail:








Day Four - Solitario Jeep Trail, end of the line:


A shot from basecamp, and the reason it's being parted out:


The last photo I have of it. That's me standing next to an old Model A hull that we found up near McGuirks Tanks in the Solitario Mountains:


She done well. I only hope my 3/4 ton gives me as much of a good run as this one did. R.I.P. burb.

-cal30sniper

[Edahall]

A little Bondo can fix that.

I like those wheels. What are they off of?

[cal30_sniper]

Here's a few more shots of places I've had it during the time I've owned it. I did my best to put them in chronological order...

Big Bend, Terlingua, TX, Winter 2008


Arriving in Annapolis, MD, Winter 2009


First Snowstorm, Annapolis, MD, Spring 2010


Shenandoah Mountain Backpacking Trip, Spring 2010


Picking up my Sidewinder, Northeast of Pittsburgh, PA, Summer 2010


Shenandoah River Fishing Trip, Fall 2010


Louisville, KY Road Trip, Fall 2010


University of Toronto Campus, January 2011


Toronto, Canada skyline, January 2011


Pouring snow somewhere in northwestern New York state on the way back. We're parked in the middle of the interstate.


A 5am gas stop somewhere in the middle of Pennsylvania, January 2011 Drove all night through that storm.


Gas Stop in Pensacola, FL, Summer 2011


I put 60,000 miles on it in 3 years. What a great truck.

-cal30sniper

[cal30_sniper]

Originally Posted by Edahall

A little Bondo can fix that.

I like those wheels. What are they off of?

They're off of a '07 Jeep Wrangler. 17" rims, 5x5" bolt pattern, need 2" spacers to run them. I still have the rims and the spacers necessary to make them work on a five lug truck or full size chevy car if somebody wanted to cut a deal.

[cory d]

looks like you really loved your truck, sorry that that happened but it's great to see you use it one last time and to reuse the parts

[Car'n'Guitars]

Wow sorry to hear that man it really sucks, it's hard to imagine such a little spot on such a large vehicle can effect so much. And there is no possible way for you to repair it?

[cal30_sniper]

You know how it goes with a man and his truck. Next best thing to a good horse or dog...


Here's a picture of the replacement:



It's a 73k original mile '86 C20 Suburban with a 454, that came out of Terlingua, TX. So far, I've added the Hummer rims and Jeep tires, did a Kwik Performance Serpentine belt conversion using all the new pumps and alternator from my old 350, did a complete cooling system upgrade (never got over 180 degrees on a 200 mile trip at 75 mph in 105 degree heat with the A/C on today), did a Sanden 508 compressor conversion and rebuilt the A/C with all new parts, swapped in leather seats out of a '96 Suburban, and tidied up a bunch of other odds and ends using parts from the old 1/2 ton. She's starting to look pretty good. It's getting the built TH700 out of the 1/2 ton this weekend, as well as a pair of Doug Thorley headers and dual exhaust and some other goodies while I'm under there.

-cal30sniper

[cal30_sniper]

Originally Posted by Car'n'Guitars

Wow sorry to hear that man it really sucks, it's hard to imagine such a little spot on such a large vehicle can effect so much. And there is no possible way for you to repair it?

I looked at it, even strongly considered it. The frame would need to be straightened, and you'd have to graft in a new body from the rear doors back, or just do a body swap on it. It bent the roof, really messed up the back doors, and completely smashed the inner and outer rear fender on the passenger side. There was about 6 inches of crumpled floor pan in that back rear corner. It looked like an accordian in there. In the end, it made a lot more sense to just find another clean suburban to start with. A lot cheaper, and a better end product. Just sad to see the old beast go, but looking forward to the new one.

-cal30sniper

[Car'n'Guitars]

Yeah I understand man, new Burb looks great and sounds extremely nice too. Well at least you'll have some back up parts for this Suburban if you ever need it. Paint looks amazing on it but can't say much for the color combination. Is that the original paint or do you not know?

[cal30_sniper]

The tan paint is original. The brown stripe was added later on, it's not on the options list. Personally, I much prefer the tan/brown over the white/blue. I've always liked the neutral color suburbans. My next plan for the '90 was to paint it solid white, but I think I'm just as happy with the brown.

[Car'n'Guitars]

It's yours and as long as you like it that's all that matters right. But if for some reason you ever get it repainted you should do it Hugger Orange that would look cool on Suburban and I don't think I've ever seen a Suburban in Hugger Orange.

[cal30_sniper]

I had a Hemi Orange car once...



1972 Plymouth Scamp with a built 318 and fully upgraded suspension. Orange looked good, but it was also a cop magnet.

[Car'n'Guitars]

Originally Posted by cal30_sniper

I had a Hemi Orange car once...



1972 Plymouth Scamp with a built 318 and fully upgraded suspension. Orange looked good, but it was also a cop magnet.

Haha I bet, at least you could figure something out to pay homage to your old Suburban. Also very nice car, what happened to it?

[Edahall]

I like the tan color on your Suburban. I also like those Hummer rims. I used 17" rims off a new 3/4 ton Chevy pickup and there is definitely some resemblance to the Hummer rims.

What kind of fuel economy are you getting out of that Suburban with the 454? Are you noticing much difference between the 350 and 454 in terms of fuel economy. I bet the 454 has a lot more punch. It'll also be interesting to see how much better fuel economy you get after installing the 700R4.

[cal30_sniper]

Originally Posted by Car'n'Guitars

Haha I bet, at least you could figure something out to pay homage to your old Suburban. Also very nice car, what happened to it?

It was just a project that I had back in high school. We bought it off a guy in the Air Force who had put a bunch of money into it, but tried to rewire it and completely butchered the wiring harness. It was possessed, headlights would come on randomly, sometimes it wouldn't start, sometimes it wouldn't shut off, good stuff like that. I ended up rewiring the entire car with a harness out of a '66 Valiant one summer and fixed all the problems. After that, I drove it while I was restoring my '76 Chrysler New Yorker Coupe.

It got sold my Senior year of high school, not too long before I sold my '78 Trans Am and '76 Chrysler. All that money went into helping me pay entrance fees to the Naval Academy, and some of it turned into the funds I used to by my old '87 Trans Am when I finally got to have a car again. Then I got bit by the 3rd Gen F-Body and Squarebody bug, and the rest I guess is history.

[Car'n'Guitars]

Originally Posted by cal30_sniper

It was just a project that I had back in high school. We bought it off a guy in the Air Force who had put a bunch of money into it, but tried to rewire it and completely butchered the wiring harness. It was possessed, headlights would come on randomly, sometimes it wouldn't start, sometimes it wouldn't shut off, good stuff like that. I ended up rewiring the entire car with a harness out of a '66 Valiant one summer and fixed all the problems. After that, I drove it while I was restoring my '76 Chrysler New Yorker Coupe.

It got sold my Senior year of high school, not too long before I sold my '78 Trans Am and '76 Chrysler. All that money went into helping me pay entrance fees to the Naval Academy, and some of it turned into the funds I used to by my old '87 Trans Am when I finally got to have a car again. Then I got bit by the 3rd Gen F-Body and Squarebody bug, and the rest I guess is history.

It's funny that you mention that, right now I'm looking at getting a 1982 Camaro Z/28. And also love my Squarebodies too.

[cal30_sniper]

Originally Posted by Edahall

I like the tan color on your Suburban. I also like those Hummer rims. I used 17" rims off a new 3/4 ton Chevy pickup and there is definitely some resemblance to the Hummer rims.

What kind of fuel economy are you getting out of that Suburban with the 454? Are you noticing much difference between the 350 and 454 in terms of fuel economy. I bet the 454 has a lot more punch. It'll also be interesting to see how much better fuel economy you get after installing the 700R4.

I had to make a run down to Bastrop yesterday and didn't have much time to get there. I averaged 12mpg with half a tank of city driving and half 75mph highway driving, all with the A/C on full blast (it was over 105 degrees yesterday). The best I've gotten out of it is 13.6 mpg at a 65mph cruise with the A/C off. I'm hoping to get above 14 with the A/C on at 65-70 mph when I'm done with it. I figure the overdrive will help, as will the tri-y headers and good dual exhaust. I'm working on a ram-air setup for it too, and all the emissions has been removed from it.

The best I ever got out of my 350 was 18mpg after the dual exhaust/headers, bumping up the timing, and adding free flowing air cleaner. Average was around 15-16mpg, and it dropped to 12-14mpg when I went to the 32" tires with the Vortec heads and other goodies. Basically, I only lost about 2mpg going to the 454, and it's got a lot more low and midrange punch. I think the Vortec 350 and the stock 454 aren't too far apart as far as power goes when you really get into it hard (like passing gear stuff), but there's still a slight edge to the 454. From a stop, at lower RPMs, or at part throttle, the 454 has much more pep.

[cal30_sniper]

Originally Posted by Car'n'Guitars

It's funny that you mention that, right now I'm looking at getting a 1982 Camaro Z/28. And also love my Squarebodies too.

If you need any parts or advice, let me know. I've had three third gens now, and I've accumulated quite a bit of parts and knowledge about them.

Here's my '88 GTA. It's a factory L98 350 TPI car, with a lot of work done by yours truly. It's got C5 Vette brakes, 18" BMW rims, Koni Yellow shocks and Struts, Hotchkis Lowering Springs, Adjustable Caster Camber plates, most of the UMI Suspension stuff, along with Subframe Connectors, and a really beefed up cooling system, along with a lot of other odds and ends. I did a lot of computer tuning on it as well. I'm in the process of doing headers and a free flowing y-pipe/catback setup with a Magnaflow muffler on it as well. It's got 93k original miles, and its about the cleanest that I've ever seen. It still had the original shocks and speakers in it when I bought it.

[Car'n'Guitars]

This is the car I'm looking at it only needs a transmission. The car has a factor rear-disc brakes and factory posi. Pretty clean car from being in Indiana, only thing is that I have been looking around and don't know where to find cowl-induction hoods for these cars.

[cal30_sniper]

Check out Hawk's Third Gen. Prices are a little higher than the source, but they have just about everything you can imagine for a 3rd gen, including the cowl hoods. If it's a factory Z28 car, it already has the lightweight hood on it though. I would just stick with the factory hood, that's a really light setup.

Is it a crossfire car? I always thought those were pretty cool.

If you've got to replace the trans, I'd just save up a little and find somebody selling a used T56 setup. They're for sale on thirdgen quite often. I had a T56 in my '87 Formula, and it's going into my '88 GTA as soon as I find the time. Once you've had six speeds, you won't settle for less.

[Car'n'Guitars]

Originally Posted by cal30_sniper

Check out Hawk's Third Gen. Prices are a little higher than the source, but they have just about everything you can imagine for a 3rd gen, including the cowl hoods. If it's a factory Z28 car, it already has the lightweight hood on it though. I would just stick with the factory hood, that's a really light setup.

Is it a crossfire car? I always thought those were pretty cool.

If you've got to replace the trans, I'd just save up a little and find somebody selling a used T56 setup. They're for sale on thirdgen quite often. I had a T56 in my '87 Formula, and it's going into my '88 GTA as soon as I find the time. Once you've had six speeds, you won't settle for less.

Cool thanks, no the car does not have Crossfire, it doesn't have the stock motor in it, it has a 305 out of a 76-79 car I believe. The original hood is trashed so he's putting on another one from a standard Camaro. Not sure which way I want to go with trans. I was looking at a nice used turbo 400 for $100. But I don't know yet what exactly I want to do with it.

[68Timber]

It'd be nice to see drivers guilty of text related crashes be held reliable to pay the damage off completely. Hate to see your Sub smashed up like that, I've enjoyed seeing your pics of you using it like it was meant to be.