I'm thinking of renaming this blog "This Old Suburban". It's got a nice ring to it I think. Other alternatives would be something like "This Old Gas-Leaking, Loud, Rusty Suburban".
It's the gas-leaking part that I guess I need to remedy first. On Monday morning I couldn't get it to stay running. Starting was fine (it's colder this week than last), but keeping it running without pumping the pedal just wasn't happening.
I noticed later in the day that there was about a 12" by 8" damp spot on the concrete under the truck. When I first picked it up, I had to fix a couple of cracked, leaking fuel lines, and I suspect this is more of the same.
So... now my priority list for this weekend starts with this: 1) fix leaking fuel lines 2) rebuild carburetor (it's leaking too).
We'll see how long that takes. I think it'll be easy and I'll still be able to get the suspension lowered and seats mounted. We'll see...
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
First Weekend Cont'd - Lowering ride height
So the choke's working now, it was a pretty easy fix, and now I'm easily able to start the truck up and maneuver it around the driveway and as far into the garage as I can get it. The next task to make this classic Suburban more drivable is to lower it.
Did I mention this thing is friggin' huge?
Several inches away from fitting in the garage...
The previous owner of this heavy Chevy had installed some sort of home-made lift kit on it. It basically has lift blocks under the leaf springs on the front and back. There are 4" blocks on the front axles, and roughly 8" of blocks on the rear. The ride-height is tall, but pretty level, so I'm not sure if the rear leaf packs are just worn out, or perhaps the front springs are heavier, from a big-block motor setup (it's got a small-block Chevy 350 in it now). Regardless, my goal is to just remove the blocks altogether from the front, and shorten the rear blocks.
This front block/spring is covered in what I think is brake fluid, although it might be steering fluid. The rear block appears to be welded onto the perch on the axle. Totally a home-brewed setup.
So I'll start with the fronts. These proved to be pretty simple, as expected. Biggest problem was getting it jacked up high enough to get the wheels off. The u-bolts were easy to break loose and spin off with an air ratchet. Then I lowered the axle down enough to pop those lift blocks out, and bolt it all back together with new, shorter u-bolts. Couldn't be much easier...
Now so far, the day has gone pretty smoothly, but something had to go wrong. It was clean livin' after lowering the front suspension. Tire clearance seemed to be ample, even with the big tires and losing 4" worth of clearance (makes me wonder if I ought to remove one leaf from the pack to lower it down a bit more even). With the front complete, I fired the Suburban up to back it in the driveway, making the rear axle more easily accessible from the garage.
After maneuvering the tank into position, I crawled underneath to inspect the rear suspension. Looks reasonably straightforward - I'll remove the u-bolts... grind off the weld holding the blocks in place, and go from there.
Just as I get started I run into trouble... I don't even recall why I did it, but I gave a little tug to the brake line and it snapped in my hand.
Now there's a river of dirty, years old brake fluid forming a reddish-brown puddle on my driveway. It couldn't be avoided I guess... an unexpected trip to the parts house.
It was late afternoon by now, and I did manage to get a new brake line bent and flanged, and installed on the truck. Tami helped pump the brake pedal so I could bleed the lines. I only bled the left side, and there doesn't appear to be any air in that side at least, but I probably should bleed the right side as well (the brake pedal still feels a bit squishy).
So... that caps off the first day of work on the '71 Suburban project. Things didn't go badly I suppose. Next weekend I'll start back up where I left off... lowering the rear suspension.
Weekend 2 goals: lower rear suspension; install front seats. I really should add installing mufflers to the top of the list too so I don't have to feel like a schmuck starting the Burb up early in the morning. With those glass packs on there it sounds like you're at a tractor pull at the state fair, and I'm afraid to wake the neighbors up.
More to come...
This is *after* lowering the front by 4 inches (I'm 6' tall)...
Did I mention this thing is friggin' huge?
Several inches away from fitting in the garage...
The previous owner of this heavy Chevy had installed some sort of home-made lift kit on it. It basically has lift blocks under the leaf springs on the front and back. There are 4" blocks on the front axles, and roughly 8" of blocks on the rear. The ride-height is tall, but pretty level, so I'm not sure if the rear leaf packs are just worn out, or perhaps the front springs are heavier, from a big-block motor setup (it's got a small-block Chevy 350 in it now). Regardless, my goal is to just remove the blocks altogether from the front, and shorten the rear blocks.
This front block/spring is covered in what I think is brake fluid, although it might be steering fluid. The rear block appears to be welded onto the perch on the axle. Totally a home-brewed setup.
So I'll start with the fronts. These proved to be pretty simple, as expected. Biggest problem was getting it jacked up high enough to get the wheels off. The u-bolts were easy to break loose and spin off with an air ratchet. Then I lowered the axle down enough to pop those lift blocks out, and bolt it all back together with new, shorter u-bolts. Couldn't be much easier...
Now so far, the day has gone pretty smoothly, but something had to go wrong. It was clean livin' after lowering the front suspension. Tire clearance seemed to be ample, even with the big tires and losing 4" worth of clearance (makes me wonder if I ought to remove one leaf from the pack to lower it down a bit more even). With the front complete, I fired the Suburban up to back it in the driveway, making the rear axle more easily accessible from the garage.
After maneuvering the tank into position, I crawled underneath to inspect the rear suspension. Looks reasonably straightforward - I'll remove the u-bolts... grind off the weld holding the blocks in place, and go from there.
Just as I get started I run into trouble... I don't even recall why I did it, but I gave a little tug to the brake line and it snapped in my hand.
Now there's a river of dirty, years old brake fluid forming a reddish-brown puddle on my driveway. It couldn't be avoided I guess... an unexpected trip to the parts house.
It was late afternoon by now, and I did manage to get a new brake line bent and flanged, and installed on the truck. Tami helped pump the brake pedal so I could bleed the lines. I only bled the left side, and there doesn't appear to be any air in that side at least, but I probably should bleed the right side as well (the brake pedal still feels a bit squishy).
So... that caps off the first day of work on the '71 Suburban project. Things didn't go badly I suppose. Next weekend I'll start back up where I left off... lowering the rear suspension.
Weekend 2 goals: lower rear suspension; install front seats. I really should add installing mufflers to the top of the list too so I don't have to feel like a schmuck starting the Burb up early in the morning. With those glass packs on there it sounds like you're at a tractor pull at the state fair, and I'm afraid to wake the neighbors up.
More to come...
This is *after* lowering the front by 4 inches (I'm 6' tall)...
First weekend goal: install choke, lower ride-height to somewhat normal levels
It was only last weekend that I picked up this beast of a 1971 Chevy Suburban. As I've mentioned, it's friggin' huge. I've driven it around some, and I don't mind the Hugger orange color, or the rust holes so much. I'm not easy to embarrass... but the 35" tires and the massive lift kit is just a bit much for me. Plus, with that tire/lift combination, the Sub doesn't fit in my garage. So, on my first weekend with this project, my goals are these: get the carburetor choke working, and lower the height down to at least somewhat normal levels.
I started with the choke, since being able to start the truck and move it around would be helpful. It's got a 4-barrel Holley carb in it, and it looks like the entire choke assembly is broken off. I see an orphaned ground-wire connection that makes me think this originally had an electric choke on it, but it's hard for me to tell.
As it sits, I have to start the Suburban with the choke closed... keep it running for half a minute or so... shut it off (or let it die)... pop the hood and place a spring/clip on the choke plate to keep it open... close the hood and start the car again. It does a warm start no problem, but getting going in the morning is a bummer.
It's about $55 or so to get an electric choke kit, which isn't a big investment, but right now, all I need is the bare minimum to make this thing easy enough to move around. Working a manual choke is no problem, so I picked up a $10 cable choke kit from AutoZone.
Since all of the choke hardware is broken off of this old carburetor, I had to figure out just how to mount this cable, but I got something rigged up, and it works just fine. Here, I have to pull the lever to open the choke, and push it in to close it, which I think is opposite of how it's supposed to operate, but it gets the job done.
Here's T and I up on the winch bumper working on it. As ugly as it is, that giant bumper makes a great platform for working under the hood.
So, now we're operational, and I can start this thing up whenever I want. More on the lift/lowering to come...
I started with the choke, since being able to start the truck and move it around would be helpful. It's got a 4-barrel Holley carb in it, and it looks like the entire choke assembly is broken off. I see an orphaned ground-wire connection that makes me think this originally had an electric choke on it, but it's hard for me to tell.
As it sits, I have to start the Suburban with the choke closed... keep it running for half a minute or so... shut it off (or let it die)... pop the hood and place a spring/clip on the choke plate to keep it open... close the hood and start the car again. It does a warm start no problem, but getting going in the morning is a bummer.
It's about $55 or so to get an electric choke kit, which isn't a big investment, but right now, all I need is the bare minimum to make this thing easy enough to move around. Working a manual choke is no problem, so I picked up a $10 cable choke kit from AutoZone.
Since all of the choke hardware is broken off of this old carburetor, I had to figure out just how to mount this cable, but I got something rigged up, and it works just fine. Here, I have to pull the lever to open the choke, and push it in to close it, which I think is opposite of how it's supposed to operate, but it gets the job done.
Here's T and I up on the winch bumper working on it. As ugly as it is, that giant bumper makes a great platform for working under the hood.
So, now we're operational, and I can start this thing up whenever I want. More on the lift/lowering to come...
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Picking up the 1971 Suburban...
Ok... rewind a few days...
The plan was for me to drive up to Kirksville last Saturday with a buddy of mine, and he'd follow me back while I drove the Suburban. I knew this thing had basically been sitting in a barn for 5 years, but the owner said that he'd have it running, and he thought it *just might* drive all 190 miles back.
I had bought some motor oil and transmission fluid, figuring we'd change those fluids before driving it. Otherwise, I just had my fingers crossed that we'd get there and it actually would run.
So Saturday morning I get a call from the previous owner. I call him back, and I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but he says he can get it started, but it won't stay running. He thought maybe the fuel pump was bad (mentioned that in my previous post).
Fine, fine, fine. I'll rent a Uhaul and a trailer to go pick it up. Kinda takes some of the adventure out of it though...
Anyway, we get up to rural Kirksville and follow the owner through the thawing, muddy field to the barn where the Suburban has been kept. He opens the shed... and man, this thing is huge! I've owned a late model Suburban before, and I know they're big, but this thing is like a Unimog. It's got probably 6" of lift blocks under the springs, and 35" tires. I'm 6' tall, and I have to very literally climb up into this truck.
After 45 minutes or so of trying to get this beast loaded onto the trailer, we finally got it. And I mean, we barely got it. We rented the largest auto-transport trailer that Uhaul has, and if this Suburban were even 6" longer or a few inches wider, it wouldn't have fit.
After ratcheting the axles down (the straps are supposed to go over the tires, but they wouldn't fit), and securing the safety chains, we're ready to roll. By now the sun is setting though. It's been a bit foggy all day, and by the time we make it back to the highway, it's completely dark, and the fog has settled in.
This story is longer than I thought it would be. More to come about the drive back to St. Peters...
The plan was for me to drive up to Kirksville last Saturday with a buddy of mine, and he'd follow me back while I drove the Suburban. I knew this thing had basically been sitting in a barn for 5 years, but the owner said that he'd have it running, and he thought it *just might* drive all 190 miles back.
I had bought some motor oil and transmission fluid, figuring we'd change those fluids before driving it. Otherwise, I just had my fingers crossed that we'd get there and it actually would run.
So Saturday morning I get a call from the previous owner. I call him back, and I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but he says he can get it started, but it won't stay running. He thought maybe the fuel pump was bad (mentioned that in my previous post).
Fine, fine, fine. I'll rent a Uhaul and a trailer to go pick it up. Kinda takes some of the adventure out of it though...
Anyway, we get up to rural Kirksville and follow the owner through the thawing, muddy field to the barn where the Suburban has been kept. He opens the shed... and man, this thing is huge! I've owned a late model Suburban before, and I know they're big, but this thing is like a Unimog. It's got probably 6" of lift blocks under the springs, and 35" tires. I'm 6' tall, and I have to very literally climb up into this truck.
After 45 minutes or so of trying to get this beast loaded onto the trailer, we finally got it. And I mean, we barely got it. We rented the largest auto-transport trailer that Uhaul has, and if this Suburban were even 6" longer or a few inches wider, it wouldn't have fit.
After ratcheting the axles down (the straps are supposed to go over the tires, but they wouldn't fit), and securing the safety chains, we're ready to roll. By now the sun is setting though. It's been a bit foggy all day, and by the time we make it back to the highway, it's completely dark, and the fog has settled in.
This story is longer than I thought it would be. More to come about the drive back to St. Peters...
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
1971 Chevy Suburban - It Lives!
We picked up the 1971 Chevy Suburban 4x4 last Saturday. Took some work just to get it started to drive it off the trailer and into the driveway once we got back though. Seemed like it was the fuel pump (no fuel getting to the carb), so I replaced that. Now I've never even had a car with a carbeurator before, so a mechanical fuel pump is really old-school for me.
Anywho, got the new pump on... no dice. I was able to pour gas down into the carb (it's a Holley 4-barrel) and get it to fire up, and eventually got it running. Couple quarts of ATF and it was drivable.
History on this truck to come in a later post, but back to the maiden voyage... This morning I go out to the driveway and figure I'll try and fire it up. The previous owner had a spring clip holding the choke plates open. I removed the spring to the choke actually "choked" and it fired right up. Amazing! This thing sat in a barn for 5 years, and it still runs strong.
Well I got it started, but it wouldn't stay running. Had to keep it idling with my foot on the gas until it warmed up. Then put that spring back on the choke plates. I'm not sure yet, but I suspect the choke doesn't work at all (I think it's electric, but I haven't even spent enough time messing with it to figure that out).
Very long story short... I drove it to work this morning. It's about 3 miles, and the thing drives really nice. Shifts fine. It's loud, with some old Thrush glasspacks on it, but still, it's amazing that it drives.
Anywho, got the new pump on... no dice. I was able to pour gas down into the carb (it's a Holley 4-barrel) and get it to fire up, and eventually got it running. Couple quarts of ATF and it was drivable.
History on this truck to come in a later post, but back to the maiden voyage... This morning I go out to the driveway and figure I'll try and fire it up. The previous owner had a spring clip holding the choke plates open. I removed the spring to the choke actually "choked" and it fired right up. Amazing! This thing sat in a barn for 5 years, and it still runs strong.
Well I got it started, but it wouldn't stay running. Had to keep it idling with my foot on the gas until it warmed up. Then put that spring back on the choke plates. I'm not sure yet, but I suspect the choke doesn't work at all (I think it's electric, but I haven't even spent enough time messing with it to figure that out).
Very long story short... I drove it to work this morning. It's about 3 miles, and the thing drives really nice. Shifts fine. It's loud, with some old Thrush glasspacks on it, but still, it's amazing that it drives.
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