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View Full Version : Here we go.... 65 Suburban 4x4


kchampagne
March 7th, 2016, 03:26 PM
Well, I figure I should start a build thread for my 65 GMC Suburban I got a few weeks ago. It will probably be a slow build over 2 years. My honey-do-list is pretty big this summer, so I probably won't get to too much on the Burb.

When I got it I was told it was a one-owner vehicle and the 305e was rebuilt approximately 10,000 miles ago. The front and rear axles were swapped with a 72 Blazer with front disc brakes. However, the Burb sat since the early 90s. There is rust in the normal places, but nothing that can't be fixed with new metal. The homemade bumpers currently on it are going to the scrap yard and I will replace with original bumpers. Okay that is a start, so here we go!

kchampagne
March 7th, 2016, 03:30 PM
After trying to get the "rebuilt" engine running right, I discovered bent pushrods, broken wrist pins, and scored cylinder.

kchampagne
March 7th, 2016, 03:41 PM
So I moved on to another engine (305d) I got from Rustbucket this weekend. I tore it down to look at the internals and replace all seals and gaskets, then paint it. Everything looks great!

Funky61
March 7th, 2016, 10:47 PM
That's a nice looking Burb KC and I like the barn doors.
I see dual slider windows. Do you have all the seats?
What are your plans for the wheels; steeliess or aftermarket?
Glad you have another engine to get it going.

kchampagne
March 8th, 2016, 12:50 AM
That's a nice looking Burb KC and I like the barn doors.
I see dual slider windows. Do you have all the seats?
What are your plans for the wheels; steeliess or aftermarket?
Glad you have another engine to get it going.

Hey thanks Funky61! I think it is going to be a real cool 4x4 when done. When I got it, it only had front seats that were buckets from a mid 70s Blazer. I bought a nice original Burb bench seat that needs reupholstered. Still looking for original rear seats. The ones I have found here in Colorado are real pricey, almost as much as I paid for the Burb! I am definitely going with 16" steelies with some 60s or 70s 4x4 dog dishes. I am going to try to keep it as original as possible, but add my own little tweaks. Should be fun!!!

FetchMeAPepsi
March 8th, 2016, 02:29 AM
Another 4x4 in the club! Woot woot! :crazyyippee::woohoowave:

That's a beefy looking Burb. Subscribing to this one! :thumbsup:

I bought all the parts (I think) to refresh the Rockwell trans case. The parts numbers are in my build thread if you have to do yours.

TJ's GMC
March 9th, 2016, 07:00 PM
In for the build. :thumbsup:

kchampagne
March 13th, 2016, 05:48 AM
A little progress on the engine this weekend. New expansion plugs because I hit them with the pressure washer and poked a hole in two of them. Oops. New rear main seal. The top half of the old one was a pain to get out. It was the rope/braided type. I could not get it to move enough to get the pliers on it. MacGyver time. I had to take a small screw and gently thread it into the center of the braids of the old seal. The threads grabbed enough of the seal that I was able to get enough leverage to pull it out. Whew.

kchampagne
March 13th, 2016, 05:59 AM
Fresh paint on the block and cleaned up the valve covers. The paint on the edge of the valve covers was chipping off, so I cleaned them up and put a coat of black engine paint on the lip. Then I put a few coats of engine clear on them. What do you think? There was really no way to "touch up" the plaid. At least it shouldn't chip anymore and should be more durable.

MrCos
March 13th, 2016, 06:17 AM
keep up the great work!

6066gmcguy
March 13th, 2016, 06:34 AM
Nice Work on those Valve Covers.

bigblockv6
March 13th, 2016, 03:41 PM
The clear coat looks real good on the plaid valve covers.:thumbsup:

Funky61
March 13th, 2016, 04:11 PM
Great work saving the Plaid covers and it makes them really stand out.

bryanblock1
March 26th, 2016, 11:21 PM
Congrats, I almost picked that burb up about 2 years ago. Kid wanted $2500 at the time, hope you didn't pay too much more. truck wouldn't drive at the time, guess his father had converted to power steering and wasn't sure it would make it to the Springs so I backed out. Glad to see it got picked up by someone that will do something with it. Check craigslist, I saw some burb seats and other parts just recently, I know it's missing the original seats. I have a plethora of 4x4 parts as well if you get into a bind, I'm just down the road in the Springs. Congrats and good luck
Bryan

kchampagne
March 27th, 2016, 03:23 AM
Congrats, I almost picked that burb up about 2 years ago. Kid wanted $2500 at the time, hope you didn't pay too much more. truck wouldn't drive at the time, guess his father had converted to power steering and wasn't sure it would make it to the Springs so I backed out. Glad to see it got picked up by someone that will do something with it. Check craigslist, I saw some burb seats and other parts just recently, I know it's missing the original seats. I have a plethora of 4x4 parts as well if you get into a bind, I'm just down the road in the Springs. Congrats and good luck
Bryan

Hey Bryan, thanks!. Yeah I paid about that for the burb. Wasn't really looking for a project, but it should be pretty cool when done. I did find a front seat from a guy east of Pueblo in Crowley. A bit pricey, but it is in good shape. He also had a middle seat, but wanted $1500. Way too much for my budget.

Did you find a burb? I am looking for original 16" x 6" (or maybe 5.5") 6 lug, 4 nub steel wheels if you ever come across any. Thanks!!! Ken

kchampagne
March 27th, 2016, 03:35 AM
A little progress this weekend. I had some free time since it was cold and snowy for the past couple of days! I am getting the engine compartment stripped down to paint and put the new 305 in, then new fenders, inner fenders, and grille panel. Also, started investigating the floor boards and rockers to determine how bad they are. Dang cancer rust; worse than I thought. I ordered a bunch of new metal for the front and floor from LMC!

Ed Snyder
March 27th, 2016, 08:15 AM
[QUOTE=kchampagne;61175]I did find a front seat from a guy east of Pueblo in Crowley. A bit pricey, but it is in good shape. He also had a middle seat, but wanted $1500. Way too much for my budget.

KC --
If you're not dead set on keeping your Suburban 100% stock, you might want to consider something like I did. Mine has the original front seats, but the middle and rear seats are from an early Chevy Astrovan. I think I paid $65 for the pair at a swap meet several years ago. I had the front seats reupholstered to match them. As you can see in the photos, the Astrovan seats have split seatbacks and recline to make a bed. They came with seatbelts attached to the frames. And they slide forward and backward, just like the driver's seat.

kchampagne
March 27th, 2016, 02:52 PM
[QUOTE=kchampagne;61175]I did find a front seat from a guy east of Pueblo in Crowley. A bit pricey, but it is in good shape. He also had a middle seat, but wanted $1500. Way too much for my budget.

KC --
If you're not dead set on keeping your Suburban 100% stock, you might want to consider something like I did. Mine has the original front seats, but the middle and rear seats are from an early Chevy Astrovan. I think I paid $65 for the pair at a swap meet several years ago. I had the front seats reupholstered to match them. As you can see in the photos, the Astrovan seats have split seatbacks and recline to make a bed. They came with seatbelts attached to the frames. And they slide forward and backward, just like the driver's seat.

Thanks Ed! I love what you did! Do you know what year they came out of? Did you have to fab/modify the seat brackets and /or bases? They look very original and I'm sure much more comfy and useful! I've been stockpiling cheap rear seats I find on Craigslist to give me options down the road. Yours look by far the best I've seen. Thank you!

bobdylan
March 27th, 2016, 03:16 PM
Tom Meyers truck parts in Miami Oklahoma had a set of seats when I was there last. Bob

bryanblock1
March 27th, 2016, 04:05 PM
Hey KC,
I have a 66 k1000 fender side, I think I have my hands full and don't have the room for a burb. Good luck on those 16.5"x 5" rims, they're as rare as hens teeth, I got my 15x5s from Rich in Crowley. It only takes a few purchases from him before you realize theres cheaper rescources out there, you'd be amazed at what you'll pic off craigslist. I picked up a spare Rockwell, SM420, correct axels and a PTO Ramsey winch all rebuilt plus all the e-brake hardware. This site has some fantastic enthusiasts and rescources, talk to Tony at 4-5-6 Chevy, if you can brake the ice with him he has everything you can imagine. Get that burb running and we'll meet up to compare projects.

kchampagne
March 27th, 2016, 05:00 PM
Yes sir! I picked up a set of the 15 x 6" rims a few weeks ago. I am unsure of using them though. I am shooting for the skinny, tall and aggressive tire stance that the 16s with 235/85 or 750-16 tires would give. I can't find a 15" tire that gives that stance. If I can't find any, I am probably going to go with the 16 x 7 truck rallye wheels that wheel vintiques sells ( I think 66 series). The biggest issue with that is I can't use stock dog dish caps. Will need to figure something out for the 4x4 caps on the rallyes. I'd love to check out your ride sometime! Still running the 351?

bryanblock1
March 27th, 2016, 08:48 PM
4322
With the 15x5's, I'd love to have some 16's but what I would have to pay for the rims, powder coating and tires my wife would slash me with the credit card in my sleep. Still pretty stout.

bryanblock1
March 27th, 2016, 08:50 PM
4323
Here's another view

kchampagne
March 27th, 2016, 11:33 PM
Bryan, that looks awesome! What brand and size tires are those?

bryanblock1
March 29th, 2016, 02:16 AM
They are Super Traxion L78x15Lt. Just a warning they are 6 ply tires and they drive like 6 ply tires, very rough. They are amazing in any depth of snow you feel comfortable in, but I keep a set of radials on the side for summer cruising.

Ed Snyder
March 29th, 2016, 08:24 PM
[QUOTE=Ed Snyder;61177]

Thanks Ed! I love what you did! Do you know what year they came out of? Did you have to fab/modify the seat brackets and /or bases? They look very original and I'm sure much more comfy and useful! I've been stockpiling cheap rear seats I find on Craigslist to give me options down the road. Yours look by far the best I've seen. Thank you!

The seats were a little too tall for the Suburban, so I had about 2" cut off of the risers. The bases are fairly crude -- just round tubing, so it was a simple modification, and the only thing I had to change. I secured them to the floor with U-bolts around the tubing with flat plates, nuts, and washers under the floor. I don't know what year the seats came from, but it had to be first generation Astrovan.

azlamm65GMC
May 18th, 2016, 05:34 AM
Nice

kchampagne
May 24th, 2016, 04:54 PM
Here are some pics of my 15" x 6" wheels I had powder coated at Les Schwab. They really look awesome for $26/wheel. I also had my new set of Buckshot Wide Mudder tires mounted on the powder coated wheels. I think they turned out awesome! The tires are N78-15's. Nice and meaty!

TJ's GMC
May 26th, 2016, 05:35 AM
Those plaid valve covers came out SUPER NICE! The clear coating does wonders! Love those tires! Might have a lead on 16 inch rims for my 64 so I am looking forward to a new set of 32 inch tall all terrains. :thumbsup:

kchampagne
May 26th, 2016, 01:31 PM
Yeah, I looked long and hard for 16" rims with no luck. Here is my pic upload again.

kchampagne
May 31st, 2016, 03:34 PM
Here are the caps I had powder coated. Wow, they came out great!

TJ's GMC
May 31st, 2016, 03:47 PM
Very nice!

Funky61
May 31st, 2016, 05:32 PM
Very nice KC! Can't wait to see them painted up.

kchampagne
November 20th, 2016, 01:11 AM
Hey all, I haven't given an update in awhile, so here is what I've been doing. I've been cutting out the cancer in the rockers, pillars and floors and replacing with new metal. What a job. Here are a few pics:

bobdylan
November 20th, 2016, 01:21 AM
Looks like a lot of work. Keep the pictures coming, I will be doing that to my suburban sometime. I would just as soon learn from your mistakes.

kchampagne
November 20th, 2016, 01:21 AM
Here are some pics of the replacement metal:

kchampagne
November 20th, 2016, 01:25 AM
I had to modify the rear cab support brace because I just could not get it to fit right for the suburban.

kchampagne
November 20th, 2016, 01:29 AM
Looks like a lot of work. Keep the pictures coming, I will be doing that to my suburban sometime. I would just as soon learn from your mistakes.

Believe me, there are a lot of mistakes!

TJ's GMC
November 20th, 2016, 02:23 AM
I envy your metal skills. lol

kchampagne
November 20th, 2016, 02:38 AM
I envy your metal skills. lol

Thanks TJ. Yeah, this is the first time I've ever worked with patch panels. As long as it holds and everything lines up, I'm happy!

bobdylan
November 20th, 2016, 03:48 AM
Looks good. The one thing I will miss about holes in the floor, is soaking the passenger driving thru puddles.

kchampagne
November 26th, 2016, 11:36 PM
So I was surfing Craigslist the other day for the heck of it and came across a 65 305e for sale. The owner said the engine had either 121,000 or 21,000 miles on it. It was from his great grandpa's truck he bought in 65. They pulled the engine in 2000 and swapped in a 4 cylinder diesel. He said the engine ran and was fairly sure it had only 21,000 (what the odometer read). Anyhow, I figured I'd offer him $100 and have it for a parts engine. He accepted my offer. Score!!!! Here are a couple of pics. There wasn't a drop of oil on the outside of this engine and I believe it is the original paint. It has been stored inside for 16 yrs. The freeze plugs even look new. The condition of this engine makes me believe it is a low mileage one. Sweet!!

FetchMeAPepsi
November 27th, 2016, 12:51 AM
So I was surfing Craigslist the other day for the heck of it and came across a 65 305e for sale. The owner said the engine had either 121,000 or 21,000 miles on it. It was from his great grandpa's truck he bought in 65. They pulled the engine in 2000 and swapped in a 4 cylinder diesel. He said the engine ran and was fairly sure it had only 21,000 (what the odometer read). Anyhow, I figured I'd offer him $100 and have it for a parts engine. He accepted my offer. Score!!!! Here are a couple of pics. There wasn't a drop of oil on the outside of this engine and I believe it is the original paint. It has been stored inside for 16 yrs. The freeze plugs even look new. The condition of this engine makes me believe it is a low mileage one. Sweet!!

The paint and everything looks new! I'd guess you're right. That's the best looking spare I've seen ever. :upyes:

That virtually guarantees you'll have a GMC powerplant in there for another 65 + years.

kchampagne
December 24th, 2016, 03:22 PM
I made a little progress over the past few days. I am getting the front end ready before I set the engine back in. I wire wheeled everything, then spayed a coat of rust reformer. Next I will paint it with POR-15. I replaced all wheel bearing, seals, rotors, brakes, and calipers. Also installed a Captain Fab adapter bracket and a new power steering gear. Here are some pics:

bobdylan
December 24th, 2016, 04:27 PM
Looks great.

TJ's GMC
December 24th, 2016, 06:25 PM
Great score for the 305! $100 sounds reasonable. There's a guy on another forum wanting $800 for a dirty, greasy, trashed 305 v6 that's been sitting! Needless to say I told him to stop trying to rip us off. lol

bigblockv6
December 24th, 2016, 08:44 PM
Great score for the 305! $100 sounds reasonable. There's a guy on another forum wanting $800 for a dirty, greasy, trashed 305 v6 that's been sitting! Needless to say I told him to stop trying to rip us off. lol

Yeah there are some guys out there that think the 305's are extremely rare and want outrageous prices for them:teehee: I can understand if it's a larger 379, 401, 432 & 478:upyes: Even the 351 should be moderately priced. The most I've paid for a big cubic inch V6 was $300:lolsmack:

kchampagne
December 24th, 2016, 09:58 PM
Thanks guys! Wow that POR-15 stuff is awesome. But it does not come off your skin!

bigblockv6
December 24th, 2016, 10:07 PM
It's like cement glue!! I left some in a spray gun years ago and overnight it sealed the cup to the gun permanently:pullinghairout:

TJ's GMC
December 24th, 2016, 11:17 PM
Yeah, POR15 is good stuff. Tends to stick to whatever though. lol

kchampagne
January 24th, 2017, 12:29 AM
Now I feel like I'm making some progress. Got the newly rebuilt engine back in!

TJ's GMC
January 24th, 2017, 03:56 AM
Very nice! What color did you go with?

kchampagne
January 24th, 2017, 05:33 AM
Thank you. I think it is the dupli-color engine enamel -bright red. I thought about the green you used, but didn't think the plaid valve covers would look right with the green. Next is to paint my rebuilt heads and get them on!

TJ's GMC
January 24th, 2017, 03:55 PM
Yeah, the plaids will look much better with the red. One thing about the green is it really shows the dust and dirt. Constantly having to wipe that motor down! But that's because the truck is a daily.

DKGMC64
March 27th, 2017, 10:55 PM
Great looking set of Wheels and tires !

kchampagne
June 19th, 2017, 03:34 AM
Making a bit of progress putting the engine back together. Hope to get it running in the next few weeks so I can get the front clip back on. Not sure if I like the silver valve covers or plaid better?

RichG
June 19th, 2017, 02:15 PM
plaid - if you want an opinion

TJ's GMC
June 20th, 2017, 02:54 PM
Have to agree with Rich if you want another opinion. :teehee:

kchampagne
June 21st, 2017, 12:00 AM
Thanks guys!!

kchampagne
July 3rd, 2017, 11:10 PM
Thoughts on this decal on the air cleaner cover?