# Suburban



## oilcan

I picked up a '77 suburban from an internet auction not too long ago, and I didn't get a chance to inspect it. :dunno: Who knows what kind of condition it's in, but the pics looked _kinda_ ok and the price didn't get out of hand. I should be able to get an appointment to pick it up this (or next) week. The only pics I have of this thing are terrible, and I won't impose them on you.

From what I can tell it's a 3/4 ton 4wd with a 350 and a 4 speed. The interior looks pretty shot, but my last chevy was a CUCV blazer and I'm used to a spartan cabin.

I've had pretty good luck plopping 6.2 chevy diesel motors into different trucks, but I think this one might eventually get a cummins with an overdrive. Maybe a lincoln locker out back and a limited slip for the front... Eh, the front might need to stay open for a while.

There are a lot of options rolling around in my head on this one.

Maybe later I'll post pics of the rest of my fleet. It'll give you guys a better idea of my style, and where I'm going with this one.


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## NaeKid

:surrender:

Ok - you are makin' me raise the white-flag ... what do you have in your fleet?


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## oilcan

Oh, almost forgot about this thread...

The smallest rig I currently have (besides the sub) is my M715 kaiser. The cobra isn't mine, but it does make for a nice backdrop.









Here's my trail rig. M35A2w/w. The multifuel motor is kinda handy.









The tow rig. XM818.









It can wheel, too.









There are more around the yard, but you get the idea.
Now it's off to load up pics of the suburban. It's nicer than I was expecting.


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## oilcan

Here are three of the pics from when I picked it up yesterday. I put a fuel pump on it after getting home, just got done putting the new door glass in it today, and I have one brake line to fix. The thing sat for 12 years and it only took about 20 minuites to get it running. The old 350 purrs like a kitten! I'll take it for a test drive after I find my double flaring tool and get the brake line done.


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## NaeKid

You are doing a very good job at making me very jealous ... :gaah:

You have an amazing fleet of vehicles, I am very impressed with what you have, and, that tow-rig just gave me woody ..


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## Expeditioner

Nice little fleet you have there Oilcan.


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## oilcan

Thanks fer the compliments. I had to take that 818 tractor down a jeep/ATV trail not too long ago to free a _very_ stuck friend. Everyone was amazed I could snake it back there, but it's kinda old hat for me nowadays. Believe it or not, the little 715 turns more heads around town than any of the 6x6 trucks. Wo knew?

Anyhoo, back to the Sub... The doggone thing is pretty much ready for a road trip as soon as the title/SF-97 shows up in the mail. (It was supposed to be signed over the day I picked it up.)


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## bunkerbob

You make me envious, I still would like to get a Cadillac Gage V-100 some day.


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## oilcan

I can put you in touch with a guy that has a V150 for sale in NC. I also know someone with a couple of M113 tracked APC's, but he just can't bring himself to sell them. And there's supposedly an operational M60 main battle tank in private hands within an hour's drive from my house. Haven't verified that one yet, though.

Oh, I almost forgot. There was an armored MRAP sitting a few feet from my suburban when I picked it up in cinci. I guess the FBI guys use it every now and then.


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## bunkerbob

The one in the photo is for sale also, $75,000 restored, way out of my league. Whats the guy want for it. Send me a PM with info. Its always good to dream, maybe he would take my second born in trade.


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## oilcan

I can't imagine he'd be too far away from your last find in terms of price. The last time I saw it in person about a year ago, the resto was about half done and there was no expense spared. He said they were going to start on the huey when the V150 was done. (Yup, a medivac helicopter!)


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## Tribal Warlord Thug

going to have to dig up some pics of our old '68 Jeep-Kiaser M 725.........loved that old ambulance...........i also have some tune up parts (new Napa gold plugs, coil points,cap...ect.) for a 1945 GMC duece and a 1/2 if ya know some one that could use them.......nice rigs oilcan


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## oilcan

Ah, I had a project 725 a few years ago that got traded for my first M35. Maybe another one will come along when (if) the spare cash is available.

The CCKW (?) parts are nice to have around, but I don't know anyone off hand that has one. Most of my M-truck buddies are into rigs that can work or play without worrying too much about collector value. I'll keep my ears open, though.


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## Tribal Warlord Thug

i'll check with a friend of mine who bought our M725....he took it apart and used the under carriage for some mud truck.....but i believe he still may have the entire body out on the farm....it was still complete as of the last time i went out there..i think i still have some of the old-style duece axles layin around too..


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## NaeKid

A friend sent me these pictures of a Suburban that is supposed to be down in Texas - I am not sure, but, the guy might have been reading some of Jerry's stories!


:wave:


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## oilcan

Huh... 8-bolt HMMWV beadlocks on the front. I'd like to go that way, but I'd rather use 16" tires than 16.5's. Maybe use adapters for the LAV lock-ring wheels and michelin XL's with combination beadlocks/run flats... I dunno, these early planning stages waffle back and forth on me all the time. I like the paint job on that sub, too.

I'm pretty big on 6x6 trucks, but don't really need to build any. Even the smaller chassis doesn't do anything for me. I've had enough practice that I can wheel that big deuce through a doggie door and not scratch anything. (Don't hold me to that!!!)

The dude surely has to be reading JDY. Although I still want to see one of those nifty CBR filter setups mounted on an old rig.


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## bunkerbob

I want one of those to, that is too cool. I wonder what kind of gas mileage it gets, probably around 8 gal per mile?? Yes, I said 8 gal per mile.


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## NaeKid

oilcan said:


> Huh... 8-bolt HMMWV beadlocks on the front. I'd like to go that way, but I'd rather use 16" tires than 16.5's. Maybe use adapters for the LAV lock-ring wheels and michelin XL's with combination beadlocks/run flats... I dunno, these early planning stages waffle back and forth on me all the time. I like the paint job on that sub, too.
> 
> I'm pretty big on 6x6 trucks, but don't really need to build any. Even the smaller chassis doesn't do anything for me. I've had enough practice that I can wheel that big deuce through a doggie door and not scratch anything. (Don't hold me to that!!!)
> 
> The dude surely has to be reading JDY. Although I still want to see one of those nifty CBR filter setups mounted on an old rig.


I run the Michelin XML's on my mini-monster (my tires are MilSpec'd) on 16" rims (38" tall x 14" wide) and with the relatively light weight of my Jeep, I can run the tires at 4psi on the highway and not worry about poppin' a bead (yes, I have done it) and atmosphere in the dirt - haven't popped anything yet.

With the news talkin' about IceLand's volcano poppin' its top I am also thinkin' about setting up a CBR filtration-system for each of my Jeeps - not just for my breathing ability but for the engine's breathing ..


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## mosquitomountainman

Back when Mt. St. Helens erupted some people ran snorkels to the inside of the vehicle and installed an air filter and housing from large diesel trucks in the cab/back seat to handle the volcanic ash/dust. That was nasty stuff. Very abrasive and somewhat water repellant.

Even running the air intake to the inside of the vehicle would help some. (It would be noisy though!)


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## oilcan

If you look up at the second pic of my M715, it has the Michelin XL's on 16" lock ring wheels. (Not the LAV-type) The dang tires wear like iron, and like you said, pretty much have to be aired down low for regular street driving. The only time I run double-digits is when the truck is loaded down heavy. (It takes a lot of weight to squish the springs on that old bat!)

If you want to modify the vehicle to make room, take a look at heavy equipment air cleaners. I have one laying around somewhere that has 2 or 3 chambers that kinda swirl the dirt out of the air stream before it hits the filter media. When the dirt falls out, it drops dwn a series of tubes to a can at the bottom of the unit for later cleanout. It's pretty nifty, but I'll have to really hog out the inner fender to use it. 
If push comes to shove before this thing goes online, you bet your booty I'll duct the air cleaner to the cab. People can come up with pretty amazing things on short notice when the situation calls for it. I'd hope to have some kind of respirator in that situation, though. I'm guessing the engine would pull a slight vacuum on the cab and pull in all kinds of contaminants for me to breathe.


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## mosquitomountainman

Interesting story about wearing masks. After Mt. St. Helens blew it's top and the ash hit Montana almost everyone who went outdoors was wearing surgical masks. ... Except the guys who robbed a bank in Kalispell. I don't remember them ever being caught either. (True story too!)

They had one guy who bought every mask he could find first thing in the morning. Then stood on the street corner at Main and Idaho (hwys 93 and 2 intersection) and sold them for a dollar each. He probably made more than the guys who robbed the bank.


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## HozayBuck

I remember that day too, woke up to a pile of crap on my whole place, I put on a surgical mash and went out and hosed down everything... then heard they was saying to not do that?? never said why...I did it so too bad...

Funny thing was for several years after that every farm down wind had bumper crops!!..

I heard MT SH blast was more powerful then the A bombs dropped on Japan...


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