Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Dale it was our pleasure meeting you and your daughter. She's obviously a sweetie, hanging out with her dad... at a car show, no less. I was very impressed with the work you've done on your 409 Suburban. So well-engineered. Now I'm looking forward to seeing you finish the "Twisted Little Sister".

It was good talking to you!

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

That's a really cool airplane dash!

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

We enjoyed meeting you and your wife. Hopefully next time we will have more time.

Thanks Wanna49


We got a little busy last week but we're back to work now. We decided to start on the upper door frame. Since this is a complicated design we will have to make it in multiple pieces and weld them together. We made the first piece from 20 gauge sheetmetal 1 1/2" wide bent to 90* to make 3/4 X3/4 angle. Then we used the shrinker to make it follow the shape of the roof. It should take 8 different pieces to make each side.

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Here's the first three pieces test fit on the truck.

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Dale... what the heck are you making now, a Targa roof? Nice work making tose channel pieces. I don't know what you're doing, but I'm sure looking forward to see the result!

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Thanks John. Making the channel pieces is a bit time consuming but once we make enough support structure from side to side as well as front to back in the center we are going to make big gullwing doors (like a DeLorean).

I took the Airspeed indicator apart to fix the return spring and oil the gears. The gauge reads a top speed of 300 mph so I will try making a funnel shaped air intake to make 300 equal to 100 to make the gauge useful at slower speeds.

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Wow!!! yup that's all that comes to mind and I thought I was doing something custom. The work that you have done in so little time is amazing. I don't live that far from you, I would love to see all our trucks some time. Keep it up.

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

with a V12 you just may hit 300mph

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Hey Dale... FYI, car show this weekend in Waterloo. I don't know anything else about it, just what I read on the facebook page.

Northern Showdown, Rim Park, 2001 University Avenue, Waterloo, Canada. Sat Aug 29 2015

Info here: https://www.facebook.com/Northernshowdown

Video from last year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meNLH3rGHfE

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Hey neighbour. Thanks for the compliments. I read your build and you have a bunch of custom on your truck too. If you are ever in the area we should get together.

Going 300 might be scary but saying it goes 300 might be ok. :lol:

Hi John. I can't make it to Waterloo. The local speed shop ,Westside Performance, is having a car show on Saturday. They're good guys and I like to support them.


After a day or two with the shrinker and stretcher making pieces we clamped them together for a test run. Once the test was done we started tacking and spot welding.

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

We made some more progress spot welding the upper door frame pieces together. Both sides are together they just need the weather strip edge welded on.

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Nice work 65. Can't figue out the piece going on in these pictures so looking forward to see what is next. This is way better than watching tv!

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Thanks A.D.

I thought this picture might help explain what we're doing. Piece #4 is the one we just welded on

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Ok got it. On my Ipad it looked like pieces 2 and 3 were gone. Thanks for explaining!

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

This build is moving right along. Interested in seeing the gullwing doors. Will be interesting to say the least.

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Thanks Trixxterr. We will be a little while yet before we get to fabricating doors but stay tuned we'll get there.


We made a patch to continue the B pillar up to the new upper door opening

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

fab skills and attention to detail are outstanding. great work!

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Thanks Deejay.


We made the patch for the top of the B pillar and did some welding on the front of the roof.

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Today was hot and humid but we did manage to get part of the roof support tacked in place

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

So many words spring to mind, most of them overused clichè's but I continue to watch this build and the work you are putting in, in absolute awe.

You guys, along with many of the other builders on here, really are such skilled artists and artisans, plying a trade that is dying out slowly but surely.

I am just thankful you continue to share and teach those of us on here who want to learn just a fraction of what makes your builds so compelling to watch.

It is such a pity that when the paint, chrome, polish n glass is all done, that the majority of people looking will have no idea of what work, problem solving, effort has gone into these builds.

I salute you.

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Heat+ Humidity = Beer and Beach. If that fails beer and garage is my next best.
Keep up the good work, I'll see it in person some day and we will go for a cruze

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Thanks Grizz. I am humbled by your kind words. I don't think this truck measures up to some of the show quality and professional builds on this forum. We are just two guys with too much time and a pile of leftover rusty parts having a bit of fun in the shop.

Thanks Lower50's I look forward to cruising with your dually diesel when its done

We got the other side of the roof support finished. Along with a bunch of finish welding. Weld grind repeat. It does seem to go on for weeks. We also spent 3 1/2 hours today drawing a visually strait line on the compound curved area of the front of the roof.

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Today we decided to shift to the front of the roof. So we started by removing the piece above the windshield. Then we cut the replacement panel in half and added a strip to widen it

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Always enjoy your updates! You guys sure get a lot done. Lotta hours!

Re: My suburban's Twisted Little Sister
 

Thanks A.D. It's a lotta hours and a lotta fun.


We drilled some holes for plug welding in the piece above the windshield. We also cut the front of the roof off along with the inner brace. I think the brace is a suburban only piece. We have a bunch of clean up to do on these pieces before we can start welding them together again.