Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Well, I'm starting this page out with kicking myself in the rear! Ever heard that expression "measure twice, cut once"? Yeah, I didn't do that.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-R...0/DSCN5970.JPG

The red door has some rust that needs to get addressed. The inner door bottom is rusted through where it meets the skin. If a new inner door bottom goes up high enough I will just fix both problems that way. Anyone have a picture of a new one?

Onward. It's starting to resemble a door. Everything is tacked, and the skin is temporarily secured to the inner door with screws.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-W...0/DSCN5971.JPG

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

At least it wasn't something that wasn't an easy fix. It's looking great!

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Everything looks great. I have a 72 suburban I am wanting to put a 4th door on... now that you know what you're doing with it how much would you charge to make me one?? HAHA hope the move goes well!

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Thanks! I was getting excited because I feel like I'm getting close to the end. I have slowed down a bit so I'm not rushing. My wife (The Boss) says by September 29th the door MUST be done!

Actually, I have one more to do after this one, and if I feel confident enough, I will actually be able to answer that question!

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

jeremy that door looks good!!!! man i need to hire you to weld my speaker holes!!

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Actually, I have one more to do after this one, and if I feel confident enough, I will actually be able to answer that question![/QUOTE]

You're doing great with it. I still haven't been able to get a welder, nor do I have the patience or skill to make something like that at all. One thing to be missed... All the people who still walk around after being told there is no door on the drivers side and smash their hand into the side of your car grabbing for a door handle, even after they have done it in the past.
But seriously keep me in mind if you think you are up to making a 3rd! Keep up the good work!

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

September 29th sounds doable for ya. Some day I plan on doing this too, but it's looking like it'll be farther away than I'd hoped.

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Link to cool picture




That's my little buddy!!

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Thats bad ass! Dang pics like that always makes me want kids!

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

nice buddy! my lil buddy is my dog lol

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Awesome!

You can tell he is gonna be a manual transmission guy too :metal:

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Couldn't cut or weld today because I had my little helpers outside with me. Eldon is the only one I have a good picture of, Bristol is too fast for the camera so hers have been coming out blurry! I did some bending on my B-pillar. I may just cut it and weld in an inner structure piece, but if this works it's staying. I have also been working on the strike plate but that is from a few days ago. I have been thinking that the B-pillar is too important for getting the door to fit right to put it off till later.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-z...0/DSCN6127.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-x...0/DSCN6129.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-B...0/DSCN6133.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-k...0/DSCN6007.JPG

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

So this was from April...

Now it is August and I finally know that I will be in California by September. This is going to be a stressful next few days. There is so much that has to happen. The next time I post pictures it will probably be the burb on a trailer. Wish me luck!

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

come on over to my house! finally get to meet the guy behind the keyboard!

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Well, if I take the 99 all the way up to Woodland, that goes right through A+wa+er.

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

good luck with the move!!!

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Great Build!

Been following it since page 1 and have enjoyed the write up so far.

Hope the move goes smooth for you and your family. And look forward to seeing more progress on your 'burb.

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

i would be glad to have you come by!

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

You should work twice as fast, so you can use the burb to move your stuff! :D

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Move update:

See the maroon trailer in the picture? Wanna guess what's in it?

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-m...0831084053.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-a...0831084138.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Y...0831084119.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-s...0831084042.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-L...0831084108.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J...0831084211.jpg

My wife blogged about it. Here it is if you want to read it
My Wife's Blog

Here is what normally lives in the trailer, but the Suburban wouldn't fit on the car hauler so they got swapped.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-n...0831100548.jpg

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

dude what the h e double hockey sticks that does not look good i hope you and the wife and kids are ok and the burban let me know if i can help out in anyway

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Man, so sorry to see all the carnage! I'm glad you all made it through it ok and are in Ca now.

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

damn.... thats sucks a big one, but glad you all are ok. is the burb in the trailer messed up at all??

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Glad you all are safe....but that really stinks... How did it happen? An accident that caused the hitch to rip off or did the hitch failure cause the accident?

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

The police report put the road conditions at fault. Some may know the I-25 through the Springs, the right lane is a terrible for dips and banks. I hit one of the dips and the trailer wanted to go a different direction than the burb. I almost had it back under control until I hit another dip in a spot the road was banked in the wrong direction and that jack-knifed me to the left and into the guardrail. I'm pretty sure the jack-knife ripped the hitch off the truck and then when the weight distribution hitch hit the road it ripped the ball out of the hitch.

Everyone who saw the accident said I should have been leaving in an ambulance. My father in law was behind me in the moving van and he saw the whole thing. It was God's hand that kept me from getting hurt.

The Suburban body looked unharmed, I didn't see the glass though. That might be gone. The grille might be dented up some. The trailer may be salvageable. The trailer is still in Colorado. We are in California and hope to be back soon to get it.

I am thankful that no one else was involved in the accident. I was the ONLY one in the truck. The dogs were with me, once I hit the guardrail my husky jumped in my lap, my aussie jumped in the middle on top of my wife's dog. We were all ok. All of our family had been praying for our safety on this trip. I am so thankful for that!

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

thats good your ok if i can do anything to help get the trailer fixed and road worthy let me know i can get it to my dads and look at it and fix it for you not a problem

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Thank you Jesus you guys are all ok! Man, that could have been a really bad one. I hope insurance thinks the damage is worth plenty! $$$ That way you can replace and upgrade! :D

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

See, these are the guys that make this board a great one! I may take you up on the offer Randy... We are planning on trying to make it out to get the trailer this month. The White Suburban was a total loss. They are totaling it out. Everything IN the trailer is covered so when we get to tear everything out of it we will know the extent of the damage. It really doesn't look like there is anything that was destroyed in the trailer, it WAS packed and tied down pretty well (but not perfect).

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

well when you get out here or before that doesnt matter i can get it and take a look at it and let me know what happens with the burban might be interested in it for some parts if your just gonna let it go to the crusher and it doesnt cost you any money to get it back if you need to call me 719-210-9811 and we can figure it all out and get your burban to cali so you can get to work on it lol

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

I will give you a call! I would love to see the parts off the white burb go to good use! It was a 91 (last square) so it had the TBI 350, 4L80E, and a NP241! It only had 128K on the clock. I know they took the truck up to Denver... It really was a GREAT (but ugly) truck. I drove it off the guard rail! I gotta get some stuff done today, but I will let you know as soon as I hear back from the insurance company Tuesday!

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

ok cool any help i can provide i will not a problem and the motor would be going into my 71 blazer if it all works out lol

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

231 post, How about an update.

Glad to here know one got hurt and things worked out.

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Funny thing, I was just down picking up some parts from Paul Mora, and he said the same thing! I guess you were just the first one to post anything! I am looking at heading back out there to Colorado to pick up the trailer and the burb in March. All the passes should be open and clear by then. I have been driving my wife NUTS about getting the truck! The longer I DON'T work on it, the MORE I can plan on doing to it! That may be bad for the pocket book.

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

man i just read every page. amazazing work youve done on the burb, and glad nobody was hurt in the accedent, i also am from ridgecrest, ca been gone alomost two years now, the longest ive been away and i alway say im never going back but something brings me back. im planning on taking my vacation there over the summer hopfully although my burb wont be done. but nice work cant wait to see it done

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

So... I think a 2001 Camry with a new engine should pay for a trip to Colorado to pick up my Suburban, don't you?

Should have the car sold this month, then IT'S ON!!!!!!!

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Its about time! lol Hope all go's well.

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Maybe we can talk my younger bro into picking it up on his way back to Ca in the next 2 weeks. :lol:

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Alright, The Camry is going away this weekend... but I won't be going out to get the burb until after my sister-in-law has her baby... family always takes priority. But after that we are heading out to CO!!!!!

I posted this picture and got positive feedback, so I am feeling VERY confident about this grille mod!

before
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-F...d%2520work.JPG

after
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3...%2520work2.JPG

So who wants to be my roadside assistant when I make this trip? Once I know dates, I will post my map and itinerary. The whole fam is excited about going back to the Springs.

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

Nice mod on the grill. Is it very difficult to do? I would offer roadside assistance but if you go through Washington State I can only offer you directions.:lol:

Re: 1970 GMC Suburban... for the family
 

For the seasoned body guy, no... for me, it might be pretty tough! I gotta figure out exactly what kind of metal I am working with. and then I need to see what parts I can cut and splice. I am going to pick up the old grille off the my 69 pick up this weekend. I am going to practice on that one.