1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

After years of buying, selling, parting, assembling, and never really owning what I want...I cleaned house and sold all of my trucks and put the money up for a bit while I searched for what I wanted. A 1954/55.1 Chevy Suburban.

My mom bought a 54 3100 when I was 8 and drove it for 3 or 4 years. I remember her scraping windows with a Montgomery Wards Auto Club card when it was frosty. I remember her chugging through the column shift. I remember when she sold it. After 30 years my son has what is left and we made a heck of a hot rod out of it together.

Now it is my turn!

I'm still waiting for the shipment from Phoenix but a bright yellow 54 is on it's way in the next month to me. In the mean time I've started assembling a stock 54 panel chassis that my son found in Chicago a few years ago. I've got front disc brakes swapped, a POL Power Steering conversion kit to go on, a 350TPI/700r4 with computer combo, CPP engine and trans cross members, a ZR2 disc brake rear axle, and an underfloor power brake unit. A set of Posie's lowering springs are in the front.

The intent is to look fairly stock but underneath have some go and whoa.

My younger son took a look at the photos and said "call it Buster because it looks like a school bus" so Buster is the name.

And yes, it has the dash mounted clock housing!! No, you can't have it!!

I'm looking for some guidance (and yes, I've been using the search function) on installation of the engine cross member and motor location. Do I NEED to trim the front cross member where the I6 would have bolted in? I see some posts that look like I do, others maybe not but clarity isn't there. Any help is appreciated. Don't let the TPI unit scare you, the rear of the engine is just a HEI dizzy so that is what will be the clearance concern to the firewall.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

That's cool....never seen the clock before....

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Where it all began...Court's 54.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

I'm hoping to have Court be able to duplicate it. Know a guy who's made his own 3D printer. Would be nice for a set of gauges across the dash. I think same mechanical clock as the Bel Air from what I've seen. I may still have one from my old car.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Hi Dan! Looks like a nice start, will be watching! I think I remember Court's truck from the HAMB? Leevon

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Yep. He’s 26 now. Manufacturing Engineer for a solar panel manufacturer. This picture is from last August at Detroit’s Historic Fort Wayne. Great time. Hope to drive Buster this year!

Just got home from buying a parts truck.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Looks like you've got a solid one to start with...
Good luck

Marc

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

I had to cut out my original engine crossmember when I added my tubular style one. The forward most crossmember shouldn't need any trimming, mine was kinda a close fit but no problems so far.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Thanks, Matt. Yours was the only one I could find and couldn’t tell if you trimmed the front one or not. I did remove the rear one. Got any side shots? Looking to see roughly where you mounted the cross member. Did you relocate the brake line tabs as well?

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Setting the engine and trans in together I did my best to get the pinion angle pretty close. After that I got it just close enough to firewall that I could squeeze my hand between wall and dizzy. Where the firewall and floor meet... it's like mayelbe a 1/4 inch away from touching the trans.

I think I used some 3/4 inch thick wood scraps to help. I stuck them inside frame on each side and sat the crossmember on them and did a quick tack.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

I lost the original brake line bracket pieces. Made some new ones though and they are in same spot. Two rivets hold them on on each side. I could only get the rearward bolts in though because the forward two are covered by the crossmember end pieces. I can try for better pics tomorrow.

I also later added the tubular style trans member too.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Thanks, Marc. Your’s is amazing. I’m not a body man so I am getting one from Phoenix.

Looks like you are about due west of me. Maybe a bit north.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

:lol::lol: thats a great name!

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Thanks. That’s what I was looking for. I’m going to bolt it in just in case I need to remove. I have the rear tubular member as well. Without the body here I’m kind of guessing on location. I am picking up a parts 53 panel to use for mock up and other parts for my younger son’s 49 3800 panel. Pics to follow! That 1/4” should be sufficient. I just want to get the motor in as close as it should be while I wait for the real thing. I want to get brakes, brake lines, axle, and driveshaft in. Maybe even the start of fuel lines. Not going to blow my wad on a tank if there are already 2 with Buster. I will try to slide it all forward this afternoon once the parts panel is home.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Cool, another Burb build! Tagging along for the rest.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Weather has sucked so no work done. Nephew bought a house with 2 barns a few miles away. May transfer my pile to his place this weekend to get the chassis wrapped up. Title came in the mail today. Just waiting for Ben D to pick up the truck in about 10 days and deliver. I'm getting excited!

Found a 71 Chevy van tilt column on CL this morning...may have to go to Ohio for a purchase.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Good story and a nice truck. Have fun with it.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

I haven't really paid attention to the burbs. I've only seen pones without windows too, I kinda want one like yours...

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Update! Ben D has picked up Buster this week and he’s resting comfortably in Texas through the weekend. The nose is in the back as it wasn’t bolted down. Safer to ship that way!

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Buster made it home last week and my younger son, Eli, and I spent yesterday working on clean up of his 49 3800 panel and my 54 Suburban. Amazing how much crap can build up in an old truck over 30 years of sitting. The seats were some power seats out of a full size sedan and they were yucky! After getting those out and hosing down the floor and doors I hit the driver's side with some rubbing compound. It took a lot of scrubbing and several coats but she has a bit of shine now. A coat of wax is on tap! That and ridding the windows of all of the old bubbled up window tint. Mocking up Trailblazer seats that we've had for a while.

Pictures later. Having issues currently!

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Excellent. If I met: cleaning top that paint might go a little quicker if you. color sanded it with 2000 grit before attempting to polish & wax it. Just an idea. I bet you get a decent appearance out of that paint.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Resized. Will see if that works. Thanks, Dan for the idea on 2000 grit. Sounds like a better plan than what I was doing! The hood is rough and the fenders have a lot of build up over the years.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

You're welcome.

WARNING: Just my opinion coming: I'm not a fan of what a lot of guys call "patina" - I mean the rusty, dead flat paint from decades of buses or neglect.

I AM a fan of what I think really constitutes patina. Decades of polishing and caring for paint and chrome - even if it wasn't in that good of condition to begin with. My Dad's purchased-new, black '55 Chevy two door hardtop Belair to bring home his newborn son (me) was polished through to the orange factory primer in places by the time I got it at 17 because he tried to take care of it all those years.

PS: I wonder if there's chrome under your black painted grille? Some citrus paint stripper (if it's chrome under there) and then 0000 steel wool/wax will bring up whatever remains of it. Best of luck and please post pictures.

I think if you get it all shiny - even if you polish through to primer or bare metal - it'll look like someone's been trying to keep it nice through the years. Anyway, just my $.02. Whatever you do, as long as YOU like it is what's important!

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Thanks, Dan. I love a paint job showing age like you describe. I do not like faux patina, either. I want to put the best possible shine on what I have until I can afford to have a real nice paint job done!

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Agreed on the "faux" patina. The words make it sound like it's desirable when all it really means is fake.

If my truck had had anything remotely resembling its original paint I'd have tried the sand & polish method. But it was a mess. In hindsight, I do wish I'd tried it on a fender to see what was under there, but oh well.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Has anyone changed the rear plywood for boards like a panel truck? We have a parts panel that I could pull that from. Just a thought since the original linoleum is horrid.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Does anyone know the differences in the sliding window stops between years? Jim Carter has a set that say through mid 1952. I'd like to know if functional but maybe aesthetics are different or if the whole thing is different. I have a total of 0 out of the 4 I need! The solution someone came up with at one point was to put pushrods in the track so they wouldn't open.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

My panel truck has the factory rear floor boards, so I don't see why you couldn't retrofit those to a '54 Suburban. Although seven decades old, the boards have survived completely intact; they seem to last better than the plywood/linoleum floors. Maybe that linoleum traps moisture underneath it?

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

My wood is in pretty decent shape. The linoleum is coming out in pieces 1-6" long by the width of the grooving. I just figured I could get some nice walnut or cherry wood and cut and route it to match the panel truck wood since I have a parts truck with the strips and all as well as the boards as templates.

I don't have stock seats so I don't need the mounts.

Thanks!

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Hey Dan..

I plan on running stock seats. I could use those mounts if you have no plans for them. Let me know how much you want for them.

Thanks
Marc

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Marc, these are just the key hole pieces, nothing else. Would they still work for you? How close are you to Middleville? I'm going there in the morning for work. I don't have anything out of my truck, yet.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Dan

Yes, they are the oval shaped plates that screw into the floor with a keyhole where the seat hardware attaches. I only need the plates. I'm not close to Middleville (good idea though). I could just pay you to ship them if its ok. I'm in no hurry for them.

Thanks
Marc

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

OK. When I figure out what I'm doing, I'll ear mark them for you. FYI. There is NOTHING close to Middleville. I was there today. No cell reception even. There were cows...

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Cool thanks Dan. Yes, you are right about Middleville....mooo

Marc

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

No pictures but I spent several hours last night reassembling the front clip. Chased all the threads and got it all bolted together. Now to pull it off to set my engine correctly! Hope to get a lot done this weekend.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Weekend over. Rained most of Sunday so very little done there. I did take @Dan in Pasedena's advice and spent time Friday evening and Saturday with 2000 grit wet sanding the truck. Some Turtle Wax Polishing Compound and elbow grease followed by Turtle Wax wax and more elbow grease left me with a reasonably shiny truck. Passenger side in picture is "before" and is currently not as nice but wax coat still to go on there.

Fenders sanded and polished first coat. Hood untouched other than to hammer the tear from the errant fan blade back together. Replaced DS inner fender from errant fan blade damage.

Engine is closer to where I want it. Nose is mocked up. Still have hood, roof and top of cowl to do for wet sanding and I plan to paint the firewall soon so I can move the body into place.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

This is why you don't throw anything away. I had an old rusty firewall from a '54 that was in my mother's truck 42 years ago. It was the truck that started it all and is the core of what my son's hot rod is today. The cab was so bad I removed the driver's door with no tools. It still has part of the pillar attached to each hinge.

That said, it was well enough to clamp into place against the bolted up doghouse so I could feel better about my engine placement.

Cross members for trans and engine are mounted. Rear axle is now ZR2. Still have brakes to swap on that and welding of the saddles to the tubes but it can roll on all 5 lug rims now.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Yes, I'm doing this in my driveway. This isn't the first one done this way. Harder to dodge the raindrops and I have to deal with the fact it is a 10% slope but it is what it is.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Plan is to get my new tank, mounts and straps from Jim Carter this week. Body mounts and sending unit are on back order, of course. Fuel lines and pump installed. Clean up the firewall completely and paint it. Replace the hood to cowl seal while apart. Driveshaft, brakes and brake lines. Steering box and power steering unit. More frame paint. Then look at body swap.

Does anyone see an issue with having fuel return line feed back to a T right in front of the tank? Only one port in tank for now. Another option would be to get a sending unit that has a line in it and use that as return.

Re: 1954 Suburban "Buster"
 

Impressive work. Very creative solution.