1990 Suburban Project

[Edahall]

Here is my 1990 Suburban. Inside the engine compartment sits a Cummins 6BT with a NV5600 6 speed manual behind it. The original paint was getting pretty bad so I decided to sand it all off down to the original primer. The plan is to paint it dark jade green with a silver band down the center (body line to side molding). I'm going to be using Kirker paint and topping it off with SPI clearcoat. I'll be into it for under $500 but lots of prep time labor. So far, I've put about 40 hrs of sanding into it. And yes, I'll be spraying it myself under that metal canopy. The plan is spray it in sections since the vehicle is so large. I'll probably spray the top first, then the silver center followed with the rest of the vehicle.

I would remove the rear side windows but I'm afraid I might break them so I think I'll just tape them off

[JPalmer81]

Looks good so far.....u skipped all the pics of u stuffing it with the Cummins though! Looks like you are off to a good start, and i applaude your hard work sanding all that by hand. Keep the pics coming.

[Edahall]

Originally Posted by JPalmer81

Looks good so far.....u skipped all the pics of u stuffing it with the Cummins though! Looks like you are off to a good start, and i applaude your hard work sanding all that by hand. Keep the pics coming.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of stuffing the Cummins in. But I can say, it very much looks like it belongs there. It fits into this body style really well.


I laid 2 coats of Kirker epoxy primer over the whole thing. I used epoxy primer because I had stripped it down to metal in many places and not only does this primer stick well to bare metal, but it's the best out there in terms of moisture barrier.

I used a Harbor Freight HVLP gun to spray the primer. It did the job fine but it tends to spray more heavily in the center of the spray pattern. It would be difficult to lay candy paint without tiger stripping.

The primer is suppose to catalyze for 3 days before block sanding. However, the primer did reveal some body work issues which I'll go back and correct. The most noticeable issue is some waviness right below each rear side window. It's noticeable on both sides and every Suburban I've seen seems to have this issue. I might as well fix it once and for all.

[gmech]

First thing that I want to say is... I do not live in Texas yet. The next thing is, I think I might be able to get use to the noise of a Cummins. Damn, a
m I getting old at 43. I do like what you are doing though. You cant go wrong with a Burb.

[Edahall]

Originally Posted by gmech

First thing that I want to say is... I do not live in Texas yet. The next thing is, I think I might be able to get use to the noise of a Cummins. Damn, a
m I getting old at 43. I do like what you are doing though. You cant go wrong with a Burb.

The Cummins in my Suburban is relatively quiet due to several reasons. The first reason is it's the earlier version with the rotary VE pump. The Cummins engines with this pump are inherently quieter. Also, I've got a good sized muffler behind it. Many people simply saw off the muffler because they think it's cool. Behind the engine is a 6 speed NV5600 manual transmission as well as a Gear Vendors. This keeps the RPM's down so the engine turns over 1350 rpm's at 65 mph. This makes a big difference for noise. It is quiet in the cab and I have never felt the need to lay down Dynomat.

[Jonboy]

The waviness is stamp marks in the quarters. It is a supreme mofo to get out. Just letting you know. I've gone down that road before.

[Edahall]

The epoxy primer calls for 3 days of drying before sanding but with just 1 day of 90 degree Texas heat, it was hard enough to sand the wavy quarter panel. Afterwards, I put a skim coat of Bondo that'll have to be sanded down with a long board.

[JPalmer81]

Lookin good Edahall! Would be interested to know what your highway mileage is with the gear vendors on there. Sounds like u are taking very good attention to detail. Cant wait to see the end result.

[Gordonr1973]

Looks like excellent progress!!

[Edahall]

Originally Posted by JPalmer81

Lookin good Edahall! Would be interested to know what your highway mileage is with the gear vendors on there. Sounds like u are taking very good attention to detail. Cant wait to see the end result.

26 mpg was what I was getting the last I checked. This was driving no faster than 65 mph and with the wide 305/70/16 tires. Since then, I have installed 265/75/17 tires so I would not be surprised if I have gained a little bit of fuel economy.

I have a feeling that I don't gain that much from the Gear Vendors because I've already got a tall rear end (3.73) combined with an overdrive transmission. However, with the engine turning at low rpms (1400 rpms at 65 mph) makes it real quiet in the cab. It is also very nice to have when towing. The 6 speed manual combined with the Gear Vendors makes it easy to always find the right gear no matter the load.

[snm95ls]

Very cool project.

I am pretty jealous of your drive train.

[Edahall]

Here it is as of right now. All the hard work is almost done and best of all it's just about ready for paint. The paint will be done in 3 stages since the vehicle is so large. I'm going to paint the top first.

The only body work on the whole vehicle is the drivers side rear door. There was a very shallow dent probably from someone opening the door against something. It was hardly noticeable but I decided to fix it anyways. The other area is the rear quarters just under each rear side window. I used a long board and sandpaper to get rid of the waviness. Interestingly, the passenger side was much less wavy than the drivers side.

By the way, the Kirker epoxy primer is good stuff. It sticks harder to bare metal than anything around and it's an excellent moisture barrier.

[JPalmer81]

Just a few questions, as I will most likely be tackling the paint portion on my Crew in the future. Are you going to paint it in the open air like it sits now, or are you going to drape some plastic down the sides of your carport? And you said the HF paint gun you bought sprays heavy in the middle and wouldn't do good with candy paint, would it do good with a normal type paint? I like your approach, and i think that you getting 26 MPG in a 4x4 3/4 ton suburban is phenomenal! And your building it in you back yard, last time i checked no $50,000 dollar truck coming out of Detroit was getting that kind of mileage. I hope i can get somewhere close to your mileage with my 6.2L! Looking great

[Edahall]

Originally Posted by JPalmer81

Just a few questions, as I will most likely be tackling the paint portion on my Crew in the future. Are you going to paint it in the open air like it sits now, or are you going to drape some plastic down the sides of your carport? And you said the HF paint gun you bought sprays heavy in the middle and wouldn't do good with candy paint, would it do good with a normal type paint? I like your approach, and i think that you getting 26 MPG in a 4x4 3/4 ton suburban is phenomenal! And your building it in you back yard, last time i checked no $50,000 dollar truck coming out of Detroit was getting that kind of mileage. I hope i can get somewhere close to your mileage with my 6.2L! Looking great

Yes I'm going to be painting it out in the open like it sits right now. However, here are some tricks. First off, it's important to buy activator for the temperature you're going to be painting in. Next thing is to paint only when the conditions are ideal. You don't want it to be in a hurry and paint when it's rainy, windy or buggy. Also, break down the paint into sections with a large vehicle like this. I'm going to paint the top first. I'll paint 2 coats of base coat followed by 3 coats of clear. This will probably take 3 hours total and by the time evening sets in, the paint will already be hard enough that the bugs don't get stuck in the paint. You definitely don't want to paint a big vehicle like this all at once unless you're doing it in a garage where everything is ideal. The next trick is to lay down plenty of clear coat so if you need, you can sand the trash out or buff out the orange peel.

As far as Harbor Freight guns, buy either a 43430 or 66222 gun. You'll need a 3-5 hp air compressor to power it. Take a look at the following to dial in your gun just right. http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sum...Pspraygun.html
If you spray non metallics, you should be fine with the Harbor Freight gun. Like most things, it comes down to the operator more than anything else. Someone that's experienced can get good results with just about any gun. However, this gun definitely is not as forgiving as something very high quality such as an Iwata LPH400. Put a novice on a gun like this and they'll get much better results than a Harbor Freight gun.

Unfortunately, all the emission stuff has put a toll on diesel fuel economy. The 6.2L can get even better fuel economy than the Cummins if set up correctly but it won't have the power on tap. My 1/2 ton 1982 6.2L Suburban is an example of this but 5000 lbs is about all you would want to tow with it (3.08 gear ratio and 700R4 transmission). The Cummins is such a tall engine that you end up having to lift your vehicle which costs some fuel efficiency. Also, it's heavy so heavy axles are a must which costs some fuel efficiency. With my 1982 Suburban, I could even lower it some and gain some fuel economy.

[JPalmer81]

Well you know the set up i am after with my truck, It will be lifted 4", so that will increase the drag, I am wanting to put in a SM465 and possibly with a ranger splitter on it, but not set in stone right now. Thanks for the paint tips. Cant wait to see it with some shiny paint on. Cant wait to get home to get started on mine, this website motivates me.

[Edahall]

Originally Posted by JPalmer81

Well you know the set up i am after with my truck, It will be lifted 4", so that will increase the drag, I am wanting to put in a SM465 and possibly with a ranger splitter on it, but not set in stone right now. Thanks for the paint tips. Cant wait to see it with some shiny paint on. Cant wait to get home to get started on mine, this website motivates me.

The SM465 is an excellent transmission and also low cost. However, you'll need some form of overdrive to get good fuel economy. You want your cruising RPM to be around 1800 rpm. You could of course install 3.08 axles. The older Dodge Cummins w/o overdrive were set up this way. A gear splitter would come in very handy for pulling. Just about all the transmissions around for these trucks are spaced far too apart for heavy pulling.

[JPalmer81]

Oh and just for the record, I think it is safe to say you have the most bullet proof set up from the engine to the rear wheels on this forum that i have seen, i think everyone would kill to have that setup. Good job.

[Edahall]

I spent the last few days wet sanding the whole vehicle with 400 sandpaper. Then this evening before the rain started, I sprayed a sealer coat over the whole vehicle. I'm going to go over the whole thing with 600 sandpaper then it'll be ready for base coat.

[gmech]

Great work, I cant wait to see it painted. I wish that I had the skill for bodywork. The nice thing about my project is that the crew cab is 100% rustfree and about 95% straight. A couple of dings on the roof. Also I have all NOS doors and fenders. I havent found a rustfree shortbed yet. I guy near me has one that he might sell for what he paid.. $1200. Ive got a ways before I get to that point.

[Cherub]

man it always feels good to lay down some paint on a vehicle

[Dieselwrencher]

Man you're dang lucky to have such a rust and dent free burb! That is a rarity on it's own! Great work man, it is going to look awesome!

[Edahall]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Man you're dang lucky to have such a rust and dent free burb! That is a rarity on it's own! Great work man, it is going to look awesome!

Rust free is due to it formerly residing in California desert. It had 1 shallow dent on a rear door and 1 ding in the rear quarter panel. A thin coat of filler took care of that. All the other body issues such as the rear quarter waviness was from the factory.

[Edahall]

Today, I spent all day wet sanding the sealer coat with 500 grit sandpaper. My fingerprints have been all sanded off and my arm feels like it's going to fall off. However, the body is very smooth. Anyways, the hard part is done and paint should be on it shortly.

[TheApocalyptican]

Originally Posted by Edahall

Today, I spent all day wet sanding the sealer coat with 500 grit sandpaper. My fingerprints have been all sanded off and my arm feels like it's going to fall off. However, the body is very smooth. Anyways, the hard part is done and paint should be on it shortly.

I feel your pain! I recently repainted my Suburban (And don't wanna do it again anytime soon!). Because I expect the occasional off road scratches and dings... I didn't go as far with the sanding as you have though. My biggest problem was getting rid of the thick surface rust on the roof. Should look good when done with all the work your putting into it.

[Edahall]

Thanks, Even though it was a lot of work, I'm glad that I sanded off all the old paint. It was very chalky in many areas and was quite thick. It would have not been good for the new paint to stick to.