The Story Of A Cummins Suburban (Lots Of Pics)

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by DirtyLarry

Okay, were’d dem damn pics that has been all the talk lately?

Well look who showed up!! Funny YOU should be asking for pics. You have some pics or it didn't happen to send to me.....

[DirtyLarry]

Originally Posted by mosesburb

Well look who showed up!! Funny YOU should be asking for pics. You have some pics or it didn't happen to send to me.....

Sorry dude, by my Droid decided it didn’t want to take pictures anymore so I couldn't get any last night but I emailed you some today. Thanks to you I spent 6hrs and over a thousand dollars on a road trip yesterday and somehow I owe you a big thank you for that. HA! Got me a new Dana 60 perched up on stands in the garage thanks to your eagle eyes.

Now, where’d dem damn pics?

[justcuz]

Don't sweat it Nick, I am retired and have lots of time on my hands. Take your time, I understand everybody else has to work for a living still!

I am trying to figure out an Oregon trip in September. Up the eastern side, starting in the NE part of California, back down through the Columbia River roads to Portland and maybe out to the coast to about Eureka. Then back across to the 5 to 58 to 395 to 15 down to home. Or maybe just the 5 to the 210.

Need to find some dirt day trips along the way.

I am still conflicted on my vehicle I want to build. I am leaning to a square body Burb with a stick, tbi 350, NP241 drivers drop with an LSD high pinion 44 and a Detroit locker14 bolt rear. Front and rear discs, 35" tires with 4.10 gears so I don't have to have an overdrive transmission. I was thinking of putting Chevy outers on the hp dana 44 so I could use the same calipers and shoes front and rear and do a output shaft mounted parking brake with a slip yoke eliminator. My reasoning is this, squares are a dime a dozen, so my entry level cost will allow for more of the upgrades I want. I have a line an a cheap 68, but it needs a front clip and it is 2wd. So it would be a more labor intensive build.

[hgs_notes]

Gaaaahhhh!!!!

[DirtyLarry]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

Gaaaahhhh!!!!

Hg, I know….the suspense is killing us all. To hold you over, I posted a trip report of sorts in the 4x4 section back in July from the trip where we met up with Nick and his family. This might hold us over until Nick gets around to showing us his top-shelf hand selected pictures from that week. By the looks of his camera equipment and the time he took to snap each picture I suspect his pics will be worth waiting for. My pictures suck but I am quick to market with a trip report

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by justcuz

Don't sweat it Nick, I am retired and have lots of time on my hands. Take your time, I understand everybody else has to work for a living still!

Bah, I'm just having some fun throttling these whiners .

Originally Posted by justcuz

I am trying to figure out an Oregon trip in September. Up the eastern side, starting in the NE part of California, back down through the Columbia River roads to Portland and maybe out to the coast to about Eureka. Then back across to the 5 to 58 to 395 to 15 down to home. Or maybe just the 5 to the 210.

Need to find some dirt day trips along the way.

Sounds like fun!!

Originally Posted by justcuz

I am still conflicted on my vehicle I want to build. I am leaning to a square body Burb with a stick, tbi 350, NP241 drivers drop with an LSD high pinion 44 and a Detroit locker14 bolt rear. Front and rear discs, 35" tires with 4.10 gears so I don't have to have an overdrive transmission. I was thinking of putting Chevy outers on the hp dana 44 so I could use the same calipers and shoes front and rear and do a output shaft mounted parking brake with a slip yoke eliminator. My reasoning is this, squares are a dime a dozen, so my entry level cost will allow for more of the upgrades I want. I have a line an a cheap 68, but it needs a front clip and it is 2wd. So it would be a more labor intensive build.

That sounds like a nice rig, but I would change a couple things myself. The HP44 is going to cost a bunch of money. The only bolt in 44HP's in the squares are the 78-79 F150 and those are the same ones the half ton guys use for SFA conversions so the prices have gone off the scale. Why not just stay with the 44 or 10b that the truck already has?? Your TBI 350 is not going to have the power to break either one of those. Already have the HP44?? Sell it and buy cheap Chevy parts.

The other thing is the 14B rear with a Detroit behind a manual trans. I do NOT recommend this (I bet Larry will agree with this). The manners of a Detroit are much more pleasant behind an automatic. If you are using a 10.5FF, then I would recommend a stock Gov Lock, or an ARB. If you are using a 9.5"SF you can get an Eaton E-Locker or a Torsen. Don't use a Gov Lock in a 9.5"SF, they go boom too easily. The drum brakes on either of these are more than sufficient to stop the truck. I have drums on mine and it stops fantastic. If I was doing it, I'd do disc/drum, but with hydroboost and be done.

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

Gaaaahhhh!!!!

Hehehe.

Originally Posted by DirtyLarry

Hg, I know….the suspense is killing us all. To hold you over, I posted a trip report of sorts in the 4x4 section back in July from the trip where we met up with Nick and his family. This might hold us over until Nick gets around to showing us his top-shelf hand selected pictures from that week. By the looks of his camera equipment and the time he took to snap each picture I suspect his pics will be worth waiting for. My pictures suck but I am quick to market with a trip report

Meh, nice equipment doesn't make a good photographer, just like good tools doesn't make a good mechanic. I try, but I am still learning.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by DirtyLarry

Hg, I know….the suspense is killing us all. To hold you over, I posted a trip report of sorts in the 4x4 section back in July from the trip where we met up with Nick and his family. This might hold us over until Nick gets around to showing us his top-shelf hand selected pictures from that week. By the looks of his camera equipment and the time he took to snap each picture I suspect his pics will be worth waiting for. My pictures suck but I am quick to market with a trip report

Already ahead of you there. Nice shots. Waaaayyy better than those fictional ones we keep hearing about. I like the gopro videos you posted. You can see some clapped out beater burb in front of you once in a while. It looks familiar but I think it's been a while since I saw it last.

[mosesburb]

Man, you guys whine like a bunch of old wimmen here.

So anyways, after we left Monument Valley, we headed north toward Mexican Hat UT. Not far out of Monument Valley the north end of the valley becomes visible. It is amazingly huge. It took six pictures to do a panoramic shot of it. This is one looking back toward the main concentration of monuments:



Gratuitous truck shot:



Shortly after those pics we came upon these super-cool hills that looked like sand sculptures. Rolling hills with bending colors throughout them:



We get through the thriving metropolis of Mexican Hat and head up toward Valley Of The Gods. We find an old Chevy truck with a stinky gas motor sitting off the side of the road there:



A few miles in we came upon this cool looking stream bed:



I think this one was the two women and the washtub or something:



View from camp that night. We camped on the lower base of Baker Butte:



A little later:

[hgs_notes]

That all you got?

[DirtyLarry]

Ooooo....ahhhh....Purdy! Yeah, once again I have to agree with hgs. What else you got?

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

That all you got?

Nope. Not by a long shot.

Originally Posted by DirtyLarry

Ooooo....ahhhh....Purdy! Yeah, once again I have to agree with hgs. What else you got?

I have parts coming in tomorrow.

[vectorit]

Very nice!

[justcuz]

Nice, although we stuck to the highway, that all looks familiar!

Thanks for the suggestions on the build. I would probably redo a 14 bolt gov lock into a healthy LSD. Its easy to do since the carrier seperates you just remove the centrifigal locking parts and add some frictions and shims. It makes a pretty tight LSD for off-road use. I like the HP 44 and drivers drop t-case for the simple reason that it tucks up the driveline a little higher in the chassis and you can reduce your lift by an inch or more. Actually if you can find a HP44 out of an F150 (they only came in extra cabs) it would be another reason to swap outers. I am not dead set on this but once in a while I can get lucky in wrecking yards around here and find the HP 44's.

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by vectorit

Very nice!

Thanks!!

Originally Posted by justcuz

Nice, although we stuck to the highway, that all looks familiar!

Thanks for the suggestions on the build. I would probably redo a 14 bolt gov lock into a healthy LSD. Its easy to do since the carrier seperates you just remove the centrifigal locking parts and add some frictions and shims. It makes a pretty tight LSD for off-road use. I like the HP 44 and drivers drop t-case for the simple reason that it tucks up the driveline a little higher in the chassis and you can reduce your lift by an inch or more. Actually if you can find a HP44 out of an F150 (they only came in extra cabs) it would be another reason to swap outers. I am not dead set on this but once in a while I can get lucky in wrecking yards around here and find the HP 44's.

That is a lot of extra work for not much return in regards to the front diff. You aren't going to be doing rock crawling and whatnot, so I'd stick with the GM low pinion stuff and blow the money elsewhere on the rig.

[justcuz]

The spot that the conveyer crosses the highway is the coal conveyer to the elctric plant outside of Page correct? Where does that coal come from? Is there a mine in the vicinity of Kayenta? I've never seen any evidence of a mining operation around Kayenta, must have missed it.

[MrBeast]

Stop it! you are making me want to build a cummins burban and an airstream to tow behind it.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by justcuz

The spot that the conveyer crosses the highway is the coal conveyer to the elctric plant outside of Page correct? Where does that coal come from? Is there a mine in the vicinity of Kayenta? I've never seen any evidence of a mining operation around Kayenta, must have missed it.

I looked it up on google earth. The first pic is the conveyor over hwy 160, then to the east is crosses route 41, then further east it ends at the coal pile, and then just east of that is the open pit mine.

[jbclassix]

So... hows the mileage doing and the A/C? The reason I ask is I am copying you on my brothers truck! Are you happy with the way everything works?

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by MrBeast

Stop it! you are making me want to build a cummins burban and an airstream to tow behind it.

What about your truck?? It will pull a trailer. It's funny you want a Suburban and I often want a truck. There are many aspects of the Suburban that I like, but being able to slide a camper in the bed is something that I have wanted for years. The reason I never acted upon it is with the three of us, it would mean three on a bench seat in a small cab of a pickup. Not an ideal situation. To get a back seat in anything pre GMT400 means a crew cab, which wasn't produced in this body style (but can be made), but even with a short bed, it would be too long to go where this thing has already been. So I have the capacity of a crew cab with just a long wheelbase truck that effectively has a short bed with a permanent camper shell on it.

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

I looked it up on google earth. The first pic is the conveyor over hwy 160, then to the east is crosses route 41, then further east it ends at the coal pile, and then just east of that is the open pit mine.

If you look further NW of the bridge you will see the hopper and if it is the same pic that I saw when I first researched it, the shadow will give you an idea of how big it is.

Originally Posted by jbclassix

So... hows the mileage doing and the A/C? The reason I ask is I am copying you on my brothers truck! Are you happy with the way everything works?

Mileage is still the same. 19.5 with pretty good regularity. 20-21 occasionally and 17-18 on slow trails. A/C works great. If it is on for any amount of time while moving, even when it is 110*+, it will freeze you out. On the trail I usually just have it on low and it keeps the truck very comfortable. If it is not enough, I will kick the rear blower up to medium. What are you copying??

Everything works great. I am in the process of making a few changes for functionality and drivability right now, but other than that, everything is still as it was when I built it. I am at about 34,000 miles on the build now. I have documented all of the problems in the thread here (only a couple that I recall). Other than that, this thing has been a timepiece.

[MrBeast]

This is me being a bad influence:

http://vintagelivingmagazine.files.w...-trailer-5.jpg

That would look pretty good behind your burban.

And for the record I am actually going to buy a 34' Excella next year. going to full time in it for a while and travel round the country.

[jbclassix]

Originally Posted by mosesburb

...What are you copying??...

We are copying the 6BT, NV4500 GM/Dodge hybrid, NP205, 3.73's and factory air box with a orifice tube evaporator... may change a few things up like compressor mount and such. but that's the gist.

[mosesburb]

So what's it going in??

[jbclassix]

Originally Posted by mosesburb

So what's it going in??

The second link in my signature
Posted via Mobile Device

[71CumminsBurb]

Moses.....AWESOME BUILD! It was one of the things that inspired me to pull the 350 out of my rig and go cummins.

I have a few questions on your set up though...

What did you do for your fuel system?

How did you get the clutch slave cylinder to work with what I assume (yup, i said it) is the stock peddle configuration? I tried a position similar to yours and I cant get the slave actuated enough to cycle the clutch.

If you could do it again, would you keep the 4.10's or go higher? I am going to be running 35'-36's and am not quite sure what to regear to. I am using the Getrag over the NV but from my research the gearing is pretty close.

Lastly: having done the hydro boost conversion...is it really worth it in the long run? I have access to a hydro unit but I've had bad experiences with leaks, burst hoses etc and when something fails in those, the rig is virtually immovable. The donor cummins has a vacuum unit on it that functions just fine. I like simple and reliable...

Thanks for any insights!!!!!

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by 71CumminsBurb

Moses.....AWESOME BUILD! It was one of the things that inspired me to pull the 350 out of my rig and go cummins.

I have a few questions on your set up though...

What did you do for your fuel system?

The whole fuel system is covered in this thread, so I am not sure what part of it you are asking about.

Originally Posted by 71CumminsBurb

How did you get the clutch slave cylinder to work with what I assume (yup, i said it) is the stock peddle configuration? I tried a position similar to yours and I cant get the slave actuated enough to cycle the clutch.

I did a bunch of research to figure out the correct mounting point on the pedal and then referenced all of my mounting points off of it.

Originally Posted by 71CumminsBurb

If you could do it again, would you keep the 4.10's or go higher? I am going to be running 35'-36's and am not quite sure what to regear to. I am using the Getrag over the NV but from my research the gearing is pretty close.

I got rid of the 4.10's a couple years ago (it's in the thread here somewhere). I am running 3.73 gears now. With a 33" tire, I think it is perfect, but I can't say about a 35 or 36. If you do the math and find 4.10's with your tire diameter turn about the same as 3.73's with 33's then it will work at least as well as mine which I think is very good.

Originally Posted by 71CumminsBurb

Lastly: having done the hydro boost conversion...is it really worth it in the long run? I have access to a hydro unit but I've had bad experiences with leaks, burst hoses etc and when something fails in those, the rig is virtually immovable. The donor cummins has a vacuum unit on it that functions just fine. I like simple and reliable...

Hydroboost is worth every minute and dollar it took to install. I have never met a properly functioning hydroboost setup that I did not like. Buy a new one or a take-out from a late model truck--never a reman. Use a factory replacement hose or have some made at a hydraulic hose company. The hoses that are sold at almost every parts store are made by a company called Edelmann. They are re-boxed into many different boxes, but they are all of the same crap stock. OE hose from GM or Mopar are quality, as are custom hoses from the hydraulic hose joints, but the other is junk out of the box. You will find that unless you set your motor very high, you will not have room for two vacuum pods, only one--the lower one. The one that hangs on the side will hit the frame rail. This leaves a situation of only having half of the vac available. If either of these are bad, one NEW (not rebuilt--seeing a pattern yet??) cost more than a hydroboost unit--seriously. I'm not sure I would put a vacuum booster on anything I am building anymore--even a passenger car. I like hydroboost.