'60 GMC Suburban (Project D-Daddy)

[Corts60]

Originally Posted by shiny

Small world! I knew I had seen this burb before and was thinking where? I was camping near you guys at BP! I drove my '35 Phaeton down from up here, I am about 40 minutes north of Vic City. I chatted with you and your girl for a bit about the burb and trailer. You camped with all the Estranged guys right? Too funny. We went in 2010 too
How you liking Victoria? I am born and raised there.

-Shiny

Hey Shiny! Yeah man, so far I have camped every year there since '08. I am hoping to go again this year but we'll see how things go.

I love it up here and have had an awesome time. I haven't decided my final plans up here but right now I am just going to Camosun for some gerenal school. And I miss my suburban!

[Corts60]

Originally Posted by sgaylord

Hey Cort,

I think you have my camper there. I have pics of it being pulled behind my truck!...

Awesome to see that really cool burb is on the road. I know you are stoked!

I included a pic of the 60 as it looks now. Nothing much has changed except wheels and tires and I cleaned up the wood in the bed.

What's up with moving to Canada?

Steve

Hey Steve! Thanks for posting the picture! She looks just beautiful and I hope you have as much fun driving her as I did. As far as moving to Canada, I have a girl up here and I am going to school. I don't think it is permanent and might be heading back to Portland this summer.

I am so glad I sold you the truck and not somebody that was going to rip it apart, put a 350 and 20" rims on it!

[rustbucket66]

Cool suburban, and the retro trailer. I looked through your blog, the V6 engine I have never seen up here. At first glance the valve covers look like the 348, 409 engines. The spark plugs on the inside of the cylinder heads, that is a little strange for sure. Keep the burb pics coming.

[MikeS.]

Hey Cort, I'm luvin your burb. I hope you get on here soon and keep us up to date. I've got a 63 burb coming from WA. I'm sure It'll need the gas tank reworked. So I was glad to read what/how you did yours. I'm going to have to find places to do that kind of work. I'm in WVa but am really close to Northern Va where there is a lot more shops and stuff.

Come on back and see us, sit a spell

[Corts60]

Originally Posted by MikeS.

Hey Cort, I'm luvin your burb. I hope you get on here soon and keep us up to date. I've got a 63 burb coming from WA. I'm sure It'll need the gas tank reworked. So I was glad to read what/how you did yours. I'm going to have to find places to do that kind of work. I'm in WVa but am really close to Northern Va where there is a lot more shops and stuff.

Come on back and see us, sit a spell

Hey man, thanks. I've been hanging around the square body forum a bunch lately because my burb is stored and has been sitting for almost a year now. I really wish it was closer so I could get some work done to it, but maybe this fall will offer a few chances.

I still check the 60-66 forums a bit so feel free to ask any questions or PM me.

[Corts60]

Alright!

I am making some progress finally. Albeit, small progress. I am finally getting around to restoring my hubcaps that I won off of ebay a few months ago. Here are some pics of one that is primered and ready for paint and a pic of the worst one after sand blasting. That one is going to take some massaging to look presentable, but I'll make it work.

[Corts60]

OK! I finally pulled the suburban out last week after a year. I had to adjust the points but then she fired right up and idled. Every time. However, the damn clutch was frozen to the flywheel so it took a little bit of persuasion to get that thing loose. I drove it around the block a couple of times and then parked it. Now that it is ready to go, in the next few weeks I am going to bring it home from storage and finally start some more work on her, so stand by. . . .

[justcuz]

Bringing home? Meaning back to Portland or up to Canada? I have not read anything on the square body forum since the Oregon square body Suburban member was banned. He did the 5.3 swap on his square body Suburban.

Since I retired I've been to Michigan, Arizona, Utah and Colorado. I'm getting highway fever again and thinkiing about a trip that includes the Columbia River Gorge. If your back in Oregon we can meet up. Not sure when it will be though.

[tylervalo]

Haha, work not going to miss the belts?

[justcuz]

So you back in Portland now? Sorry to hear it did not work out with the lady, its always nice to have a good one around. Susie and I just celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary Saturday.

[Corts60]

Originally Posted by justcuz

So you back in Portland now? Sorry to hear it did not work out with the lady, its always nice to have a good one around. Susie and I just celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary Saturday.

Thanks buddy. Yeah I am back now and just got a new job and place to live. Looking forward to getting back to work on the ol' girl. There should be lots of posts over the next few weeks hopefully.

[johnnyclack]

I can't wait to see her on the "High Way"

That split front seat brings back a lot memories for me, I can almost recall the smell of the plastic interior those trucks had when they were new

[justcuz]

Was looking at the map book yesterday. Just read a little travalogue about an eastern Oregon run. Pondering a 395 to 20 to 84. 84 north and west along the Columbia to the coast. Down the coast to Eureka/Ferndale and then down to Ft Bragg. Take the Skunk Train. Then across 20 to 5 to the 210 to home. Maybe take a week or so. Have to wait till after the 16th of Sept because I am having a buddy from St George visiting that weekend.

84 is shown as a scenic route from the Idaho border to Pendelton. Any other suggestions for alternate routes are welcome.

Did you ever take the spacers out of the stock rear springs and see how it sets? My buddy down here has a 63 with a 292 six and a SM420. He was going to put a Muncie M22 in it. I am trying to talk him out of it. The SM420 is just like a 3 spd with that great granny option for towing boats up launch ramps, pushing drag cars, pulling older relics out of the spots they have sunk into over the last 10 years and cruising. That granny gear also works great in the LA area rush hour traffic where you just inch along at 2-5 mph too!

He is also talking about bags and such to lower it. My argument against it is this; any time you modify a vehicle past the point where it is easy to return it to stock, you limit the interest people have in your vehicle and restrict its resale value. I can tell you from a personal aspect, I love the look of a mildly modified/personalized stock vehicle. Period correct wheels and tires and things that would be correct for the time in history when it would have been new to 5 to 10 years old. Older trucks laying frame with 20's and rubber band tires don't even get a second look from me. But a cool slighly lowered truck or Sub with period correct aluminum wheels or steel wheels with small caps and beauty rings looks good. An early Chevy truck with passenger car dog dish hubcaps looks very cool, but not many do it. Your square is the exception and they look good, in fact steel wheels painted the same color as the roof/side panels with those caps and beauty rings would be a good look. You could probaly sell or trade those Centerlines to finance some 8" wide steel wheels. Sadly even though Centerlines are period correct I never really cared for them. Cragars or American 5 spokes would look better and allow cooling air to enter the brakes.

My judgement criteria is this, if you can't drive that vehicle a thousand miles comfortably and get some enjoyment out of it, without making a mess out of the whole thing (lowered vehicles with no inner fender panels need not apply) then I can't justify owning it. I have more interesting things to do with my time than be a slave to a polishing rag. Furthermore my vehicles have to be capable of doing multiple things, drive the aforementioned thousand or more miles, bring along friends, or tow a trailer, or do anything thing other than be a single use vehicle. Funny too because at this point in my life I could actually afford to have a single use vehicle, but I have lived by this criteria for so long (having a family does that to you) it has become more logical as I get older.

So I guess if I ever build a hot rod it will have to be a roadster pickup, with a trailer hitch!

[Corts60]

Originally Posted by tylervalo

Haha, work not going to miss the belts?

Na, the truck will never see the road.

[johnnyclack]

Amen: Eastern Oregon

[johnnyclack]

Looking good, keep up the hard work, stay dry

[sgaylord]

Looks good Cort. It's been a while since I visited your build. That intake and carb looks familiar. I wonder where I saw a setup like that before.....

Steve

[Corts60]

Originally Posted by sgaylord

Looks good Cort. It's been a while since I visited your build. That intake and carb looks familiar. I wonder where I saw a setup like that before.....

Steve

Hey Steve, thanks! How's the Jimmy running?

[Corts60]

Some more progress! I spent about three hours today grinding and grinding and grinding. . . .

Last earlier this week I was able to prime and paint the back walls of the interior and today I masked them off and started grinding on the cab area. Here are some shots. Sorry, I didn't take full shots of the new paint, but one of the photos below shows the difference in hue between the original and new paint.



Here is one of the restored heater all put back together. New motor for it and completely blasted and painted:

Does anyone have any ideas of what I should use to seal these cracks up with?:

[johnnyclack]

http://www.sika.com/en/solutions_pro..._car_body.html

Looking Good

We use this stuff all day on those train & bus car bodies you see when you’re driving around PDX

When I look at your PIC with the floor pan removed, and the shot of that 4spd trany it brings back a lot memoires of hours spent laying on cold concrete wrestling one of those critters attempting to align the pilot shaft/bushing.

(the days before the plastic aligning tools)

[Corts60]

Originally Posted by johnnyclack

http://www.sika.com/en/solutions_pro..._car_body.html

Looking Good

We use this stuff all day on those train & bus car bodies you see when you’re driving around PDX

When I look at your PIC with the floor pan removed, and the shot of that 4spd trany it brings back a lot memoires of hours spent laying on cold concrete wrestling one of those critters attempting to align the pilot shaft/bushing.

(the days before the plastic aligning tools)

Nice. Yeah I was kind of thinking sika too. We use all day on the boats as well.
Posted via Mobile Device

[sgaylord]

Originally Posted by Corts60

Hey Steve, thanks! How's the Jimmy running?

Running perfect. I recently fixed the rust in the lower doors and repainted them. I can almost say it's rust free now, just a little in the dr side rocker to do.

[Corts60]

Got some more done in the evenings. Took the vents to work and blasted them and then came home sprayed them. I don't know if you guys noticed, but I really like taking before and after shots....

[piratexpress1369a]

[QUOTE=Corts60;5728811]Got some more done in the evenings. Took the vents to work and blasted them and then came home sprayed them. I don't know if you guys noticed, but I really like taking before and after shots....


[/QUOT

dam those cleaned up real nice

[johnnyclack]

[QUOTE] I don't know if you guys noticed, but I really like taking before and after shots....

I really admire your post

Keep up the photos before / after shots, they are helping to inspire me to get my boat finished so that I get started on my 79’ K-30.