My Suburban "The Beast"! - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

Rocfrog · 11-07-2011, 02:49 PM

Thought since I was going to try and get my Suburban back on the road I would start a thread for it and share with you guys.

This is my 1980 Chevy Suburban that my dad bought brand new in Germany when we were stationed over there. It has been in the family ever since and I became the new ower of it about 11 years ago when he passed away. I drove it for a few years and then between the gas cost and not really needing it (I also think I developed a knock of some sort, don't really remember) I decided to park it. The tags have an '03 registration so it's been sitting since at least then. Well long story short I've had very bad luck with cars lately and decided that it would be cool to get "The Beast" back on the road!

So after some creative winching and towing on Saturday I got it up in the driveway...

Here is how dirty the engine is....

After that is was the wife's birthday this weekend so we went out, and I got back to it on Sunday....

I had it sitting on the battery charger all night and it wouldn't start, well the starter solinoid would click rapidly but that's about it. So I figured that the engine had some surface rust in it and needed to be freed, so I put my oldest son to work (passing on the tradition.

) and he got it to rotate a few times but when I turned the key it still just clicked. So I figure I need to drop the starter and bench test it. So I decided to break out the pressure washer and give it a good rinseing off!

Here's some more pics of it cleaned off....

Here are some interior shots....over the years it became extra seats storage..

and here is a pic of the boys working on it....

So hopefully here soon I'll have it back on the road and I can start fixing it up!

This is what I would like it to look like when I have the time and money! Obviously with the stock Maroon and white paint theme instead of the blue here...

My dad never wanted to change or modify anything on the truck as much as I asked him to so I think a completely stock looking truck with my touch to it would be a cool tribute.

Nick

trout · 11-07-2011, 04:31 PM

thats awsome... how long did it stay in germany before returing to the usa???

Rocfrog · 11-07-2011, 04:59 PM

We got back states side late in '83 if I remember correctly, so it was only there for a few years.

Nick

rpmerf · 11-07-2011, 06:20 PM

very cool. My father used to have an 89 burb we call "The Beast"

Rocfrog · 11-07-2011, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpmerf

very cool. My father used to have an 89 burb we call "The Beast"

That's cool! It got it's nick name from our friends growing up, everyone just called it "The Beast" so it just sorta stuck.

Nick

trout · 11-07-2011, 10:14 PM

i think you should get the motor trans rearend and brakes right and good and slam it ljust like that.. pinta look

YoungBurb88 · 11-08-2011, 12:25 AM

Having a vehicle get passed down through the family is something special, allows a lot of memories to be made... my brother has an old school Ford that was passed down from our grandfather, a `59 I think. But I definitely look forward to seeing your tribute to your father.

Rocfrog · 11-08-2011, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trout

i think you should get the motor trans rearend and brakes right and good and slam it ljust like that.. pinta look

LOL!!! Honestly it probably will! Just due to funds, it's cheaper to slam it than repaint it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by YoungBurb88

Having a vehicle get passed down through the family is something special, allows a lot of memories to be made... my brother has an old school Ford that was passed down from our grandfather, a `59 I think. But I definitely look forward to seeing your tribute to your father.

I agree 100%! My Family, friends, relitives, friends of friends all know this truck and have a memory of it. So it is definetly special and I hope that my boys will have tons of memories with it as well. This is kind of my way of remembering my father...every time I see this truck I think of him and how he use to sit in the engine bay and work on it....

Nick

RuthlessSuburban88 · 11-12-2011, 08:17 PM

my suburbans name is "The Beast" as well haha

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Psycho71 · 11-12-2011, 10:16 PM

My wife calls mine "the beast" too.

Rocfrog · 11-13-2011, 09:05 PM

That's AWESOME!!! I have a feeling there are a lot of "BEAST's" out there.

Well while I was working on my Accord today I had my older son take out the starter so we could try and "bench test" it. Well after a few tries he had it out. I tried hooking up my battery charger on "start" and got nothing...so either I'm doing something wrong or the starter is dead. I also noticed that the rear seal on the transmission is leaking so that's gonna need replaceing.

Well in the mean time I figure I would have him clean it out and reorganize the "seat storage"......man there is a lot of seats. And since the pictures above were with my cell phone I thought I take some with the camera this time (not that they are much better).

The blue seats are obvisly not stock, all this truck has ever had was a driver seat and a passanger seat and that's it! us kids just had to roll around in the back on a hot rubber mat! LOL!!

And here is a pic of all the seats and stuff I have had stored in it all these years...

Nick

Hoods69BadBowTie · 11-14-2011, 12:30 AM

What an awesome story it fits its name real well haha

Good luck on getting it back on the road again. Hope it goes by semi quickly so you can get out and drive it and enjoy it with the whole family.

RuthlessSuburban88 · 11-14-2011, 10:12 PM

i wish i could "like" things on here like you do on facebook.. id be liking this whole page !

Rocfrog · 11-14-2011, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RuthlessSuburban88

i wish i could "like" things on here like you do on facebook.. id be liking this whole page !

That's funny you say that because I find my self surfing the forums all the time and looking for the "like" button on posts and forgetting I'm not on facebook! LOL!!!

But thanks for the "Like"!!!

Nick

RuthlessSuburban88 · 11-15-2011, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocfrog

That's funny you say that because I find my self surfing the forums all the time and looking for the "like" button on posts and forgetting I'm not on facebook! LOL!!!

But thanks for the "Like"!!!

Nick

haha hell yea! heres some new pics of my beast!
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Rocfrog · 12-31-2012, 03:01 PM

realized I haven't updated this tread since I started it but it's really because it has been a whirl wind kind of year and this project hit the back burner again.....but I have been surrounded by lots of "squarebodies" lately so I have had the itch to get back at it!

Here's a few pics from over the weekend...

I've decided to pull the motor and rebuild it, so once I find a cherry picker I will begin that process!

Nick

Rocfrog · 03-27-2013, 11:24 AM

So not much of an update but I did get a new valve stem put in the passanger side front tire and it now holds air. Also got it turned around and in the driveway so hopefully we'll get the starter in it by the weekend and hopefully get it to turn over!

Nick

Rocfrog · 03-28-2013, 10:33 AM

Well 1st attempt at Suburban revival.....FAIL!

Swapped in a known good starter and hooked up the battery charger, turned key to "on" and had power (stupid heater is still stuck on high), turned key to "start" and nothing. Tried it again and same results. So I figured it has to be the battery since it's so old. So I pulled the one out of my DD Silverado and turned the key to "on" had power just like before, turned key to "start" and same thing....only difference is after the second time I had no power at all.

So I guess this is going to be a little bit more complicated than I anticipated....

Nick

DBLSPRT68 · 03-28-2013, 02:09 PM

Keep working on it! Trouble shooting can be hard, but just take it one step at a time.Are you sure the engine is free? You might want to pull the plugs and put some oil in there. Try and turn it with the front balancer or with the fly wheel teeth.

Rocfrog · 03-28-2013, 03:52 PM

I did make sure the motor is free, I used a socket and breaker bar on the crank pulley and it moved freely.

Nick

Rocfrog · 03-29-2013, 10:56 AM

OK so I checked the wires last night and other than being covered in crud they seemed fine, I also checked placement since I had my 14yr old son put in the starter and that was correct. So I threw in the old battery and hooked up the charger again and again same thing, key "on" had power turn to "start" and nothing, it seems to try but to me it sounds like there isn't enough "umph" to turn it over. I don't want it to start I just want it to turn the engine and then I'll go from there. I'm going to have my son pull the plugs today while I'm at work and then when I get home we'll try again maybe that will help it spin, even though it turns pretty freely by hand....

I also noticed while I was under it that there is a lot of rust on it! Being from Colorado I'm not use to rust, but my dad had it in Minnesota for two years before he passed while working on a contract and I guess the two years of the salt has eaten this truck! Any tips or tricks that I can do now to stop it from getting worse because I'm a LONG way away from body work.

Nick

MalibuSSwagon · 03-29-2013, 11:26 AM

You've got a bad ground on the engine, check or replace the ground straps. Check all the grounds in the engine bay. No doubt one of them rotted while it was sitting

Rocfrog · 03-29-2013, 01:06 PM

I only know of the ground going from the battery to the engine and it's actually mounted on the first bolt for the exhaust manifold. Where would I look for the other "ground straps"? I didn't think they used those on older vehicles....

another thought I had for further down the road, I noticed that this motor has a TON of vacuum lines all over it and an "air pump" also an extensive EGR set up, can all this be removed once I get the motor running, so the engine bay looks cleaner?

Nick

MalibuSSwagon · 03-29-2013, 01:27 PM

there should be a ground to the frame from the engine, ground to the battery from the frame. Also a ground from the engine to the cab doesn't hurt (there is a stock one on my 86).

Whats happening is you're getting enough power to turn everything on, but when you try to start it the grounds aren't good enough to carry the amperage needed to turn over the starter. Wouldn't be a bad idea to unbolt the grounds and clean them.

If your area does not require testing older vehicles for emissions, you shouldn't have a problem removing the AIR and EGR systems.

mud.man.rj · 03-29-2013, 01:48 PM

Make sure it is all the way in park or try neutral to start it if that doesn't work check for power at the small wire on the engine side of starter, it may actually be the neutral safety switch on the bottom of the steering column which is used to start in n or park only. I would check for power if none then you know the rest is good.

11-07-2011, 02:49 PM	#1
Rocfrog Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Colorado Springs CO Posts: 110	My Suburban "The Beast"! Thought since I was going to try and get my Suburban back on the road I would start a thread for it and share with you guys. This is my 1980 Chevy Suburban that my dad bought brand new in Germany when we were stationed over there. It has been in the family ever since and I became the new ower of it about 11 years ago when he passed away. I drove it for a few years and then between the gas cost and not really needing it (I also think I developed a knock of some sort, don't really remember) I decided to park it. The tags have an '03 registration so it's been sitting since at least then. Well long story short I've had very bad luck with cars lately and decided that it would be cool to get "The Beast" back on the road! So after some creative winching and towing on Saturday I got it up in the driveway... Here is how dirty the engine is.... After that is was the wife's birthday this weekend so we went out, and I got back to it on Sunday.... I had it sitting on the battery charger all night and it wouldn't start, well the starter solinoid would click rapidly but that's about it. So I figured that the engine had some surface rust in it and needed to be freed, so I put my oldest son to work (passing on the tradition. ) and he got it to rotate a few times but when I turned the key it still just clicked. So I figure I need to drop the starter and bench test it. So I decided to break out the pressure washer and give it a good rinseing off! Here's some more pics of it cleaned off.... Here are some interior shots....over the years it became extra seats storage.. and here is a pic of the boys working on it.... So hopefully here soon I'll have it back on the road and I can start fixing it up! This is what I would like it to look like when I have the time and money! Obviously with the stock Maroon and white paint theme instead of the blue here... My dad never wanted to change or modify anything on the truck as much as I asked him to so I think a completely stock looking truck with my touch to it would be a cool tribute. Nick __________________ 1952 GMC 1/2ton 5 window 1980 Chevy Suburban 1/2ton 2wd 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 2wd 4.3l V6 quad cab Last edited by Rocfrog; 11-07-2011 at 02:56 PM.

11-07-2011, 04:31 PM	#2
trout Registered User Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: lexington, SC Posts: 1,276	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! thats awsome... how long did it stay in germany before returing to the usa??? __________________ Edited by staff

11-07-2011, 04:59 PM	#3
Rocfrog Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Colorado Springs CO Posts: 110	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! We got back states side late in '83 if I remember correctly, so it was only there for a few years. Nick __________________ 1952 GMC 1/2ton 5 window 1980 Chevy Suburban 1/2ton 2wd 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 2wd 4.3l V6 quad cab

11-07-2011, 06:20 PM	#4
rpmerf Registered User Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Parkville, MD Posts: 1,024	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! very cool. My father used to have an 89 burb we call "The Beast" __________________ 1970 C20 Custom Camper - 350, TH350 1997 GMC Suburban 1994 Acura Integra GSR 1987 Dodge Daytona Shelby Z

11-07-2011, 10:14 PM	#6
trout Registered User Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: lexington, SC Posts: 1,276	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! i think you should get the motor trans rearend and brakes right and good and slam it ljust like that.. pinta look __________________ Edited by staff

11-08-2011, 12:25 AM	#7
YoungBurb88 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Rural, MO Posts: 166	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! Having a vehicle get passed down through the family is something special, allows a lot of memories to be made... my brother has an old school Ford that was passed down from our grandfather, a `59 I think. But I definitely look forward to seeing your tribute to your father. __________________ "I just don't think my Suburban Has much to do with climate change, oh woah, Has much to do with climate change and my mind you cannot change..." Tim Hawkins - Free Bird Parody

11-12-2011, 08:17 PM	#9
RuthlessSuburban88 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Poway, California Posts: 78	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! my suburbans name is "The Beast" as well haha

11-12-2011, 10:16 PM	#10
Psycho71 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kaufman, Tx Posts: 827	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! My wife calls mine "the beast" too. __________________ You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape. If a hammer doesn't fix it, you have an electrical problem! Slot Cars, 1:24 Scale, 100MPH@100,000RPM, fastest things on wheels!

11-13-2011, 09:05 PM	#11
Rocfrog Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Colorado Springs CO Posts: 110	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! That's AWESOME!!! I have a feeling there are a lot of "BEAST's" out there. Well while I was working on my Accord today I had my older son take out the starter so we could try and "bench test" it. Well after a few tries he had it out. I tried hooking up my battery charger on "start" and got nothing...so either I'm doing something wrong or the starter is dead. I also noticed that the rear seal on the transmission is leaking so that's gonna need replaceing. Well in the mean time I figure I would have him clean it out and reorganize the "seat storage"......man there is a lot of seats. And since the pictures above were with my cell phone I thought I take some with the camera this time (not that they are much better). The blue seats are obvisly not stock, all this truck has ever had was a driver seat and a passanger seat and that's it! us kids just had to roll around in the back on a hot rubber mat! LOL!! And here is a pic of all the seats and stuff I have had stored in it all these years... Nick __________________ 1952 GMC 1/2ton 5 window 1980 Chevy Suburban 1/2ton 2wd 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 2wd 4.3l V6 quad cab

11-14-2011, 12:30 AM	#12
Hoods69BadBowTie Chevys Kick A$$ Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Zootown, MT Posts: 12,699	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! What an awesome story it fits its name real well haha Good luck on getting it back on the road again. Hope it goes by semi quickly so you can get out and drive it and enjoy it with the whole family. __________________ HOODS is what I answer too -'79, '77, '88 Pickup Sold, '85 Camaro, '83 T/A, '81,'83,'90 K5 Blazer All Sold -'79 3/4 ton "Big Yellow Bananna" Lifted 4spd. 39.5 TSL Swampers, The money Pit -'86 K5 Blazer Silverado 6.2 4" lift 35"s -'95 Ext. Cab Shorty 4" Tuff Country rolling 35" M/T's -'83 Monte Carlo T-Tops. 126,500 Original Miles -LATER I would rather push a Chevy then drive a ford!!

11-14-2011, 10:12 PM	#13
RuthlessSuburban88 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Poway, California Posts: 78	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! i wish i could "like" things on here like you do on facebook.. id be liking this whole page ! __________________ 1992 Nissan Pathfinder XE - 4X4, other than bigger tires - stock, AWESOME desert runner! SOLD 1999 Honda Accord - 30MPH daily driver! 1985 Chevy Suburban K20 - 4X4, 8 inch lift, Rancho suspension all around, 37" MAXXIS Creepy Crawlers, light rack (my girlfriend)

12-31-2012, 03:01 PM	#16
Rocfrog Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Colorado Springs CO Posts: 110	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! realized I haven't updated this tread since I started it but it's really because it has been a whirl wind kind of year and this project hit the back burner again.....but I have been surrounded by lots of "squarebodies" lately so I have had the itch to get back at it! Here's a few pics from over the weekend... I've decided to pull the motor and rebuild it, so once I find a cherry picker I will begin that process! Nick __________________ 1952 GMC 1/2ton 5 window 1980 Chevy Suburban 1/2ton 2wd 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 2wd 4.3l V6 quad cab

03-27-2013, 11:24 AM	#17
Rocfrog Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Colorado Springs CO Posts: 110	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! So not much of an update but I did get a new valve stem put in the passanger side front tire and it now holds air. Also got it turned around and in the driveway so hopefully we'll get the starter in it by the weekend and hopefully get it to turn over! Nick __________________ 1952 GMC 1/2ton 5 window 1980 Chevy Suburban 1/2ton 2wd 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 2wd 4.3l V6 quad cab

03-28-2013, 10:33 AM	#18
Rocfrog Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Colorado Springs CO Posts: 110	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! Well 1st attempt at Suburban revival.....FAIL! Swapped in a known good starter and hooked up the battery charger, turned key to "on" and had power (stupid heater is still stuck on high), turned key to "start" and nothing. Tried it again and same results. So I figured it has to be the battery since it's so old. So I pulled the one out of my DD Silverado and turned the key to "on" had power just like before, turned key to "start" and same thing....only difference is after the second time I had no power at all. So I guess this is going to be a little bit more complicated than I anticipated.... Nick __________________ 1952 GMC 1/2ton 5 window 1980 Chevy Suburban 1/2ton 2wd 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 2wd 4.3l V6 quad cab

03-28-2013, 02:09 PM	#19
DBLSPRT68 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Ft. Mill, SC USA Posts: 931	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! Keep working on it! Trouble shooting can be hard, but just take it one step at a time.Are you sure the engine is free? You might want to pull the plugs and put some oil in there. Try and turn it with the front balancer or with the fly wheel teeth. __________________ PROJECT TRUCK: 1985 SWB C10 Silverado Black/Charcoal, 1990 V2500 Suburban, 2018 Suburban, 2005 GMC 2500HD CCSB, 2014 Toyota Camry SE, HAD.....1968 Camaro RS/SS Family owned since new; 350 3 speed SOLD



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03-28-2013, 03:52 PM	#20
Rocfrog Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Colorado Springs CO Posts: 110	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! I did make sure the motor is free, I used a socket and breaker bar on the crank pulley and it moved freely. Nick __________________ 1952 GMC 1/2ton 5 window 1980 Chevy Suburban 1/2ton 2wd 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 2wd 4.3l V6 quad cab

03-29-2013, 10:56 AM	#21
Rocfrog Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Colorado Springs CO Posts: 110	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! OK so I checked the wires last night and other than being covered in crud they seemed fine, I also checked placement since I had my 14yr old son put in the starter and that was correct. So I threw in the old battery and hooked up the charger again and again same thing, key "on" had power turn to "start" and nothing, it seems to try but to me it sounds like there isn't enough "umph" to turn it over. I don't want it to start I just want it to turn the engine and then I'll go from there. I'm going to have my son pull the plugs today while I'm at work and then when I get home we'll try again maybe that will help it spin, even though it turns pretty freely by hand.... I also noticed while I was under it that there is a lot of rust on it! Being from Colorado I'm not use to rust, but my dad had it in Minnesota for two years before he passed while working on a contract and I guess the two years of the salt has eaten this truck! Any tips or tricks that I can do now to stop it from getting worse because I'm a LONG way away from body work. Nick __________________ 1952 GMC 1/2ton 5 window 1980 Chevy Suburban 1/2ton 2wd 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 2wd 4.3l V6 quad cab

03-29-2013, 11:26 AM	#22
MalibuSSwagon Registered User Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Weare,NH Posts: 1,589	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! You've got a bad ground on the engine, check or replace the ground straps. Check all the grounds in the engine bay. No doubt one of them rotted while it was sitting __________________ Eric 1992 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser 1986 Chevrolet C10\|5.3L\|TKO600\|Shortbed\|Custom Deluxe 1983 Malibu Wagon\|TPI 305\|T5 5 speed\|3.73 non-posi

03-29-2013, 01:06 PM	#23
Rocfrog Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Colorado Springs CO Posts: 110	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! I only know of the ground going from the battery to the engine and it's actually mounted on the first bolt for the exhaust manifold. Where would I look for the other "ground straps"? I didn't think they used those on older vehicles.... another thought I had for further down the road, I noticed that this motor has a TON of vacuum lines all over it and an "air pump" also an extensive EGR set up, can all this be removed once I get the motor running, so the engine bay looks cleaner? Nick __________________ 1952 GMC 1/2ton 5 window 1980 Chevy Suburban 1/2ton 2wd 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 2wd 4.3l V6 quad cab

03-29-2013, 01:27 PM	#24
MalibuSSwagon Registered User Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Weare,NH Posts: 1,589	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! there should be a ground to the frame from the engine, ground to the battery from the frame. Also a ground from the engine to the cab doesn't hurt (there is a stock one on my 86). Whats happening is you're getting enough power to turn everything on, but when you try to start it the grounds aren't good enough to carry the amperage needed to turn over the starter. Wouldn't be a bad idea to unbolt the grounds and clean them. If your area does not require testing older vehicles for emissions, you shouldn't have a problem removing the AIR and EGR systems. __________________ Eric 1992 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser 1986 Chevrolet C10\|5.3L\|TKO600\|Shortbed\|Custom Deluxe 1983 Malibu Wagon\|TPI 305\|T5 5 speed\|3.73 non-posi

03-29-2013, 01:48 PM	#25
mud.man.rj Registered User Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Creighton Sask. Canada Posts: 4,121	Re: My Suburban "The Beast"! Make sure it is all the way in park or try neutral to start it if that doesn't work check for power at the small wire on the engine side of starter, it may actually be the neutral safety switch on the bottom of the steering column which is used to start in n or park only. I would check for power if none then you know the rest is good.

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