The 'Burban Chronicles.....

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by Average Joe

Thank you for your interest!

At this point in the story, if I still have anyone's attention lol, you have probably realized I am not a purist or a total original equipment kinda guy. Its not that I dont value that, but my comfort and frugality (thats a nice way of saying cheap) tend to override these emotions. Nor am I completely brand loyal. I bleed Chevy orange but did not hesitate 1 minute to put a Ford 9" in my Nova. Now dont get me wrong. I hate aftermarket sun roofs and cringe at the sight of fiberglass racing buckets in a street car. I guess what im really trying to say is, I like to work with what I've got provided its functional and looks ok.

With my lil disclaimer behind us, I feel I can now move forward with my story. I bought the travel trailer in mid May of 2012. My wife and I both agreed we would like to use it at our annual family reunion that was scheduled for the last week in July. That gave me approximately 8 weeks to swap the front suspension, motor, trans, exhaust, driveline, and steering column. In addition I would have to get the trailer functional as well. It had not been used in a loooong time and needed a thorough cleaning as well as some remodeling. New tires and a fresh repack/inspection of the wheel bearings were on the list as well. I had my work cut out for me. Remember, Im an average joe, not Mr. Goodwrench!

Unfortunately I did not take any pictures of the swap. It was pretty straight forward though. I used the BB frame mounts and removed the old 4 speed bellhousing crossmember. I had to trim the passenger side frame rail for exhaust manifold clearance. I made a template from the '69's rail and duplicated it on the '67. I swapped the entire suspension rather than dissasemble it. This allowed me to thoroughly clean and paint the front part of the frame. I also added the factory big block fan shroud as my pickup never had one. I finished the swap 3 days before we were scheduled to leave. With all the work the trailer needed, fine tuning and gremlins would have to wait. Needless to say I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best!!

Gutsy guy. Hope everything worked out for you.....

LockDoc

[Average Joe]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

Gutsy guy. Hope everything worked out for you.....

LockDoc

For the most part it did.

In my rush to get the Suburban going I neglected to throw a timing light on it. She ran a lil warm and sucked down the fuel. Like 4.5 mpg. Yikes! Other than that and some towing issues, ie sway and trailer brakes malfunctioning, nothing big. I had managed to get new tires on the TT as well as repack the bearings before though. I would have liked to try other settings on the WD hitch and procured a friction sway dampener but ultimately ran out of time.

We used the trailer again that summer and some towing deficiencies became abundantly clear. I would need to add some air bags. My hitch also left alot to be desired. In order to prevent the 'Burb from sagging in the rear I was having to really crank the WD bars down tight. However this was transferring too much weight to the front and leaving the rear too light. This became obvious on a rutted section of the freeway where the trailer started to sway on me. I could have used an astronaut diaper on that adventure! It didnt help that the back of the Suburban was loaded with 500+ pounds of gear and a St. Bernard.

Yep,
Airbags would have to be added to the list of improvements or a HD spring. I knew I wanted to lower the rear so the logical choice became bags. I also began researching trailer sway and how to minimize it. This led me to my next purchase.

[Average Joe]

That right there is an engineering marvel! ^^^^^^

Made by Hensley Manufacturing and invented by a Mr. Jim Hensley. They call her the Hensley Arrow. A brilliant design that changes the pivot point of the trailer and allows borderline jack knife turns. In addition the trailer no longer has the ability to sway. Drawbacks are the additional tongue weight, added overall length, and the biggest of them all....COST. To the tune of almost $3000 dollars!

Now how could an average joe justify such an extravagant recreational travel trailer towing accessory? I couldnt. Heck, I only paid a grand for the trailer itself.
But after looking at their website and viewing their videos I was hooked.

https://www.hensleymfg.com/hensley-hitch-video/

Craigslist to the rescue! I did a search of the whole state of Oregon and Northern California and found one posted on a RV dealer consignment lot for $150. Ebay prices ranged from $500 and up for used units plus a whole lot for shipping. I couldnt drive there fast enough!

https://tenor.com/view/mr-bean-driving-sit-gif-12208209

[Average Joe]

My next project on the 'Burb would be a rebuild on the rear suspension as well as upgrading to air bags. I had also acquired a 1970 rear end with 3.07 gears. It was in very good shape whereas my axles were shot. I had previously replaced the axle seals and bearings but they were leaking again. I later learned of some sort of sleave and a bearing with a slightly bigger I.D. to accommodate the sleeve, but I wanted taller gears. Basically a poor mans overdrive. I felt I had enough low end torque from the mild 454 that it wouldnt be a problem and would also benefit mpg.

I think this was December 2013. I took a week and a half off from work and tore into her. I had previously driven my Nova when I had it down for the motor swap in the summer of 2012. However this being winter I did not want to drive it as the 4.11 posi and 13" wide rear tires combined with a loose converter and healthy small block = carnage on slick roads.

I welded my trailing arms, on the seam, every 4" or so to stiffen them up slightly. I also replaced all the bushings with polyurethane. I ordered (2) Dominator 2600 series bags and Schraeder kit from Borris (member way2low2). He made a custom 3" spacer for the top bag mounts. I was worried about having to run too much pressure to achieve the ride height I wanted. It seams to work pretty well. I typically run about 35 PSI at this ride height, and bumped that up to 50-60 psi before I dragged the TT anywhere.

[Average Joe]

I also utilized board member SCOTI's write up on modifying the rear shock mounts:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ybrid&t=437582

A few months later I came across an 80's Camaro in the wrecking yard and remembered this thread in FAQ courtesy of neonlarry:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ad.php?t=47603

I grabbed the bar and all the brackets and spent a leisurely Sunday afternoon installing it. I would like to upgrade to the larger Iroc bar someday though.

Here is a crappy picture. If you look close though you can see the rear mount.