Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

Uppers after blasting and etching.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

Lowers after blasting and etching.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

Uppers after por15.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

Lowers after por15. It was a successful day.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

that por-15 stuff is some really great stuff I got 7-4oz. cans and a quart, also I got a gal. of metal prep and marine clean! I really should try using the stuff

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

A little goes a long way. I got a gallon of the metal ready, only used a couple ounces to do the control arms. I'm going to use it on everything I can - how else am I going to get rid of it all?

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

wow that cleaned up real nice. Looking good.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

Got some new parts today! 2 1/2" drop spindles with 6 lug discs and loaded calipers. I've blasted the spindles to get rid of the oily residue they were boxed in, etching and por15 will happen tomorrow. Check out the calipers - eeeeek! gold. We'll definitely be getting some caliper paint for those things.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

Also on the agenda for tomorrow will be etching and painting front and rear sway bars. The front came off a late 70's 3/4 ton - 1 1/16" , and the rear came off a late 80's camaro - 7/8".

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

Got the spindles blasted and etched, then painted.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

Along with other miscellaneous stuff.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

Next up to tackle is the front crossmember.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

I tore the upper perches off the crossmember and got everything all cleaned up. More por15 for those then I bolted it all back together. I also sanded the frame and cleaned it, then laid down por15 there too.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

Got everything greased up and popped the rotors on and set up. No calipers yet until I get bigger wheels to clear them. I used some furniture dollies to roll the whole setup under the frame so I could keep the whole thing from rolling around the spindles and slamming into the ground. It wasn't too hard to get done by myself. Bolted everything to the frame and a complete suspension swap is done.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

FYI, the frame had to have the lower forward UCA holes elongated to mate the '72 setup. Everything else lined up perfect.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

Here's a good before and after.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

Well it's been a while since I've done any work on this beast. I changed jobs and moved to Salem at the end of summer. It's been parked under my carport since then, waiting for me to make time for it. I've been keeping my eyes open for any parts I can collect until I can focus more energy on it. I picked up a nice little 5.3 ls last night - torn apart and missing a couple pieces, but for $180 I couldn't pass it up. So for the time being, I've got a starting point for a power plant.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

you sound like me, I haven't done anything to mine in a while either! even thou I have a garage its not insulated and winter is pretty much here too! I moved in march of last yr. now the wife wants to move again to a lil bit bigger house, and it's put a hold on thing as well!!

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

Wow, it’s only been 3 years since an update! I decided that it was time to start making some progress, so I lifted the body off the frame. I had some rebar laying around without a use, so I welded it up and put some casters on to make a body cart.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

With the body off, there was no excuse to not work on the frame. I cut every rivet off, removed all crossmembers, and stripped and acid washed everything. Then I painted every piece individually with por15 and reassembled.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

While I had the rear end out, I opened it up to see how much work it needed. I was pleasantly surprised to find the ring and pinion had clear paint marks on them. Shortly before the PO decided to stop driving the rig, they must have had a shop do a rebuild on it - open 3.73s in excellent shape. When I pulled the axles I found that repair bearings were being used. So I didn’t touch the gears, but installed a set of new axles from moser.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

Disc brakes on the rear were the next step. I got a conversion setup from captainfab and went to work. More por15 on the brackets, then installation was a breeze. I drilled the axle flanges for 1/2” studs while I was at it.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

That brings us up to current. I spent yesterday and today working on the passenger floor rust. PO was a whiz with fiberglass. Too bad they weren’t concerned with fixing anything or preventing future rust.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

Im getting my patch panels from truck and car shop. The footwell panel was a perfect fit. The inner rocker/floorboard was pretty close, but off enough to have to cut it. The rear floor pans have a flat step that the pickups don’t have, so I cut out the sloped area. I cut the remainder in half to properly align the panel between the front and rear cab supports.

Re: Momma's Grocery Getter Suburban Project
 

I’ll be replacing the rest of the floorboard as well with pieces of 18ga sheet metal. I get a good deal through my work, I can get enough flat sheet to do the entire floor for less than $10. We’ll see how it goes.