Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

Did you ever get those steelies mounted? We need pics! I contacted Wheel Vintiques about buying them for mine and they said they wont fit on mine because it is on a newer chassis. They said the rims won't go on my front disc brakes. If you were closer, I'd come over for a test fit. If it was close, I would machine down the brake caliper to make it fit. I just cant convince myself to drop $600 bucks on the "off chance" they will fit.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

I was confused on mine also but when I realized the lines matched up based on size with the master cylinder, I figured it was correct and just went with it. Instead of the standard bleed you might try pushing brake fluid into the bleeder and up the the master cylinder. If one side or the other isn't grabbing at all the problem is probably in the master cylinder and you might have to bleed it separately like a bench bleed through the intermediate lines. I doubt it's the prop valve because you reversed the lines and there was no real change.

Beelzeburb: Part 44
 

I'd love to get some pics, but I still don't have tires for them, so the Wheel Vintiques steelies aren't on yet. Still running the chrome Dodge wheels and ancient BF Goodrich All Terrains for now.

I did finally figure out the brakes. It was something stupid and self inflicted. Somehow I'd hooked up three wheels on one circuit and the passenger side front all alone on the other. I did some rearranging and we bled the system for about the fourth or fifth time. Now it stops much more predictably and the pedal feels normal. It does lock up the right rear at the very end of the pedal throw in a panic stop. Before it was locking up the rears at about 3/4 throw, so it is much more confidence inspiring now.

Yesterday I tried out my new birthday present, a 10" adjustable drop hitch.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...iler_empty.jpg

I don't have the trailer light connector wired up on the Suburban yet, so I only took the 16' car hauler around the block to reposition it. I did find a Tekonsha 2030 Mark 12 trailer brake controller in the box with my cruise control wiring, so I'll probably use it. Just need about 60' of wire and some circuit breakers.

Today I hopped in the Suburban to run into town and drop something off. I got as far as the end of the driveway when the steering wheel stopped doing any steering. I threw it in reverse and backed straight into the driveway again. I looked over all of the steering components and nothing was out of the ordinary. The box looked good, the rag joint was intact and tightened properly, the pitman arm, drag link, steering arm and tie rod all looked fine. Even the power steering fluid level was correct. I was finally able to see the problem by reaching through the window from outside and steering with one arm while stretching my neck and watching the steering components. I could see the pitman arm moving back and forth properly, but so was half of the leaf spring pack along with it.

The leaf spring u-bolts weren't clamping tight and the whole leaf pack had been moving back and forth until the center pin finally sheared. Very luckily it did this while I was moving at 3 mph and right in front of the house. I jacked up the frame and pulled the broken pieces out.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...in_sheared.jpg

I had a couple spares so it went back together pretty quick. I torqued each of the leaf spring u-bolts on the whole vehicle to 130 ft-lbs (the rear ones were already pretty tight, but I guess somehow I hadn't done the front ones to more than about 50-60 ft-lbs) and now everything feels much firmer. The turning radius improved quite a bit, the steering wheel stays centered and overall the steering reacts much more quickly to any inputs. Together with the improvement of the brakes, it feels like driving a regular vehicle now. No slop or funny quirks any more.

Re: Beelzeburb: Part 44
 

As you found out, those bolts typically break because of insufficient u-bolt torque. Now that you have them torqued, re-torque them after the next five (or so) drives you take in it and notice how "loose" they are going to be. Seriously. Any time I do work that requires u-bolt removal, I will re-torque them for the next week until the nuts don't turn anymore at the specified torque. If they are loose, it doesn't mean they stretched, just that things have moved around slightly and by default "self-adjusted" their torque values. Re-torque them until nothing moves around anymore. It usually takes me about five times to get them all good. Also, oftentimes one out of the four nuts will require re-torque, not necessarily all of them.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

Just read your thread, very good detailed info and great work. The jokes along the way were pretty good too, keep it up.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

I keep looking at pics of your burb because I like the height better than where mine sat... and I think my body would look just right where yours is with LT315/75-R16. You have LT285s on right?

Beelzeburb: Snow Fun
 

Thanks 47thriftmaster. I’ll be sure to keep it up. I'll be sure to check out your Blazer build too. I’m approaching 400 miles on the Suburban's odometer now. At 500 I’ll change the oil and perhaps try some longer distances in it.

I did have a little mini-adventure in the Suburban a few weeks ago. It all started when I wanted to get a picture of my Suburban out in the snow for the Snow pictures thread here on the board. We’d had some decent accumulation, so I decided on a quick jaunt over to a close-by wheeling spot here. Nothing super tricky, but just far enough away from houses for a decent picture in undisturbed snow. I got out at the beginning of the access road (which ascends straight out from a subdivision) and locked the hubs, put the t-case in 4-hi and happily plugged away up the incline that leads to the base of the “big hill”. I lost my forward momentum about a half mile from the nearest houses, jumped out and snapped this picture:

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...snow_day02.jpg

There was no way I was going to try for anything steeper with the ground as slick as it was and I hadn’t packed nearly any recovery gear. Instead I put it in reverse to back slowly down the hill. Everything was fine for about 100 yards until I wound up with both driver side wheels in a 2’ deep ditch and couldn’t go any further. It turned out that the road I was on wasn’t level even though it looks like it in the picture above. The drifting snow had completely filled the 2’ deep ditch on the downhill side of the trail and unknowingly I’d backed myself right into it. I got out to ascertain the situation and almost couldn’t open my door because the ground on the other side of the ditch was in the way. The snow that the wheels were in was over my knees and the tip of the back bumper was even buried under it.

I didn’t take a picture at that moment, so instead, here’s one of my Dad doing the exact same thing about 15 years ago. He was in a different area and not on a hill, but same basic principal.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...neer_stuck.jpg

At least he’d thought to bring a winch.

I grabbed the closest thing to a shovel that I had in the vehicle, a frisbee, and started digging out the rear tire for a better view. A friendly guy pulled up on an ATV with his (approx. 3 year old) son to see if he could be of service. There was a family out sledding a little further down the hill and he’d seen me from below. Since he offered, I asked if he wouldn’t mind grabbing some rocks or other traction aid. While he was off I could see that both the front and rear pumpkins were resting right on top of the edge of that ditch. That’s what had caused me to stop, dragging the axle housings. Well, it didn’t help that I’d had my front wheel turned into the wall of dirt as well. The helpful ATV guy returned a few minutes later with some good size rocks and an old cedar fence post. When I’d dug out the low side rear tire with my handy blue plastic disk, it was apparent that it hadn’t been turning. Both of the wheels on high ground were getting power and not the ones buried in the deep stuff, so throwing those rocks down in the hole wasn’t going to help. Instead, I took the fence post and jammed it under the passenger side rear tire. Hopping back inside I straightened the wheel, put the transfer case in 4-lo and the young kid cheered me on from outside.

There was no way I would be able to go forward, and gravity was going to hold me fast in that ditch no matter what, so I had to reverse it back down 200 yards, dragging axles the whole way until the trail flattened out again. I thanked the ATVist for his assistance and proceeded to slide sideways for a while during my attempt to turn the Suburban around and get the nose pointing straight down the hill again. Made it out just fine after that.

This is what the rear looked like when I got home:

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...now_day_03.jpg

No damage done though, just a minor inconvenience. It was kind of funny having the wheels all off balance on the ride home because they were stuffed full of snow and ice. I’d actually been near that same spot about 10 years ago when the Suburban was stock height and wound up basically in the same ditch. That time the rear quarter panel came in contact with the dirt and received a dent or two, but now the sidewalls of the tires and the added height prevented such a thing from happening again. It might go without saying, but I’ve been through all of my recovery gear since and made plans for what to buy next. First will be some tow hooks for the front and a hitch shackle mount for the rear. Those hi-lift bases and wheel lift slings look pretty attractive too.

Yes, the current tires are 295/75-16 size on 16x? Dodge wheels. I’m still not a fan of the fact that the rear of my Suburban sits a little lower than the front. I actually bought a pair of Superlift full-length add-a-leaf springs to put on it. The center pins got lost in transit somewhere and they’re sending me a new pair. Sometime after the holidays I might be able to add them into the spring packs and see what it looks like.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

I miss the snow! just not working outside in it!

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

Good story. I think anyone that grew up in snow country has a story like this.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

Very nice build and story!

Oh and this part... it couldn't be more true. :D

Beelzeburb: Part 45
 

Okay, I got around to installing those full length AALs a little while back. I put together a few other bits that needed to be slapped on too. There was an ORD U-bolt flip kit and the correct stainless rear axle hardlines from Inline Tube.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...rts_before.jpg

I knew that my current U-bolts weren't going to be long enough with an extra 0.401” thick leaf spring on each side, so it was time to upgrade. Unfortunately, I forgot to specify that I needed longer than stock U-bolts when the kit was ordered (the short ones are in the first photo and the longer ones are shown later) but we got it all sorted out soon enough. The stainless rear axle brake lines were the last part of my brake system that hadn't yet been replaced. When I'd purchased the SS line package, it was ordered for a 1972 K10 Suburban to get the disc brake stuff positioned correctly in the front, but my rear axle is from a '71 C20 so the rear lines that came with the SCTB71B4 kit weren't even close to fitting.

Here is the original leaf spring pack, already apart and with the new leaf slid in just below the main spring. The AAL spring only had a smidgen more arch to it than the originals.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...fore_clamp.jpg

Once the center pins were back in and tightened down, the overall arch of the springs remained completely unchanged at rest. I laid one spring pack directly on top of the other just to verify, and they really were identical curves.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...ng_comparo.jpg

The old center pins themselves were a little short now, but I threw the modified spring packs back in just to see how things were shaping up. The rear did indeed raise up a good bit. It actually looked a little stink-beetly to me at first. After breaking out the angle-meter and doing some calculations, the difference in angles between the two rear driveshaft U-joints (t-case output to driveshaft, driveshaft to pinion) which had previously only been 1° was now 5.5°. I ran some more calculations and figured that a 4° shim should get the difference to 0.5°. At this height, the rear pinion and driveshaft angles were very close, almost ideal for a CV shaft. For now I'm running it in a “W” configuration. I also took a look at the front pinion angle and then ordered some shims. The cast aluminum pinion angle shims from Pro Comp looked decent when they arrived at my door, but my center pins slipped right through the hole on them. This wasn't going to leave the bottom part of the center pin sticking out far enough to easily locate the leaf springs on the perches anymore. My solution involved some handy washers from the big spare washer can. I'm not sure what they came from, but each one had a slight outside taper so that they fit tight and sat flush, and the ID was just right for the center pins to pass through.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...dification.jpg

This way the shims would be bolted to the leaf pack and it'd be much easier to get everything lined up come reassembly time. Like so:

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl..._shim_zero.jpg

By now I had tossed the old center pins and thrown the new ones on too. I had to get them in before bolting the shim to the Zero-Rate. While waiting for those shims to arrive I had POR-15 coated the new U-bolt plates from ORD (which have a handy, elongated slot to accommodate moving the axle backward or forward with the Zero-Rate), so as soon as those new, longer U-bolts arrived, everything was ready to go together.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...rts_during.jpg

Nice shiny cadmium plated bolts and less protrusion on the bottom of the axle. I also did a little paint touch-up while I was down there.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl..._installed.jpg

The end results over time:

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...ear_comp_2.jpg

Top to bottom:

4” lift springs w/ 1/2” longer shackles = 4.25” total front lift
4” rear shackle flip and 1” Zero-Rate = 5” total rear lift

4.25” total front
4” shackle flip, 1” Zero-Rate and 2” longer shackles = 6” total rear

4.25” total front
4” shackle flip, 1” Zero-Rate, 2” longer shackles and 1” - 2” Superlift AALs = 7” - 8” total rear

At least it doesn't look saggy in the rear anymore aside from the slight lens distortion the camera added. Some time spent with the tape measure on the flat part of the frame showed that near the firewall it is 23 13/16” from ground to frame and under the c-pillar is around 24 1/8”. That's not that even half an inch difference. I'm sure the rear will probably settle a bit more too, and hopefully things will stay close to level when all is said and done. Have to be careful because Utah law states that for my GVWR range the frame can't be more than 26” above flat ground. I also measured all of the rear driveshaft angles after the shims were in place, and the difference in U-joint angles is indeed 0.5° under power. No driveline vibrations to be reported.

I haven't felt a noticeable increase in ride harshness after the AAL install either. Though the ride has been a bit jouncy at slow speeds with the stiffer HD front springs, its still not bad. It does seem to have a good deal less body roll than I remember from High School. I was actually out testing in a parking lot recently, making sure there weren't any odd effects from the possibility of roll-oversteer that comes with having the rear shackle sitting lower than the front spring pivot on the rear axle. There really isn't anything out of the ordinary aside from some unrestrained items I flung around inside the cabin.

Speaking of suspension geometries and practical research, I mentioned having looked at the front pinion angle during all of this. I did indeed order some front pinion angle shims and installed them at the same time. I was only thinking of the front pinion angle when I did this though, not the caster angle. The difference from front pinion to driveshaft had been 7°. With a CV style front driveshaft, my initial reasoning was that the difference should be close to zero, so I ordered some 6° shims and threw them on.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...axle_shims.jpg

Oddly enough, even though the rear axle changed exactly as I had predicted, the front wasn't even close. The pinion stayed at the exact same angle somehow, and only the driveshaft angle changed. The difference between the two at least decreased to 5° under power. After doing some more reading and research, I decided to check the caster angle, concerned that it might now be too little after having installed those shims. As it sits now, the front axle caster is 3.5° positive. It hasn't made any difference in handling or steering feel and the wheel still centers itself just fine after turning. It seems that the general opinion is to simply find a decent balance between pinion and caster angles unless you're willing to cut off and re-weld the axle Cs and spring perches. Another very knowledgeable individual made a nice argument for being able to run less caster angle with taller, wider tires because of some complicated calculations based on scrub angles and other influences. For now I'll keep driving it and see how things go. I can always slap in some shorter, less angled shims in the future if I want more positive caster.

The only other things I have done recently were take care of a minor coolant leak and start wiring up the 7 pin trailer plug and trailer brake controller. The front of the intake manifold was holding a nice puddle of green liquid when I was looking things over recently, so I hosed it all out and dried everything. After letting the engine run a while, a tiny drip of coolant reappeared at one of the bolts that holds the intake to the driver side cylinder head. I had to take the EGR valve off to get at it, but after cleaning the bolt up and slopping some thread sealer on it there hasn't been any more green stuff up top.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...olant_leak.jpg

While the hose was out I'd cleaned up the dust and dirt in the engine bay, realizing that there were no pictures of the whole engine bay anywhere in my personal collection or online, just various close-ups. So here they are:

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...gine_d_800.jpg
http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...gine_p_800.jpg

This seems to be how my builds go, the outside can stay looking crummy, all primer, rust and old body filler while the drivetrain is sorted out properly first. Then comes the interior and eventually I get around to the body work.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

The engine bay looks outstanding. Thats a lot of suspension work. Hope that caster angle doesn't come back to bite you.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

Engine looks awesome! ride height looks awesome! your rear axle pinion angle looks the same as mine was. Didn't really have any issues, other than drive shaft was too long.

Beelzeburb: Flexy Time
 

Someone moved the dirt and construction debris piles around at my suspension flex testing ground. Still, this time I brought along both the camera and a tape measure to gather some data and observations. Here's as much movement as this little dirt mound could muster:

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...rb_flex_01.jpg
http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...rb_flex_02.jpg

I was able to get one rear tire pushed up pretty far into the wheelwell and 1 1/2” away from the plywood of the floor. On the compressed side, this left about 8” between the bottom of the frame and the new U-bolt plates (which look like nice big targets for some new bumpstops to hit).

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...rb_flex_04.jpg

I'm probably going to order a pair of the longer 11 1/4” Daystar Stinger bumpstops and make some sort of a mount that bolts to the side of the frame. As is plainly visible, the stock rear bumpstops aren't even close to being effective anymore. The rear tires do center nicely in the wheelwell under full stuff though. Nothing else seems to hang up, bind, restrict or limit at this degree of flex. As soon as the new wheels and tires are on, then I'll take it to another local area that I've got in mind to get some more thorough articulation testing accomplished.



Thanks! As far as the caster angle, I'm still waffling about taking the shims out or changing them for some less angled ones, but it does seem to be working fine as is. Guess I'll just keep driving it and see if anything comes up.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

*preparing best impersonation of George Takei as Mr. Sulu*

"Oh my!"

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl..._delivered.jpg

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

:c2:

Beelzeburb: Part 46
 

Wheels and tires. Aside from a shiny paint job they probably add the greatest visual appeal to a vehicle. Getting just the right stance, together with the look of the wheel/tire package and tying it all together in a practical manner to accomplish a certain function takes a lot of racking the old noodle. I already chose incorrectly once, with my 240Z. It was the first time I'd ever purchased tires and I simply chose a size based on very little research. I've had to live with tires that are too small (and they look it on the car), too narrow, wear out too quickly and that cause the speedometer to read too fast. This time I made sure to do my homework.

I knew that I wanted a 35” tire. Anything bigger and the body would need some extensive modifications for clearance (it already looks like I'll be trimming the rear of the front fenders), not to mention beefing up the axles, brakes, etc.... I also didn't want the tires to be too wide from both a looks and legal standpoint. In the state of Utah, the lift laws state that the tread can't stick out beyond the edge of the fender. The speedometer wasn't an issue in the Suburban because both it and the transmission computer can each be reprogrammed very easily. Another big consideration was tread style. I eventually decided on an all-terrain instead of a mud-terrain. As is, I have open diffs front and rear for now and don't plan on spending the majority of my time off-road. The all terrains would last longer, be quieter, have more grip in wet/icy conditions but sacrifice off-road traction. In the midst of searching through magazine back issues (I have 4WORs going back to 1994), websites and reading reviews I found the Mickey Thompson ATZ all-terrain tires. The treadwear warranty was good, weight rating was excellent and they looked pretty beefy too. Appearances certainly count when making a decision like this.

I had already purchased the 16x10 Wheel Vintiques steelies last year (see post 133). I went with steel for the combination of strength, longevity and low cost. The only other material I would have considered was forged aluminum which is lightweight and strong but pricey. As an added bonus the steel wheels fit a stock hubcap and look more period correct. My only concern was that at 10” wide they'd look too wide and/or snag on rocks off road. I combed through a whole gaggle of photos of trucks and Jeeps riding on 35” tires with 10” wide wheels to reassure myself that they'd probably turn out okay. The only reason I didn't buy the tires sooner was because I needed some money, so when a good sized freelance gig paid off recently the first purchase I made came from tirebuyer.com because they had the lowest price I could find online and offered free shipping to my door.

These are 315/75-16 Baja ATZ tires. They really do measure out at 34.6” tall unladen, they're rated for 3195 lbs ea. max load @ 50 psi and the tread is extra deep for long wear. The reviews were almost overwhelmingly positive for them, but one unknown were the sidewalls. It seems there have been about three different designs over time. There was the original design, the redesign with “Sidebiters” and if you ordered a tire over 13.5” wide or to fit an 18”+ wheel (Specialty Light Truck, or SLT size) then they came with even more aggressive “Sidebiters”. To confuse things even further, each website that sold the tire had a different version of the sidewall pictured and some incorrectly showed the ATZ plus which has a completely different tread pattern. When the tires did show up, thy looked exactly the same as the official picture on the Mickey Thompson website, not the old style or the extra grabtastic SLT version, but the regular sidewall with regular “Sidebiters”. The date codes put my tires at just over 3 months old. The photos don't really do these things justice at all. They look much more aggressive in person.

Fed-Ex dropped them off up yesterday and I weighed one tire with one wheel. 63.3 lbs for the tire and 34.8 lbs for the wheel makes just over 98 lbs per corner. Its a little more than the old 295/75/16 BFG A/Ts on 16” Dodge wheels; those weighed in at 83.3 lbs per corner. This morning I had all four new tires mounted and balanced and then brought everything home to put on myself. Two of them took quite a bit of weight (14 1/4 oz. on one) and the other pair took closer to 3 oz. to balance. I haven't had any vibrations though.

Okay, picture time.

Side-by-side:

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...atz_vs_bfg.jpg

Lincoln? Oh Mr. Lincoln where are you?

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl..._atz_penny.jpg

The rear hubcaps are soooooooo close to fitting. If I can make the concave bowtie area become convex instead then it'll work. The front hubcaps will of course need the centers cut out to clear the Warn Premium hubs.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...ear_hubcap.jpg

Later this week I'll be out flexin' and measuring for the new bumpstops again, so these on-pavement photos will have to suffice for now.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl..._front_low.jpg
http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...i_rear_low.jpg

I was out driving around without having checked the air pressures yet, so in those photos they were still at the inflation level the tire shop had chosen, 40 psi. I aired them down to 30 but it probably isn't low enough yet. Just one of those things you have to keep an eye on. Also, a note on road noise. I've only had them up to 55 mph so far, but above 40 mph there is an audible hum/whine that wasn't present with the old shoes. It is very quiet and not at all intrusive or annoying but present nonetheless. I don't have a stereo in the Suburban yet, so all I have to listen for are odd new noises. Another note, this one on width. They stick out 1/4” beyond the top edge of the front fender, so I think I'll be okay with Johnny Law. Oh, and a funny encounter. My first stop after mounting the new tires was the gas station. While filling up I saw a guy walk past, do a double take and then come over to chat with me about my “cool old wagon”. That hadn't ever happened with the old tires. Now if I could somehow transfer my Suburban's attractive force from middle aged men who own '71 3/4 tons to cute girls instead then I'd be set.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

Nice combo! Perfect size tires for those rims. Also love the rims. Let me know how the attention transfer works..:lol:

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

I love it! My wife doesn't but I think I am going to put my foot down on the lift and tires. I may do 305's on 16X8's... But I am definitely staying in the air like yours!

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

Glad to see you finally got them on. They look GREAT! I'd love a set for my Burb...maybe one day.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

You just made the burb 100x cooler adding those wheels to it!

You could cut the outer rim of the rear caps and add a 1/2" strip to it then weld them back together to give you enough offset...

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

I whole heartedly agree with everyone becuase I think they look great too. Very glad all the research seems to have paid off with something that'll work properly.

It might be a little while longer until I get out and cycle the suspension because I've got a leaking right rear wheel cylinder. I already ordered a new AC Delco unit, but its a special order part and will take extra time to arrive. When I had the old wheels off I pulled the wet rear drum and confirmed my suspicions. At least that explains why one rear tire was locking up before the other under heavy braking.

Hmmmmm, I might consider doing that if I can't pop them out like the safety seal lid on a jar instead.

Beelzeburb: A Little Back-story
 

I don't think I've ever mentioned this, but my Grandfather on my mother's side actually bought a '72 C-10 Suburban brand new and it was the family car for many years. The whole family took numerous roadtrips in it and my mom as well as each of my uncles learned to drive in the two tone ochre wonder wagon. Each time one of my uncles are in town they make a point of opening and closing the doors on mine just to remember the sound they make. Well, I bring this up because I finally have a photo of the old Suburban. We were at my grandparent's place on Saturday and he asked me to help set up a slide scanner they've had for years but hadn't ever used. I know that there are more pictures of the old girl in their shoeboxes full of family vacation slides, but this is all I had time to get today. I don't know the exact year, but it was taken in Sequoia National Park some time in the early seventies.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...an_sequoia.jpg

And just for fun we have the '67 Chevy truck my grandfather used as an all around hunting/hauling rig. This photo was taken in late '68 outside my great grandparent's place in Long Beach.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...s_67_chevy.jpg

Now if only somewhere in the boxes there was a slide of the Olds F-85 convertible or the Corvair Lakewood wagon he had before the Suburban. That'd be pretty awesome.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

Very cool! Thanks for sharing that!

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

^^ x2, I love seeing old pics of our trucks (and corvairs too ;))
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Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

Nice pics.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

I love those pictures! This year we plan on going to see the Sequoias as a family. My wife was born and raised in CA and has never been there! I keep teasing her because she drives a Sequoia and has never seen one!

Beelzeburb: Part 47
 

What better way to break in new tires than by visiting the world class rock crawling/recreation park 10 miles from your house? At least it makes removing mold parting lines and those little rubber nubs more exciting.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...s_beauty00.jpg

Moments later I discovered why there are companies that make extra thick differential covers. Luckily I only pranged the bottom of the front diff and my factory stamped steel cover is fine. Well, perhaps I should backtrack a little. My last update said that a new wheel cylinder was on its way. It finally showed up this week along with the Daystar Stinger bumpstops.

Here's the backing plate stripped bare. This was after I'd already cleaned a lot of accumulated goop out. Looks like it'd had a leaking passenger side wheel cylinder for a number of miles on the C20 this axle came out of.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...plate_bare.jpg

I made plenty of trips to the other rear wheel to ensure that all of those springs and plates wound up back in the right spots.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...m_complete.jpg

While I was in the vicinity, the new stainless rear axle hardlines found their way on. This of course necessitated more brake bleeding. I thought we had all the bubbles out yesterday, but the pedal went straight to the floor on the first drive around the block. Today I was helping a buddy of mine set the timing on his '91 Acura, so in return he pumped the pedal and we ran nearly the entire contents of a bottle of brake fluid through which helped immensely. With the brakes back to normal I drove the Suburban out on the highway and found some mile markers to re-calibrate the speedometer to the new tire size. Since I was already close anyway, a quick side trip to the recreation area seemed like a good idea. I had already started fabbing up the mounts for my Stingers with tube sourced from a local machine shop, so now I needed some definitive measurements for mounting height.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl..._beginning.jpg

So I found a nice little rock to help in my quest for articulated enlightenment.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...ticulate01.jpg

One of these days I'll get a new inner grille that isn't broken because mine flops around. Maybe I'll even bolt the front fenders on completely too. I digress though. I spent a long time observing, measuring and photographing the undercarriage in this position. This was the most flex I could achieve before the passenger side rear wheel started lifting off the ground (a fun feeling when inside the vehicle).

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...ticulate02.jpg

I had been prepared to tastefully slice and dice the front fenders if they made contact with the tires. From what I saw here and later in a sandy wash where I could get the driver side tire stuffed into the wheel well and then turn it back and forth, it seems there will be no need for front end metal surgery. I simply couldn't get the 35 inch tires to hit anything. Speaking of the tires, I noticed that the sidewalls flexed decently and those tread lugs seemed to grab the rocks pretty well.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...ulate_tire.jpg

This was still at the street pressure of 30 psi, so I can only imagine what kind of grip 18-20 psi would bring. Another new development was taking place in the rear. Even though these new tires are wider than the old ones, the new wheel offset meant that they could be pushed up a tiny little bit further into the wheel well in back.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...ticulate03.jpg

If I was going for outright articulation then I might consider mini-tubs, going with a wider rear axle or at very least adding some wheel spacers and custom 56” Alcan leaf packs (after flipping the ORD shackle brackets from left to right). As is, I'm happy to compromise on flex in order to have load and people hauling capacity. With this in mind I measured for the final bumpstop compressed length to keep any wheel/body interference to a minimum in the future.

Everything else checked out okay. I'm nowhere near the end of the shock travel in the rear, and there are a few inches to spare in front also. Those stiff springs may never let me get close to the bumpstops up there though. The brake line lengths look fine so far, driveshafts seem okay at all angles and nothing else was binding. I was learning about the joys of factory steering linkage off road though. Now I know why those crossover kits are so popular.

It was time to try some other rocks.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...s_beauty01.jpg

It was fun getting back in the Suburban after that picture. The bottom of the door was at armpit height on me.

Moments later:

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...s_beauty02.jpg

I made it up that rock just fine, it only required a little extra momentum. Lockers are on my wishlist but it'll be a while before they wind up on the havelist. First item of business is finishing all the small items the Suburban still needs, like weatherstripping (I have all new stuff in bags ready to go), interior, rust repair, etc... Then comes recovery equipment which I've been stocking up on recently, but more on that in the near future. After that it'll be an onboard air system and then locker time. So many plans, so little money, time, fill in the rest....

I was about ready to leave when I spotted a few local guys in a highly modified Bronco and XJ that were packing up to head home, so I stopped to ask for some pointers for areas to play on. We checked out each others rigs for a while (they dug the Suburban). The Bronco was running the same basic Dana 60 rear axle as me, so I quizzed him about his axle spline count. He was running 35 spline shafts in a non HD housing, something I've been wanting to do for some time. They clued me in that the same machine shop where I'd picked up the tubing for my Stinger mounts had bored out his axle housing to accommodate the 1.5” diameter shafts for about 100 bones. Now I know where I'm going when that time comes.

One last story for today. Since I got new shoes all around there was no need for the 10 year old BFGs on Dodge wheels anymore. They lasted a week on Craigslist before someone called me out of Vegas. He said they were coming my way and would like to buy the set. I got another call once they hit town and proceeded to give them directions from the Wal-Mart they were at to my house. Well, they looked over the set, didn't haggle over price and we made a deal there and then. Now, there were four 33” tires that weighed 83 lbs a piece which we rolled across the driveway over to a Chevy Cobalt filled with occupants. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/i...milies/eek.gif Turns out they'd stopped at the Wal-Mart and bought a pack of 4 ratcheting tie-down straps. We threw all four tires on the roof and they ran the straps over each pair, down through the open door and hooked back onto themselves under the headliner inside. When they told me their plan to drive on to Ely, Nevada that night I told them “Well, it'll probably whistle like mad” which we all laughed about despite it being true. Too bad it was so dark out, or that really would have been a great picture of the little Cobalt with the smashed roof and four big 'ol tires on top.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

Looking great. If you are really going to wheel it though and don't have the money for a locker, just weld the spider gears or drop in a spool. My lock-right it stuck in the locked position on my C-10 and it's not really a bother to drive. Just a little wheel chirping on the turns. You can always do lockers later.

The tire story reminds me of when I sold 3 35" BFG's on craigslist. The guy was not local, but I had some work in his area so I said that if he wanted them for sure I'd bring them up with me. I had them stuffed in my taurus, 2 in the trunks, one in the back seat. If there had been a 4th tire I don't think I could have fit it in. Good buyer though, he gave me a little extra for hauling them up.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

Thanks hgs. I actually have considered going the "Lincoln locker" route. The only thing that's held me back is wet, icy, or snowy winter driving. In deep snow it seems like it'd be great, but not on a road that hasn't been plowed or salted and its all packed solid into a slick mess (for example). I've read other people's pros and cons, but have you been out in the C-10 much during winters there?
My long term plan for the rear axle is to do the 35 spline upgrade together with a selectable locker at the same time (need a new carrier anyway when changing spline count). I like the axle ratio, so it'll probably stay 4.10 ring & pinion. For now I'm content with finding out what the Suburban can do. This is the first rig I've had with a lift, bigger tires, decent gearing and lots-o-torque. It was fun today experiencing a few things firsthand that had only been academic concepts before. I DD a Jeep Cherokee that's almost completely stock and I've been plenty of places with it that amazed the people riding along, but there was still a certain limit. Next time I go out and try something like this in the Suburban I'll have to bring a spotter. That should speed things up a bit and let me try some new stuff with more confidence.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

Nope, don't take mine out on the icy roads here. They use salt on them and it took me forever to fix mine up and paint it. Not going to start over again in a few years. As long as you know how to drive in those conditions, it shouldn't be a problem. And it is just temporary. Kind of like owning a 1 ton dually. Most people only need that kind of truck for a small percentage of their driving, the rest of the time they could get by with a geo metro. In your case you would want it to be a locker when you are off road, but you live with it in that same configuration the other 95% of the time because thats what you need for the 5% (or less).

I'm really not trying to push you into this. You already know what you want and what your options are. With that long wheel base though, I'd move rock sliders up on the wish list pretty high. You don't want to deal with serious crunch into the door bottoms on that rig.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

That's cool, I knew what you meant hgs_notes :) As far as rocker sliders go, I agree completely. Been thinking of perhaps using 2x4 'square' tube for the main part, tied with round to plates welded on the frame. I'd also like to do something to protect those rear quarters too. It'll be tricky protecting the rock prone areas without detracting from the clean, original lines of the body though. The first small piece of armor will be the transfer case skidplate because its completely unprotected right now. That's part of the reason I climbed that last rock, to have a look at how vulnerable it was down there. I have some used skid plates from other trucks and one in particular looks like it'll be really close with a little tweaking.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

Lovin it!

Beelzeburb: The Equipment
 

Just this week I won an Ebay auction for a pair of ‘73-’80 style front tow hooks, so the Suburban will finally have solid front and rear recovery points very soon. Today I laid out the majority of the recovery/repair/get back home in one piece gear that’s now specifically designated for the Suburban.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...overy_gear.jpg

Not sure the best way to separate this, but let’s start at top left and work our way to the right.

Extreme top left: Spare wiper blades, zip ties, spare hoses (fuel, vacuum, heater, etc...), ice scraper/brush.

Left side, top to bottom: 2 metal Blitz 5 gallon fuel cans with one flexible metal nozzle, one 6 gallon water can, automotive fluids including motor oil, gear oil and ATF (forgot to include power steering and brake fluids together with wheel bearing grease) aerosol cans of starting fluid & carb cleaner, orange box with three road triangles. Tree Hugger 10’ tree strap, Big Bubba 1 1/4” x 30’ kinetic recovery rope. Small funnel, frisbee, Warn receiver shackle mount w/ 3/4” shackle, two Crosby 7/8” shackles, two long spark plug wires and one coil wire. Spare spark plugs, coil, ignition module, cap, rotor, fuel pump, IAC motor, ECT sensor, fuses and bulbs. Hub engagement tool, pen, maps and atlas. Spare upper & lower radiator hoses, spare serpentine belt, self vulcanizing silicone tape, duct tape, electrical tape, brass tire pressure gauge, PowerTank tire repair kit, super duper jumper cables

Middle vertical divider, top to bottom: MaxAx tool (ax, shovel, hoe, pick), all cast Hi-Lift with handle keeper (to stop it from clanking around all the time), bumper lift attachment and off-road base

Right side, top to bottom: 18’ of 5/16” chain with chain hook ends, tire iron, two 2.5 lb extinguishers (one is a very nice B&C unit charged with Halotron and the other is a cheap ABC from the hardware store), wool blanket, flashlights, headlamp, glow sticks, space blanket, leather work gloves, snow gloves, water purifier, shop rags, electrical wire, garbage bags, 2 light duty ratcheting tie-down straps for securing stuff, 1 heavy duty ratcheting tie-down strap for compressing suspension or reseating tire on bead, one 15’ extremely light duty tow only strap with metal hook ends, one proper 25’ recovery strap, well stocked first aid kit, pair of tire chocks and cheap 12V tire inflator/flashlight (best I’ve got until I buy an OBA solution)

Extreme top right: tools in the truck tool box

Leaving out the fluids, their containers and the road triangle kit (which is 11 lbs all by itself and which I’ve never really had a need for), all of that weighs in at 181 lbs. That’s pretty much the weight of one extra passenger. The toolbox full of tools is the single heaviest item coming in at 40.1 lbs. Of course, not all of this stuff will be in the vehicle at all times. Some of it would be more apropos on a long back country excursion, other stuff is there in case of a general break down, fire or first-aid and some is purely recovery equipment. A lot of these things I’d rather were in the vehicle with me off road instead of regretting having left them at home though. This is mostly stuff that could come in handy over the long run, through multiple stages of potential future upgrades and various adventures.

I don’t currently have a place for the fuel containers because if I were to carry them then they’d stay outside the vehicle. Been there, done that and stunk to high heaven because I carried a plastic gas can inside the vehicle on a trip once. I’m working on finding ways to store and secure the rest of it inside the Suburban. All of the small items pack very well within three 3 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck containers that sit nice and snug under the middle seat together with the Bubba Rope and Tree Hugger (not pictured).

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...roughnecks.jpg

The fire extinguishers will be solidly mounted in plain view with one in front and one in the back (well, I’ll ditch the Kidde hardware store special once I acquire a 5-10 lb halotron unit for the rear). I did buy some 1/8” bar to fab up a couple of solid mounting points on the interior for my Hi-Lift. It should fit nicely under one of those long rear windows. That leaves the tool box, one 10 gallon Roughneck container and the MaxAx free floating until I find good places to secure them. Don’t want any of that stuff flying around in case of a crash or roll. Not that I’m planning on doing either of those things mind you. Not that I want to run right out and get stuck in some deep mud either , but I do really want to see the Big Bubba in action. That thing is super beefy and comes with its own carrying bag.

http://www.renderanything.com/vehicl...ba_closeup.jpg

That isn’t some miniature roll of duct tape either. This rope has a 52,300 lb breaking strength.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

Now THAT is a rope! :D

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

I love it.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

Don't forget a shovel (I have--it turned in to a real bad day because of it).

Also, I don't know if you have used that green water jug much, but on the one I have the vent plug will pop out while driving and water down anything it can get close to--sleeping bags, clothes, etc. May want to tape it down or get water jugs with screw on vent caps.

Nice setup though. I like how most of it packs under the seat. Makes planning/loading for a trip alot easier when you don't have to remember this or that because it is always in the truck.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

I'm trying to subliminally influence my friends to go get stuck so I can try it out. :D
Thanks, it's getting there slowly but surely.

Some really good pointers there, thanks again Mosesburb. I do have the Max Tool which has a nearly full size shovel head, but I'm still probably going to carry one of the German army surplus folding shovel/pick combos I have because they're so handy. Plus, if you've got two people with shovels it'll speed up pretty much any digging that has to be done. Thank you very much for the observation on the water jug vent plug. I wouldn't have thought of it and on the first trip out the soggy sleeping bag would have been mine for sure. The fuel and water cans were some that'd been in the shed for a while. I've been reading reviews on the Blitz fuel cans and not many people seemed to be real pleased with them (lots of people claim they leak all over), so I might be shopping around for some better liquid containers before too long.

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

How does the frisbee fit into the recovery, repair, get back home mix? Keep the family occupied while dad is under the hood?

Re: Beelzeburb, The Story More Than a Decade in the Making
 

It fits in as an emergency tool, like the first aid kit and fire extinguishers except that it acts as an emergency entertainment tool :lol:
That is actually the frisbee I used to shovel snow a couple of months ago when I forgot to bring any recovery equipment and got stuck. It could be used to catch dripping oil from a slow leak or hold bolts too I suppose. Just don't be surprised if you knock it out of your kid's hands, scattering the lugnuts across the snowy night and he exclaims the mother of all dirty words.