6.2 diesel Suburban to flatbed conversion
 

Hello this is my first post. I am converting a suburban I bought as scrap into a flatbed truck so I can pass inspection. My experience doing anything like this is working at a auto salvage yard for a year and a half, so I am worried about the reconstruction half. I drove the suburban for a little over a week after I gutted the burnt interior and changed the front doors steering column gauges and put a windshield in it. It got very good mileage (about 24) so I got a cucv cab to put on the frame. I started dismantling the truck Monday and now I'm about to put the cab on after paint but I'm not sure what to for rear cab mounts. I would rather use u bolts than weld on the frame, I don't have a welder
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Re: 6.2 diesel Suburban to flatbed conversion
 

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Re: 6.2 diesel Suburban to flatbed conversion
 

Re: 6.2 diesel Suburban to flatbed conversion
 

This is the paint scheme I'm going to use
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Re: 6.2 diesel Suburban to flatbed conversion
 

Why not just use cab mounts to mount the cab? Can you just move the Suburban body mounts and use them? Or find some truck body mounts from the junk yard? After thinking for half a minute this might be a bigger undertaking than you planned. I think suburbans have a different width frame, someone who knows better can clarify if I am wrong. And i don't know about frame heights being the same truck to suburban (where the frame contours up and down along the profile.

Re: 6.2 diesel Suburban to flatbed conversion
 

The frame is the same as a long wheelbase pickup except 4 inches shorter wheelbase. I know that the front cab mounts are the same but the rears are about a foot and a half further back. I guess that is the best option, to chop off two brackets and weld them on further towards the front
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Re: 6.2 diesel Suburban to flatbed conversion
 

Or bolt them back on, which is the repair procedure we used in the assembly plant.

Just use 3/8" grade 8 bolts.

K

Re: 6.2 diesel Suburban to flatbed conversion
 

Agree with keith. If you are off a bit you can drill new holes... Welding is a bigger pain i the a$$ if ya miss
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Re: 6.2 diesel Suburban to flatbed conversion
 

It's been a slow week, but I'm about to start mounting the cab. I was wondering, what is the best most trustable way to join two wires together and insulate it?
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Re: 6.2 diesel Suburban to flatbed conversion
 

I just twist the wires together and wrap them in electrical tape.

Re: 6.2 diesel Suburban to flatbed conversion
 

Whaaaaat?!? NO!

Use heat shrink and butt connectors at minimum!

Solder and heat shrink if you don't want headaches Down the road
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Re: 6.2 diesel Suburban to flatbed conversion
 

Best way is to solder them and use shrink tubing.

Re: 6.2 diesel Suburban to flatbed conversion
 

x2 Butt connectors are aluminum and the dissimilar metals will promote corrosion.

Re: 6.2 diesel Suburban to flatbed conversion
 

Getting closer on the truck. Wiring, lowering the body more then ill have to do brakes, mounts, steering column, interior. I'm considering making the hole in the firewall wider because the cucv seemed to have fewer plugs than the suburban. Then using insulating tape to close the gap.
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