Hi, I'm new here.
I found this gal rusting away in upstate New York, I don't know a lot of the history of the vehicle other than the PO told me it's old Seattle Search & Rescue suburban which a few pictures on the internet seem to backup.
The rust has gotten pretty bad as you can see but I'm really hoping I can save her. I'm not going to be restoring it to original. I just don't think it's worth it. My ultimate goal is a good truck for myself and the wife to take out to the 4wd beaches, and have around the farm. I want it to be nice, but I'm not shooting for perfection. I do want to retain the history as much as possible but it's a evolving outcome in my mind.
I can't wait to hear ya'lls feedback, even if it's to tell me she's not worth putting back straight again. I've saved / budgeted about $15K to do it by selling off some other vehicles.
44'' tires look interesting, but are way too big for that dana 44.
The good news: Someone took the time to upgrade the transmission to the NV4500, and a NP205 transfer case is installed. The engine is also in good shape, but I haven't really had time to "dig into it".
On my to do list -
- Get the rust out!
- New suspension all around, shocks bushings, leaf springs possibly air bags if budget allows and to get it back to a more "reasonable" height.
- The body will probably have to come off, the frame just needs so much work. I've never done this before, but I hope it's not too bad.
- New ignition system, harness is good but the dual battery setup was a home brewed nightmare.
- New braking system
- New exhaust system, headers are good.
- I'm concerned that the dana 44 front might not hold up to my desired tire size for beach trips, which would be a 38'' so I might have to plan a swap there. Dana 60?
Thanks and looking forward to being a part of what seems like a cool community.