1972/2000 Suburban "Love Child"

[philliesmvp]

What happens when you combine a 1972 Suburban with a 2000 Suburban? I intend to find out. I plan on using the body from the 72 and mate it to the chassis/drivetrain on the 2000. My idea is a mechanically modern (comfortable and somewhat more fuel efficient) Suburban with the style of a 67-72. That is my goal, we will see where I end up. At this point I am hoping to retain the dash but put the modern airbox behind it. Not sure about the gauges. 2007 or newer seats, although I have 2000 seats for now. White/Blue/White/Blue for the color or maybe dark green metallic. I have much to do and plan for but here is my starting point.



I plan on getting the 2000 up and running first and then remove the body and begin the transplant.

Right now I want to find a low mileage 5.3 Vortec, a fuel tank/sending unit and fuel lines. Factory exhaust WITH Catalytic converters, and a driveshaft. I am missing these things, and I am sure some others that the previous owner thought were worth something when he decided to scrap the truck. Obviously I have the engine (it is right there in the picture) but from what I understand it has 200+ miles on it and it knocks so I figure why not go for lower mileage? I will post updates as I proceed.

[jbclassix]

I'll be following along.

[Project]

Sounds like you have a decent start to a great project, Ill be following a long.

[pickup67man]

You go first, if it works I will try.

[Project]

Any progress, good or bad?

[chevy2racr]

for some insite check out Drews crew cab build. on a newer chassis and he used the modern heat & a/c box and all.....
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=426382

I'll be keepin an eye on your burb! Good Luck with the build!

[philliesmvp]

And so it begins. First I think that I should clarify that the late model Suburban is a 2001, not a 2000. Shows how much I know about "new" stuff. Here is the donor having the chassis removed.

Lifting the body.

Pulling out the chassis

Comparing the chassis to the 72 body.

There is about a 2.75 inch difference between the two. I was hoping that it would not be that visible, but it is since the front wheel and engine need to be in the approximately same spot which means that the rear wheels sit almost 3 inches further back than they should. I will have to cut it out of the center of the the frame.

For those watching with interest in the feasibility of this project, it took me about 6 hours to completely remove the body(less front clip) from the frame. If I had used an overhead chain hoist or ANYTHING other than two floor jacks and 4x4's I would have probably been done in a little over 3 hours. Got to love assembly line cars.
The next step will be cleaning up the frame and installing the part that the previous owner removed. (Gas tank, fuel lines, Y pipe, etc....) I am going to put everything back to stock so that I can see the best place to make my cuts.

[jeffg1010]

You are about to have a very practical and efficient truck. How do I know? Mine is a 70 body on a '99 chassis. Just pulled our 7,000 lb camper to the beach with it. Runs like a champ, but turns heads at every corner. Very dependable. Put 11,000 miles on it in the past 12 months.

[jbclassix]

Originally Posted by jacktilley

I thinking of putting my 71 cab on my 98 suburban frame. I cant find any pictures online of a bare 92-98 suburban frame. Anythings possible i just want to see what i,m getting myself into.

Thanks

Originally Posted by jeffg1010

You are about to have a very practical and efficient truck. How do I know? Mine is a 70 body on a '99 chassis. Just pulled our 7,000 lb camper to the beach with it. Runs like a champ, but turns heads at every corner. Very dependable. Put 11,000 miles on it in the past 12 months.

Jack, check out Jeff's truck!

[Project]

jeffg1010- do you have a build of yours?

philliesmvp- any progress on the burb?

[philliesmvp]

Yes, there is progress, but nothing exciting to look at. I have been getting the chassis ready for test fitting. Switched the long block, installed the gas tank, pressure washing, etc... Will post some pictures soon. Thanks for asking.

[Grimpala]

If the 1/2T frames are anything like the 3/4T frames you can cut them behind where the front section welds to the mid section and then slide the mid section back into the front section and re-weld it. You end up with a factory joint that is just as strong as original.

[jeffg1010]

Sorry man, no build thread. I just discovered the forum about 6 months ago. And I bought my truck after the hard part of the swap had already been completed. SO, I cant help too much, but I will say... it's worth the work. It's great to have an efficient old truck. The '99 must be a little longer on the wheelbase, mine is shortened 5" and all of the body mounts had to be cut off and re-welded in optimal places.

[philliesmvp]

So I had a helper today and we decided to make some progress that is noticeable. I backed the 1972 in and after 5 hours of work:

I have been taking measurements and am currently considering cutting the entire floorboard out of the 2001 body and installing it in the 1972. This would give me all of the factory body mounts and seat mounts etc...

One of the things that I have been amazed with is the difference between the frames. Here is the 1972:

And the 2001:

That may sound dumb but the newer frame is considerably more rigid and advanced. I guess I have been trained that "They don't build them like that anymore." Maybe that is not always a bad thing.

Anyways hopefully tomorrow will be a day of floorboard cutting and I will have more pictures to post.

Oh, and to those wondering about the frame, at this time I believe it is going to fit without cutting the frame. I will move the wheel wells back an inch or two so it looks right but there really wasn't any room to cut it where it needed to be cut. We will see.

[philliesmvp]

Here is a little more progress. The 1972 body on the 2001 frame. I am not sure if you can tell that the rear wheel is a little further back than it should be, but it is.Attachment 792762

Next I cut the 2001 body apart to get better access to the floorboard. Amazingly after cutting everything from the rocker up and selling it for scrap, I only got $50 bucks.Attachment 792763

So an important note to remember. Don't get is such a hurry to clean up that you forget something. Case in point: I learned from Drew's Young Frankenstein build that the best way to get the firewall wiring harness flange is to use the original. Did I remember that? Nope, so now I get to do it the hard way.

[C20-67_N_MO]

Nice project.

Looks like the best of both worlds..... will be following along as you progress.

[chevy2racr]

those pictures dont work for me.....

[Terry2beers]

really would like to see some more pics Im going 67 panel to 98 burb frame

[Terry2beers]

started tearing down 96 doner this weekend ,Got any further???

[jacktilley]

I thinking of putting my 71 cab on my 98 suburban frame. I cant find any pictures online of a bare 92-98 suburban frame. Anythings possible i just want to see what i,m getting myself into.

Thanks

[kev2809]

what happened to this project?

[Wasted Income]

x2!?

[Farm Shop]

What ever came of this build??

[LockDoc]

-
Doesn't look like he's been on the board since 03-27-2012. Too bad, it would be interesting to know what happend with it.

LockDoc

[Bigdav160]

I've done unusual frame swaps on some off topic vehicles. They are not without serious hardships and fabrication.

One of the things I like about my '72 is there is so much more room, especially in the rear.