What to look for when shopping for a 67/72 Suburban

[vectorit]

I thought that I should start a thread that can stay in the FAQ on the things to pay attention to when out looking for a Suburban.

Here are my top five things I look at:

1. Rust, all trucks get it. But Suburbans due to availability of parts, one needs to be aware otherwise it could break the bank on a builders budget.
Probably the most important places to look, are the rear doors, since they are doors they are difficult and or cost prohibitive to repair. Replacing them can be a daunting task as well, and can really slow down a restoration project. If you do find solid ones to replace yours, they are going to be expensive to purchase and to ship. To my knowledge, there are no vendors reproducing them at this time.

2. Glass, all of the glass from the wind wings back - are burb specific. Replacing glass tends to be expensive, and locating originals can be tough as well. Not to mention the trouble in getting your new old glass onto your truck with out breaking it.

3. Trim, if you are planing on going the route of stock or mostly stock and want to keep side trim. 67/68 side trim from the front doors back are burb specific, and at the time of this post no vendors are reproducing replacements. There are companies out there that can restore what you have, so the prospect of having like new looking bright trim is possible.

4. Door mechanisms, the third door and the rear door/gate have burb specific guts and mechanical latches. No vendors at this time reproduce these parts, and you will be forced to scrounge for them. Which again equates to time/money added to your project.

5. Bench seats, it's better to have them included in your prospective new burb. Since they are large, and too expensive to ship when you are trying to add them to a burb that is missing them. The mounting brackets are tough to find, and they can be expensive when you do find them used. To my knowledge no vendors are reproducing them at the time of this post.

What are your top 5?

[capev86]

check out LMC part no. 30-1512. $25 bracket kit (one seat) for burb and blazer rear seats. cheap alternative to pricey (and rusty) originals.

[hotrodchevy1999]

great post

[1956cameo]

Great set of buying tips Vectorit! That could definately help someone that is new to the burb scene.

[dougo]

Vectorit nailed the key ones... I can add the following from my experience:

1. Headliner: its not reproduced, nor the trim pieces. But there are creative work-arounds (Vectorit came up with a good option).
2. Cargo interior side panels... reproduced but expensive.
3. If a GMC - tailgate or barn door emblem: not available. Near impossible to find.
4. Rear air (referring to '72 model) I have no idea what's available but that comes to mind.
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[68panelman]

Don't forget about the inside upper windshield panel,rear door/tailgate sill.These areas are northeast rot spots

[capev86]

i bet you could use the rear air unit from a 73-91 burb if you used some color bond paint on it to change the color to what you need.

my opinon of the rear air unit from personal experience on my dad's 87 burb.....its an ugly, bulky piece of crap that limits putting big stuff in the rear (that otherwise fits fine through the rear doors/tailgate). if you don't have rear a/c but need it, run the tubes above the headliner to the pillar and connect it into the front a/c ducting. put a couple of aim-able vents flush in the ceiling. much cleaner install!

my dad started out his burb lifestyle with a 72 c10 dealer promo truck in 1983 and by the late 80's the original headliner was falling down. i vaguely recall he had some thin colored wire or something strung through the perforated holes between panels and over the bows.

he sold the truck in 91 and we found it in a salvage yard in 1995. there wasn't much left but tons of rust (rockers were all but gone).

options the truck had that were picked:

6 passenger white w/ blue/black plaid cloth
tilt wheel
all the tinted glass except the windshield
lower tailgate
third door
etc, etc.

only items left, that i saved:
yankee chrome roof lamps (going on my 72 burb c20)
custom/10, deluxe and 8/350 emblems

and didn't save:
3/4 ton rear coils that my dad had previously installed
class III hitch modified/installed by my dad also

[zac]

The rear section of the floor under the 2nd seat is my pet peeve, the pics from my parts truck should make it obvious why. My feeble attempts to slow down the rust were years too late, I never should have bought the truck in the first place.

Open the 3rd door, squat down and look under the 2nd seat. If you see something like what is pictured, move on.

[jlmattin]

WOW!! Zac that is some nasty rust. My 69 is clean there. I looked at two 66 but you couldn't even build one from the two. RUST SUCKS!!

[BURB-LUV]

well this is my first restore and im loving it so far, but i have a bit of rust to take care of as well. thanks for all the tips guys!

[shane0331]

This is a wealth of knowledge right here. I know it’s been a few years since posting, but thanks for the info.