Well I bought the 89 Burb...now I have to fix the body

[seanu]

I picked up the 89 Chevy Suburban 4X4 this past weekend that I was looking at buying. Runs great (4wd works great) and the interior is in very good shape, and it only had 86,000 miles. only $1,750...

Now here's the bad part, the truck originally came from NJ and the lower portions of the body and everything underneath has rust, and in some spots very heavy rust through.

Here's a list of what is toast on the body..
Front outer fenders
Front innner fenders
rocker panels (both inside and out)
Before and after rear wheels
The inside rear wheelhouse (both sides)
Several of the floor cross braces
Tailgate
Tailgate hinge panel on body

The frame and running gear also have a heavy layer of rust, but seem to be still solid.

And the wierd thing is, that the floor underneath is solid, but the cross braces are rusted out...why's that?

So, I know I can buy fenders (inner and outer), the rockers, the patch panels for the outside rear fenders and the tailgate......but....How do I fix the floor cross braces and the inside rear wheelhousings? Are the rear inner housings on the burbs the same rear wheelhousing for a pickup bed?

Any ideas?......thanks, oh, and I'll post some photos later tonight if it's not raining when I get home..

[qksilver]

Buy another body................

[seanu]

qksilver, that's the plan eventually...but finding "rust free", or even "mostly rust free" down here in Florida is like finding it up in the great salty north..that's almost impossible..

I plan on keeping my eye out for a burb with a blown motor..or maybe one that someone has taken the drive trian out of and they just want to "get rid of the body"..but until then I was at least going to fix what I can, and try and slow the rust down, at the very least.

Oh, and to top my day off today...I think the fuel pump went. It will crank, but I'm not getting any fuel from the injectors. My Olds wagon did the same thing with the fuel pump on it....the car drove fine, turned it off, went to start it up..and *poof*..no fuel.

so there's something else I need to take care of....hope this isn't going to be one of those vehicles....

[Bob Gervais]

LMC truck has all the panels and supports you need. They'll send you a bajillion free catalogs too, if you email them. I forget the website, but Google should be able to find it.

My 87 is in similar condition, and it was odd to me too, why the supports rust out and the floor's fine. I'm guessing water/salt/other stuff gets trapped in the supports, and they rot from the inside out.

[screwballl]

Originally Posted by Bob Gervais

LMC truck has all the panels and supports you need. They'll send you a bajillion free catalogs too, if you email them. I forget the website, but Google should be able to find it.

My 87 is in similar condition, and it was odd to me too, why the supports rust out and the floor's fine. I'm guessing water/salt/other stuff gets trapped in the supports, and they rot from the inside out.

umm try http://lmctruck.com

and i have a 76 GMC thats "mostly rust free" and all original...

[qksilver]

There was a guy on here, don't have the thread that had a 2 suburbans for sale, one was a complete body. It was around 800 bucks. With search disabled I leave finding it to you. To be honest by the time to do all that patching and welding bucks and time plus if you don't catch it all , it will again probably worse. I started this hobby a 14, buying good running but beat bodies........Learned the mechanical is fairly easy but if you are going to keep it start with the best body. If it was like my 57 Suburban, rare, then it might be worth it. Check out the posts for the one I talked about. Not preaching! just 30 years experience. Either way good luck
Steve

[bisquik65]

I have had a few burb here but not a good tub yet...I will look here for you...I have lookouts all over western n.c. for truck stuff...If i find one i will let you know,I just took a 2wd 89 body and put on a 80 3/4 4x4 frame....I parted 4 burb this year so far...i like them..

[seanu]

bisquik65,

yeah, let me know if you come up with something...not sure if I will be able to get it when you find it, but let me know.

I got the burb from your neck of the woods, it was just outside of Asheville NC..but like I said it originally came from NJ and hence the salt rust.

Where exactly are you located? And if you come across something...can you deliver?

thanks for all the input...I think most likely I will try to make it look ok from the outside, and maybe just break off the heavy rust underneath, do some quick "patch" work and spray it with some undercoating to help slow it down.

[bisquik65]

I am 1 1/2 hours north of asheville n.c. and i get mine from the charlotte area....My 89 tub was rust free...just 1 small dent in it... I can deliver it some too,I get to daytona alot when i get time off...Thanks,i will let you know when i find one (rust free)Erick

[seanu]

Well keep me in mind when you find one and maybe we can work out a deal the next time you head down to Daytona....

[bisquik65]

Will do,i need to get down there sometime ,get out of these mountains for a while