Project "Mid Life Crisis Low Rider Burb"

[gemiii]

Notice we didnt paint the springs?

[gemiii]

I found on EBAY a target 350 for a 90 Suburban with 20k miles and I get it for $500. Its worth a shot. I really want a 6.0 but its not in the budget now. I can use this 350 in one of my other trucks later if need be.
So I hire a body guy to finish up the body and get it nice and straight. He seamseals the rain gutter, new bottoms on the 2 front doors and skins, panel bonds everything, fixes all the dents in the door jams and door interiors. He fixes all the interior up, welds holes etc. Blocks it out twice and its ready for paint. Fenders hatch tailgate doors everything. Unfortunetly the price gets to $5k which was out of my range and I had to stop him. Our miscommunication was I thought materials where included and they werent. $1200 was material. It would have been $7k total done. My nice daily driver just became more of a show vehicle. So it comes home again. I want to get the frame done before the body goes on and I need more time anyways.
Now boating season is over but I got to get 25 cord of wood put away before it gets too cold. I have an outside wood boiler and I heat the house garage hot water hot tub so I burn a lot. Its mostly junk wood pine etc.

[gemiii]

So now its November and the wood is done so here we go on to the frame. I buy the cnotch from CPP and get that installed. Drilling out the rivots really is time consuming. I gave up the lease on my bottles so I dont have a torch. I tried the air chisel but that didnt work? I just grind them down then knock them out. I also get the rear end conversion kit and get the 89 rear end installed. New trailing arm bushings and 2in lowering blocks are installed. Thanks to reading VA72C10's build thread I saved lots of time on the centering of the rear to the wheel well. I flipped the trailing arm mounts also and the carrier bearing mount. It looks like the 1/2 inch plates behind the trailing arm mount works for me too. I sent the body to another shop to get it jammed and the firewall and the interior painted. All the insides of the doors, fenders tailgate,hatch are painted now. I went with 2008 Vista Blue Pearl................ford shhh!!!!! I looked at every blue on the planet and it was either the ford or Toyotas Nautical Blue and I couldnt put that on a Chevy.

[gemiii]

I also am using the fuel tank from the 89 because its 40 gallon and it has the fuel pump in it. I have to cut off the old filler tube and weld on a new one so that it aligns with the tunnel on the body. A little nerve wracking welding on a gas tank. I filled it with water when I was welding on it. Its painted and installed on the frame. I think I will have to notch a body rib to make it work. I got the adjustable panard bar on and its time to mount the airbags. I spent a lot of time getting the holes to line up and drilling the hole for the air fitting. I am using 3/8 stainless tubing for the air lines. I got the 3/8 fuel line to the front of the chassis and the 5/16 return line in. I replaced the rear brake line and thats done. I can blow air into the bags now and make the thing hop...KEWL. When I let it down on the bump stops my gas tank is 2 1/2 inches off the floor. The front is untouched so thats high still. We are now up to date. I got shorty ceramic headers yesterday. I am going with 3 in Stainless exhaust all the way. SS Flomaster 40s are on the way to. I should have the body back on Saturday so after the exhaust is done the body can go on.

[gemiii]

A few more pictures

[northern 85]

Wow nice work! Love the shop and beam!

[LEEVON]

You are ambitious! And make it look easy to piece together an entire burb body.