The Story Of A Cummins Suburban (Lots Of Pics)

[mosesburb]

So we aired up in Gladstone and headed down the hill into Silverton. We found a place to have lunch, but Larry was the one to request a table and I don't think they liked him so they never called. In the meantime my boy and I went a block west and down a couple streets when we heard the train roll into town. When we got there the sky opened up and we got caught in a deluge of biblical proportions. Luckily there was a tourist store (believe it or not) and we sought refuge inside. While inside I noticed a decal on the window that reminded me of times past.



Ironically, or even sadly, I took the pic with a digital camera. Once the rain passed, we made our way back to the group and Larry found a place that would serve him so we all went over there to eat. We had a nice lunch and after we finished Larry, Lynn and Bill headed off toward home and we proceeded to wander around Silverton.

Gratuitous truck shot in front of the old Masonic Lodge:



We saw some neat vehicles while wandering too.

This is a Toyota of some sort. Not sure what, but it is cool (for a Toyota):



This is a M38A1 with an arctic kit on it.



An old International plow truck with a Coleman conversion on it:



With these markings on it, you know it successfully avoided the 'slide when it was runnin':



Looking out over the town:



Before we left we went down by the Silverton train station:



So with that, we pointed the truck south and rolled on out toward Durango. Along the way we stopped at a lookout and I got a couple cool pics of a storm rolling in:





It was a straight, vertical wall of rain just rolling ever-so-slowly along. We stopped in Durango for the night and stayed at the Caboose Motel again. It is a neat little place. We went downtown for dinner and got some ice cream for dessert. We wandered about a bit and when we were heading back to the room we were spotted (actually, the truck was spotted) by ryanroo who was sipping fancy coffee at a hip coffee establishment downtown. Unfortunately, I did not see him, so we missed out on meeting him. We then headed back to the room to figure out what we were going to do tomorrow

[ryanroo]

It wasnt that fancy! it was just regular black italian roast coffee with a shot of espresso.

in your overlook picture of silverton just past the edge of the photo to the left it an M725, the ambulance version of the jeep i have. just out of the picture to the right is where some friends of ours live. we get to use their house as a excellent place to watch the annual fireworks show on the 4th of july.

excellent pics!

ryan

[DirtyLarry]

Nick,

I had forgotten about that guy at the restaurant in Silverton that never called us to let us know our table was ready. Maybe you’re right, he didn’t like me or didn’t think he could fit Bill’s wheelchair in that tight little old saloon. Whatever their deal was, it was kind of rude of them not to call. Heck, we could still be standing there starving in the rain had we not gone across the street to eat.

After we left Nick and family we peddled East on Hwy 160 towards Alamosa to spend our final night at the Sand Dunes before crossing Medano Pass to drop off my Mother-in-law at her house in Canon City. Medano Pass cuts off a lot of miles from the San Luis Valley (Alamosa) to get home.

The only carnage of the entire trip happened a few seconds after this picture was taken in South Fork. A derelict golf ball escaped the golf course and got us right in the middle of the windshield. It was loud like a gun shot went off in the truck when it smacked us. Scared the shat out of us. My MIL even spilled her drink everywhere when it hit.



The Dunes....





Packing up from our final night of 8 days on the road. Unlike Nick, we didn’t spend a single night in a hotel.



We counted 13 water crossings along Medano Pass, which was surprising given how dry Colorado was this summer


I told my MIL to get out and snap some pictures of me going through the water. Then she actually jumped out barefoot and ran through the water taking all kinds of pictures. I was only joking with her She is much more adventurous than her daughter which is why she rides along with the boys on these trips instead of my wife.


You can see the fire damage from the Medano fire of 2009


This is the end of the trail for this trip. Corner of the Medano trail head and Hwy 69 near Westcliffe about an hour from Canon City. A lot going on in this picture…tires are being aired up, water tank is being drained, and fuel is being transferred from the aux tank to the main tank while MIL made lunch.


This is what our 1,555 mile trip summary looked like on SPOT. While not as great as a heavy, loud, stinky diesel, the big block gas rig delivered 11.72 MPG for the entire trip. Not too bad for truck weighing over 8,000 lbs. with the aerodynamics of a drive in movie theater screen. My Silverado barely breaks 12 MPG empty.

We had a great time traveling with Nick and family. Nick never runs out of stuff to talk about and his wife is a real sweetheart. We really enjoyed Nick's son too. Great kid and well behaved! Lot of fun to have him along for the trip. I hope they enjoyed the trip as much as we did. Hope we can do another trip next year!

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by ryanroo

It wasnt that fancy! it was just regular black italian roast coffee with a shot of espresso.

Sounds fancy to me, but then again, I don't touch the stuff so what do I know??

Originally Posted by ryanroo

in your overlook picture of silverton just past the edge of the photo to the left it an M725, the ambulance version of the jeep i have. just out of the picture to the right is where some friends of ours live. we get to use their house as a excellent place to watch the annual fireworks show on the 4th of july.

That was up by the Christ of the Mines Shrine on the hill. I always wanted a 715. I liked the 725, but the body aesthetics weren't right for me. It would definitely suit my travel style better having the 725 body, but I couldn't do it. The 715s around here are so over-priced I never found one that was worth what they were asking (in my opinion).

Originally Posted by ryanroo

excellent pics!

Thanks!!

Originally Posted by DirtyLarry

Nick,

I had forgotten about that guy at the restaurant in Silverton that never called us to let us know our table was ready. Maybe you’re right, he didn’t like me or didn’t think he could fit Bill’s wheelchair in that tight little old saloon. Whatever their deal was, it was kind of rude of them not to call. Heck, we could still be standing there starving in the rain had we not gone across the street to eat.

Meh, I still think it was you...

Originally Posted by DirtyLarry

The only carnage of the entire trip happened a few seconds after this picture was taken in South Fork. A derelict golf ball escaped the golf course and got us right in the middle of the windshield. It was loud like a gun shot went off in the truck when it smacked us. Scared the shat out of us. My MIL even spilled her drink everywhere when it hit.

Probably the best place it could have hit. If it hit something painted it would have left a dent and then you would have cried. This way you get a new piece of glass and all is well. Win-win.

Originally Posted by DirtyLarry

Packing up from our final night of 8 days on the road. Unlike Nick, we didn’t spend a single night in a hotel.

True, BUT(!!), you did not bring YOUR wife.......so apples and oranges. Next time let's compare apples to apples and see how your record turns out.

Originally Posted by DirtyLarry

This is what our 1,555 mile trip summary looked like on SPOT. While not as great as a heavy, loud, stinky diesel, the big block gas rig delivered 11.72 MPG for the entire trip. Not too bad for truck weighing over 8,000 lbs. with the aerodynamics of a drive in movie theater screen. My Silverado barely breaks 12 MPG empty.

Yeah, I think my heavenly diesel only got about 19mpg. Stinky gas motors are definitely the way to go <giggles>. Heavy and loud?? I hate to break it to you, but yours ain't light or quiet.

Originally Posted by DirtyLarry

We had a great time traveling with Nick and family. Nick never runs out of stuff to talk about and his wife is a real sweetheart. We really enjoyed Nick's son too. Great kid and well behaved! Lot of fun to have him along for the trip. I hope they enjoyed the trip as much as we did. Hope we can do another trip next year!

Yeah, we had a great time too!! A couple suggestions have been floated so far, so we'll see what works and decide from there.

[ryanroo]

Originally Posted by mosesburb

Sounds fancy to me, but then again, I don't touch the stuff so what do I know??

I definately dont drink any of those seven word long pinky in the air drinks! just strong black coffee. i am enjoying a cup now

Originally Posted by mosesburb

That was up by the Christ of the Mines Shrine on the hill. I always wanted a 715. I liked the 725, but the body aesthetics weren't right for me. It would definitely suit my travel style better having the 725 body, but I couldn't do it. The 715s around here are so over-priced I never found one that was worth what they were asking (in my opinion).

i looked and looked for mine for the better part of a year. i found alot of overpriced ones as well. then this one fell in my lap... it was in original green paint that had been repainted by the NG unit at one time. it has a very awesome patina of different green paints. it had no engine and tranny which was perfect for me. it was also an arizona truck and sat on the front range for ten years before i got it. CO and AZ. not one spot of rust and zero frozen bolts on the thing. most i could turn out by hand after cracking loose. i still paid $2k. fair enough for how original it was.

it now has a TBI 454 and NV4500/205 and 4.56 geared d60/14bolt w/detroit. i swapped in GM front springs and have intentions of swapping in 60" rears. maybe link/coilover. if i ever get the chance to go wheeling with you guys, this is the rig that will come along. handles the highway at 75 pretty easily(my wife drives it to work when it is nice weather sometimes) and so far hasn't left me feeling emasculated on the trails

[Average Joe]

Very cool pics and thanks again to both of you for sharing. I've dreamed of exploring that country for years. Entertaining dialogue as well.

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by ryanroo

I definately dont drink any of those seven word long pinky in the air drinks! just strong black coffee. i am enjoying a cup now



i looked and looked for mine for the better part of a year. i found alot of overpriced ones as well. then this one fell in my lap... it was in original green paint that had been repainted by the NG unit at one time. it has a very awesome patina of different green paints. it had no engine and tranny which was perfect for me. it was also an arizona truck and sat on the front range for ten years before i got it. CO and AZ. not one spot of rust and zero frozen bolts on the thing. most i could turn out by hand after cracking loose. i still paid $2k. fair enough for how original it was.

it now has a TBI 454 and NV4500/205 and 4.56 geared d60/14bolt w/detroit. i swapped in GM front springs and have intentions of swapping in 60" rears. maybe link/coilover. if i ever get the chance to go wheeling with you guys, this is the rig that will come along. handles the highway at 75 pretty easily(my wife drives it to work when it is nice weather sometimes) and so far hasn't left me feeling emasculated on the trails

Man, that's a sweet 715 for 2k--even with no motor. That probably made it worth more. Not having to deal with the Tornado damage is a big plus. Wife drives it eh?? I have been trying to get my wife to drive my Sub, but so far no luck. I would rather give some training in a controlled environment than have to try to teach while unconcious or something of the sort. All it takes is a clutzed up ankle or something equally goofy to put me out of comission for driving and then she gets to learn on the trail. We'll see. Now my boy is another story all together. If I flipped him the keys I'd probably never see him again--or at least until he needed fuel or food....

Originally Posted by Average Joe

Very cool pics and thanks again to both of you for sharing. I've dreamed of exploring that country for years. Entertaining dialogue as well.

Thanks!! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[mosesburb]

So at some point during our travels with Bill, he reminded me about Chaco Canyon. I had learned about it in some classes I took in college and have wanted to check it out ever since, but it is not exactly on the way to anywhere. It is, however, not too far out of the way for a flyby when departing Durango. Sure, why not?? Sounds like fun.

It takes some driving on a dirt road to get there. Something we can handle. This dirt road has some industrial strength washboards. Oof. We made it though.



Now Chaco Canyon was a massive cultural center or *city* for its time. It was basically the Washington DC of its period--complete with power struggles and corruption. It is amazing how much development was present.









Now keep in mind, this is only a couple pics and this is only what is left of the civilization. It is real hard to imagine how huge this place was back in its day. Amazing.



Gratuitous truck shot:



So we headed out a different way than we came in. The way we went out put us on I-40 at Thoreau. Unfortunately, the road was not paved and had washboards that made the industrial strength washboards on the way in feel like subtle expansion joints on a super highway. Misery ensued. 10 mph, 35mph, 65 mph, 2wd, 4wd, nothing mattered. This road surface was awful. Now, it looked fine, but it drove like horrid ****. Once we got off of that dirt, we had a new appreciation for pavement. Like the road was paved with pillows. We made it through the reservation, seeing some neat sights along the way. We hit 40 and headed west. Not far into Arizona we hit the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest.





This is called Newspaper Rock. Pretty neat.



After passing through the Painted Desert, we arrived in the Petrified Forest. This place is so cool.







So we exited the park at the south end which put us on US180 headed toward Holbrook. We rolled up there and got on I-40 once again. This chunk of 40 parallels the US66 route so some of the old road houses are still visible from 40.

Here it is!! (or was...)



The old Twin Arrows Trading Post from the Route 66 days. It too is defunct now.



San Francisco Peaks in the distance getting lit up by the setting sun:





So we rolled into Flagstaff about 20:00 and hit up a random Choke-N-Puke for some vittles. While there, we discussed a plan for the evening. I was not too hip on the idea of paying for a room in Flagstaff and I wasn't really in the mood to find a campsite in the dark after the long day we had so far. We all decided to point the truck down the hill and put it in the driveway instead. So that's what we did. One hour and forty minutes later we rolled into the driveway. Eight days. Four states. 2100 miles. About 105 gallons of fuel (I drove some extra on that last tank before I filled up). 2100/105= ~20mpg. Not too bad for an old Suburban that weighs a lot and is not too aerodynamic.

All in all we had a great time. It was a lot of fun traveling with Larry and Lynn and also Bill when he was able to join us. We got to see some really cool stuff along the way. I learned a lot about the equipment we brought. Some of what worked and some of what needs improvement or even needs to be left at home. Even though, when the math is done, we averaged just under 11mph for ever hour on the trip (including sleeping time and trails etc), we never felt like we were rushing through anything. We would take some time to stay here or there until we felt like moving on. There was no rush or push to get here or go there, even with Larry and Bill as they seem to share our idea of how to enjoy traveling. It sounds hard to believe with all that we did and saw, but it was fantastically relaxing. I don't think I/we could have enjoyed it more.

[hgs_notes]

Even though I think glass flows faster than you post pics, I appreciate what you have posted up. Looks like a great trip overall, minus the washboard roads. Something I'd love to try out with my Jimmy some day. I'd like to get my son out with me. He turns 17 this winter. I might have to do a bit more mechanical work to it before I did a trip like that though, considering I haven't had it over 50 mph yet. It took about 700 miles to get the bugs worked out of my C-10 after the rebuild. I'd want to make sure it can take the heat, the miles, and figure out how to tune it for the elevation changes. A trip like that would definitely be a tough shake down cruise.

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

Even though I think glass flows faster than you post pics, I appreciate what you have posted up. Looks like a great trip overall, minus the washboard roads. Something I'd love to try out with my Jimmy some day. I'd like to get my son out with me. He turns 17 this winter. I might have to do a bit more mechanical work to it before I did a trip like that though, considering I haven't had it over 50 mph yet. It took about 700 miles to get the bugs worked out of my C-10 after the rebuild. I'd want to make sure it can take the heat, the miles, and figure out how to tune it for the elevation changes. A trip like that would definitely be a tough shake down cruise.

Thanks. Yeah, if you are going to go any of the places we go, your rig better be tip-top. If you have a problem and call a tow truck, all you are going to hear is laughing and when that subsides they are going to say, "No really, where are you??"

I was posting in another thread and I realized I never posted this vid up in my own thread. Another vid swiped from Larry (coming our of Hole in the Rock):

NOIBN's Super Suburban - Hole in the Rock 2 -...

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by mosesburb

I was posting in another thread

How dare you.

The first father/son road trip might just be us going to St Louis in my C-10 to visit some friends. I'll have to do some shake down driving before I'd trust the jimmy for an epic trip through the mountains. Even nice new shiny trucks can have serious problems leaving you stranded on those back roads you took. As the progress is going now, I'm pretty sure it'll be painted and on the road come spring. Then I just need to drive the snot out of it. If it survives we can consider the western mountain tour and come see your tractor.

[hgs_notes]

I came across this old rare color picture this morning and remembered that you were in the area. This is the camp bird mine in Ouray county CO from about 1940.

[mosesburb]

I'm not sure if it was that exact picture, but I have seen either that one or one similar before. There was another one I found somewhere that had some old equipment and trucks in it too. Neat stuff.

[mosesburb]

Well, I guess I have gotten a bit behind here. It sure hasn't been slow around here, but I haven't posted any progress pics in ages (obviously).

In looking through my pic files I found a nice repair that I had done prior to the grand trip that I had not posted. From the time I bought the Sub, the forward chunk of headliner had been missing. I purchased a complete headliner from a Sub many years ago, but the forward chunk was pretty destroyed. I have patiently searched locally since then for a good forward chunk, but never did find one. Most suffered the same fate as mine did because the forward panel was much larger than the "middle" panels, but not supported as well. This created a situation where they would bow and buckle and come out of the bows and then fall down or break apart and then fall down. Well, I got tired of having no headliner above me so I devised a plan "B".

Before I got started, i pulled the other panels out and added some sound deadener to the inside of the roof panel, reset the original styrofoam insulation (hard to beat the insualting properties of styrofoam) and added some insulation above the front seating area.



This is what the forward chunk of headliner that I bought with the complete headliner looked like. A little too jacked up to deal with:



That pencil line across it is mine. It is the length of one of the middle headliner panels (not the forward or rearmost panels, but the panels in the middle). I then cut the panel on that line to create a template for that little piece with the rounded shape at the front. I then installed a "middle" panel and cut a hole for the dome lamp etscutcheon:



Then I took a bow and cut it down a little (because the width of the headliner is less at the front): The green string represents the difference in width.



Then I laid out the template for the front piece on another "middle panel" and trimmed it out. Then that became my new front piece. There is a little waviness to it from its memory of its previous life as a "middle" panel, but I think it turned out pretty good:



I now have a headliner that is complete and a whole bunch stouter than the original design. The sound deadener and insulation seems to have made a nice difference in interior noise.

[mosesburb]

One of the things I learned on our journey is that the diffs could use some armament. I tried a RuffStuff Specialties cover first. I could only start nine bolts. I contacted them and they immediately sent me another one. I asked them to verify the holes before they shipped it. They claimed they test fit it, but this one I could only start eight bolts in. I contacted Kert from DIY4X and asked how many times he has issues with bolts not starting. He was very honest and said that they do occasionally have a problem with two holes. He said it was almost always the same holes, so I decided to try his cover. It went on with no issues whatsoever. Bolted straight on and done. Before I bolted it on I scribed a line around the bottom of the cover and got after it with a Sawzall. This is what fell off:



This is what I was left with:

[kikkegek]

nice pics form the headliner. what did you use to glue the sound deadner against the roof? I hear lots of complaint of sound deadner or other material coming down, because hot summers and cold nights make the glue come loose again...

any info on that?

[mosesburb]

The sound deadener has pressure sensitive adhesive on it. It is like a tar substance with the silver backing on it (no pictures of it on the roof). I just cleaned the inside of the panel and stuck it upthere and rolled any air inclusions out of it. Dynamat, Fatmat, Eastwoods, Peel and Seal, it's all similar in how it sticks. So long as it goes on a clean surface, I have had no issues with any of it.

The thermal insulation I used 3M spray adhesive on both surfaces--the silver side of the sound deadener and the backside of the foil bubble wrap stuff. Spray it on, let it flash off for a few minutes, then stick it together. The styrofoam is rigid, so I used the foil tape to secure that to the structural ribs for the roof panel.

[mosesburb]

Another thing I learned on our trip was that I was getting tired of the green dash. When I bought the Sub, I planned to do a color change to green, but the longer I owned it, the older I got and the more expensive paint became, I had pretty much abandoned all thoughts of completing a color change to green.



I decided at some point that it needed to turn orange again, so before the summer cooled off, I tore the dash apart and got after it. This orange paint is almost completely translucent, so the factory put it over white paint to make it work, so I did the same:



Then add some orange paint:



This is what I ended up with. I did not want to paint the A-pillars orange, so I shot those flat black, just like the area between the dash pad and the windshield:



That sure took some getting used to. Having driven it with the green dash for so long, it was a bit of an odd experience having this bright orange in front of me. I am used to it now and have really grown to like it too, but it was really odd at first...

[hgs_notes]

Looks great. I was wondering if you were ever coming back to this thread.

[1985-GMC]

Nice. The orange dash looks good, and I like your headliner fix!
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[MrBeast]

The dash looks sharp, I am glad you went back to orange, I am kind of biased though, it is my favorite color.

[jbclassix]

Dash looks sharp! Man, I can't believe how far back the trans and t-case shifters are going to be when I get the cummins in my brothers truck!

[DirtyLarry]

I agree, the dash looks much better now! Headliner too! Are you going to address the engine rattle, smoking and stinking from the tailpipe problem too?

[ryanroo]

Originally Posted by DirtyLarry

I agree, the dash looks much better now! Headliner too! Are you going to address the engine rattle, smoking and stinking from the tailpipe problem too?

Are you going to take that Mosesburb?

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

Looks great. I was wondering if you were ever coming back to this thread.

Thanks. It's been a little hectic around here lately.

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

Nice. The orange dash looks good, and I like your headliner fix!

Thanks. After several years of looking, I figured that this was probably going to be the best alternative and most people probably would not even notice it was wrong.

Originally Posted by MrBeast

The dash looks sharp, I am glad you went back to orange, I am kind of biased though, it is my favorite color.

Yeah, in hind sight, I really wish I had never done the firewall and dash in green, but I really hated the orange. I guess the orange grew on me??

Originally Posted by jbclassix

Dash looks sharp! Man, I can't believe how far back the trans and t-case shifters are going to be when I get the cummins in my brothers truck!

That is why I have bucket seats in the front. I prefer bench seats, but I could not run one with the shifters where they are.

Originally Posted by DirtyLarry

I agree, the dash looks much better now! Headliner too! Are you going to address the engine rattle, smoking and stinking from the tailpipe problem too?

I already did address that. Re-read the beginning of this thread where it shows a big block gas motor in this truck. I removed that and all of the bad attributes went with it. I installed a fuel sipping diesel engine and all is well now. Thank you for your concern. I'm touched.

Originally Posted by ryanroo

Are you going to take that Mosesburb?

Meh, gotta go easy on Larry and talk slow around him. He's still drinking massive quantities of the gasoline flavored kool-aid.