1954 Suburban "Buster"

[Dan Bowles]

After years of buying, selling, parting, assembling, and never really owning what I want...I cleaned house and sold all of my trucks and put the money up for a bit while I searched for what I wanted. A 1954/55.1 Chevy Suburban.

My mom bought a 54 3100 when I was 8 and drove it for 3 or 4 years. I remember her scraping windows with a Montgomery Wards Auto Club card when it was frosty. I remember her chugging through the column shift. I remember when she sold it. After 30 years my son has what is left and we made a heck of a hot rod out of it together.

Now it is my turn!

I'm still waiting for the shipment from Phoenix but a bright yellow 54 is on it's way in the next month to me. In the mean time I've started assembling a stock 54 panel chassis that my son found in Chicago a few years ago. I've got front disc brakes swapped, a POL Power Steering conversion kit to go on, a 350TPI/700r4 with computer combo, CPP engine and trans cross members, a ZR2 disc brake rear axle, and an underfloor power brake unit. A set of Posie's lowering springs are in the front.

The intent is to look fairly stock but underneath have some go and whoa.

My younger son took a look at the photos and said "call it Buster because it looks like a school bus" so Buster is the name.

And yes, it has the dash mounted clock housing!! No, you can't have it!!

I'm looking for some guidance (and yes, I've been using the search function) on installation of the engine cross member and motor location. Do I NEED to trim the front cross member where the I6 would have bolted in? I see some posts that look like I do, others maybe not but clarity isn't there. Any help is appreciated. Don't let the TPI unit scare you, the rear of the engine is just a HEI dizzy so that is what will be the clearance concern to the firewall.