my special suburban

[chevak20]

I have been working for a while on changing my Suburban to the way I want it.
It is an ongoing process that will take a long time. For now I just want to drive it, but as always there are obstacles to get over.
I will post a few pictures today and maybe more tomorrow What I have done so far.
Before repair of dashboard with vinyl

And after with dust on it already. I didn't get it perfect but it is not a showroom truck.

Had to weld transfer case support to fit my old frame. I did not want a hole drilled next to the original. And yes it is an np205.

[Keith Seymore]

What year is your Suburban?

I may have built it.

K

[chevak20]

It is a 1982 and it's a K20 with 6.2 diesel and th400 transmisson. Not many built like that during that year so I want to save it. It looked awful when I bought it.
I had an np208 original but I found a driveline package out of a K30-86 with the np205 attached to th400 HD and an older version of gear vendors.
SO cool, so very cool that you have maybe built my truck, I have been thinking about this when I have worked on the truck, thought about what do people do today that screw this particular screw in etc.

[Keith Seymore]

Yes - In 1982 I was on the chassis line, so my group would have assembled all of the brake lines, filled and tested the brakes (1st shift. We were running two shifts of production at that time).

K

[chevak20]

You must be proud, your baby still has the same brake lines as you put on. This truck has lived most of its time in the Arctic Circle here in Sweden so it has only a little rust on it. And this truck has visited more places than most people have. Two owners back, I think, drove it from the Northern part of Sweden down to Spain twice! Last trip he did the engine broke down in Spain.

The truck has 385,000 miles on it or a little over 62,0000 km and it has been asleep for the last 13 years. Three at my place and prior in a forest with the result that the cross beams in the roof got flat and loosened from the sheet metal because of the heavy load of snow 6 months every year up north. But the hibernation is about to come to an end. Here are more pictures of the major stuff I have done.

While dash was out I soundproofed it better.

Made a transfer case shifter that fits in the NP208 hole

Part of it is made of a broken hydraulic piston, the ball is from a fork lift,
and the boot is from a Saab 9-3 stick shift.

[Jonboy]

What part of Sweden are you in? I have friends in Sater.

[chevak20]

Jonboy,
It is a small world, isn't it? I am way south of Säter-Dalarna. It is a looong country.

[Spicer]

Good job on the shifter! most just cut another hole...

It's cool that a few Suburbans have made there way around the globe, and that you are giving it the TLC it Deserves! Where do you get parts?

[chevak20]

I want to show how I hooked up the old gear vendors that I have behind the np205.By the way it worries me it is old. A few days ago I changed the oil in it and cleansed the high pressure filter and it had a lot of small metal shavings in the filter. And I had to make my own oil pan gasket for it too. I was told it was hard to get ahold of. In a few weeks I will know if it still operates, meanwhile I am changing the o-rings in the solenoid. I used a Volvo m46 transmission relay 1259750 blue colored relay.
From the "gearbox switch" connection I ran the wire to a micro switch at the shifter making it possible only in 2wd to engage the overdrive.
From there the signal goes to a pin on the backup light switch to avoid engaging in reverse. And in neutral, drive, L2, L1 it goes to ground. Now I only need to keep in mind to only activate above 40 mph or so.

If I am in L2 it will disconnect while shifting to "D" and I have to hit the button again to enjoy overdrive.

I also ran the positive lead for the relay through a brake switch from a Chevy with th700 transmission. I use it the same way: when braking, power is shut off and the overdrive is disengaged to avoid overdrive at slow speeds.

The green light tells me if it is activated. The red one is not for the overdrive.

The overdrive. If it only works I will be so happy.

[chevak20]

Thank you Spicer for your compliments about the shifter. It was much harder than I thought from the beginning to get the measurements correct without it binding through all four positions.

I get new smaller parts whenever I travel to The United States. It is a big price difference, 1/3 or so of what I would have to pay in Europe. Take a brake caliper for instance, it is about 25-35 dollars in the US depending on model, but here, a few years back, they cost @170 dollars. I wish I could buy cheaper 13 inches brake drums here. They are about 300 dollars. You get the picture...

I am taking home with me as much as is legal and within the bag's weight limit.
Too bad brake drums are so heavy. The heaviest item I ever brought home was the custom made front drive shaft with long splines. It was about 20 pounds I think, and it barely fit in the baggage.I probably saved about 300 dollars just on that piece. Last year I got with me a used steering wheel from a Astro van.

I have been collecting parts for 3 years whenever I stumble upon them. There are still a few 80's square body Chevys around Sweden.

[special-K]

I'm an "against the grain"/"swim upstream" kinda guy but nothing I've done compares to you taking on this challenge. I applaud your determination and commitment. Like Grandpa said,"Nothing good comes easy". Also,thank you for converting from metric for all us ignorant Americans . It's so nice to know what the heck you're talking about
You're the first GM parts smuggler I've known. I think that's just great!

[chevak20]

Thank you I appreciate it. My baggage is always getting inspected by the airport staff prior to departure. I guess new and used Chevy parts are dangerous weapons. This year I am bringing home used hub caps that did not fit in my baggage last trip.

Well I have to tell you that when talking to Swedes about my truck, it feels like I am more of an American than Swedish. I do not know even half of the words in Swedish as I read in English online about these fantastic trucks and in magazines like Four Wheeler. I can thank the internet for teaching me about pounds and inches.

[chevak20]

This is my homemade steering brace kit. The welding could not have been done on the frame due to high fire risk surroundings. So I had to do it a little at a time and by guessing angles and repeatedly mounting it to try it out.

[special-K]

Saweet!! Great work

[motornut]

quite a pile of work done already,any more plans?

[chevak20]

Thank you. For the moment I am working on getting the engine oil cooler lines replaced because they're leaking and the aluminium pipe has worn-down areas. I am going to have the hoses made here. I want the hoses to run underneath the fan instead of in front of it the way the aluminium pipes are.

The radiator side has an unusual 3/4-18 UNS thread with a flare on a 1/2 inch pipe and here it is impossible to get hold of any couplings like that with an 45 degree fit. Hydraulic guys are just scratching their heads. I am ordering from Amazon for that. I found a 90 degree type here in Sweden for 65 US dollars each!! Ouch!

On the engine side I have to put a 3/8-18 to-AN8 Jic adapter and then a Jic coupling on that end.

At the same time I am building a support for an external extra spin-on type filter for the transmission. And there is a lot more coming up that I will post with pictures.

[thankins93]

I can't wait to compare our 82 burbs
Posted via Mobile Device

[chevak20]

Yes sir, they are rare nowadays and need to be shown off.

[chevak20]

Made some more stuff. A support for the intake silencer that came from an -87 diesel; was found also on trucks with 454. This support also holds the coolant expansion tank. It is bolted in two places in the inner fender.

A bracket support for the extra external filter for the transmission
In place

[chevak20]

glued back the roof against the cross beams after a lot of effort pushing them up with the jack several times.Had a bag of 50 pounds of seeds on top of the roof also.
Imagine about 7 feet of snow 6 months a year for about 9 years sitting in the forest.


I used this and so far so good.

[y5mgisi]

Subscribed!

[chevak20]

Before winter I would like to get it painted if I finishing the rust first.
It got rusted worse in a few years only from sitting around. It has problems especially on this fender because it been welded before by previous owners and it was not sealed enough from salty water enter it.


Worse then I thought!

inner fender getting there.

I will work on it more next days.

[Edahall]

I've got a same year Suburban but it's a c10 instead. It gets amazing fuel economy. Does your Suburban still have the original 82 engine? If so, those are the only 6.2's with the high chromium block.

One thing that helps with power and fuel economy on these engines is a free flowing exhaust.

[chevak20]

Yeah I have heard about the -82 blocks, it is a -86 engine in it now.

[chevak20]

Not finished yet, had to stop because I weld outside and it is raining and will for a week. So I been shopping instead.


I also got an hood too.
I bought all this for 95 dollars! I saw this ad about parts and I got earlier this summer a gas tank. bumper, steering box. Back then I told him -give me a call if you have not sold it off rather throwing it in the dumpster. So I got a call and I got it cheap. It belonged to an K10 diesel suburban so everything does not fit my truck but I got it soooo cheap.
I aslo got two sets of bucket seat from an silverado last week from an other seller. I going to use the electric ones with seat heater and the extra middle seat from the other set in my suburban. It is going to be an special suburban.