53 BURBAN barn find

[CHIZZLER]

Well found this on cl. The story goes this guy bought it in the 90's from a guy who had it in a barn for thirty years. He drove it for a while and decided to paint it in 99. It never got put back together and in 2005 the man past away.the family i got it from was pretty emotional over the thing. Seems to be very complete. Except for the carb is gone. Motor spins freely and radiator fluid looks good.i think all i need is a battery and see if it will fire.came with three rows of seats.i have never seen a 50"s original truck with this little of rust. I will be looking for some advice on this one.this will be my first 50"s build. Thanks

[CHIZZLER]

Heres a couple more.

['58Patch]

Man, that thing looks cherry. Congrats on the find!

[Ory Gun]

Great Find Chizzler.....Thanks to Willy and Josh for the help in digging her out, was fun!

[John Gilbert]

Man, you really scored, that thing is great! I've got a real soft spot in my brain for those trucks. My first truck was a '47 Chevy panel, and a good friend had a '53 'burb at the time. Lots of stories I'll never be able to put in print about those times (late 60s).

Congratulations!

[OrrieG]

great find, I'd just put it together, get it running and enjoy it. Probably repaint the interior.

[hotrodrookie]

That thing looks sweeet! You could fill her with produce and go to the farmers market

[CHIZZLER]

Im going to need some help with this one guys.all the windows are out.the front sheet metal should not be a problem.the only thing missing is the carb.i found the glass fuel filter in a box.motor still has oil.can i rob a carb from any other 6. Also no battery. Its still 6 volt.i cant find the rear turn signals or the holes for them. the windows have me a little confused. do they make a new style seal.

[wwhijr]

Nice.

[Wingsdrew16]

Great find! That is one clean Burb.

[Number98]

Cool find!

[1lo67]

nice find..

[CHIZZLER]

thats a nice burbin 1lo67.please fill me in on what front and rear your runnin.your avatar pic is killer.

[NONHOG]

Dang thats nice. after seeing that I should throw mine away.
Ever see Langdon's Stovebolt site ? He sells replacement carbs pretty cheap,
not original but suppose to be an upgrade. I am doing one now.

West Linn, nice place my son lives there.

[CHIZZLER]

any pics of your 49.thanks for the tip.

[NONHOG]

Originally Posted by CHIZZLER

any pics of your 49.thanks for the tip.

Mine was more of a backyard find

Here is a thread on it. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=362407

[CHIZZLER]

Ive checked out your build before.any info on what fuel pump.mine is a gmc. Not sure yet what motor it is.

[jxnslotcar]

the tailight goes on the left side rear door. I can see the bolt holes for it on one of the pics. great find BTW,I'd keep it original and just drive it. Then you will know the real joy of driving one of these trucks from the 50's.

[CHIZZLER]

does anyone have any info on a frame swap for a 53 suburban.maybe s-10.

[NONHOG]

Originally Posted by CHIZZLER

does anyone have any info on a frame swap for a 53 suburban.maybe s-10.

I'm going to pretend I did not read that
Straight axles forever !

[Steve@OldSub.com]

Originally Posted by CHIZZLER

does anyone have any info on a frame swap for a 53 suburban.maybe s-10.

About every third thread here is an S-10 frame swap. Poke around a little and you'll find lots of information. Little of it is Suburban specific, but the approach is exactly the same.

[CHIZZLER]

Im not sure on what i want to do with the suspension.mustang ii is so damn expensive.s-10 chassie is fairly cheap.the ad kit is $595 and a parts truck s-10 is under $500.seems like for the money this would be a great way to go. Any pics of the swap.

[Steve@OldSub.com]

I've seen the swap but not made it myself and don't have any pictures of it. My own Suburban sits on a basically stock frame and suspension and I'm in no hurry to change it. Its a driver the way it is and I enjoy driving it too much now. I have had it for eight years and with every passing year have increasingly radical thoughts on how to modify it, and less inclination to make any changes.

I have many projects and this one truck has been my most reliable classic driver over the years. I really need one I can drive and enjoy for those days when the others are driving me nuts. Plus the pile of patch panels waiting to be installed looks like a two or three year project to me, so starting it means its out of service a while. At the pace I work it could be five to ten years.

Today I'd bet that I never really change the suspension beyond adding power steering. My clutch leg isn't what it used to be so I may go automatic. That could lead to a V-8 but don't hold your breath.

What S-10 kit is only $595? I'm aware of two kits and both are far more money than that.

If you study the difference between Suburban/panel body mounts and pickup bed mounts you'll see there are some angle brackets on the stock frame. Replicating those on the S-10 frame should not be a big challenge for anyone who can fabricate. If I wanted to put the Suburban on an S-10 that is the approach I'd take.

Search here for Jeffs51Chevy and you'll find a nice diagram showing how to make the cab mounts that would handle the front of the Suburban. His is a pickup project, but again most of it is the same.

I hope to visit the Portland area in July or August. Perhaps we can arrange a visit and talk in person about your project? My parents live just off McLaughlin so I'd almost certainly be close to West Linn at some point.

[CHIZZLER]

Thanks for all the info. Ad has a kit that is $795 with the running board arms on sale for $595.$395 without the running board brackets.in portland s10 are very cheap.i found a running driving long bed for $500. I would like to find a newer one so i dont have to rebuild a front end or brakes or you know. There kit says you can use a 4x4 rear end to bring you out to stock width.the front is narrower and requires a 2" adapter on each side. Anyone have any pics of this swap.

[mr48chev]

Unless you just flat can't fabricate things out of metal I'd pass on the "kits". As Steve said, jeffs51Chevy was kind enough to share his design work with the board and I would think that most any welding shop could knock a set out for under 200 and it should cost under 50 to make you own. The running board brackets shouldn't be that big a deal either.

As for myself I'd stick to the stock frame that is under the truck and install and independent front end on it along with a later rear axle. As for my truck it's getting a Welder's Series weld it yourself crossmember in the front with stock MII suspension pieces and a late 70's disk brake Trans Am rear end in the back. It's a full custom so it will set low enough that most guys won't see under it to look for the fancy stuff anyhow and I already have all the suspension pieces in the shed. The S-10 stuff is great if you don't have a frame or your frame is rusted out, butchered or wreck damaged. One of the cabs I have out in the back shed might just get one if it gets put together as a truck to sell after it is up and running. And you also have to remember that most of the dead or dying S-10's that you find have a lot of miles on them and the front ends will need a complete rebuild adding to the total cost.

With that burb I'd get it running and then see about putting all the pieces in the puzzle back together and drive it for at least a year before doing anything serious on it.