Suburban rear floor

[1970greenburb]

Hello can any body recommend the best way to replace the plywood floor in a 1970 burb.? Is it a body off frame deal or just unbolt everything and lift the body up and slide the plywood under the rails? Thanks for any info.
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[vectorit]

Actually you can take the wood out while body on frame, but 40 some odd years of elements attacking the wood and metal supports; it becomes one with the body and chassis.

In my case I had to cut my floor out, but putting it back in was rather easy all things considered.

The floor is actually two pieces.
There is a small tongue and groove piece in front of the passenger side wheel well, and you are to remove that by sliding it rearward and then remove the spare tire tub. Once you do that, slide the main wood floor to the passenger side.
If you manage to do those things, you can then lift the floor out from the inside and out the rear.
Installing the new wood floor is just the reverse of that process.

Try to take the old floor out in the biggest piece you can, then that way you can lay it onto the new wood and use it for a template for all the holes for the carriage bolts.

[1970greenburb]

Hey thanks Chris after I read your info went back to the garage and looked it over. Sprayed all the carriage bolts with some WD40 and started to attempt the removal on the wheel well ones first three came off the rest saws all them. Not looking forward to the one up in side the rails. Did you replace your with a marine plywood or did you use a treated on or ?
Thanks again
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[vectorit]

Getting the bolts out is a challenge, but they are low grade steel type.
Most of them I didn't even bother trying to tackle with a socket wrench, I would just get a good grip on the nut with a pair of vise grips and bend back and fourth till it snapped off (The wood floor would give enough to allow room to flex).

I used marine grade wood, then primed and painted both sides.
The under side I brush painted on a liberal coat of paint, more so than the interior side just for added protection from the elements.

[1970greenburb]

Thanks Chris grabbing the bolts with vise grips and working them back in forth worked good. I will check on marine plywood next week.
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[1970greenburb]

Well couple more broken saws all blades and a lot of working back inforth to break the bolts off, the floor Is out in one piece, ended up taken the wheel well out, not by choice they where rusted out didn't see that before they where covered up with carpet, it sure did help taken the plywood out.
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[vectorit]

WOW! you sure kicked butt on getting that floor out.

So you got the floor out in one piece huh? Lucky you

[1970greenburb]

Yeah I was surprised too beings you said you had to cut yours in pieces I didn't know what to expect but breaking the bolts off went way faster. I am going to take out the spare tire well and I was thinking of taken two sheets of plywood T&G and putting the seem down the middle so that I can go all they way across.
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[vectorit]

Glad the idea of busting the bolts off worked for you.

I remember when I did mine, I had a whole cup full of busted bolts when I finished.

Don't pitch that original floor until you use it to trace out the bolt holes, and the outline of the original floor.

[Slinger60]

I replaced the plywood rear deck on mine also went the same route as you did on the wheel wells as the were rusted. Used marine grade plywood. And did the same as Vectorit did I painted both sides with high quality paint and rubber coated the under side also. And I used galvinized cairage bolts when I put it back together.

[1970greenburb]

Thanks slinger60 for the info on the rubber coating and the galv. bolts. I don't what they used back then for plywood but it held up good for 40+ years of the great northwest rain and beyond.
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[vectorit]

I'm pretty sure it was just your standard ply wood sheet, since the one I took out of mine was definitely not marine grade. Mine held up good to the 40 years of elements as well, but it was damaged and had all kinds of extra holes drilled in it over the years.

[Gobuffalo]

I need to replace the floor in my 70 Suburban.
Has anybody used a metal floor? I have one out of a long bed fleetside. All of the bolt holes around the wheel wells are the same and the wheel wells are the same distance apart. Overall length and width are smaller than the metal floor. How much surgery will it take?
Any help would be appreciated.
.
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[blue 72 gmc 4x4]

My dad is making a metal floor for his 72' burb out of some diamondplate. I'll post some pics when we're done with it. He had already made the sides for it years ago so now we're going to get rid of the wood in the middle.

[project 67 sub]

im in the process of building a raised steel floor in the back of mine...

[Cumminpwr11]

looks good. I am thinking about replacing my rear wood with metal so I can anchor in a newer generation 3rd row rear seat better. If I can find a suburban in the junk yard I will cut out the back and graft into the suburban

Chris

[ERASER5]

Rockcrln put a newer modle Yukon floor in one with the pockets for a removable rear seat. It can be done.

[lrader99]

Originally Posted by Cumminpwr11

looks good. I am thinking about replacing my rear wood with metal so I can anchor in a newer generation 3rd row rear seat better. If I can find a suburban in the junk yard I will cut out the back and graft into the suburban

Chris

This is my plan as well but I am looking at either using a sheet of 14 ga steel that I have laying around or get a descent used long bed floor and modify that to fit.

[capev86]

i would say use the floor from a 69-72 Blazer and weld in the pockets for the 3rd row seat from a 73-91 model burb. be really good for those wanting the restored look as the seats from the two generations are about the same so you could adapt the upholstery.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by Gobuffalo

I need to replace the floor in my 70 Suburban.
Has anybody used a metal floor? I have one out of a long bed fleetside. All of the bolt holes around the wheel wells are the same and the wheel wells are the same distance apart. Overall length and width are smaller than the metal floor. How much surgery will it take?
Any help would be appreciated.

Did you ever get any pics of this done? I have a spare long bed steel floor I was considering putting into my recently acquired 67 Suburban. A removable third row seat with proper support would be very nice to have.

[Cumminpwr11]

Originally Posted by capev86

i would say use the floor from a 69-72 Blazer and weld in the pockets for the 3rd row seat from a 73-91 model burb. be really good for those wanting the restored look as the seats from the two generations are about the same so you could adapt the upholstery.

Capev, How close is the rear of a blazer to the wood area of a Suburban? I would totally go for something like that. I like my 80's front buckets and 2nd row seats (except for the color and cloth...I prefer leather)


Chris

[68 TT]

What about doing the rear wood like some of the trucks with metal strips and dimensional lumber for the bed wood instead of plywood?

[WH0DAMAN]

Originally Posted by 68 TT

What about doing the rear wood like some of the trucks with metal strips and dimensional lumber for the bed wood instead of plywood?

You would have to tongue & groove or biscuit joint the wood into one piece. Kind of like a dining room table top. There are big gaps between the boards on a truck version & that is what the metal stripes cover. This is on the inside of a truck so the gaps would have to be filled. The noise would be pretty bad without making it one piece. Not to mention the possiblility of water getting in since it would not be a water tight seal.

I have been kicking around the idea of replacing my wood with quarter sawn oak. The only problem is that I am adding a third seat so 1/2 of it would be covered by a seat. If I do it (which will be very soon since I am in the process of restoring my 70), I will do a write up on it.

[68GMCburban]

I know this thread is old, but did anybody ever put a truck bed floor in place of the wood? That's what I'm in the process of doing, just curious about what it might look like.

[capev86]

it would look similar to the Blazer. and the nice thing is you could weld in the pockets from an 80's Suburban and have a quick fold\remove seat that could even be upholstered to match the original interior (if you like the factory appearance like i do).