Now I didn't start thinking about how to make it "pretty" when I drove it 80 miles home from the desert (had been "Non-Op" for four years)...I thought about how to make it road-worthy...so luckily, I have a buddy who owns a local repair shop, and he was enthusiastic about the project! Jerry started as our family mechanic over 30 years ago, so yes, I do pay him...but he takes care of us like a friend would, and keeps me involved with anything he does that I can't do by myself. He is quick to tell me how to do something...or whether I should or shouldn't attempt it myself!
As I was still employed at that time, I left the Burb with Jerry so he could assess what it would take to make it dependable and safe to drive. It stayed at his shop for nearly two months as he only worked on it when things were slow. Jerry knew that I wanted all the drips sealed up, so that required the TH400 to come out and the 454 partially disassembled. The bottom end was sparkling clean and turned out to be a four bolt main block (nice to know) but the heads are the small "peanut port" low horse power style. Since this isn't a "race truck", I decided I liked the torque specs...and these heads are more efficient in regards to gas economy (if you can even use that term when talking about a big block!). The piston wear pattern showed little mileage had been put on it and really needed no attention (that's a story all on its' own)...but still I was advised to have the heads gone through, which a specialty shop took care of for us. Surprisingly, there weren't any other major mechanical issues...but a lot of small things that you would expect, such as "most anything rubber" needing to be replaced! The tires were a good example, as the date codes showed that the fronts were from 1995 and the rears were from 1980...and I was very lucky that I made it home the day I bought it! I started shopping for tires and rims while Jerry replaced hoses and belts...plus a sundry of normal routine maintenance items to get a baseline going. Jerry was impressed with some areas that we thought would need an overhaul, but found that someone had previously done a nice job with the brakes and front end components before parking it four years ago.
I hadn't met the original owner when purchasing the vehicle as the sale was being handled by a family friend. The owner was in his eighties and not doing too well health-wise, so chose to be absent...and I think he was very attached to this Suburban. About a month after the sale, I wrote him a letter telling him my plans for the Suburban, thanked him for selling it to me...and gave him my phone number and email address in case he ever felt the need to contact me. His wife responded and told me that he doesn't "do" email but he would like me to call him so he could tell me some things. This I did...and although his memory didn't work too well when I asked him specifics...he told me the things that were important to him...the most interesting thing being that he was a Service Manager at a GMC/Chevrolet dealer for 45 years! This one bit of information answered so many questions that would arise during the next couple of years...especially the factory options that were not listed on the SPID...they were installed at the dealership over a "longish" period of time.
I retired a year ago, and since Jerry got me rolling, I have been collecting parts for things I can do myself. One of the first things I ordered was the body mounts and core support kit. I ordered though GMC Pauls and got the core support kit pretty quickly...but the body mounts were backordered. I was quickly advised of that fact and asked if I wanted to cancel my order, but said I could wait...and began work on the core supports. That was a job all by itself, at least for me, as I hadn't done this kind of work for decades...but I got into it and was happy with the results! Unfortunately, due to no fault of GMC Pauls, the body mounts stayed backordered for nearly five months (a broken die at the manufacturer)...and by the time I received them, I was occupied with "non-suburban" projects. Fast forward to just before the Coronavirus outbreak, and you find me removing the seats and carpet, gearing up to finally replace the body mount cushions. I decided to also find an upholsterer that would do my seats...but just when I was ready, everyone started closing their shops and staying home...so I started removing more of the interior like side panels, headliner and rear A/C unit. I had loaded the three original bench seats into the back of the Suburban for transport (I have a late eighties bench seat still installed for driving purposes), but as the "stay at home orders" kept stretching out longer and longer, I removed everything and began work on the body mounts. This is when I found some surprises! First, I couldn't access the four rear mounts (two per side) as my gas tank is a dealer installed 45 gallon unit that fits like a glove...and it's full! Instead, I sprayed penetrating oil on the remaining six bolts that I can access, and low and behold, everything came apart very easily! I set up the jack and 4X4, and was able to separate the body from the frame just enough to clear the cushions...but then realize that the four bolts that raise up inside through the floor, have been welded in place with a blob of a tack weld??? I also notice that some of the old cushions aren't too bad looking...but some are horrible to nonexistent (like crumbled apart and fell out on the road somewhere). At this point, I breakout my grinder on the passenger side blobs, and after doing what I feel is "a crap job", realized that I needed a smaller grinder. I complete the next two weld cuts with a dremel cutting wheel...and the results were much more to my liking! Everything else went exceedingly well, as all of the old hardware just needed to be wire-wheeled and coated with "Never-Seez" (or "moly-coat" as we called it during my days as an industrial mechanic)...then I assembled the mounts and dropped the Burb back down. To complete the rear sets, I had to violate (sort of) the "stay at home" orders and drove to Jerry's shop so he could drain and drop the gas tank. With the tank out, Jerry smoke/pressure checked it because I have had a small amount of gasoline drip down from the top of the tank, but only when it's parked at an upward angle and is completely full. Turns out it was just a gasket leak on the sending unit, so now that's good to go. While Jerry worked on the tank, I completed the body mounts. With the tank reinstalled, I took my wife out for some coastal drives...and we can't believe how much better the ride difference (softness only...still rolls through the turns).
