The story of a truck: The family Suburban

[68396]

Hello. I'm new here which is kind of obvious based on my post counter. I thought it was about time to share the story of our family's 1968 Suburban, bought brand new by my father back in 1968. It was a 396 powered 2WD truck and the truck I grew up with. But before I post what I've been writing up I wanted to find out what you Suburban owners might want to hear about.

I've attached a teaser photo from later in it's life, the early 1980s.


so, what's of interest?

Thanks, 68396

[shaneschevys]

Welcome from FT Worth TX. Sounds like its got alot priceless history. What all have you done with it?

[68396]

Originally Posted by shaneschevys

Welcome from FT Worth TX. Sounds like its got alot priceless history. What all have you done with it?

Thanks, Shane. Well, skipping ahead, the sad part of the story is we sold the truck back in around 1990. I'll explain about that in the story I'm writing up. Yah, kind of a downer and I wish it was still with us but maybe the truck is out there somewhere today. I guess I'm a bit sentimental about that truck and have to share it.

[68396]

OK Suburnanites, here's what I've got so far:


1968 GMC CE1590L Suburban Carryall

The story of a truck

It was 1968. My father was driving a 1960 Volkswagen Beetle he had bought new but my mother was pregnant with a fourth child and he knew the little VW would have to be replaced. So he researched the family’s needs and the choice of a replacement vehicle came down to either a GMC Suburban with coil suspension or an International CarryAll. He chose the GMC.

Dad took delivery of a brand new light blue GMC Suburban Carryall two-wheel drive in March of 1968. He had intended on getting a travel trailer so purchased the 396 big block engine and TH400 transmission options. He also paid an extra $80 for an equalizer hitch system and another $50 to have it welded and bolted up to the truck. Otherwise the truck was pretty much a stripper. He did opt for full seat belts for his young family of six and power steering too but there was no radio or air conditioning. In fact, this truck was special ordered because the Dealer, Joy GMC of Bartlesville Oklahoma, would not order a truck without air conditioning. Later that year I was born, #4, so you might say I was the reason this GMC was built. It’s the only vehicle our family had for the duration of my childhood.

I have many fond memories of that truck. It took us on many adventures. From simple daily errands to moving across the country twice, complete with a dual axle U-Haul trailer on the hitch out back. The ‘Burb took my father on a geology study trip on rough roads throughout the southwest and also moved me out of the house when I became an adult.

Did any of you Suburban fans know that as a child you can climb over the front bench seat into the back bench seat and accidentally kick the dome light on the way over breaking the plastic cover? Now you know. The two-tone blue vinyl interior would burn the back of your legs on a hot day. I still remember flipping the armrest ashtrays open and closed and hearing their springs squeak. The front seat had a perforated cork headliner but the rear seat and cargo area had none. The cargo area had a factory plywood floor which GMC had painted black.

More memories include the one time in the early 1970s when the Suburban got stuck in a bad snow storm coming into our driveway after my father had driven all of the way home from work. A neighbor came over with their brand new square nose K10 Blazer and pulled the suburban out of the slick patch. I also recall many times, being the lifetime gearhead that I am, spent crawling all over the truck examining its many mechanical and cosmetic features. For a while it was parked in our garage and taken off the road in order to save money since we were living where there was public transportation. During this time I would sit in the truck and imagine what it would be like to drive it and feel the power of the 396 porcupine head V8. Sadly, the closest I got to driving it was when a friend and I tried sneaking it out for a quick ride down a quiet back street but we never got past the driveway. In later years my father told me that had he known that he would never get that travel trailer he would have opted for the 327 V8 with a 4-speed transmission since it would have be a little more thrifty.

Overall the 1968 GMC was a good reliable vehicle. My father did all of the routine maintenance himself. Just basic brake work, a set of tires, a replacement exhaust system after the factory dual exhaust rotted out, a water pump, and some other odds and ends. I don’t recall any engine, transmission, or axle work needing to be done. Oh, there was one problem with the tailgate lock. It wouldn’t unlock properly from the outside so my Dad removed the inside latch access hatch so that after the liftgate was swung up you could reach over the tailgate and into the access area to pull on the mechanism releasing the tailgate latches. Later in life I had a 1985 Blazer with the 6.2 diesel and TH400 transmission. I was disappointed to find out those transmissions would leak like a sieve after never having had a problem with the one in the 1968 GMC.

The saddest part is the truck is gone. When I was about 21 years old my father decided that he didn’t need the truck and offered it to me. I was living in an apartment and had nowhere to store it. Just getting started in life I was living paycheck to paycheck and couldn’t afford to do anything with the truck. It was a rough time. I never took ownership of that GMC but instead decided to help my father sell it. It was sold and became a memory. That truck was like a family member to me.

The accompanying photos on this thread were taken later in the trucks life after close to 20 years as being the family’s only vehicle. You’ll have to excuse the quality of the photos as they’re scans of film photographs taken by me in the early 1980s.


Here’s some information from the truck’s original window sticker:

CE10L-ZB19726

Assembled at the Fremont California plant, GMC Truck & Coach Division

Delivered to:
Joy GMC & Equipment Co.
306 N.E. Washington Blvd.
Bartlesville, OK

Model base price $3,100.00
Destination charge $ 104.25
Truck base price $3,204.25

Options:
Front center seat belt $ 6.35
Rear seat EQ $ 105.35
Rear seat seatbelts $ 26.35
Rear seat center seatbelt $ 6.35
Shoulder belts $ 26.35
Front stabilizer EQ $ 15.80
Fuel filter EQ $ 7.40
L47 396 cu in V-8 eng $ 158.00
M49 Turbo Hydra-Matic $ 237.00
N40 Power Steering $ 105.35
Heavy Duty battery $ 7.40
Ammeter-Oil gauge $ 10.55
Light blue $ 0.00
Blue vinyl trim $ 0.00
Front wheels (can’t make out) $ 13.75
Rear wheels (can’t make out) $ 20.65

Options Total $ 746.65
Total amount $3,950.90

[sick69]

Thats a cool story. It sounds like you have alot of sentiment attached to that truck,even still today.

So have you found another? Looking?

Frank

[68396]

Originally Posted by sick69

Thats a cool story. It sounds like you have alot of sentiment attached to that truck,even still today.

So have you found another? Looking?

Frank

Yah, I guess I'm a sentimental kind of guy. I'm passionate about vehicles, that's for sure. Over the years I've poked around for another 1968 GMC. I've always got too many other projects going though. Maybe someday. I did just find a matching light blue 1968 GMC 396 pickup truck for a good deal but its 3,000 miles away and would cost too much to ship. Oh well. Anyway, it would be wild to find out what happened to our old GMC.

[68396]

Here are a couple more photos

[greenbug21]

Very nice story. I'm also interested in VW Bug. I like the way it looks...My friend has one, he traded some of his VW Bug parts and replaced it with newer ones. Hope I can own one soon.

[ABHaulR]

yep, my 72 was bought by my grand dad new in 72. did alot of hunting and fishing out of the old carry all. i was able to save it, it is now mine and is going through a rebuild. ive had it now for 15 years. heres a few pics
Dwayne
the top pic is what it looked like when i first got it.
next is just after i converted it
the next is at toms farm in cali, when a few truck lovers got together.

[ABHaulR]

i forgot to mention
the chevy/gmc was a carry all
the international was a travel all.....
Dwayne