Project Polar Bear

[thirdstreettito]

Here is my 1988 V10 Chevy Suburban I picked up on the 20th. I call it Polar Bear because it's white. People already have, Vanilla Gorilla, White Knight, Albino Rhino, so I'll go with polar bear. I'm going to get a personalized NC plate to replace the one there now; POLRBEAR.

I was driving with my dad down the road one day(in the boonies)and we saw it sitting in a yard for sale. On the way back we pulled in, as we pulled in I saw the homeowner mowing the lawn and said, "Holy crap dad! It's Chad!" Chad is a local Angier cop who we've known ever since he PULLED ME OVER for speeding. I wasn't, but the exhaust sounded like it. So anyway, he was selling it for his good friend Chief Morgan of NC CERT(Canine Emergency Response Team). $2500 later and I'm driving it home(Thank you mom for the money! <3).

Currently shes got a TBI 350/700R4/NP208/10b-10b(3:73) with 144XXX miles. With 30x9.5R15 that only have a couple thousand miles left. I filled up the tank and did about 200 miles mixed(towing/city/highway). I made sure I was heavy footed to get the WORST possible mileage. I filled the tank after the 200mi and got 12.2 MPG. That needs to be fixed.

Member 60ratrod has been nice enough to give me a TB spacer, just waiting for that in the mail.

Eventually the bear will have a Cummins/NV5600/D60/AAM1150. But that's not for a while.

Right now I've got to get her running cooler and drinking less. I also need a job. College(Welding etc) is out until August 18th so I have time for a full time job. Problem is I'm lazy(I admit). I want to do auto related work, or landscaping type work.

The bear overheats at idle and cools down when you up the RPM's. So instead of trying to find the problem. I'll just replace the 23 year old parts. Water pump, fan clutch and T-stat. I've got to order an injector spacer and save up for a Ram Air Box. Then do headers, and 3" exhaust with not race mufflers. And save up for an HHO kit or a Joe Cell to increase or even stop using gas.

Here is the thread of when I bought it. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=465499

And pics!







I will try to take pics when I do stuff, but I never remember. Also, I need to get a 2-3" lift block and u-bolts for the rear so I dont scrape speed bumps when towing. The bear towed a rescue boat it's whole life. And the interior is showroom quality.

[1tonchevy]

Very nice score lol moms are the best!

[thirdstreettito]

Thanks, oh and the bear will also get a custom 10ft x 5ft x 6in roof rack made of 1x1" .65 wall square tube. And various parts from DIY4X. Curt and I are designing a custom rear bumper for it and I'll be getting a UD1 front from him, and custom designed rock sliders with steps.

[thirdstreettito]

Here are two renderings I did. The first is of the rock sliders and steps. The red is the slider part and the yellow is the step. The second is of the roof rack. They were both done in MS Paint. You get the idea though.

[thirdstreettito]

Here is a rear bumper rendering I did too.

Its about 6 inches tall from one side to the other.

Red is the general outline of the bumper, hitches(2.5" top 2" bottom), and license plate.
Green is for trailer plugs, from top to bottom its, 7 flat pin, 6 round pin, 4 round pin, 4 flat pin
Blue is the clevis(D-ring) mounts
Yellow is for the license plate light(not sure if there is a better way to do that)

[thirdstreettito]

I ordered my injector spacer and a TBI book today. Hopefully I'll have my TB spacer soon. I'll get a TBI rebuild kit and do it and the spacers all at once while I'm in there. Yay!

I was going to buy these valve covers, but I decided not too, it's not a necessity.

%60 OFF! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=330564400276

[spudz]

those valve covers wouldnt fit your center bolt head anyways! Nice burb

[thirdstreettito]

Damn, good thing I didn't get em! :P

[jb1016]

Never seen the 88-98 tailgate band on a burb before. You gonna leave it or ditch it?

[thirdstreettito]

Originally Posted by jb1016

Never seen the 88-98 tailgate band on a burb before. You gonna leave it or ditch it?

Not sure. I've heard if you take it off it;s destroyed(glued on). So idk...

[thirdstreettito]

Now for sale or trade.

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2426742808.html

[Gordonr1973]

Originally Posted by jb1016

Never seen the 88-98 tailgate band on a burb before. You gonna leave it or ditch it?

I like the band....first one I ever saw like that!

[thirdstreettito]

Got my Rochester Products TBI GM Service Manual from http://carburetor-manual.com/ today.

Also got my TB spacer last week. It's HUGE!

MY injector spacer should be here this week. There was a HUGE mixup with shipping. I was told I need to extend my fuel lines for the TB spacer, I just need to find out what kind of line I need etc.

I also need to save up for my TBI rebuilt kit. If anyone has one feel free to send it to me. I'm in college and LOVE free stuff!

And I need to save up for a new adjustable fuel pressure regulator from CFM-Tech so I can get better MPG/HP.

Lots to do!

[thirdstreettito]

Yay! Injector spacer just got here!

[thirdstreettito]

More good news!

I used my truck yesterday ro pull out some 25 bushes including 4 holly bushes. She didn't miss a beat. She did get a little hot, but I forgot to check the water.

What does it mean if I'm losing about 2 quarts of water every 2 weeks or so?

I used my 4LO to pull out more bushes today, I had to because I wasn't allowed to spin my tires AND I had very LITTLE space to move around in so I couldn't get a running start.

AND! I decided to take a look at my shocks to see if they were stock. NOPE! Monroe Air Shocks! I followed the lines to a fitting on the right of the license plate(see pic). I pulled out my tire gauge and it read 32psi. I looked up the PSI specs online. 30psi minimum, 90psi long periods, 150psi for short periods. So I went down to the gas station and put them at 90psi so I dont have to raise it every time I hook up a trailer. I think it raised the truck 1/2 inch.

[thirdstreettito]

Painted my wheels 7/1/2011. I did the drivers side rear 2 days before with a brush and some implement black. Yuck, I will sand it down and redo it with Rustoleum Rust Stop Gloss Black. Just like the other 3.

I painted them because cop cars always have black wheels, I like black wheels, and I hate trim rings and the stock center caps.

It took my 25 minutes, a 80 grit sanding block, an old towel and 3/4 of a can of Rustoleum. They have 3 coats each. I taped off the shiny stuff and the valve stem, not the tires though, I'm getting new ones soon anyway.

And here's the pics.

I also found out I need at least one head gasket. So I'll just swap over to junkyard Vortec heads/intake instead of using the stock crap stuff. I'm debating whether to hope the junkyard heads aren't cracked or to spends the money to get them tested, either way it could be $400 or so. $370 is the cost for new GM assembled Vortec heads.

Also, whenever I take exterior pictures of my truck I am going to try to take them in a different location every time. Just to have some fun.

[STOCKISH]

You will need a new intake to match up to the Vortec heads. They are milled on a diffrent angle.

[thirdstreettito]

Originally Posted by thirdstreettito

So I'll just swap over to junkyard Vortec heads/intake instead of using the stock crap stuff.

Josh, I said intake.

Oh, I almost forgot. Next thing to do for the wheels is grab a set of 2000-newer chevy 6 lug center caps and some 9/16 dual thread lugnuts so I can finish the cop look.

[jb1016]

Do you have a plan for your TBI-to-Vortec intake? GMPP makes (made?) a manifold, but it's pricey. Some guys run a Vortec carb manifold with a TBI adapter.

[thirdstreettito]

I'm just going to get a junkyard set of heads and intake. Get the heads magna-fluxed and the intake acid dipped. And I will probably do a full rebuild while I'm there. -$500 for a full rebuild kit, cant beat that!

[spudz]

Originally Posted by thirdstreettito

Josh, I said intake.

Oh, I almost forgot. Next thing to do for the wheels is grab a set of 2000-newer chevy 6 lug center caps and some 9/16 dual thread lugnuts so I can finish the cop look.

You CAN'T use a junkyard vortec intake. YOU HAVE to buy a aftermarket intake made especially for the swap. Then you will probably have to get a custom chip burnt. If not it will probably run worse then it did before. MY advise is to leave the TBI ALONE! Leave it stock. I've ran spacers etc what have you on them and I couldn't tell a difference. Only thing I got out of it was a dent in the hood from the wing nut. I would just pull the heads you have now and send them to the machine shop for rebuilding and put it back together stock. JUST MY advice. It sound like you are in school on a shoe string budget and if you don't have money to throw at burnt chips, $300 intakes, etc. then I would just go back stock.

[thirdstreettito]

You are the ONLY person who has said that. Everyone else said they have done it and it works fine.

Also, I forgot to mention, I paint the front of the underside of the truck under the front bumper the other day, just do it would be black instead of rust colored. It looks so much better. I couldn't do more because the frame it was too dirty, I have to wash the truck again, I cant wait till it's clean and I can paint it all, it will look SO much better.

[spudz]

Originally Posted by thirdstreettito

You are the ONLY person who has said that. Everyone else said they have done it and it works fine.

Also, I forgot to mention, I paint the front of the underside of the truck under the front bumper the other day, just do it would be black instead of rust colored. It looks so much better. I couldn't do more because the frame it was too dirty, I have to wash the truck again, I cant wait till it's clean and I can paint it all, it will look SO much better.

there is just no way to adapt a tbi unit to a factory vortec intake. I like the burb tho and its coming along nice!

[thirdstreettito]

What the hell are you talking about? 96-00 Vortec engines are TBI. I think you have your info mixed up.

Vortec TBI

[spudz]

No they are not buddy, they are multi port injection. That pic you have there is a vortec headed engine with a carburetor intake with an adapter. That intake is edelbrock aftermarket carb conversion intake with a tbi adapter plate... See the little american flag sticking out under the tape. Either way you will never find it in a junk yard... TRUST ME.......I have a 96 tahoe, 96 z71 and 99 tahoe... all with vortecs.... not to mention I been working at a chevy dealership for 8 years and am a ASE master tech.. .NOT saying I know everything... Just saying I know this lol. TBIs stopped on the chevy trucks in 1995. There was never a TBI engine factory with vortec heads.