A 'virtual garage' of antique Chevy & GMC trucks from around the World

1951 Chevy Suburban

01 February 2008
# 2210

From Rick :

           After a year of being a member, this is my story and I'm sticking to it.

           I had an accident in November 2004 in my 1937 Oldsmobile 4 door. Believe it or not, I didn't see the fire truck in the middle of the road. Well, that's another story.

           I had a 1952 Chevy Sedan Delivery in my driveway and had put it together a few years before, but I had electrical problems and was working on my Olds mostly.

           Well, after the accident, I put some attention on the Sedan Delivery, but realized it was hard to drive due to blind spots. I decided to put a 4 x 4 frame under it and windows to give it a real custom look. All my friends, who build custom cars, were in shock due to the pristine shape of my vehicle -- no body rust, no dents, shot in primer red, 350/350 combo, limited slip rear. They said I was nuts. So I decided to look for a Suburban.

           I contacted as many car clubs, Hemmings, and anyone else I could think of and finally after two months a gentleman from a Northern New Mexico car club contacted me and said he had a friend in Lubbock, Texas who might be interested in a trade.

           After several emails and telephone conversations, I said I might as well put my '52 on a trailer and come down and look at his '51 Chevy Suburban.

           When we got there we and finally met, I couldn't believe how wonderful this family was. We still had to travel to his garage which was a few miles away. Already, I could see how interested he was in my project. Then he opened the doors to his garage -- OH MY HEAVENS!!

           He had several vehicles in progress. Then he points to the Suburban, on a specially made roll around. He tells me if I want the trade / cash, I had to take everything. The roll around, all new and old parts, boxed, inventoried and labeled.

           There was no major dents, scratches or rust as he had already replaced the floors and some additional sheetmetal. If it wasn't installed, it was in the boxes.

           With new parts, seating out of a van, and all glass, the heater worked, original radio, my wife and I stepped to the side to discuss what she thought and price. All we wanted was the Suburban itself, not the beautiful frame he had prep already.

           I went back to him and asked how's this going to work. He replied, "You stand back and let my sons unload the Sedan Delivery and they'll load all the Suburban stuff on."

           I asked how much it was going to cost me? Nothing! I about fainted.

           He then invited me and my wife for dinner. This experience was the best I've had anywhere and when I'm finished, I'll go back to see how he and his family are doing.

           The picture in green is how I picked up the Suburban and the picture in primer is after it was bead blasted.

           I'm still hoping to be driving by summer.

           Thanks and keep up the great work on Stovebolt. It's the best site I've found on the Internet, with the most information.

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