Steve VandenBerg's 1957 Chevrolet Suburban

29 May 2006 -- Happy Memorial Day. Let us all remember those who have gone before ...
# 1539

From Steve: 

     I found this Suburban about 10 miles from my home. Someone at work told me of an uncle’s passing and that he had a lot of junk cars that were cluttering up the place. I asked if I could go and see them to see what was there. They allowed me to look.

     When I made it out there, I found over 110 cars and trucks. It was obvious that the guy knew what he was dragging home. I wanted to drag home the whole works!

     I found this 1957 Suburban way back in the corner of the lot. I knew when I saw it that I wanted to bring that one home. The door hinges on the rear were a little tweaked, and there were a few dents, but I didn’t see any rust through anywhere. Much of the glass was intact and the jump seat was still in place. I looked underneath and the plywood deck in the rear was still as straight as can be and looked to be in fine shape.

     There were several utility trucks of different types in the lot. They all seemed to be in fair shape. I pumped up the tires and loaded the Suburban and when I got in to steer it on the trailer, I looked at the speedometer. It read 18K.

     After looking at the body again, I decided it could very well be original mileage. I looked over the motor. It had been disassembled years ago and was frozen. I could see a hole in one of the pistons so I figured that is what led to the early demise of the Suburban.

     My brother is in love with the truck and wants it for his own. I always think of letting these vehicles go, but sometimes when I find such a solid vehicle, I have to really think about it. I might look at this one for a while. Sometimes just having a vehicle for a while is reward enough.

Steve VandenBerg
"Builder"
Bolter #6449
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

     Steve's got a number of trucks in the Gallery : a 1965 Chevrolet Pickup Truck; a 1959 Chevrolet 3200 Apache Fleetside; a 1971 GMC 2500 LWB; a 1948 3600 LWB 3 Window; a 1951 Chevrolet 3100 LWB 5 Window; a 1952 Chevrolet 3100 SWB 5 Window Utility; a 1957 Chevrolet Suburban; a 1958 GMC 100 LWB Stepside Big Window; a 1958 Chevrolet 3200 Apache Fleetside a 1951 Chevrolet 1.5 T. Flatbed; a second 1959 Chevy Apache Fleetside 3200; a 1960 Chevy Apache Shortbox; and a 1947 Chevy LWB Stepside. As of Stovebolts were not enough, Steve has a saga about bringing his 1969 Corvette back from California; and a piece from Corvette Fever on finding a 1966 Corvette! ~~ Editor