I bought my un-restored '62 Suburban in Joplin, MO and drove it back to Atlanta...actually, about 50 miles NE on the OTHER side of Atlanta. We took back roads all the way to Birmingham, AL, and then jumped on the Interstate to and thru Atlanta. We did about 1000 miles. And when I say "we" I mean my 10 year old boy and me. Road trip of a lifetime.
The truck has been kept running it's whole life, but very basically, Nothing fancy. 283 rebuilt 20 years ago and given later model heads, tired HEI conversion and tired alternator several years ago. Original radiator. Someone swapped in a Dana 44 with Posi, but it wasn't really rebuilt.
The truck never missed a beat the whole way home. That was in March. I've driven it back and forth to work every day since then (25 miles round trip, but I go home for lunch almost every day), go down into Atlanta when I need to, and have no problem running around in it on the weekend for day trips and errands.
Amazingly, my wife really digs it, even though there is NO weather stripping anywhere on it (so it rattles like mad), no A/C, windows are always down (women never like that, but she does in this truck) and it's loud because it has bare steel floors, no sound deadener and no headliner panels.
In short, it's the perfect beginning for a truck that needs everything. My wife's a goodun--she understands cars, understands my passion for them, is fully supportive of them, and is saving for a '70 Camaro.
It's my daily driver, and it hasn't let me down yet. And I don't expect it to anytime soon!
-Brad
