watts,
If you have the original engine in your Suburban it is a high-pressure oil system 235 engine. A fine (3rd or 4th generation) stovebolt six (this generation was introduced in trucks in 1954). You can confirm the year of the engine by cleaning with a wire brush the ledge to the rear of the distributor. An engine ID/code is pressed into that ledge and in 1954 - post the code here and someone with a code book will decode it. My book is lent-out but I think the truck 235 had a code starting with a letter and then "54" (as I recall, F54xxxxx, means 1954 engine built in Flint, MI).
Search this forum for advice on starting an engine that has sat for a while. As stated above, if you can turn the engine a few revolutions, everything is free and it is worth a try restarting it. If it has sat for a while, you might want to disconnect the tube from the fuel tank to the fuel pump and have the fuel pump suck from a can or jar of gas (rig a line at the intake end of the fuel pump).
It is a joyous sound to hear one of these old engines come back to life. I bet the success rate for starting a stored 216/235/261 engine is quite high.
The oil bath air cleaner can be cleaned with kerosene and dried out. Then, fill the base with 50 wt oil to the fill line.
I have owned a 1954 Chevrolet Suburban since 1970. It has been restored to original condition/appearance. There are many other people on this site with experience maintaining and restoring these trucks.
Pictures?
Good luck, and let us know what happens if you try to start that engine.
Tim
