The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre Do It Yourself (DITY) Gallery 1957 GMC Suburban 100 "Don't let a few *issues* stop you"

My name is Doug. First of all I would like to say hello to all. I am the new guy. I have owned very many old trucks (Chevy and GMC). Every one has been a daily driver except one.

Here goes my truck's life since I have owned it. It is a 1957 GMC Suburban 100.

I purchased a body only restoration project back in 2004 or 2005. I dismantled it and started doing some of the patching and body work. Bought a whole bunch of new stuff for it.

At that point, I was driving a 1959 Chevy Fleetside sitting on a 1990 frame. It was a nice truck. I drove it for about 10 years till it started rotting out badly. (I live near the ocean.) And then the motor went. I was going to repair it. But in the meantime I happened to see this other 1957 GMC Suburban 100 on eBay. It was all original except the wheels.

I decided to throw a lowball bid on the truck. Wouldn't you know: I was high bidder! So I arraigned for it to be shipped here from Arizona.

This truck had been sitting in a garage for some time. (The owner passed away.) His wife decided it was time to make room.

From what I understand, the truck only had two owners. The last was in 1970. I got the truck in 2009. When it arrived here to MA, I drained the gas from the tank, installed a new battery, checked the fluids, and the thing started right up. It needed nothing.

So I started driving it. I put new tires all around. I had some leaf springs. Added and re-bent to give it a little more height. Had the gas tank repaired. It had a little rust on it and was leaking a little.

So I drove it daily till around 2013. I was on my way home from work with a full load of firewood in the back. Coming around a slight bend in the road, the rear driver's side axle popped out and the truck body dropped down on top of the tire.

It sat there for two days till I had time to deal with it.

I had it towed home (about one mile from where the axle popped out). I had it lifted into my garage, still sitting there with the tire off with the axle attached to it.

It sat for a while. Then I started looking for new axle bearings and seals which I eventually found. At that point, I decided to start using some of the parts I had squirreled away for my other (project) truck.

I had a 4 wheel power disk break kit for it. I had a one piece side door glass with power window kit and a whole bunch of new restoration parts I had bought a while back for my other truck.

I decided to use all the new stuff on this truck.

I currently have it completely dismantled, except the motor and tranny. I am keeping them original (for now). I have cut out both side steps and have the new ones fitted and ready to be welded in place. I made some patches for the bottom of the sides into the wheel wells. (Why nobody makes those patch panels is beyond me.) But I bent them myself and shaped them and it is ready for welding also.

I will have to rebuild the side sliders because all four of them have the typical rusted out bottoms.

I just ordered a new wiring harness and will be adding an aftermarket A.C. kit. I'll drop down entertainment system with a big fat stereo system. Will find some nice seats, heated hopefully, to install.

Fortunately, this project is right in my garage -- all I have to do is go downstairs. I can work on it all night if I want and just shut off the light and go back upstairs.

I will periodically send some pix in. And I am sure I will need some pointers and or advise as this project moves forward.

As for the other truck, I have my original plan was to drop the body on top of a 2005 Chevy Tahoe, which I am currently driving. Not sure if that will work yet, seems the '57 is much narrower than the '05, but the wheelbase is similar. Guess I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

Edit: Bunches of pictures further down this thread. Here is a thread about the Sliders.

Hello and welcome to the Stovebolt. It sounds like you have a great interest in the "Task Force" models. Most likely you will have some good information to share with the rest of us.

I too have been bitten by the "Task Force" bug. I have three '59's Chevy's, two are Apache Fleetsides (one each, short and long boxes) and a Viking 40 big bolt. For awhile, I was also considering a Tahoe frame swap for my short box Apache, but for now have decided to keep the original chassis.

Once again welcome, I'm looking forward to reading about your progress.

John

Nice story. it's too bad that axle failed. I prolly would have scrounged up another one and installed it to keep the truck on the road.

Any suggestions on where I should go for a nice stereo and drop down entertainment system?

Finally I have figured out how to sign up for Flickr and upload some pics to it, although, I just realized some of my pics are actually short videos, I am trying to document the whole project and just talk about what has been done and what is next. I will try to post a couple pics.

Looking forward to those photos.

I am going to try to put some before during and after pics, will take some more tonight, Here goes

Wow, finally got it done, I will grab some more pics later. A lot of the pics I thought I took were actually short videos

OK, here are some more pics, when you take apart 2 trucks it sure uses up a lot of space in the garage, the parts are ready to go to the chrome shop, and I am expecting a pile of new stuff this week, Trying to keep up my drive and ambition, Its a big project to do only a few hours at a time

Funny thing is I never found out why the axle came out, It was and is in perfect shape, and there are no broken clips or snapped bolts anywhere that I could see. I just put in new bearings and seals and tapped it back in?

if I recall, original axle bearing is just pressed on and the retainer pressed on after that with locktite. It is entirely possible that whoever put the wheel bearing on before you got it had not used locktite on the bearing retainer, or used an old one?

Yes Mike, I think you are right about that, As I recall, I just bolted the axle back up to the hub with the new bearings and seals pressed in and tightened the bolts. So hopefully it won't go anywhere again.

Someday I may switch out the axle and motor and tranny, but for now it is staying.

Well it's been almost a year I think since the last time I had a minute to post, Still working on the '57 GMC suburban, lots of stuff done and lots to go,

I was able to put the whole day on it today. That was my birthday present -- to just have the day with my truck.

I placed my new LS2 motor, with the new TH350 transmission attached, into the truck to try to locate where the crossmembers will be located and drilled and or welded into place. Also attached the headers to check the clearances -- so far it fits good, Not sure if it has to go forward or backward yet, still trying to figure that out.

I just got the radiator support and all the brackets back from the powder coater, so I can put that back together and install to check the clearances from that.

Also need to figure out the angle of the motor to get the driveshaft back to the rear end. I have read it should be about 4 degrees back sloped, but not sure.

Just about all the chrome work is done and piled up in my office,

The truck is in primer sealer now and still completely apart, yet all the parts are done with body work and primed.

I will have to start putting it back together to align the body lines to get ready for paint. I have picked the color and test sprayed on my other '57 project, We all like the color.

The last post, I was going to keep the original 347 Pontiac motor and hydromatic tranny, because it was still working well and in great shape, However, I was getting nowhere with finding a way to put aftermarket AC and power steering and alternator brackets with the new wiring harness, So I decided to upgrade to the LS2 with a FITECH fuel injection system.

I got the motor completely built and set up with the FITECH installed with a really nice drive belt system with the air, power steering and water pump and alternator already installed, and a new TH350 to go with it. That also has been a challenge finding out things I need to do to make the LS motor work with fuel injection.

Trying now to order a new gas tank that has the pump and the right fittings with the tank for the right pressure to get the fuel to the injectors.

Several attempts at crossmembers, finally have the right ones.

I also decided to put a power brake booster on the firewall instead of the one I had bought before that goes under the cab on the frame rail. I have a new tilt steering column ready to install, but waiting for the new power steering gear box that is still back ordered, I still have to finish stripping the paint off the interior of the truck, as I will probably paint it too, but still trying to figure out what to do with the interior headliner and or sides.

Have all the new glass cut and ready to go, but have not repaired the rotted tracks for the sliders yet.

I purchased 2 new bumpers, because my chrome shop I am using can not fit that size material in the vats and I didn't want to ship, So I found repros. I accidentally found that the front bumper is the same as the rear. I was looking at a little die cast model of a '57 GMC panel I have on my desk and said wow the bumpers look the same, I had already bought the front, so I took my used back bumper and put it up against the front and found it to be the same, even the holes for the bolts.

I have not ordered the seats yet, but I did pick out what I want to use. I was told that they are 20 or more weeks out to build them.

I decided to put a 3 inch body lift on the truck to give it a little more height. Being just a 2 wheel drive, it sat lower than I would like. Although, I had all the leaf springs rebuilt when I got the truck and was driving it, That added about 2 inches of height to it.

I have been documenting the project with my Iphone, and pictures, but at the moment, I can not get the pictures to uplaod to my computer to send in some new pics. I will work on that, I want to start pushing myself and try to get it done by this time next year or sooner. Really miss driving it as it was my daily driver and work truck when I got it. Now it's been sitting for 7 years.


Edit May 2024. Doug has a seperate thread on the sliders in Panels and Burbs area. ~ Peggy M