The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Has anyone seen a COE suburban?

Hello All,
Has anyone seen a COE Suburban? I have been told there maybe a few on the West Coast. Do you have pics or a link you could send me? This would be greatly appreciated as I am building here in the Northeast.
Thank you for your time,
Don Jr
[email protected]

Forgive me, I know you're asking a serious question. But I can't help but post this thread from the H.A.M.B where they photoshoped several COE pickups and 'burbs. Enjoy. And maybe even get some ideas from it. Stu

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=322180

I KNOW they did NOT make any, That is why I am! I was told by a few different individuals that they have recently seen one, possibly on Craigslist, another guy saw one at a show, both were from the left coast. I am looking for some other ideas that I have not yet thought of. Mine is going to be nostalgic keeping the original motor and mostly other original parts.

I know it's not a suburban, but all you need is a few windows...

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2839754350104630709gIZdKq

Recently on either e-bay or CL there was an AD COE nose grafted to an AD suburban for $2500. Only a couple of pictures that didn't really provide a good look at the work. Was sitting on a 4x4 frame and as a result, sat really high in the air. Looked like it needed to be lowered a couple of feet to look stable.

Last summer, there was a Ford COE/Panel combo listed in GoodGuys in KC for 18k. It was in there for 3 or 4 months in a row.

Someone with more skills than me may be able to provide a link to the most recent one.

Robert

That COE Suburban 4X4 was in the Spokane Craigslist, but has expired.

The one in Spokane had been listed before so it will probably appear again. I've seen pictures of it, and pictures of another that I've not been able to learn anything about.

I've been collecting pieces to build one myself, but its a long-term project and not likely to be started for several years yet. Using a Suburban and a COE cowl you end up with a very short wheelbase of less than 100 inches.

My plan is to start with a 1-ton panel AND a Suburban AND a COE cowl. The exact final configuration may change before I start welding things back together, but I see the COE cowl grafted to the 1-ton panel body with the Suburban windows inserted in the panel body.

I also think extending the body to add a second set of doors makes sense, so while cowl change reduces wheelbase, adding that second set of doors adds some so I expect to have about 150 inch wheelbase.

But as you said, mine will be a west coast creation, since that's where I live...

I have a 49 Chevy COE now, original but I lowered it (axles and smaller wheels)and put a short bed on the rear, it is a TRUE stub. On my coeburb, I am going to keep the original clam shell suburban body and attach it to the coe firewall/windshield post. I don't want to add doors, it is not a yellowstone tourist vehicle!

Steve,

As I recall, the one in spokane and others I have seen seem to have somewhat of a mismatch when it comes to the front and back fender height. The wheel wells don't really line up due to the COE fenders dropping lower. Have you figured out what you are going to do to correct this visual?

I guess it would be possible to lower the rear fender and get rid of the rear wheel well in the suburban with some sheet metal work.

Dallas

Yes Dallas getting the fender lines to look right is one of the challenges and one of the reasons I've studied every picture of a conversion like this that I've been able to find.

I don't own any pictures of a COE Suburban, or I'd show you what others have done. I do have three pictures, but don't have rights to publish any of them online. Unfortunately I have never seen one of these conversions with my own eyes. I've thought about driving to Spokane and photographing the one there just for that reason.

They do not look right if the fenders are left where the stock sheet metal places them. My own plan is to lower the rear fenders. I'll fill the stock opening using panels either from the side of a panel or maybe door skin. Rather than use panel/Suburban fenders I'll use modified pickup fenders. The reason for this is one that I'll need both to go wider than the stock fender to cover dual wheels and second because the curvature of the body exposes area the panel fender won't cover.

This truck is at least a couple down on my project list, in part because I'm still figuring out how to solve some of these problems, and in part because I want to finish others first. And I guess to be honest in part because I don't move very fast... The advantage of my slow pace is I get to observe more good and bad approaches others have tried.

Steve, you have to finish a few projects first.

The problem Scott is choosing which one to finish first!

Steve,

I had the same observations and ideas. But I am not building a suburban COE. I actually worked on #2 COE today for the first time in three months. Felt good to make some head way on the low rider COE. I am starting to fabricate the engine and tranny mounts behind the cab. I bought a universal engine mount that said it was 48 inches but it was only 39 inches and it looked like bent exhaust pipe so I am using 3x4 1/8inch tube steel to hold it in there between the rails on the dually frame.

I shorten the drive shaft to 14 inches to keep the front of the engine valve covers from hitting the back of the cab. The engine will sit just below the raised bed. I am thinking of building a pickup bed with a raised bed inside and lower the sides instead of lowering the frame. I can easily lower the cab without the engine under it now. I will chop the steps to keep them off the ground by a few inches.

Felt good to be welding and cutting today.

Dallas

This picture I took at Back to The 50's in StPaul, MN. It's the only picture of it I've got. Hope it helps


[IMG]http://thumb5.webshots.net/t/63/763/4/59/44/2063459440085718485CgzuWl_th.jpg[/IMG]

This Crew Cab is not a Suburban but is an extended COE. This is shown as vocational use/equipment in the 1954 Truck Data Book.

isnt that pretty much what a late 60's van was?

The things people dredge from past posts...

There are a couple conversion out here in the west.

Most are converted to pickups or car haulers.

There were 2 that I remember that were conversions to Suburs.

They took the COE cab, cut the back off, added the center section from a suburban (from just in front of front door jam to behind rear side window thereby keeping both doors), then added a pickup rear section.

I have been trying to find the pictures, one was Pearl White and had a short pickup bed added, the other was a Sea green with flames and no pickup bed.

http://image.dieselpowermag.com/f/26629142/1003dp_01+1949_chevy_COE_truck+left_side_angle.jpg

/imgres?q=OLD+CHEVY+AND+GMC+COE&start=82&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1489&bih=902&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=YMirGkl2hqMFBM:&imgrefurl=http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php%3Ft%3D382570&docid=nnQInqWhq1yZFM&imgurl=http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb173/ghettoluxurycustoms/referance%252520photos/crew%252520cabs/48_GMC_COE-01.gif&w=750&h=393&ei=Wy_xT5SqHeia2AX6t5G1Cg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1006&vpy=131&dur=315&hovh=162&hovw=309&tx=165&ty=118&sig=103208214885039741223&page=4&tbnh=102&tbnw=194&ndsp=30&ved=1t:429,r:52,s:82,i:75

http://media.photobucket.com/image/OLD%20CHEVY%20AND%20GMC%20COE/ghettoluxurycustoms/referance%2520photos/crew%2520cabs/48_GMC_COE-01.gif

This a good example of what I said about placing them on later model one ton chassis. Very nicely done.