The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Panels 'N Burbs New Parts!

My Suburban is very much a back burner project these days. It runs and drives and with little attention has done so for most the nearly eight years (April 11, 2002) that I have owned it.

I've been collecting parts here and there for that day when I'll fix the rusty body. I have pretty much every panel Ray Stanley sells plus I've bought one Suburban and three panels to get more usable sheet metal.

About five years ago I passed up an opportunity to buy the inside window trim for the side windows. All mine are rusty and at least two of them are not salvageable. The guy wanted what I thought was an outrageous price.

In the years since these window garnishes are something I look for at every swap meet and junk yard and I've never found a set at any price. I've had people tell me they had a set but no one has ever come through.

In fact I recently told my wife that next time I found a set I needed to just pay whatever the price was and be done with it. She cringed.

And then about ten days ago a guy emailed me out of the blue and asked if I was still looking for a set. I immediately said yes.

He sent me some pictures and he had three of the four in what looked to be pretty nice condition. I bought them for the price he named, which was well within what I felt was a fair price. My wife still cringed, but it wasn't because the price was high, but because my health problems are straining the budget. She worries about such things.

The three arrived today nicely packed and every bit as good as they looked in the pictures. A little cleaning and fresh paint and they will be ready to go.

I'm not sure which one I don't have, but its one of the forward pair and looking at my not so good ones I'm thinking it may be time for me to practice welding really thin sheet metal. I might be able to use my falling apart rusty ones to fix one more.

So I'm just a little bit happy. Actually I haven't stopped smiling since the UPS man came. These were not the only pieces I was still looking for, but they are the ones I was most worried about finding.

Party at my house tonight! Come by for a beer and I'll show you my new treasures!

Old Sub

Congratulations. I have a 49 Burb and have been looking for a set as well with no luck. I think they are more elusive than the third row seats. I've looked at swaps and put an ad here in parts wanted several times. If you run upon another set please let me know. Can you send me a PM with what you paid so I will have a reference for the future.

PM sent.

I must have got really lucky and bought mine right away and they must have been cheap. A while back somebody posted a want ad on the site for them, a guy responded and nobody bought them. So I did after seeing two of mine had rust through from the moss settled in there.

Hi Steve,

Greetings from a fellow Ron Covell fan. Sad to see his schedule this year did not include Washington state. Chances are really good I would have been there again.

I don't follow the Panels 'N Burbs forum very much but sure wish I had a reason to do so. Maybe some day. For now I can admire other guys projects from afar and offer my congratulations when we hear of a fantastic find.

It's nice to know the best laid plans do work out well some times.

Hey Peter good to hear from you! Yeah I was sorry to see Covell's calendar this year too. Maybe next year...

If I don't find one more window garnish I may be applying some of his lessons making one.

OldSub,

Send a couple pictures of the rust areas. They can be repaired with a combination of light welding (put your white doctors coat on and one of those old doctor caps with the big reflectors on it LOL!)for some surgical repair.

I use a product called Belzona along with small spot welded metal patches (to hold them in place) to close in the area. The Belzona is a metal adhesive / metal filler polymer used in industrial applications to repair bearing cups, bushings, and other areas where welding is not a practical solution. It is machineable and is a very good high end professioanl product for a number of applications. Complete the repair with some light grinding and smoothing and the repair will be invisible and strong. I have used it for some enlarged bushing holes on the frame. It comes with a release agent. Apply the belzona within the bushing hole, then insert the bushing with the release agent on it. Move it around as it cures and let the Belzona harden then pull the bushing out and the hole will be a perfect fit for the bushing. It will last and last. If it is too tigh a light honing will get it just right.

Check out the Belzona website, it can be molded to a contour before it hardens and provides structural strength. You will need to visit a large machine shop and see if they can order it for you through them. Belzona will only sell to industrial consumers (not retail to the general product). It's about 175.00 for a kit, but it will go a long long long way to repair small rusted areas, pin hole repairs on sheet metal, bushings, and again, when hardened, it will add to the structure of the metal. It does not absorb moisture or shrink over time unlike polyester and glass based fillers etc. This is a huge step up from the Metal to Metal, JB Weld, and other products too.

I have used it on cowl reapirs, small rust area dooor pillars, etc. I do not need to cut out and patch. But I do remove the rust and thin areas and go through a rust removal process using some of the zinc phosphate based neutralizers like POR15's Metal Ready.

I grind and sand it flush and just before it hardens fully, and still has some elasticity a wet finger will form it to the contour.

I have one extra pair of the rear window interior trim pieces. They need some light repair work. But if someone wants to purchase these at a fair price e-mail me at [email protected] I don't need them. I do not have the center section pieces though just the rear window trim.

Just out of curiosity, what would a new upholstered AD suburban rear seat sell for? Anyone know the value of one?

I'll have to check out that Belzona stuff.

I had another parts success just yesterday. I went to the Early Bird swap meet in Puyallup and found a GMC splash apron that is either the right one for my Suburban or at the very least has the parts I need to repair the damaged one I have.

AWESOME! Are you referring to the apron underneath the radiator (gravel gaurd pan?) or the front bumper filler panel? I hear ya about finding parts. Recently I scored a NOS rear bumper filler panel. Was happy about that because I did not want to buy a fiberglass repo piece. The thing is perfect and never used.

The gravel gaurd/pan is not often found for sale! GOOD FOR YOU!

The front bumper filler panel. Its called a stone guard in the GMC master parts book but splash panel is what I've always called it. The rear one on my Suburban is awful but since its the same Chevy and GMC for all those years I don't expect to have as much trouble finding one once I get serious about looking for it.

The '54/'55 1st GMC piece is not reproduced and this is the first one I remember ever seeing for sale that was not attached to a truck. The guy had a Chevy one visible for $40 and I looked at it and as I was setting it back in place the guy asked what I was looking for. I told him what I really needed was one for a '54 GMC.

He said he had one and dug it out from behind some other stuff. Its not nearly as nice as the Chevy one he had, and he had it marked for $100. I looked it over and touched all the damaged places and then said I'd give $40 for it. He quickly accepted so I handed him the bucks.

I didn't buy a nice looking '54/'55 1st GMC ashtray that was marked at $25. I should have offered that guy something because I do need the ashtray. I just didn't like the price and he was busy and I didn't want to stand around.

Swap meets are almost always fun, but are sure better when you drag home a few treasures!