Will a late 70's body fit newer Suburban?

[wmfarmer]

Hello, I am going to start spending my time this winter in the garage fixing up a Suburban.

I figure there are two ways to get something: put in lots of work and barely any money, or put in lots of money and barely any work. Even if I had the money, there's no better way to get to know your truck better than to fix it up! So that's the idea.

I'll try to be brief. I love the late 70's Suburban, although anything around here (Alaska) is rusted and banged up. Our winters are hell to drive, and all the ice and salt all over the roads are no friend to a beautiful body with a nice paint job. So I am able to find a late 70's suburban, but they are all in terrible condition. And the work going into making one look as good as I'd like would be out of my league.

Even as rare as it still is, a newer Suburban body would naturally have a better chance to be in better condition. These I have found quite a few on Craigslist.

So my question is this: Can I take a nice 1991 Suburban body, remove the whole front and replace that with a fixed up late 70's Suburban front? Just fenders, hood, and grille would be all I need.

I'd like to know how well it would fit, if at all. I think (If I end up finding a late 70's front that needs work) I could handle JUST fixing that, instead of trying to rebuild an entire truck.

Thanks!

[wmfarmer]

That would be my ideal plan.

Otherwise, I'm going to have to wait until spring (April or May, you never know up here) to be able to fly out of state and then drive one back up here. Which sounds fun, but I could not see it happening with the schedules and commitments I have. Which is too bad.

[Springthing]

I really, truly do not know but wish you luck on your project whichever way you go. Please, PLEASE post pictures before, during and after if you decide to take this task on.

As an aside... it would SEEM to know that the front clip off a '71 would need quite a lot of blending/rework. Strictly looking at pictures you can see that the earlier models are boxy looking and have square lines where-as any late model truck have curves and don't appear as 'bulky'. Is it impossible? I've seen 50's Cadillac corners on a late model corvette and a Jeep built to look like a Hummer.... so no, it's not impossible, but it depends on the work you want to put into it?

I'm sure you'll get much better responses but that's just my $.02!

[83BigBoy]

hey! man that sounds like one hell of a project! anyway to give u somthing to study, look at the difference in sheet metal .One there would be MAJOR surgery involved mostly mating up the lines on the body,91' square frnt. 70"s vintagemore round to the very front. plus i'm pretty sure that the 70's subs were somewhat smaller as time went by they grew in size the "box" styles were the bigger looking models. and then there is the frame mounts maybe alot of fabrication to get them to line up properly.i've been around them alot.7box body subs since i started driving.

[ct9a]

Why not put an H1 body on it like they did on Xtreme 4x4? I think they called it the Suburban gorilla or something like that.

[MD4x4 Fireman]

In a 4x4 magazine I read like a year ago there was a picture of someone who did something like that, it looked really nice. I found this kit that uses a '52 front end so it might give you some ideas, here is a link to a pic of it https://www.newstalgiawheel.com/images/inventory/new/FW_521_500.gif

[JMoney02]

There will be quite a bit of massaging with the core support, hindges, cowl/fenders/hood. But that's what its all about. Make sure to mock it up before cutting, trimming, driolling and welding. Go to the salvage yard and mess around with a couple if you can, even if its with the newer model so you have an idea of what you need and can do and must change.....
Inner fenders will change, some of the equipment on the fenders/fender wells will need to be remounted and so on, so don't rush, make the plan and take your time, you will be happy you did....


Jeff

[unplugged]

Moving the whole body intact would be easier. i met a guy at a local car show who dropped a 53 Studebaker Starlite body onto a Chevy S10 frame. He tucked a sweet small block under the hood. Killer looks and lotsa go! A real sleeper.

So with a lot of work, I sure you could pull off what you want. If you want to try a dry run, buy a couple of Revell models and try your hand at blending the body lines. I'm not sure they have both versions of the Suburban, but they do have the trucks and the front ends are similar to the burbs.

You can order them from: http://www.hobbyplace.com/plastics/cars1.php/4 (http://www.hobbyplace.com/plastics/cars1.php/4)

http://www.hobbyplace.com/images/revell/car/85-0806.jpg
http://www.hobbyplace.com/images/revell/car/85-7205t.jpg

[trenchwarfare]

I think everybody is getting their model years mixed up. The '91 suburban has the old body style as well as a blazer and a crew cab. I think it's worth a try and shouldn't be too hard. Why not patch the 70's with parts from the newer one?

[JMoney02]

I think everybody is getting their model years mixed up. The '91 suburban has the old body style as well as a blazer and a crew cab. I think it's worth a try and shouldn't be too hard. Why not patch the 70's with parts from the newer one?

Everything is worth a try, if we didn't we would not have what we have today, Right! Anything can be accomplished if you have the right tools, a little knowledge, ambition, drive and the mind set to adapt, improvise and overcome, so my Marine wife tells me...... Never been in the military but unknown to me I have live these three words most of my life....


Jeff

[wmfarmer]

Yes, I do think everyone has the years/models confused. Although, I didn't make it clear that 1991 was the LATEST body style I would go for because....

....if you look at a late 70's Suburan, then look at another that's no newer than 1991, you would think that they are the exact same truck. Looking a little closer would show you that the front ends are the only thing that is different (on the exterior anyway).

To see the difference, go here: http://brochures.slosh.com/ . Just click on a year, then on "Suburban".

Once you're finished messing around, compare the front ends styles between '73-'79 to a '81-'91. See the difference? I'm hoping you're not annoyed like most of my friends on how picky I'm being (I feel safe that anyone on this site will understand).

I also just found a very good comparison, better than the above one: http://www.lmctruck.com/se-grilles.htm?cid=LMC-TR .

ALL I NEED TO KNOW is if anybody is certain that, regardless of the body year (as long as it's from '73-'91), would it be a clean fit to switch the front ends?

Although, since I've posted and done some research, I'm feeling like it might just be worth it to fly thousands of miles away from my isolated northern home and drive something all the way back up. That too, would be a good way to get to know my truck. I've found several in wonderful shape (no rust, no dents) for 1k to 2.5k from various places on the internet. And body condition is the only criteria for my search.

It would be a huge hassle, and it couldn't happen until the spring, but I've wanted this for years and life is just too damn short.

[wmfarmer]

I think everybody is getting their model years mixed up. The '91 suburban has the old body style as well as a blazer and a crew cab. I think it's worth a try and shouldn't be too hard. Why not patch the 70's with parts from the newer one?
I would still need to know if they fit or not, and that's what I'm trying to find out.

If they do fit, I really think the simplest way would be to put the fixed junky parts (from the late '70's) onto a newer, less used Suburban. Just less parts to transfer.

This question is all about the Suburban body, but in the long run I want a good-working, dependable truck. So newer would be better. Although, (I don't know when this would be, I'm taking this slow and easy) eventually I would want to put the entire body on a completely different frame, for two reasons:

1.) I know the suspension is not that great in those Suburbans.
2.) I would eventually want a diesel. And those diesels (the 6.2 litres), I know are converted gasoline engines and do not last very long. Although I wouldn't go for the newer 6.5, I would probably want a Cummins.

But that's too much work for now and completely off topic. And I think some people commenting are too confused as it is. I do thank you for your comment, though. It was a very good idea.

[Springthing]

I don't think anyone is annoyed in the least bit. I think it's a great project and would love to see something like this happen. I'd not paid too much attention to the years, I guess, when I made my first post. The exterior lines are a little closer to a match but I still think it would be a lot of blending and working. But it's not impossible in the least, I would think.

These are just opinion ----- I wish I would know for certain how these match up in order to give you a head start. Good luck with it whichever way you go!

[trenchwarfare]

try this site. there will be lots of info.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com

[BBC4EVER]

try this site. there will be lots of info.
http://67-72chevytrucks.comYea, that's a great site. Also, those body's are very similar. Is it possible to just do a grill/light swap? What part of AK are you in? My Dad lives up north of the park and just got rid of a really nice 78 4x4 sub (can't remember if 1/2 or 3/4). Minus the engine. It was a 4spd. I really wanted it, but too far for me to haul it back. If you're still looking, let me know, I'll see if I can track it down. I doubt the guy he sold it to has done anything with it.

[phoebeisis]

I think the "go south" to the no snow country-Texas,AZ,CA and drive it home is the best bet.

I bought maybe 40 motorcycles over the years.My intentions were usually to buy it,m fix it a bit,play with it for a year or so, sell it and break even.

What I found out-I was/am a very slow learner- is never, never, never, buy a low price POS "runs good" bike or car or truck.It will always, always always cost more $$ to get it looking as good as the POS "RUNS GOOD". Every part on the "runs good" will be a pos-not just the body and drivetrain-everything! Living up there, the body will also be tweaked/bent from sliding off the road and hitting trees etc.

Buy the absolute best one you can find, and can afford.My sister in law lives in Wassila, and what you say jives with what she says.Vehicles get beat to dust up there-always sliding off icy roads getting banged up-muddy, rusty, zillions of very cold starts that take a long time to get oil where it needs to be.

Go south and get the best.

Don't worry about not getting the fun from doing work on it. Any 20-30 year old vehicle you buy will give you plenty of opportunities to have fun working on it/modifying it.

Go south-avoid the midwest and NE rust belts also. Texas has HUGE numbers of Suburbans.This summer- when gas spikes to $2.50-prices on big vehicles will drop a bit.Maybe GMs bankrupt problems will drive down the price also (no big deal since there is a HUGE aftermarket in parts and 100,000's in salvage yards).

Luck,
Charlie

[BBC4EVER]

I spoke to my Dad today. If you're still looking, he can get that suburban. Not looking at selling it for much, you'd just have to trailer it home. It is a 3/4 4x4 4spd, but is minus the entire drivetrain. My Dad does have motors and auto trans for it and about 5 or 6 NP203's for it, but no 4spd trans. Said the body is in good shape, but a few dents, which is to be expected up there. I used to have a picture of it somewhere, I'll look around.