Searching for My Dad's 1979 Chevy Suburban

[Strick]

Well with this thing at the literal bottom of Texas a drive from there to NJ does not sound like fun without AC. Still trying to figure out if it is even available and whether the MT is worth the trade off of needing more eventual body work.

The clutch pedal is what makes a truck a truck. It's nice to have a cruiser with the auto but when it comes down to working and using a truck; that 1/2 ton manual will usually work as good or better than an automatic 3/4 ton truck. I know that they work better off road. I am really biased though as both my '79 Crews, my '78 K20 and my '55 6100 are all SM465 trannies.

HS

 

[Keith Seymore]

May be, but an auto trans is sure nice for hooking up and pulling a trailer.

K

 

[Truck82]

The clutch pedal is what makes a truck a truck. It's nice to have a cruiser with the auto but when it comes down to working and using a truck; that 1/2 ton manual will usually work as good or better than an automatic 3/4 ton truck. I know that they work better off road. I am really biased though as both my '79 Crews, my '78 K20 and my '55 6100 are all SM465 trannies.

HS

Yup, I really want a manual transmission truck. Trying to find another with a manual and 4x4. I leaned to drive on a manual transmission so it’s second nature to me. They’re so much fun

 

[TheHoundsman]

I feel the same way I really would like a MT but do get the appeal of putting it in Drive and heading down the road. However my Dad’s was MT so i am definitely leaning that way.

 

[TheHoundsman]

Could always do a clean manual swap. I've done a few manual conversions and there not bad. Parts are available and you can probably sell the auto to help offset costs.

I have seen a few that have said “replace auto with MT” however full disclosure my mechanical abilities are next to nothing. I would assume I could just talk to a local transmission shop and they would be able to quote a job like that.

 

[Ricko1966]

I have seen a few that have said “replace auto with MT” however full disclosure my mechanical abilities are next to nothing. I would assume I could just talk to a local transmission shop and they would be able to quote a job like that.

Not much advantage in going to a transmission shop,99% of their business is fluid and filters,r&r and rebuild automatic transmissions. 99.9% have never done a pedal swap. Best bet find the truck you want and like,if it's auto,drive it as an auto while the long search,for the right shop that has a guy who's hobby is this kind of stuff.

 

[bucket]

Not much advantage in going to a transmission shop,99% of their business is fluid and filters,r&r and rebuild automatic transmissions. 99.9% have never done a pedal swap. Best bet find the truck you want and like,if it's auto,drive it as an auto while the long search,for the right shop that has a guy who's hobby is this kind of stuff.

Some independently owned, family type shops may be willing to do the swap. I did one from time to time where I worked.

 

[TheHoundsman]

I ended up buying a 1979 Silverado (Dad’s was a Scottsdale) out of Texas originally from New Mexico so “relatively” rust free (couple of spots that need attention) some other body work needed as well but that was to be expected. Not the same color combo as my Dad’s but that can be changed. Seller stated it has the original 400 small block and most importantly a sm465 4 speed transmission. I spoke to few shops around here and although they all said they could do a swap out from Auto to Manual they all also said it was probably much easier and cost effective to change the paint as opposed to the transmission! I am having it shipped up from TX to NJ next week so the process of trying to recreate Dad’s Burb will soon begin. I’ll post some pics of the Truck shortly. My brother was in the area for the latest Space X launch so he was nice enough to stop by and give it a quick once over. It’s rough but for $3,000.00 I wouldn’t expect anything else. Thanks for all the advice you guys have provided it was very helpful. I am sure I will be back for more as I dig into this project.

These are a few pictures I found of my Dad’s on the OBX beach with my big brother, best friend and me. We would spend hours on the beach while he was Fishing. “The government should not be allowed to charge you for fishing in the ocean!!” (One of his familiar rants). My son-in-law loves fishing as well so when my Dad passed away I gave him my Dad’s tackle box (45+ years old) which is on the tailgate of the picture. I have three grandson so my ultimate goal is to get this truck to a point where I can recreate this photo with those three little boys.

 

[TheHoundsman]

Here are some pick of the one I bought. Any comments or suggestions are welcome. This is all new to me so can’t offend me. I’m always looking for advice.

 

[TheHoundsman]

A few more.

 

[74Blaze]

Congratulations! The 'Burb itself looks great. Ditch the ugly aftermarket LED lighting.

 

[fofiddyfo]

Congratulations on the purchase, I bet you’re stoked to be moving forward now! Thanks for the backstory and the pics; that’s awesome! A few years ago, my dad gave me his electrician’s repair tool box, which I remember from my earliest days. Has zero earthly financial value, and it’s probably my most cherished possession, so I totally “get” the tackle box idea!

 

[TheHoundsman]

Congratulations! The 'Burb itself looks great. Ditch the ugly aftermarket LED lighting.

I completely agree lights will be fixed

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

I ended up buying a 1979 Silverado (Dad’s was a Scottsdale) out of Texas originally from New Mexico so “relatively” rust free (couple of spots that need attention) some other body work needed as well but that was to be expected. Not the same color combo as my Dad’s but that can be changed. Seller stated it has the original 400 small block and most importantly a sm465 4 speed transmission. I spoke to few shops around here and although they all said they could do a swap out from Auto to Manual they all also said it was probably much easier and cost effective to change the paint as opposed to the transmission! I am having it shipped up from TX to NJ next week so the process of trying to recreate Dad’s Burb will soon begin. I’ll post some pics of the Truck shortly. My brother was in the area for the latest Space X launch so he was nice enough to stop by and give it a quick once over. It’s rough but for $3,000.00 I wouldn’t expect anything else. Thanks for all the advice you guys have provided it was very helpful. I am sure I will be back for more as I dig into this project.

These are a few pictures I found of my Dad’s on the OBX beach with my big brother, best friend and me. We would spend hours on the beach while he was Fishing. “The government should not be allowed to charge you for fishing in the ocean!!” (One of his familiar rants). My son-in-law loves fishing as well so when my Dad passed away I gave him my Dad’s tackle box (45+ years old) which is on the tailgate of the picture. I have three grandson so my ultimate goal is to get this truck to a point where I can recreate this photo with those three little boys.

These pics are so cool, your old Burb looks like our 79 except ours was a C10 Silverado. But color combo was the same! Glad to hear you found one to recreate it, that Burb looks good. I remember that color combo too, but in my recollection the dark brown and cream was more common.

 

[Tonimus]

Hah! My '78 C10 Silverado has almost all the same body dents. Good lookin' 'burb. Just on the surface, I'd ditch the hood pins and fix the exhaust. Get it where's it's a comfortable daily then do stuff incrementally so you can still enjoy it. I've had so many projects sit because they weren't "right". Then a lot of Roadkill and Freiburger's mantra "Don't get it right, just get it running" helped me a lot. Now I get to enjoy my toys.