Searching for My Dad's 1979 Chevy Suburban

[TheHoundsman]

great place to start. Nothing is more annoying than a car that is just too loud. Not fast, not cool, not sweet, just annoyingly loud. Since I moved to the country i have yet to hear another loud ass forking car haha.

great place to start. Nothing is more annoying than a car that is just too loud. Not fast, not cool, not sweet, just annoyingly loud. Since I moved to the country i have yet to hear another loud ass forking car haha.

I hear ya. I am looking for appropriately loud!! lol

 

[TheHoundsman]

I have been spending time just cleaning the burb. There was a lot of cleaning to do.

 

[TheHoundsman]

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[HotWheelsBurban]

I have been spending time just cleaning the burb. There was a lot of cleaning to do.

144 cubic feet of space, and it's all icky by this point. I remember cleaning each of our 5 square body Burbs as we got them. At least two of them had any colonies in the cargo area, from people leaving food scraps back there. And of course lots of dog hair. Burb owners tend to have large shaggy dogs, it would seem....no offense intended for any of y'all! And when these trucks were newer, everyone smoked, especially in the truck. So there's years of nicotine stains to scrub off too....

 

[TheHoundsman]

144 cubic feet of space, and it's all icky by this point. I remember cleaning each of our 5 square body Burbs as we got them. At least two of them had any colonies in the cargo area, from people leaving food scraps back there. And of course lots of dog hair. Burb owners tend to have large shaggy dogs, it would seem....no offense intended for any of y'all! And when these trucks were newer, everyone smoked, especially in the truck. So there's years of nicotine stains to scrub off too....

You are so right on the cigarettes. The ashtray was full and I found this under the seat. In a weird way it brought back some fond memories. My dad used to smoke Marlboro Gold (not 100’s). I also found this picture of us driving on the beach in his Suburban ( I think Daytona). You can see the cigarette in his hand. Flashback to a different time. A couple of years later my mom put an end to smoking in the truck. At least when she was in Truck. If it was just he and I he would reach down press that lighter, wait for it to get cherry red, light up and look over to me and say “crack your window”. I loved everything about it.

 

[TheHoundsman]

Quick question. After driving the truck a few times here and there, I went out yesterday morning and when I tried to start it “nothing”. Turned the key and lights came on but not real strong and then when I moved the key all the way forward I got nothing. No clicking just simply no sound. I am assuming I have a starter issue but I would have thought I would at least hear some clicking. My dad thought me the tap on the starter trick and see if that gets it moving (I’ll try that this morning) I was just wondering if you guys had any other suggestions. Thanks as always.

 

[Goldie Driver]

May be as simple as a battery gone dead. Do the headlights still come on full strength ?

 

[TheHoundsman]

May be as simple as a battery gone dead. Do the headlights still come on full strength ?

That was my fist thought as well since it had to be jumped when they delivered it. So I left it on the charger over night and nothing in the morning. I did get a new battery because it would have needed it anyway and even with the new one. Nothing. Just tried tapping the starter and that was not it. Looks like a tow to the shop is in my future.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

That was my fist thought as well since it had to be jumped when they delivered it. So I left it on the charger over night and nothing in the morning. I did get a new battery because it would have needed it anyway and even with the new one. Nothing. Just tried tapping the starter and that was not it. Looks like a tow to the shop is in my future.

I had a battery and starter die at the same time on my OBS Burb. Had it in a shop I used to use, for something else to get fixed,and it wouldn't start, so they could back it out of the bay. On a lift, starter on a Chevy is a really quick job....

 

[gmbellew]

did the headlights get full bright with the new battery?

 

[TheHoundsman]

I had a battery and starter die at the same time on my OBS Burb. Had it in a shop I used to use, for something else to get fixed,and it wouldn't start, so they could back it out of the bay. On a lift, starter on a Chevy is a really quick job....

I have been watching some videos on it. It does not seem hard. I might give it a try.

 

[Grit dog]

That was my fist thought as well since it had to be jumped when they delivered it. So I left it on the charger over night and nothing in the morning. I did get a new battery because it would have needed it anyway and even with the new one. Nothing. Just tried tapping the starter and that was not it. Looks like a tow to the shop is in my future.

I’d dive in and fix it. Gonna be a long expensive project if something little like this requires a tow truck and $150/hr to diagnose and repair.
Can help you start diagnosing if you’d rather spare the tow.
Knowing this is an old running driving vehicle where basically everything is either original, unverified or of questionable age and competency, start with the easy stuff.
See if the starter is drawing any power. Not likely if you didn’t hear the solenoid click. Lights will dim when you turn the key of the starter is pulling power.
If not, first jump the solenoid on the starter with a screwdriver. If no big sparks and no crank or at least click then no power to starter.
Inspect/wiggle/or just replace battery cables if they’re old and crusty.
Check for 12V at solenoid when turning key to crank.
While it’s possible it’s the ignition switch (jumping the starter with a screwdriver will allow it to crank w a bad ignition switch), or associated wiring from the steering column to the starter, it’s much more likely something under the hood.
Bad cables bad ground, bad solenoid trigger wire, bad starter solenoid, bad starter motor.
For the cost of the tow and the shop for just a couple hours, you could buy all new components and the tools to test and fix it.
Tryin to help.
I feel bad for folks like the guy I bought my C10 from who handed me a stack of over $15k in receipts, not including the purchase price of the truck when he bought it (although I think his dad gave it to him).
Then I handed him $7k and drove away with it.
Idk your budget or how you plan on distributing that budget. But The difference between diy and someone else doing the work is orders of magnitude different. Plus while this is a sentimental build, the ROI in Suburbans is far less than pickups. Many things cost twice as much or more like restoration things, interior, paint and body, because there’s more to replace or paint. Mechanical and drivetrain is the same $.
But apples to apples, Burbs are worth considerably less than a comparable pickup.
Only hope of not being waaay upside down is at least doing the simple stuff yourself.
Best news is, you have a plethora of old squarebody mechanics and fanatics here to get help from.
Now go get ‘er running!

 

[Grit dog]

I suspect if you dive in you’ll find the issue without too much hassle. After all it ran yesterday, right?
Good luck man. Ask a lot of questions and you’ll get er done.

 

[TheHoundsman]

did the headlights get full bright with the new battery?

did the headlights get full bright with the new battery?

They appeared to.

I suspect if you dive in you’ll find the issue without too much hassle. After all it ran yesterday, right?
Good luck man. Ask a lot of questions and you’ll get er done.

yeah it was running yesterday. Took the little lady to dinner in it lol. Bench seat worked like a charm. I’ll just keep at it. Trial and error. I appreciate the advice

 

[fofiddyfo]

Don’t forget to check your grounds!!