1981 Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4 Suburban. Bought in 1998 for $2300. had a 350, TH400 automatic, NP208, 14-bolt semi-floater rear, 10-bolt front, 4.10 gears, primer grey with red interior, ready to be painted.
Long before I got it, I had the color scheme picked out... dark blue green metallic and silver. So, thats what I painted it. I even bought actual real automotive paint and used a real paint sprayer and painted it myself. (no rattlecans) For a while there, I painted a few rigs the right way (including the blue '77 Suburban at the front of the line; the '81 Suburban is 2nd one back). I used a Saturn car color for the dark blue/green metallic, and a generic light silver. I put on running boards and other add-on stuff inside and out.
The 350 over time started smoking, and I toyed with the idea of another big block. Then I decided to go big block... and also convert it to a 4spd manual and NP205. Then I figured why not lift it too. And if I'm going to lift it why not put a full floater 14-bolt in the rear and get rid of the semi-floater. I also finally changed the interior from red to grey.
So I got a whole 1976 Suburban for parts which had a newly built 454 in it and 4" lift. Some guy had spent and had receipts for over $10,000 into the Suburban (and the body was rusting away). I got it for $2500 minus rims and tires, and used the 454 and lift and parted out the rest.
The donor Suburban:
The 454 was bored .020 over with flattop pistons, 781 heads, it was a 1974 dated block and heads. Had an Edelbrock cam, Edelbrock Performer intake, and headers with Dynomax Exhaust. I swapped the motor, exhaust and lift kit into my '81, as well a an SM465 4spd and NP205 from another parts truck, and a 14-bolt full-floater and Dana 44 front with 4.10s, and some 33" tires on aluminum directional rims I traded for.
Over time it went up to a 6" lift and 35's, and added a Warn 8274 winch on home-made multi-mount up front, a Dana 60 front axle, light bar, etc...
Right now it is on blocks undergoing more changes... a different 454, an NV4500 5spd and NP205, 14-bolt rear with 4.56's and Dana 60 with 4.56's.
November 2008: Still waiting for me to get time for it.
All of The Fleet: Since I'm limited to 10 rigs and have more than that.
