1979 GMC Suburban 454

1979 GMC Suburban 2500 454
I am the second owner, the first owner used it only for trailering his show horses. The Suburban was used in the summer months, stored in a garage during the winters and undercoated at the dealer the day he bought it and it has held up well. It sat in his garage, covered, for the last three years because he bought a new Suburban and this one had a starting issue.(I will cover that later) This truck comes with all three rows of seats fully intact and working nicely, along with the rear A/C unit and speakers. It drives nice, just like an older Suburban should and the 454 has lots of power. I have a hard time keeping it under 70mph on the highway, I try to stay around 60mph-65mph just because the kids and I enjoy the drive. There are no unusual shakes or shimmies at any speed. It still has the original spare tire in the wheel well. The only rust that I can find on the truck anywhere is right behind the two rear wheels which looks to be fixable, otherwise there is not a spec of rust on the truck that I saw.
I do have some original paperwork from work done on the vehicle over the years but I will tell you what was told to me.
--The transmission was rebuilt twice, with a mild shift kit put in the second time and an external trans filter mounted under the hood
--The truck was repainted in the late 80's, it is a good professional job and shows nicely
--The bug deflector and sun visor were professionally installed in the 80's
--The distributor has been upgraded from a points system to H.E.I. in the 80's
--Also in the 80's a sunroof was added, it does not leak and looks like it could have come from the factory as they also refit the headliner perfectly
--The original steel wheels were swapped out for the mags on there now, I have 3 of the original steel wheels(need refinishing) and all the original hubcaps(in beautiful shape)
--The front bumper was replaced in the early 90's due to rust issues, this bumper has no rust anywhere
--The original radio was removed and replaced with a tape player. I do not have the original but the dash is not cut up.
--Two leaf springs were added to the rear of each side after purchase because he was pulling a trailer, the back bounces due to the stiffness but my kids love the ride
--The A/C was changed over to R134A
There isthe work I have done to the vehicle also.
--The starting issue was due to the timing being way advanced and kicking the starter back. A consequence was that it chewed up the fly wheel. So I pulled the trans(drained/ changed the fluid) and changed the flywheel but while I was under there I noticed a rear main seal leak. I pulled the pan, changed the rear main and also the main bearings. There were no noises or anything that caused me to change the bearings it was just that I was right there, on my back, and figured why not.(I planned on keeping this truck) I bought a new starter, fixed the timing and the problem is gone.
--It still did not start as strong as I liked so I mounted and external solenoid, cleaned up the grounds and installed a new Optima Battery. The previous owner had converted the battery and cables to top posts, with smaller gauge wires. I bought thicker gauge wires and changed it back to a side post system. It now starts and sounds as it should.
--Both valve cover gaskets were leaking so I changed them.
--Changed the plugs
--There was a billet grill on the truck, the original was included when I picked up the truck so I changed it back. I think the original has a better look. The billet grill will be included in this sale.
--The first and second row seat bottoms were reupholstered in the original material with the backs of each color matched because they pinked out from old age. The third row seat has not been touched.
--Was pulling hard to the left so I had all the wheels balanced and an alignment done.
--The heater controls were not working and I found a vacuum line pulled off the vacuum ball, I reattached and everything works fine.
As I said, the Suburban rides and drives down the road great. There has been some work put into it but it is mostly original and a great time capsule. It starts up a conversation every time I take it out. I was going to keep it but life has a way of making decisions for you. I am sure I am missing things so if you have questions please email me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
This truck is for sale locally and I reserve the right to end the auction at any time. Paymentis to be made in cash or money order only. Title transferwill take place only when money has cleared my account.
Thank you and God Bless.