Topic: Project RAMBUS

[46&2]

Alright, so this is my dad's 1990 Chevy Suburban, but due to a certain train of events this may end up being my new tow rig/project vehicle to tinker with when not working on the 4runner. Let me give you a quick history up until this point.

My parents bought this truck brand new off a Chevrolet show room floor back in 1989. It had something like 123 miles on the OD. Optioned out too the max: front and rear AC, third row seat, factory limo tint, etc. Lots of bells and whistles. Fast forward to 2002, I was a sophomore in high school and needed a vehicle, so when my dad wasnt using it this was basically my "first" car. Lot of good memories in this thing. 

Now we come to yesterday. So far this thing was pushing 295,000 on the odometer on a completely stock, original drivetrain: original 350, th350 (i believe is the tranny, not 100% sure), tcase, front axle, and drivelines. I was doing a burnout on pavement when I was 16 and I blew up the rear ring and pinion.  Otherwise, ALL original.

My dad gives me a call in the afternoon and says he broke down on the side of the road because he blew a radiator hose. So I tell him I will get my tools and come replace the hose for him. He calls back about 2 minutes later and tells me the radiator hose is the least of his concerns because he is pretty sure he blew the engine up. 

So I get there and find out my dumbass old man blew a radiator hose, knew it, but for some reason decided to keep driving. He ended up driving 5 miles with a silver dollar sized hole in his lower radiator hose before the truck finally died on the side of the road. 

The engine is toast. I have not heard it run, it was dead when I got there. So I am still pissed off that he would do something that stupid, even my mom knows better than to keep driving if you blow a radiator hose. My dad was going to scrap it too until I talked him out of it. I have wanted this truck since I was a little kid so no matter what, its going to be mine. He wants to send it to the junkyard and just get rid of it but I know there is a lot of potential in this truck and since it was paid off 15 years ago I will give him whatever he wants to take it off his hands.

So at this point I am basically presuming this is my truck. I will be the one doing all the repairs and I already did all the maintenance on it for the last few years. Once he decides how much he wants to sell it to me for it will seal the deal.

So enough rambling, heres the truck:

[46&2 [OP]]

[46&2 [OP]]

My plans at this point are simple. I am first going to start taking the 350 apart and trying to figure out how bad the damage is. I am not very optimistic but maybe its not as bad as I thought (yeah right).

After I tear it apart a little I will decide what to do. I am more than likely just going to try and find another 350 and just do an engine swap. I doubt there is much worth saving on that old tired 350 anyway, especially after driving 5 miles with no coolant flowing through is veins.

Aside from routine maintenance I don't have much experience with 350s and V8s in general, so any input is welcome. Also if anyone in the Nor Cal area (Sacramento) has a used 350 for sale let me know!

[GJToyotabug]

good luck

[KDXSR5]

This could be a beautiful truck. I love these suburbans. Rebuild the 350 and some 3/4 or 1 ton axles for it (this is assuming it is a half ton). Throw on an aftermarket carb. Worry about the transmission/t-case if they give you problems. Fix any interior/electrical problems. Maybe re-foam and re-upholster the seats. Throw in some new carpet. Give it a small lift and some 33 all terrains. Throw some paint down and enjoy your cool resto-mod. At least thats what I would do with it. Have fun with it, I know I would. I almost bought a 1990 blazer with the same paint about a year ago to resto-mod as a tow vehicle.

[46&2 [OP]]

This could be a beautiful truck. I love these suburbans. Rebuild the 350 and some 3/4 or 1 ton axles for it (this is assuming it is a half ton). Throw on an aftermarket carb. Worry about the transmission/t-case if they give you problems. Fix any interior/electrical problems. Maybe re-foam and re-upholster the seats. Throw in some new carpet. Give it a small lift and some 33 all terrains. Throw some paint down and enjoy your cool resto-mod. At leas thats what I would do with it. Have fun with it, I know I would.

Thats the thing though, it IS a beautiful truck! Aside from the fading paint on the roof and the hood, the body is totally straight except for one dent in the passenger door. For now I am going to rebuild or swap the 350 for a running one. Also no need for an aftermarket carb, its fuel injected  .

The tranny and tcase have always worked great, so I might throw a shift kit in the tranny but thats about it. No interior or electrical problems I am aware of, the interior is still in great shape. maybe replace the rear carpet as it has been a dog/hay/dump hauler for the last 8 years or so.

Eventually I would like to upgrade the axles (they are 10 bolts IIRC) and do a little lift but mostly just keep it stock.

The thing that kills me is my dad was just going to throw this thing away. If I hadn't came and found him that day broken down, the tow truck driver was just going to take it to the junkyard!! I got there just in time to save it. So in my eyes, he should just give it to me if he was so willing to throw it away like that. I am the kind of person that sees everything for its potential, he on the other hand sees it as a waste of money and time better spent just trashing it. 

[KDXSR5]

Thats the thing though, it IS a beautiful truck! Aside from the fading paint on the roof and the hood, the body is totally straight except for one dent in the passenger door. For now I am going to rebuild or swap the 350 for a running one. Also no need for an aftermarket carb, its fuel injected  .

The tranny and tcase have always worked great, so I might throw a shift kit in the tranny but thats about it. No interior or electrical problems I am aware of, the interior is still in great shape. maybe replace the rear carpet as it has been a dog/hay/dump hauler for the last 8 years or so.

Eventually I would like to upgrade the axles (they are 10 bolts IIRC) and do a little lift but mostly just keep it stock.

The thing that kills me is my dad was just going to throw this thing away. If I hadn't came and found him that day broken down, the tow truck driver was just going to take it to the junkyard!! I got there just in time to save it. So in my eyes, he should just give it to me if he was so willing to throw it away like that. I am the kind of person that sees everything for its potential, he on the other hand sees it as a waste of money and time better spent just trashing it. 

I cannot believe i forgot that it had fuel injection. They had TBI since what? 88? Anyways, sorry for the screw up.

If the truck is in that nice of shape, I would definately restore it. Fix engine. Fix the dent, paint it. New carpet. If you are going to use this to tow much of anything, I would strongly advise upgrading the axles. Those 10 bolts are pretty weak, especially the rear ones. My friends have blown a few 10 bolts (all my friends drive chevy/GMC, no other toyotas ).

The reason I said a small lift was because that rear end is SAGGY!! If you don't want to do a lift, at least throw an AAL or a helper spring setup in there to lift the back up a little. Lifts for those old trucks are cheap enough that I would just throw a lift under it. It is solid front axle right? If so, then lifts are pretty cheap.


He should give it to you. You will treat it right. I cannot believe he was just going to junk it! That would be one of the trucks we go to take parts out of at the yard, and end up just buying the whole thing to take home and rebuild. Like I said, it is a really nice truck.

[GJToyotabug]

yeah defiantly upgrade the the rear axle and i think those air bag kits 

[NorCalToy]

so now i see RAMBUS

[GJToyotabug]

i think its name should be little blue

[jimbo74]

hopefully he lets you keep it..... my parents are pretty much past the point of letting me keep anything anymore, if its in their name, and has problems, they will get rid of it and buy a new car..... kinda sucks... but its THEIR car.....

[KDXSR5]

hopefully he lets you keep it..... my parents are pretty much past the point of letting me keep anything anymore, if its in their name, and has problems, they will get rid of it and buy a new car..... kinda sucks... but its THEIR car.....

You would just roll it

[46&2 [OP]]

I cannot believe i forgot that it had fuel injection. They had TBI since what? 88? Anyways, sorry for the screw up.

If the truck is in that nice of shape, I would definately restore it. Fix engine. Fix the dent, paint it. New carpet. If you are going to use this to tow much of anything, I would strongly advise upgrading the axles. Those 10 bolts are pretty weak, especially the rear ones. My friends have blown a few 10 bolts (all my friends drive chevy/GMC, no other toyotas ).

The reason I said a small lift was because that rear end is SAGGY!! If you don't want to do a lift, at least throw an AAL or a helper spring setup in there to lift the back up a little. Lifts for those old trucks are cheap enough that I would just throw a lift under it. It is solid front axle right? If so, then lifts are pretty cheap.


He should give it to you. You will treat it right. I cannot believe he was just going to junk it! That would be one of the trucks we go to take parts out of at the yard, and end up just buying the whole thing to take home and rebuild. Like I said, it is a really nice truck.

I think it was 88, I don't really know. No need to be sorry. I don't actually know very much about chevys, I mean besides no brainer stuff. Since this was my dad's truck I did work on it from time to time but not enough to learn as much as I learned about my toyota.

This thing is in great shape and thats why I am so hell bent on keeping it. All it needs is a new/rebuilt engine and some love and it will be reliable for another 20 years. I think right now my dad is just so angry at not only himself but the truck as well and that is why he is insisting on selling it. Out of anger.

I do want to upgrade the axles for sure but at this point I have very little money to spend on my 4runner, let alone this thing. I told my parents I would pay for all the repairs and parts but I do have to get it running soon. For now though I have to take it slow. Engine is my top priority, everything else will come a lot later. The springs also need to be swapped, they are almost 20 years old and have been well used since the day we bought it. Gonna take a while though. I am trying to get a second job to get some more income because I need to do a lot of work on my Toyota right now too.

And I definitely agree that this thing has TONS of potential. I know it is HIS truck but come on. The old fart was going to throw it away like yesterdays garbage!! I will gladly make him an offer once he settles down a little from this whole incident.

[46&2 [OP]]

hopefully he lets you keep it..... my parents are pretty much past the point of letting me keep anything anymore, if its in their name, and has problems, they will get rid of it and buy a new car..... kinda sucks... but its THEIR car.....

Yeah it is his truck but I think right now he is just boiling and needs to blow off some steam from the incident. I am definitely going to offer him some cash for it and see what he says, right now he just wants me to tear it apart and figure out as much as I can before he makes any decisions on the matter.

i think its name should be little blue

Haha it actually has a lot of nick names among my friends, my favorites though are The Rambus and Tuna Boat

[Gittinit]

 semi float 14 bolt rear, keep the 10 bolt up front, look for a 6 liter, or simmular 3rd gen GM powerplant, then some 33's, load helper springs in the rear, extra trans cooler, and tow/haul shift kit in the 700r4, then youll be ready to tow in style with enough power to get up them hills. A tbi 350 is a great powerplant, but in a "tuna boat" of a surburban, pulling a trailer will be a struggle on anything other than flat ground. 

[NorCalToy]

TUNA BOAT!

[46&2 [OP]]

semi float 14 bolt rear, keep the 10 bolt up front, look for a 6 liter, or simmular 3rd gen GM powerplant, then some 33's, load helper springs in the rear, extra trans cooler, and tow/haul shift kit in the 700r4, then youll be ready to tow in style with enough power to get up them hills. A tbi 350 is a great powerplant, but in a "tuna boat" of a surburban, pulling a trailer will be a struggle on anything other than flat ground. 

Okay I wasnt sure if it was a 700r4 or a TH350. Yeah I really would like to do a big upgrade in the engine department but for now I just need to get it running again to do its monthly chores. Once I have money to spare for this thing I will start to upgrade but for now I just need to get it running. Thanks for the input though that definitely gives me a step in the right direction. I was thinking a 14 rear and maybe going 60 up front but since its not a wheeler maybe I will just stick with the front 10 bolt like you said since its only going to see 4WD action in the winter. Its not going to need to tow my crawler for a while so this will be a slow project.

[46&2 [OP]]

Well I got the hose off today, it really did not want to budge but I finally got it off. I didn't get much done because I was working on my 4runner too but hopefully I will make more progress tomorrow.

[Cheesemaker]

Just get a running block in that thing, and you'd be good to go!  I love the old school suburbans!  I wanted one for the family, before the gas prices dictated that I buy a minivan!   

[46&2 [OP]]

Just get a running block in that thing, and you'd be good to go!  I love the old school suburbans!  I wanted one for the family, before the gas prices dictated that I buy a minivan!  

Yeah, when my parents bought this thing it was less than $50 to fill the tank!!

[46&2 [OP]]

Okay so I got a new lower hose on but I decided to replace the upper radiator hose as well since it looks kind of old anyway. The radiator cap was practically melted onto the radiator but I finally managed to get it off and looking inside the radiator, there is a lot of corrosion and it was a little leaky anyway. I am going to the junkyard to look for some yota stuff tomorrow so I will see if I can pick up another radiator for cheap. Just something to get me by at this point.

Also after taking off the intake tubes and air filter and stuff, I noticed this tube. It goes from the passenger's side exhaust manifold to the intake tube before the air filter. Anyone know what the deal is with this thing? Obviously recirculating exhaust fumes but the way it is set up is really janky. its not tight or sealed whatsoever on either end and is also severely worn out. I was thinking about stopping at Napa to see if they have a replacement but somehow I don't think they will. I am just wondering if there is a better way for it to work by replacing it with somthing, in its current state it is probably releasing more fumes than it is recirculating. Also when I went to take the intake stuff off it wasn't even attached right, who knows how long it has been sitting there all exposed and open like that.

[KDXSR5]

Its a pointless contraption (IMO)... just get rid of it all together. Is it even doing exhaust gases? I thought it was just putting hot air into the engine. I will have to look at one of my friends old manifolds to see if it is even doing exhaust gases at all and not just doing hot air off of the manifold.


EDIT: Its just heated air... wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heated_air_inlet

[KDXSR5]

It just takes air from around the manifold, if there is a hole into the actual manifold, you probably need to get rid of that manifold with the hole in it, haha. But maybe I am wrong and this TBI stuff is different

[46&2 [OP]]

It just takes air from around the manifold, if there is a hole into the actual manifold, you probably need to get rid of that manifold with the hole in it, haha. But maybe I am wrong and this TBI stuff is different

Oh okay you are right. I just went out there and stuck my finger in it and it goes down like 3 or 4 inches and thats it. doesnt actually connect to the manifold. It sure looked like it though hehe. So that is getting tossed for sure. It seems more important for carb'ed engines than TBIs so I dunno. Unless its vital (which it doesnt seem to be) then I am going to plug the hole off in the intake tube.

[Cheesemaker]

Toss it and get one of these!

http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/751908/10002/-1/11349

[KDXSR5]

Toss it and get one of these!

http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/751908/10002/-1/11349

Throw some headers on while you are at it

[46&2 [OP]]

Toss it and get one of these!

http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/751908/10002/-1/11349

Throw some headers on while you are at it

Haha in due time. One step at a time, headers and a bling bling air filter dont do much for a truck that doesnt run

[KDXSR5]

This is true, but they will make it look pretty while just sitting there

[46&2 [OP]]

This is true, but they will make it look pretty while just sitting there

Yup, that is true. The 4runner is my first priority right now, and MCR is coming up fast.... LOTS to do on that thing

[46&2 [OP]]

Alright, not much in terms of updates. I have been working on my 4runner to get it ready for MCR and where the tow truck left the Rambus is in direct, 100°+ sun light for most of the day so I haven't been that motivated to do anything to it. I did find out however, that the transmission is a TH700R4, and the transfer case is an NP241. I am kind of teeter tottering over whether I should just rebuild it, or swap in a used engine. I am going to go to some engine rebuild shops and price out parts and stuff (new gaskets, seals, rings, polish crankshaft, touch-up hone, cleanup and checkout all parts, etc) and if it ends up being cheaper to swap it (which I have a feeling it will be) I will probably just do that. I have found some really good deals on 350s on pirate but they are all on the east coast. I know I can find one locally if I just hold out long enough. So if anyone in Northern CA (Sacramento area) has a used 350 for sale, let me know....