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One Piece at a Time: My 1985 Diesel Suburban
- Thread starter AgDieseler
- Start date
Short answer would be 'no', but I had replaced or serviced every factory component since converting to R134a. And the lowest it ever got was 68 right on startup.
Definitely had an airflow issue with engine and transmission coolers mounted ahead of the condenser. That's now solved with the revised cooler stack.
Mostly, doing the intercooler right meant cracking open the AC, and I just took the opportunity to update and gain major underhood space - thinking about the future.
David
love this build. side note, every time I read the thread title I hear Johhny Cash playing the Psychobilly Cadillac song....
Just heard that on the radio last week!
Thanks! There is a correlation.
When I first heard that song, the ending stuck with me. "It's a 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54..." I immediately started counting the years represented on my project.
As of this writing, it's a...
76, 77, 81, 82, 85, 86, 88, 91, 92, 93, 96, 00, 03, 04...
David
Haha, love it!
Nice. Methinks you have some 2016 parts on there, too.
I also enjoy the title. My folks have been singing that song to me ever since I started piecing together my Blue truck. And I only scavenged 3 trucks to build that one. Or was it 4? 5?
Actually, I pulled minor parts from lots of trucks. I guess I earned their nickname.
Here is a summary of my fleet from a while back. The number of years represented only continues to climb. 
Not claiming to know everything about the parts business. But some of the questions are downright ridiculous (which is why I made fun of the windshield wiper questions).
And I'm often unsure how to best answer their questions. I have pieces of at least a dozen trucks, each from different years, floating through my fleet. And explaining my needs has become downright tedious. I regularly get lectures about how "the computer says this part won't fit your rig." So I have to be careful what I ask for.
Rig #1
If I want rear axle stuff, I have a 1997 G3500 express van
If I want front axle outers, I have a 1978 K20 pickup
If I want engine stuff, I have a 1982 6.2-powered [any-kind-of-truck]
If I want body stuff or front axle inners, I have a 1984 K10 Suburban.
If I want a fuel pump, I have a 1988 6.2-powered K10 Suburban
If I want a fuel filter, I hafta lookup a random NAPA number (no idea what OEM application was).
Rig #2
If I want parts for the back of my body (tail lights), I have a 1967 C10 pickup.
If I want parts for the front of my body or the chassis, I have a 1983 K10 pickup.
Same for engine parts, unless it involves the fuel pump (1988 6.2 Suburban) or the intake manifold (6.5TD of unknown year).
Rig #3
Body & engine from 1986 Blazer. Except that it's a CUCV, so it's really a 1984 model produced during the 1986 model year (). And then modified.
Rear axle from 1979 C20 or C30 (not sure)
Front axle from 1985 K20 pickup.
Transmission from a 1993 K3500 6.5TD dually.
Bell housing from 1986 SomethingOrOther
Clutch M/C & pedals from 1987 C10.
Seats from 1994 K1500
And then, being a CUCV, much of the electrical system doesn't match the part numbers in their catalog.
These are just the OEM parts that my head rattled off. Not to mention numerous aftermarket parts, and all the stuff that I forgot. Or the mods I have yet to complete.
My rigs just don't fit their questionnaire, period.
Excuse the crap photo, but a firewall of Dynamat makes the truck downright civilized. Not even back together, and it is distinctly quieter.
David
David
That is good news ^^^
I love your truck and admire your work David.
I really need to relocate my batteries, they take up a lot of valuable real estate.
I really need to relocate my batteries, they take up a lot of valuable real estate.
Thank you, and likewise.
It took a lot of copper to move those rearward, but it's been worth the effort.
David
I'd like to do the same, but with a sealed rectangular box where the spare tire well is now.
I never cease to be amazed at the craftsmanship displayed on this site. You guys keep me inspired.
Speaking of, I should have had my rig done several years ago. But I put our extended family ahead of my wants. Just had to spring for 4 new tires for my daughter last week. She was driving with her new baby & had a blowout. Good girl, she didn't panic.
We help the kids as long as they are making an earnest effort to get by. Now that we have 4 grandbabies, well it's going to get expensive.
I want to get my rig done so my oldest grandson and I can make the U.P. trip in a couple of years. That would blow his mind. I want to get him hooked on the great outdoors at a young age so he'll stay out of the bad stuff. He's 6 now.
Lord look at me, I must be tired. I'm rambling all over the place!
I never cease to be amazed at the craftsmanship displayed on this site. You guys keep me inspired.
Speaking of, I should have had my rig done several years ago. But I put our extended family ahead of my wants. Just had to spring for 4 new tires for my daughter last week. She was driving with her new baby & had a blowout. Good girl, she didn't panic.
We help the kids as long as they are making an earnest effort to get by. Now that we have 4 grandbabies, well it's going to get expensive.
I want to get my rig done so my oldest grandson and I can make the U.P. trip in a couple of years. That would blow his mind. I want to get him hooked on the great outdoors at a young age so he'll stay out of the bad stuff. He's 6 now.
Lord look at me, I must be tired. I'm rambling all over the place!
Work has been nuts, but I've managed to make some progress. A few short updates:
Mounted the firewall plate, and the drier on the fresh air cap
Bench assembly of the air handler. I installed it with studs so I could assemble on my own.
But not before covering the firewall with Dynamat; double thickness on the thin, flat areas.
Finished installing and bending the #6 and #8 lines through the core
Setting lines and their routing, and finally crimping. I ended up renting the crimper from Vintage Air.
And finally, the coolant filter and heater hose routing. This took some thinking to accommodate with the heater throttle valve and still maintain full flow through the filter and back to the radiator. Also made a few modifications to the air box to improve clearance for the power cables and #6 AC line.
Look at all those hose.
Looking forward to a Saturday of progress.
David
Mounted the firewall plate, and the drier on the fresh air cap
Bench assembly of the air handler. I installed it with studs so I could assemble on my own.
But not before covering the firewall with Dynamat; double thickness on the thin, flat areas.
Finished installing and bending the #6 and #8 lines through the core
Setting lines and their routing, and finally crimping. I ended up renting the crimper from Vintage Air.
And finally, the coolant filter and heater hose routing. This took some thinking to accommodate with the heater throttle valve and still maintain full flow through the filter and back to the radiator. Also made a few modifications to the air box to improve clearance for the power cables and #6 AC line.
Look at all those hose.
Looking forward to a Saturday of progress.
David
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I've had a box of it on hand for a while now. Ordered it for a project in 2002 and never got around to using it. Not sure it gets better with age, but I tend to hang on to useful (and not so useful) stuff.
David
She's all backing together, AC is blowing ice cold, and we cruised up to a drive-in for a SquareBody meet last night. She got a few looks, and head snaps when we fired up to leave. Good times.
Minor tweaks ahead:
David
Minor tweaks ahead:
- Change the oil - 100 miles on the new setup should have cleared out whatever debris might have been in the intake path
- Pull skid plate and check t-case linkages (hearing some rattles)
- LED bulbs for the boost, trans, and EGT gauges so brightness matches my Dakota Digital cluster
- Throttle bracket updates - flipped upper thermostat outlet provides tons of room for a new modular design
- High idle solenoid at the same time
- Put miles on this setup and run some trails
- Go camping
- Test intercooler efficiently with my new fancy-pants 4 channel data logger
- More Dynamat - doors are probably next; maybe roof
- Sway bars
- Spec out an S300 with Majestic Turbo
David
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Yay! It's more fun when you get to the camping phase of things! 
How did you like the Vintage Air AC?
Martin
Martin
I like it very much. It blows 50F at idle and 44F with just a bit of consistent airflow.
The kit is well thought out, and the only modifications were related to the hardware and mounting of the air handler and circuiting in a coolant filter. I used their largest condenser, and a new Sanden U4440 compressor. It all charged up as intended with 1.8 lbs of Freon.
The new cooler stack seems well suited to the fan clutch. It routinely and consistently engaged at 190F and disengaged at 175F. I'm reading my temps at the coolant crossover.
It was 96F yesterday afternoon on our way to the meet up, and it's powerful enough to keep us comfy. Windows were up and we eventually set the fan to half speed.
It actually blows colder than my dad's Duramax.
David
