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Project Polar Bear: '89 V2500 Suburban

Finally got around to mounting the rear bumper this weekend. Not a rear bumper most people would probably use but it is a factory GM pickup rear step bumper and the price was right plus a rear step bumper makes it easier to crawl in and out of the back of this thing. This bumper also beats the heck out of the stock Suburban rear bumpers that wrap around the corners that are only good for caving in rear quarter panels with even the slightest of bumping, which was probably how the right rear quarter panel got goofed up on this thing in the first place.

Also took the Q78 Super Swampers/white OEM wheel combo off for a while as I don’t want to wear them out just cruising it around town. For the time being I moved the well-worn 315 all terrains from the K10 onto the Suburban to run out the rest of the life on them.

All it needs are lights on top and a few crosses in the windows and it would look like an Ambulance! :haha:
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Planning to have the front driveshaft built and have the front windows tinted this week, then after that it is time to move efforts to the inside. I’ve been driving this thing for a year without a radio or 12 volt accessory power (Cig lighter is missing the complete power wire). If all goes well, a NV4500 5-speed will go in around Decemberish too.
 
While I must say the bumper does look a little out of place, it still looks good. Besides, form follows function! Looks good on its street kicks too!
 
i like that bumper too. my '91 has the puny chrome bumper that is little more than cosmetic.
 
lookin' great Larry! I've always loved the 89-91 suburbans....and white in particular!

Keep up the great work!
 
Thanks for the kind words guys.

Got a few piddly things done to the Polar Bear today. It got front shafted and ridded it of the rattily hack job speakers the previous owner installed in the rear A/C cover. After several months of boneyard surfing, my favorite junk yard finally got a Burb in with the same color interior that I was able to swipe the rear A/C cover from.

Getting real anxious to ditch the dump truck shifting SM465 4-speed viewable in this picture for a NV4500 5-speed, but until then at least it is a 4x4 again. The shaft has been fitted with some fresh joints big enough to make Bob Marley envious.
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Somewhere along its 23 year life span someone hacked up the rear A/C cover and did a horrible job of mounting a set of cheap speakers back there. After months of searching I finally found a donor Burb with the same color interior to pirate the A/C cover from.
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Much better! No more rattley bang bang now. Almost like a virgin again :rolleyes:

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The Polar Bear has a date with the window tint guy Monday to get the rear windows and front glass done.
 
Nice Build thread Larry. I have been watching it over on Expo Portal. We will be painting ours white soon, hehe we may have matching burbs!

I do have a couple of questions.

1 is that the 4" ORD shackle flip kit?
2 What springs did you go with for the front?
3 What size of tires are the swampers? 33's?
4 Are you still using the original rear springs?

and when you get a chance I have first photo up of the winch bumper I have been working on over on my build thread.

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=301237
 
pma4x4 said:
Nice Build thread Larry. I have been watching it over on Expo Portal. We will be painting ours white soon, hehe we may have matching burbs!

I do have a couple of questions.
Click to expand...

1 is that the 4" ORD shackle flip kit?
Yes, siree.

2 What springs did you go with for the front?
Not sure exactly, they are old springs that were on my ’78 K10 when I bought it back in 1996. I replaced them with 6” Superlift softrides around 2007 or so. These reused springs are probably some cheap Rancho or Superlift 4 inchers.

3 What size of tires are the swampers? 33's?
The Swamperss are Q78 X16 that measure in around 35.5 x 10.5. I’ve been running these on my K10 for over 10 years and really like them. The set on white steel wheels are an old set I removed from the K10 in 2009 when the K10 got a fresh set. The Sub and K10 both have 2 pairs of tires and wheels each depending on the mood and destination.

4 Are you still using the original rear springs?
On this Suburban, yes…the rear springs are the stock OEM springs.


and when you get a chance I have first photo up of the winch bumper I have been working on over on my build thread.
Yeah, I saw that and was thinking it was amazing you went from poster board to steel so quickly. Are you playing time warp forum games with us? The bumper looks great! I wouldn’t mind having a pair of those for myself.
 
Larry, that is still the poster board in the pic . I wanted a full mock up period. I do hope to have these in production by Christmas. I'll post better pics and full specs tomorrow. Just keep in mind this bumper is a full DIY weld bumper if you are seriously interested.
 
pma4x4 said:
Larry, that is still the poster board in the pic . I wanted a full mock up period. I do hope to have these in production by Christmas. I'll post better pics and full specs tomorrow. Just keep in mind this bumper is a full DIY weld bumper if you are seriously interested.
Click to expand...

Dang! Poster board looks like the real deal in black paint and mighty strong to hold those red shackles too boot. The engineering design must work regardless of the material! Saw Wheat!

I am interested in yours but more interested in finding a pair of old Warn or Ramsey winch bumpers, not because they are the best or strongest bumpers ever built, but more for the sake of weight savings. Mosesburb found me one Warn bumper that will arrive at my house in November that will find its way onto one my rigs (probably the Polar Bear) but I still need one more. The K10 is already overweight for the purpose I use that truck for so I don’t want to spend $,$$$ for an overweight/over kill bumper.

None the less, I love your design and curious to see what you need for one of those kits once you get it dialed in.
 
What is the weight limit you are trying not to exceed? Also the Bull bars and bumper section will be add-ons to the center section. so its optional.

I am pretty sure the bumper is going to be well under $,$$$. I am thinking more $$$:D

Are you talking about the old Warn Trans4mer series bumpers? I have been kicking around the idea of reproducing the old warn bumpers but I need to check into any possible legal issues with it first.
 
Probably 100 lbs or higher for the bumper alone without a winch is what I am trying to avoid. The old Warn Classic bumper are pretty light (probably under 80 lbs, if that). The old Warn and Ramsey bumpers I am thinking about are much different than the Trans4mer. I never was a big fan of the Trans4mer.


This is a Warn Classic winch bumper. I like the classic looks that just looks "right" on the old trucks.
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That one! Got it. It would not be hard to reproduce and keep the weight down. all the strength is in the center section and the bumper ears are just kind of there to make it look whole.

I can drop around 20lbs just by not having the lower sections of the bumper so it would be open like the Warn underneath. Also looks like warn is using much lighter steel. 1/8 or .062" on the bumpers ears? Part of it maybe I am used to having to have a bumper beefy enough to bounce a whole vehicle off of a boulder while trying to climb it and not tweak at all.

I think with the Fullsize trucks they may not be worried so much about approach angles and bouncing the bumper off of boulders. I chose to put the winch on top of the frame rails to have a better approach angle

I may draw something like that up today. Can you tell me how thick the top flat piece is on that bumper?
 
I'm with you Larry. I love those bumpers! I plan on one day replicating it out of something heavy and getting it chromed!
 
pma4x4 said:
That one! Got it. It would not be hard to reproduce and keep the weight down. all the strength is in the center section and the bumper ears are just kind of there to make it look whole.

I can drop around 20lbs just by not having the lower sections of the bumper so it would be open like the Warn underneath. Also looks like warn is using much lighter steel. 1/8 or .062" on the bumpers ears? Part of it maybe I am used to having to have a bumper beefy enough to bounce a whole vehicle off of a boulder while trying to climb it and not tweak at all.

I think with the Fullsize trucks they may not be worried so much about approach angles and bouncing the bumper off of boulders. I chose to put the winch on top of the frame rails to have a better approach angle

I may draw something like that up today. Can you tell me how thick the top flat piece is on that bumper?
Click to expand...

Yeah, the outers were made of pretty thin metal and like you say, all of the strength was in the center section where the winch mounts. I don’t know exactly how thick they are and don’t have one in my possession to measure at the moment as Mosesburb still has the one he found for me at his house in PHX. I’ll be getting that one in November. I probably won’t be in the market for a second winch bumper too soon as I have other projects going first (Polar Bear getting a NV4500 and I have a D60 to drop into the K10 then a 8.1L swap into the Polar Bear).


y5mgisi said:
I'm with you Larry. I love those bumpers! I plan on one day replicating it out of something heavy and getting it chromed!
Click to expand...

Funny, I’ve been looking for a clean used Warn or Ramsey (actually the Ramsey version of this bumper was better built) for years and every time a used one pops up it is chrome. Me not much of a fan of chrome so I have passed on those. I was almost about to settle on a chrome one with the plan to sand blast and paint it then Mosesburb found me a nice used painted one for $60. My buddies and I have been ridding our trucks of bright chrome work on large chrome surfaces as they are blinding hazards when we take our annual big excursions around the desert. My old chrome tube grill on the K10 got canned for a black painted OEM grill for the sake of saving my buddy’s eye balls when I follow him in the desert. Chrome don’t get’cha home :haha:
 
I made a bumper similar to the Warn out of 6" X 12" channel and 1/4" steel diamond plate. I got the metal from a local scrap yard and i total with welding rod I think it cost me $75. Wine without the bumper weighs around 125lbs but I also made it out of some thick steel and also had it stick out 3' from the front of the truck for storage. The nice part is that now I have a place for my tools, a seat, table and it makes it much easier to work under the hood. I bet you could make something similar but out of a lighter metal or smaller channel and easily make it below your weight limit.
 
Thanks for the info Patrick!

Got the front door glass, vent wing and rear door windows tinted yesterday. This should help the interior from becoming so UV damaged around here.
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Got a big box of goodies on the way from LMC to replace door seals and a few other odds and ends.
 
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