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The Story Of A Cummins Suburban (Lots Of Pics)
- Thread starter mosesburb
- Start date
I know, right?
Martin
Martin
I think the only thing epic about the trips are how epically slow I am at posting the pics. I have a bunch of stuff from recent events to post, but I have to finish up my early summer trip here.....
Thanks. You just needed to tap the superpowers that your rental car had. In a previous lifetime I used to fix the underside of rental cars. I KNOW they can do some crazy stuff. I would have paid money to see what some of these cars did to come in with the damage they came in with.
Thanks!!
Thanks, I'm glad you liked them and didn't feel like you got ripped off time-wise. Best build thread ever?? That's a helluva compliment right there. Thanks man!!
How did YOU not know about this one............It's a stick shift and it's got hub caps
These are a few of my favorite things......
KamikazeRedneck
Registered Member
I also just found this build a couple days ago and I love it! I lived in Cave Creek, Az for 9 years and I have been almost everywhere you have gone when I was a kid and it brings up a lot of old memories. I just hope to have my suburban running well enough to do what you do every once in a while. Great build and keep it coming so I can re-live my childhood. Subscribedfor sure!
Very cool!! Glad you like it!!
So at some point during our travels with Bill, he reminded me about Chaco Canyon. I had learned about it in some classes I took in college and have wanted to check it out ever since, but it is not exactly on the way to anywhere. It is, however, not too far out of the way for a flyby when departing Durango. Sure, why not?? Sounds like fun.
It takes some driving on a dirt road to get there. Something we can handle. This dirt road has some industrial strength washboards. Oof. We made it though.
Now Chaco Canyon was a massive cultural center or *city* for its time. It was basically the Washington DC of its period--complete with power struggles and corruption. It is amazing how much development was present.
Now keep in mind, this is only a couple pics and this is only what is left of the civilization. It is real hard to imagine how huge this place was back in its day. Amazing.
Gratuitous truck shot:
So we headed out a different way than we came in. The way we went out put us on I-40 at Thoreau. Unfortunately, the road was not paved and had washboards that made the industrial strength washboards on the way in feel like subtle expansion joints on a super highway. Misery ensued. 10 mph, 35mph, 65 mph, 2wd, 4wd, nothing mattered. This road surface was awful. Now, it looked fine, but it drove like horrid ****. Once we got off of that dirt, we had a new appreciation for pavement. Like the road was paved with pillows. We made it through the reservation, seeing some neat sights along the way. We hit 40 and headed west. Not far into Arizona we hit the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest.
This is called Newspaper Rock. Pretty neat.
After passing through the Painted Desert, we arrived in the Petrified Forest. This place is so cool.
So we exited the park at the south end which put us on US180 headed toward Holbrook. We rolled up there and got on I-40 once again. This chunk of 40 parallels the US66 route so some of the old road houses are still visible from 40.
Here it is!! (or was...)
The old Twin Arrows Trading Post from the Route 66 days. It too is defunct now.
San Francisco Peaks in the distance getting lit up by the setting sun:
So we rolled into Flagstaff about 20:00 and hit up a random Choke-N-Puke for some vittles. While there, we discussed a plan for the evening. I was not too hip on the idea of paying for a room in Flagstaff and I wasn't really in the mood to find a campsite in the dark after the long day we had so far. We all decided to point the truck down the hill and put it in the driveway instead. So that's what we did. One hour and forty minutes later we rolled into the driveway. Eight days. Four states. 2100 miles. About 105 gallons of fuel (I drove some extra on that last tank before I filled up). 2100/105= ~20mpg. Not too bad for an old Suburban that weighs a lot and is not too aerodynamic.
All in all we had a great time. It was a lot of fun traveling with Larry and Lynn and also Bill when he was able to join us. We got to see some really cool stuff along the way. I learned a lot about the equipment we brought. Some of what worked and some of what needs improvement or even needs to be left at home. Even though, when the math is done, we averaged just under 11mph for ever hour on the trip (including sleeping time and trails etc), we never felt like we were rushing through anything. We would take some time to stay here or there until we felt like moving on. There was no rush or push to get here or go there, even with Larry and Bill as they seem to share our idea of how to enjoy traveling. It sounds hard to believe with all that we did and saw, but it was fantastically relaxing. I don't think I/we could have enjoyed it more.
It takes some driving on a dirt road to get there. Something we can handle. This dirt road has some industrial strength washboards. Oof. We made it though.
Now Chaco Canyon was a massive cultural center or *city* for its time. It was basically the Washington DC of its period--complete with power struggles and corruption. It is amazing how much development was present.
Now keep in mind, this is only a couple pics and this is only what is left of the civilization. It is real hard to imagine how huge this place was back in its day. Amazing.
Gratuitous truck shot:
So we headed out a different way than we came in. The way we went out put us on I-40 at Thoreau. Unfortunately, the road was not paved and had washboards that made the industrial strength washboards on the way in feel like subtle expansion joints on a super highway. Misery ensued. 10 mph, 35mph, 65 mph, 2wd, 4wd, nothing mattered. This road surface was awful. Now, it looked fine, but it drove like horrid ****. Once we got off of that dirt, we had a new appreciation for pavement. Like the road was paved with pillows. We made it through the reservation, seeing some neat sights along the way. We hit 40 and headed west. Not far into Arizona we hit the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest.
This is called Newspaper Rock. Pretty neat.
After passing through the Painted Desert, we arrived in the Petrified Forest. This place is so cool.
So we exited the park at the south end which put us on US180 headed toward Holbrook. We rolled up there and got on I-40 once again. This chunk of 40 parallels the US66 route so some of the old road houses are still visible from 40.
Here it is!! (or was...)
The old Twin Arrows Trading Post from the Route 66 days. It too is defunct now.
San Francisco Peaks in the distance getting lit up by the setting sun:
So we rolled into Flagstaff about 20:00 and hit up a random Choke-N-Puke for some vittles. While there, we discussed a plan for the evening. I was not too hip on the idea of paying for a room in Flagstaff and I wasn't really in the mood to find a campsite in the dark after the long day we had so far. We all decided to point the truck down the hill and put it in the driveway instead. So that's what we did. One hour and forty minutes later we rolled into the driveway. Eight days. Four states. 2100 miles. About 105 gallons of fuel (I drove some extra on that last tank before I filled up). 2100/105= ~20mpg. Not too bad for an old Suburban that weighs a lot and is not too aerodynamic.
All in all we had a great time. It was a lot of fun traveling with Larry and Lynn and also Bill when he was able to join us. We got to see some really cool stuff along the way. I learned a lot about the equipment we brought. Some of what worked and some of what needs improvement or even needs to be left at home. Even though, when the math is done, we averaged just under 11mph for ever hour on the trip (including sleeping time and trails etc), we never felt like we were rushing through anything. We would take some time to stay here or there until we felt like moving on. There was no rush or push to get here or go there, even with Larry and Bill as they seem to share our idea of how to enjoy traveling. It sounds hard to believe with all that we did and saw, but it was fantastically relaxing. I don't think I/we could have enjoyed it more.
Yup, a PERFECT trip!
Happy Birthday!! Have a good one! 
And as always looking forward to reading more about your adventures.
And as always looking forward to reading more about your adventures.
Happy Birthday "moose burb".
Thanks guys. Yeah, so far so good. I took the day off and have spent it running around picking up parts from places that are closed on weekends. Fun times.
Awesome, awesome, awesome 
Happy B day
Great pictures and write ups, I always look forward to your updates, your thread is honestly the only one I a) won't check on my phone because I want the "big screen" to see the pics, and b) I wait until I have no interruptions so I can take my time reading all the captions and enjoying the pics
I also wanted to tell you that I have revised my cummins K5 build plans a bit due largely in part to this thread and your rig. I had been planning on a BIG power bigger tired rig but the more I think about it, I would really like to be able to use it more the way you use the burb. So, hopefully in the next year or so I may be able to begin posting some "stories of a Cummins powered Blazer" inspired from yours
Happy B day
Great pictures and write ups, I always look forward to your updates, your thread is honestly the only one I a) won't check on my phone because I want the "big screen" to see the pics, and b) I wait until I have no interruptions so I can take my time reading all the captions and enjoying the pics
I also wanted to tell you that I have revised my cummins K5 build plans a bit due largely in part to this thread and your rig. I had been planning on a BIG power bigger tired rig but the more I think about it, I would really like to be able to use it more the way you use the burb. So, hopefully in the next year or so I may be able to begin posting some "stories of a Cummins powered Blazer"
inspired from yours
Awesome, awesome, awesome
Happy B day
Thanks.
Great pictures and write ups, I always look forward to your updates, your thread is honestly the only one I a) won't check on my phone because I want the "big screen" to see the pics, and b) I wait until I have no interruptions so I can take my time reading all the captions and enjoying the pics
Very cool. Thanks.
I also wanted to tell you that I have revised my cummins K5 build plans a bit due largely in part to this thread and your rig. I had been planning on a BIG power bigger tired rig but the more I think about it, I would really like to be able to use it more the way you use the burb. So, hopefully in the next year or so I may be able to begin posting some "stories of a Cummins powered Blazer"
I look forward to following along
. I have gotten some pm's over the years telling me how I can make so much power out of my motor and blah, blah. The way I look at it is this thing has plenty of power to pull itself and all of our associated gear up any hill at any speed as it sits. I don't feel the need to make it go faster or whatever when it is doing what it does now without even breaking a sweat. The less it works, the longer it lasts.
Awesome, awesome, awesome
Happy B day
Great pictures and write ups, I always look forward to your updates, your thread is honestly the only one I a) won't check on my phone because I want the "big screen" to see the pics, and b) I wait until I have no interruptions so I can take my time reading all the captions and enjoying the pics
I also wanted to tell you that I have revised my cummins K5 build plans a bit due largely in part to this thread and your rig. I had been planning on a BIG power bigger tired rig but the more I think about it, I would really like to be able to use it more the way you use the burb. So, hopefully in the next year or so I may be able to begin posting some "stories of a Cummins powered Blazer"
When I posted my antagonistic vid clip in your thread, I realized I never posted it in mine.
Another vid swiped from Larry (coming out of Hole in the Rock):
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I love that truck and the scenery isn't bad either , and yes you are most definitely "one of the cummins swap guys" who are killing me between you and "eat soot" I REALLY need to get back to work on mine.
.......Thanks
and the scenery isn't bad either , and yes you are most definitely "one of the cummins swap guys" who are killing me between you and "eat soot" I REALLY need to get back to work on mine........Thanks
Eat Soot
1/2 ton status
Moses, loving the video please post more as you get them. Cant help but notice the CAC peeking through the grille! Such a bad ass burb....20mpg, turbo, 1ton, 5 spd, crawling all the while 42 degrees in cab! Still jealous.
I love that truck
Yes you do.
Thanks. Yeah, when you wheel southern Utah in the middle of summer (who in their right mind does THAT??), you need to have a/c that works well. I prefer to wheel in climates where a/c is not a REQUIREMENT, but this was a great run and being that we had a/c, it was a non-issue.
Meh, I don't think you have too much to be jealous over as yours looks like it turned out pretty good. Finish up all the little stuff and you'll be posting pics of your own from remote locations soon making the rest of us jealous.
y5mgisi
1 ton status
I wanna make people jealous 
subscribed
I'm only on page 7 of this masterpiece
I'm only on page 7 of this masterpiece
found your brother. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=543924
I wonder if he'd want to trade bodies with my Sub?? LOL.
