We’ve all been on one. I’m sure if you think about the road trips you’ve taken, you can’t help but crack a smile at the adventures. What better thing to do in these challenging times than get back to enjoying simple pleasures, close to home, with family and friends? That’s what I was thinking when a late night eBay purchase led to one of my favorite family vacations with my four children!
As soon as I hit the “buy it now” button, the dream was launched… restoring a tired 1972 Suburban, with 195,000 miles. One year later, I cinched the last pack to the roof rack and stuffed my kids into the family heirloom. I knew my dream was about to come true. As we turned onto the freeway in Tacoma Washington, we had no idea of the adventures that awaited us… especially in a newly restored truck that hadn’t even been around the block more than 3 times! We were off for Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, and the Grand Tetons with the Suburban… a 2,200 mile adventure with enough tools and supplies to handle anything along the way.
Rolling out of the driveway… looking for adventure of days gone by.
The Vehicle: A complete, frame-off restoration was done by my trusted friend Louie Shefchik and his talented crew at J&L Fabricating in Puyallup, Washington. This was a very special truck long before I got it. The options list, which is located on the inside of the glove box, is a mile long. Someone really took the time to order just what he wanted and then babied the thing its entire life. The paint had always been Tangier Orange with a white top and bottom accent stripe. As the old paint was soda blasted away, to my surprise, it was a truly “rust and accident free” truck. It took a year to do the restoration and it went right down to the wire, delivered only hours before we were to embark on our trip.
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Simplicity never goes out of style… no buzzers, bells, airbags or government-mandated depression.
I kept the old steering wheel; there’s something about grabbing onto a large wheel… you feel as if you are in command of something special. The same goes for the gauges… there’s nothing like big, old school gauges that are easy to read, and set off by a bright orange dash. It’s a far cry from the dreary, black dashes of today. Even the AM radio was left in its original location, and though it doesn’t work too well, the chrome dials look way cool.
The original, slab-sided, vinyl bench seats were replaced with seats from a 2000 Suburban. They were re-upholstered in original Chevy Camaro Orange & Black houndstooth. Other thoughtful touches rounded out a very stock looking, yet comfortably modern interior.
Under the hood, a standard GM 350 crate motor replaced the one rebuilt in the 80’s upping the horsepower from 210 to 350. Dual batteries were one of the original options and they were re-installed along with much cleaner plumbing for the entire air conditioning system. The Burb had rear air to begin with and we got that working right as well. I recall looking in the rear view mirror to see my daughter wearing a blanket when it was 95 degrees outside… talk about a smile on my face! A dual snorkel air cleaner from a Z28 topped off the engine compartment. It’s a real work of beauty.
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Getting onto the highway for the first time, and easing over into the fast lane, I looked over at my son with raised eyebrows and said, “This thing hauls!”. The truck ran like a freight train, and we needed to, as we had to get to the XXX Drive-In in Issaquah before it closed for dinner… we just made it with 10 minutes to spare. Even though it was fully loaded with a roof rack of gear, and its 40 gallon fuel tank, it blew by cars of lesser stature as families in modern hardware were slack jawed the old truck could keep up and pass them anywhere. Five, huge hamburgers later, our bellies were stuffed and we were off to Spokane!
The miles racked up… Spokane, Missoula, Kalispell, Glacier National Park, Bozeman, Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole, Idaho Falls, Boise, and finally home. Everywhere we went, smiles came out of the woodwork. Questions about the engine, the color, “I remember my father’s ‘72″, and the most common one of course… “You must be crazy for doing this sort of trip in this old of a truck!”
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I wasn’t crazy, I was just looking for time away from everything… driving, thinking, and talking to my kids brought back memories of my childhood. There’s nothing like an All American Road Trip to put a smile on your face. It was great to spend those precious moments with the children before they get up and fly away… come to think of it, there was no fighting, bickering or moaning at any time! I think my children also got sucked into the calming spell that only these classics provide. It was all worthwhile when one of the boys said; “I can’t wait to take my children on a trip like this in the Burb.” I said, “Son, this is a family heirloom, and you can borrow it for your family any time.” At that moment a smile graced my face. My dream, planned over a year ago was realized… almost bringing tears to my eyes.
Have fun in your garage, or out on the road!
Richard Griot
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PS. Besides the occasional teething problems such as small leaks, exhaust bolts that dropped out at the collector pipe, and poorly adjusted headlights; the car ran flawlessly and got us back in one piece. Would I carry all the spares and tools on the next trip? Nah… she runs just as well as the modern version.
PSS. I would like to thank my Mother and Father for taking me out of school for a year when I was 11 and showing me what a real adventure was all about. We camped out every night in a 1971 VW Campmobile, and after touring Europe for 5 months, we dropped down into Africa and crossed the Sahara, navigated the Congo, nearly got killed by an elephant in Tanzania, and limped down to Cape Town. Now THAT was a real adventure!
PSSS. See more pictures of the Suburban on our Flickr page.
Do you guys have any great road trip stories? Let’s hear ‘em in the comments!
August 3rd, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Far cooler ride than the ones from my childhood road trips: ‘74 Mustang II; ‘77 Dasher 2-door; ‘84 Chev Celebrity Eurosport.
(Only the Eurosport had air-conditioning.)
So, what are you going to do with the truck now that the trip is over?
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:47 pm
It’s Rob, your college roommate.
Your Great American Road Trip reminds me of Richard’s & Rob’s Excellent Adventure: do you remember when we drove your 1970 911S cross-country to Boulder in the summer of ‘81? And the rotted electrical system finally gave up and killed all the lights somewhere in Nebraska? And we “showered” in the swimming pool of some lonely eastern Colorado motel?
After many years and miles, I still laugh about that weekend. Long live the road trip!!!
August 3rd, 2009 at 5:04 pm
My fiancé at the time (wife now) and I did the road trip in our brand new 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer ES with the economy package (that’s where they take anything of value and make it not work, giving the true feeling of an econo box).
Our trip was up to Montreal through Cape Cod and then down from Canada through Vermont. 12 breweries, three cheese factories, one famous ice cream factory, and two casinos later, we have more memories that you could stuff in a home made scrap book. Also, an aversion to eating too much warm cheese…. but that’s another story.
Thanks for sharing Richard! I’m jealous of the truck and inspired by your trip!
August 4th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Thanks Richard for a great read! This reminds me of my first childhood road trip in my mom’s 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. I was stuck in the back seat of this car all the way to Aurora, CO down to Disneyland, and back home to Tacoma. Not the most comfortable ride, but a fun one for sure. I would have much rather ridden in the back of a spacious truck like yours. My dad has seen this article and loves your truck! In fact he is quite jealous of your truck! Maybe it is time for another family road trip? I’m excited for one!
Thanks again Richard!
August 4th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Reminded me of the family road trip when I was 12. My Dad brought home a huge, long, brand new, ugly, white LTD. We left Puyallup the next morning at 9:00 am headed for Disneyland. At 9:30 am all three girls fell asleep. We woke up about 10:30 am. Three pieces of smuggled in bubble gum embedded into the 24 hour old back seat. The entire trip, even a motel near the Grand Canyon, my parents asked advice how to get gum out of upholstery.
Thanks for sharing the great story. Long live the family car trip!
August 4th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Great story Richard!
I will always remember many family road trips in various volkswagens. Perhaps the most painful was the many times we squished a family of 7 into our 1971 Type III wagon… As the second to youngest I had to sit in the cargo area of the wagon, which was incidentally over the engine. Taking trips through the mountains of New Mexico while sitting over a poor overworked engine in a car that only had two windows that fully opened, unforgettable!
January 21st, 2010 at 12:28 am
Gabi, that’s crazy that you guys put 7 people in a squareback! I thought 5 was tight in mine! haha Sounds like that trip wasn’t the most comfortable, but like you said unforgettable. Indeed!
And Richard, I liked your story very much. I hope to do that kind of trip with my future family of my own and a classic.
August 4th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Thanks for the great read Richard – and the encouragement to get out on the road; it’s a wonderful experience. As a kid my folks took my sister and I to Florida from Quebec in a 1968 Beaumont Convertible – not exactly a great road car, but what a blast. I bought a sombrero in South Carolina and my dad had to figure out how to pack the silly thing the rest of the entire trip. I actually learned a new word or two listening to my Dad! Still, being on the road, eating bad food (and some really good food) with the family were times that rank amongst the best of my younger life and one I duplicated with my own children. Road trips rule!
August 4th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Ahhh, the good old days. Road trips when I was a kid also involved a ‘72 Chevy Suburban….although not nearly as nice! We DIDN’T have any heating in the backseat until my dad’s friend rigged some up to keep our toes from freezing. Most of the time our road trips involved hauling a travel trailer for camping, my brother and I fighting over who got to sit next to the door (only 1 door in the backseat), and trying to get my dad to drive faster! Good times!
August 8th, 2009 at 7:26 am
Richard:
Thanks for sharing the story of your road trip. My first road trip was at age four in 1959. We lived in Cocoa, FL and drove to Disneyland in California in a 1957 2-Door Ford. No air, big engine and during the summer. I remember my Dad talking about stopping mid-way on the trip and purchasing a window mounted air cooler. This provided many laughs when my Mother would pull the rope to dampen the pads and a blast of water would hit the side of her face. I’m sure Mom was not concerned with her hairdo on this trip! Our family has taken family road trip vacations every year with our kids and the tradition continues with them as well. I have also introduced my son and son-in-law to Griot’s with annual Christmas gifts. Love your products!
August 9th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Very nice wrok and I love to see a Suburban treated to a frame off restoration! Richard needs to use this vehicle to tow his Porsche 935 into Laguna Seca for the Monterey Historics, that would be the icing on the cake.