As the seller puts it, this 1982 Chevrolet Suburban is a beast! They definitely aren’t wrong, with plenty of space to carry the entire family and a freshly rebuilt 454 V8 to move it down, it’s kind of a monster. The seller had plans to restore it and got some of the work done but is currently having health struggles that are keeping them from working on it. Rather than let it sit outside any longer, they’ve decided to list it as a Barn Finds Auction! You can bid on this beast below. It’s located in Valley Farms, Arizona with a clean title.
In 1982, you could get the Suburban in several trim levels. This example is the highest of those, the Silverado, which means you get all of the luxury features that were available. It definitely wasn’t a Cadillac, but for the time this was a very comfortable SUV to travel in. And having the 454 V8 paired with the C-20 chassis and tow package means you have plenty of power for highway cruising or the needed strength to tow a trailer. It’s currently rolling on a set of new tires, including a new spare, with less than 10 feet worth of use on them.
The seller had the engine rebuilt a while back and did a ton of work to it, unfortunately, they came down ill before being able to put any miles on it. The 454 has been fully rebuilt with new pistons, an RV cam, a new distributor, an Edelbrock intake, and an Edelbrock 600 carburetor. While the engine was out the TH400 was inspected and a new filter went in prior to installing all new gaskets. New engine mounts were installed when the engine went back in, as well as new fluids and an auxiliary belt. Unfortunately, that’s as far as the seller got on it, so it still needs an exhaust system from the headers back installed and the A/C system reinstalled (if you are so inclined). Since it’s been parked it would also be a good choice to get the fuel tank flushed and the fuel lines cleaned out. The seller also notes that the steering column shaft needs some work (photos of the problem area are included in the gallery below) and the hood release cable needs to be replaced.
Having spent its life in the hot Arizona sun, this Suburban is sunbaked but very solid. The paint has seen better days, but we would take sun-damaged paint over a poorly done respray any day. With a find like this, you know exactly what you’re getting. We would focus on getting the truck back on the road before addressing the cosmetics and depending on what our goals were for it, we would either have it repainted in the original color combo or just treat the rust and leave it as is. Since it just appears to be surface rust at this point, the latter might be the best place to start and if you decide you want to make it look like new, a respray would take it to the next level.
Inside, you’ll find all of the original components still in place. After sitting in the dry desert, the interior is very dusty. A good cleaning will reveal what can be reused and what will need to be replaced. The beauty of these Suburbans is that they shared parts with their pickup truck siblings, meaning you can get just about every part to make it like new and for surprisingly reasonable prices. The dash is said to have a few cracks but the upholstery looks like it will clean up and the headliner is said to be in good shape. All of the windows roll up and down as they should. Overall, with a good cleaning this interior could easily be put back into service as is.
Given the seller’s current health issues, getting lots of photos was a bit of a struggle, but they really want to see this project go to a good home. So, if there are any specific areas you’d like a better look at, please let us know in the comments and they will do their best to take more photos of the area and send them over. This project has a lot of potential and having a fully rebuilt 454 is a huge plus. If it looks like the kind of find you’d love to take on, be sure to bid. And don’t hesitate to leave any questions in the comments below.
- Location: Valley Farms, Arizona
- VIN: 1G8GC26W1CF125534
- Engine: 454 V8
- Transmission: TH400 Automatic
- Title Status: Clean
Bid On This Auction
Matt Bishop bid $2,100.00 2022-10-25 14:05:57
Projects bid $2,000.00 2022-10-25 14:02:58- Matt Bishop bid $1,850.00 2022-10-25 13:59:56
- Projects bid $1,750.00 2022-10-25 11:32:23
Rx3 bid $1,500.00 2022-10-25 09:21:53
Saabman bid $1,350.00 2022-10-25 09:07:56- Rx3 bid $1,250.00 2022-10-24 17:42:21
- Matt Bishop bid $1,000.00 2022-10-24 12:19:35
sschwitters bid $900.00 2022-10-24 12:04:39- Matt Bishop bid $800.00 2022-10-24 09:31:22
- Saabman bid $700.00 2022-10-23 14:04:20
- Matt Bishop bid $600.00 2022-10-20 07:26:52
- Projects bid $500.00 2022-10-20 07:00:26
- Matt Bishop bid $300.00 2022-10-20 05:42:09
- sschwitters bid $200.00 2022-10-19 22:08:14
- Matt Bishop bid $100.00 2022-10-18 09:42:29
Wow, a 454 shot in FOMCO Blue?
Owned one of these once same year. Bought it new. Biggest POS I ever owned.
I can’t tell the shade of blue for sure, who knows how accurate my monitor is, but it appears to be the factory correct shade of GM corporate blue. The Ford blue looks a little bit lighter. They ended the orange sometime in the 70’s. The correct color for my ’79 Vette engine is blue. It’s sitting at top dead center, so probably…? Hopefully it isn’t a rattle can re-build.
Ah.
This is my listing so if you have any questions or want additional pics please ask. Thank you.
Good enough for part’s we need more metal products to make after it’s parted out!
Why do so many people leave out 2 little words when they say something like “and the hood release cable needs replaced?” It should be “and the hood release cable needs to be replaced. Without the “to be” there is no verb in the sentence. Sorry if I seem too picky.
I’m with you on this one, Jeff…or just say “hood release cable needs replacement”…
I’m out…Good luck Projects and the rest. This looks like an awesome find!
Whoa 5 grand?….lol …these were junk when new!!!….and there’s a Peter Dinklage somewhere in the steering column??