A Family-Friendly Hot Rod Challenge

Building an economical hot rod for the family can sometimes be a problem, especially when there are five people to think about. Alan Langston faced this dilemma.

Choosing the Right Platform

Langston, a longtime rodder and home builder, has owned several awesome rides in the past, including a ’63 Corvette convertible, a ’51 Chevy pickup and an ’84 Chevy street truck. The only problem with all of these cars is that they are two-seaters—one driver and one passenger. Alan and his wife, Amy, have three boys who absolutely love hanging with their dad at the rod shows. Since Alan and Amy needed room for Sam, Jacob and Trace to ride when going to and from the local rod runs, they decided to build a vehicle that would provide enough room for five, and plenty of room to load up and go on trips. Alan decided that since he’d previously owned a ’51 and loved it, the ride would be an Advanced Design Chevrolet.

Finding the Right Project

While looking for the new project, Langston stumbled upon a ’49 Suburban and panel truck four hours from home in Indiana. The owner had 25 to 30 vintage rides to choose from, but Langston knew the Suburban was exactly what he wanted. A deal was struck, and $2,800 later he had a new project. Once the new truck was home, Langston began calling his buddies and getting the build lined up.

Bodywork and Exterior Transformation

Langston decided the body would be the first piece of the puzzle to be laid in place. Dick Scully lent his hand in the transformation of the exterior sheetmetal. Bodywork just happened to be something the truck wasn’t short on, so the two got to work as soon as possible. Being that the Suburban was for utility and not for luxury, the roof was quite high. Scully and Langston took 3 inches out of the lid to give it a sleeker profile. The owner decided to go ahead and lean the windshield back to help with the sleek look. Next the hood received the smoothing treatment, and the ridged running boards were tossed in favor of new, smooth units. The hood emblems, door handles and any other unnecessary trim disappeared, thanks to the welder and filler.
Out back the Suburban changed dramatically. The duo frenched the taillights into the rear and fabricated a custom rollpan. While they were ridding the truck of any unwanted trim, they decided to shave the rear hinges and insert a third hidden brakelight in the body. When the body modifications were complete, the next step of getting everything fitted to a new chassis was in order.

Chassis and Suspension Setup

When it came time to decide on a chassis for the truck, Langston explored all the possibilities and options and decided upon a Fat Man Fabrications pre-built chassis. The Fat Man roller frame came with high-quality square tubing rails, a complete Mustang II front suspension and a four-link equipped with a 9-inch rear. Inside the Ford rear are 3.38 gears that help the Suburban scream down the highway.
The Mustang II is fitted with Fat Man’s 2-inch drop spindles, polished tubular control arms and Air Ride Technologies airbags. A power rack-and-pinion helps Langston steer the 4,600-pound rod in and out of tight spots. Air Ride Technologies airbags are also used in the rear. Keeping the extremely large cruiser flat and stable through corners are front and rear sway bars with NAPA shocks. Langston decided that he would provide his family with safe braking, so he installed Wilwood disc brakes on all four corners.

Big-Block Powerplant

Now that the frame was complete, it was time for an engine. Langston knew he wanted power, so he chose a 502-cubic-inch big-block Chevrolet for the project. For those who don’t already know, the 502 big block produces 450 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque. The big block is an 8.75:1-compression motor and features a high-lift roller camshaft. The fuel and air are mixed through a Holley Street Avenger 770 carb. Clean air enters the carb through a Hilborn-style air cleaner.
The GM valve covers are painted to match the exterior, and spark is delivered via an MSD 6AL ignition box. The water pump, alternator, A/C and crank are all operated with a high-tech serpentine system built by B&B Streetrod. The GMPP crate 502 is delivered sans an exhaust system, so Alan picked up a set of Sanderson headers.
Bolted behind the 502 is a Turbo 400 transmission with a B&M trans cooler and a 2,800-stall converter. TSI, located in Addison, Illinois, built the 400, which uses a Retrotek push-button shifter.

Paint and Final Assembly

With the new engine and chassis complete, the reassembly was begun one last time for fit and clearance. Once Scully and Langston had the truck bolted back together and double-checked everything, the final disassembly process began. Langston tore the truck back down and the paint process began.
The paint came from PPG, which mixed up a batch of Copperhead Metallic and a rich, deep black. The lower half of the Suburban received multiple coats of black, while the upper half received the Copperhead Metallic treatment. Once the basecoats were dry, Scully and Langston treated the Suburban to a hot set of custom flames.
With the paint now dry, the two could begin reassembling the Suburban. The old headlights are gone, and in their place are new Jaguar tri-bar-style headlights, as well as a new Rock Valley stainless steel bumper. Next Langston installed polished mirrors and wiper caps. Filling the fenders are 16×7 and 16×9 Billet Specialties Legacy wheels. Out back, Langston reassembled the Cadillac taillights that are recessed into the rear sheetmetal.

Interior and Electrical

Now that the team had finished with the exterior, it was time to move on to the interior and the electrical. Bob Keith wired the Suburban to operate the new GMPP engine, as well as all the interior creature comforts. Before any upholstery went in, Langston covered the interior with Dynamat sound deadener.
A Flaming River polished tilt steering column mounts an American Racing Hopster steering wheel wrapped in black leather. The dash is no longer curved and covered with unneeded knobs but is super smooth, with a simple set of Auto Meter gauges that delivers all the needed info.

Comfort, Audio, and Air Conditioning

Langston, along with his wife and kids, now rides in comfort thanks to Corbeau GTS seats that are upholstered in beautiful dark vinyl. The custom console, which houses the A/C controls, electric shift, cup holders and power window controls, is covered in root-beer-colored leather. The same leather also covers the sculpted door panels and the speaker box.
This Chevrolet Suburban has some serious jam inside, which includes a Sony DVD stereo with Boston Acoustics speakers, subwoofers and amps. These components, along with the passengers, stay cool with the help of a Vintage Air A/C unit.

A Proven Family Cruiser

So far the Suburban has taken home the Eagle One Excellence Award at Goodguys Waukesha, which happened to be the very first event that the Langstons attended with their brand-new Suburban. The hot hauler provides the family with plenty of room for cruising to and from shows, as well as for hitting the fairgrounds on the weekend. The Langstons love their Chevrolet Suburban, and it has turned out to be the best family vehicle they could have conceived and built.