Vehicle Description
1972 Chevrolet C20 Suburban
By 1967, the Suburban or "carryall" was in its sixth generation and
the recreational vehicle market was steadily increasing. During the
six years of the 6th generation of production, build numbers more
than quadrupled and Suburban's were seen as an adventurous and
roomier alternative to station wagons. Chevrolet could not have
anticipated these early Suburbans would become classic ancestors to
the ubiquitous presence of SUVs on the road today, now used more
for parking lot adventures than mountain treks.
For consignment, a 1972 Chevrolet C20 Suburban that remains very
original and comes with its window sticker, order form and
Protect-O-Plate for this 53,015 non verifiable mile heavy duty
hauler. The original 402ci V8 and classic good looks with two tone
paint. Per our consignor, it just needs some tlc on the heating and
cooling system and would be perfect towing your vintage
trailer.
Exterior
Grapefruit yellow, the factory correct color, floats the expansive
white roof that was common and popular on trucks in the late'60's
and early '70's. Beyond the paint, what you notice about this
vehicle is its sheer size, nearly 216 inches long with a wheelbase
of 127 inches. Based on the C/K line with 8 foot beds, the rear
quarter stretches well past the rear axle and long windows resemble
the sneeze guards at Shady Maple, (PA's largest buffet restaurant),
it's a lot of glass to take in the sights of national parks. Much
like early minivans that came later, back seat occupants had an
access door on one side only and while eventually deemed
inconvenient, it sure is a cool design feature to have asymmetrical
doors. While the design is epic and now rare to see, she's not
without some patina and imperfections. Notable invasive rust is
seen on the rocker panels and plenty of bubbling is numerous other
places, and some surface rust issues along with pitting in some of
the metal.
Interior
Sheridan design occupies the upper panel of the door panels which
are molded Parchment plastic between body colored steel and all
three doors are in good shape but do show withsoiling that should
easily clean up. The scroll design continues in the center of the
front vinyl and cloth bench which also presents in lightlysoiled
but tear free condition. Tubular metal frames hold the second row
bench which mirrors the vinyl pattern and manages to include an
ashtray in the armrests and everyone has very good leg room. The
brown plastic steering wheel remains crack free and shares the
brown column with the shifter and indicator window. There's a
little bit of patina on the black plastic gauge cluster panel and
gauges which include a 100 mph speedometer and the very basic
information needed to operate this big rig. In the center of the
Grapefruit painted metal dash is an aftermarket AM/FM/Cassette
unit, the standard A/C levers along with an added clock,
thermometer and the chrome air vent. The flat glove box completes
the rather utilitarian design of the dash. Clean brown loop carpet
on the floors appears to be newer and it looks good along with the
white perforated headliner and overhead vent system which helps
distribute air to the back of the bus. Way on the back there is
expansive room, and the carpet is lined by an all weather mat
showing some dirt, soiling, and abit of usage.
Drivetrain
All just the way it left the factory when we open the hood, we see
a drivetrain thatcontinues the original and slightly patined theme.
It's a 402ci V8, the factory correct unit and is topped with a
4-barrel carburetor and set into motion with a TH400 3-speed
automatic transmission which sends power back to the Dana 60 axle
with 3.54 gearing. Power brakes have a newer master cylinder and
consist of discs up front and drums out back with new brakes and
wheel cylinders.
Undercarriage
Plenty of patina in the form of surface rust, and some of it
pitted, underneath. One crossmember has surface rust, rather
significant, but the main frame is in good shape. We've got some
caking around the steering knuckles but no visible leaks. Dual
exhaust finds FlowMaster mufflers and exits through chrome tips on
each side behind the rear wheel. While underneath, we note some
light surface rust on the bottom of the doors.
Drive-Ability
We light a fire under this Flint born vintage SUV and of course the
4-barrel lights up the V8 without hesitation. We hear a nice
exhaust note in the far distance and roll this vacation vehicle
onto our test loop where the high stance and greenhouse effect
provide king of the road like visibility. The 402 has adequate
power and the brakes work well to slow this behemoth. The A/C is
not working as the compressor has been removed and the heater core
will need replacing, but everything else on board worked as
designed. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions
were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee
these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
The flat face and simple tail light design on this 6 passenger
truck, along with the two tone paint make it pure Americana. These
were the station wagons for the more rugged set, the more
adventurous families, and frankly, the families with more kids.
She's gained some patina since 1972 but she retainsheroriginal
drivetrain and a slew of paperwork. We don't get many sixth
generation Suburbans at Classic Auto Mall and this one is worthy of
consideration.
CCE262F133313
C-Chevrolet
C-4x2
E-V8 Gasoline
2-3/4 Ton
6-Suburban
2-1972
F-Flint, MI Assy Plant
133313-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
