Phillip Waddell is known to be a man with a bigger plan for his diesel truck. Not long ago, Waddell took his 2007 Dodge Cummins from an average stock and outfitted it with enough power to make a grown man cry. This time, he decided to bring a little life back into his 1977 Suburban. Like his Dodge, the Suburban came to Waddell stock, but didn’t stay that way for more than a day. He started swapping out the old engine with a 12-valve Cummins and pouring performance into the ‘77 Suburban the day it rolled into his garage. Waddell turned it from an unassuming old-school driver into a 537 horsepower street racer.
Peak Performance
Waddell has always had a love for rolling coal, but his desire for diesel isn’t just limited to the later models on the road.
“I’ve always wanted to do a classic conversion,” says Waddell with a smile. “I saw the Suburban and immediately knew I wanted it, and the deal was way too good to pass up.”
Once he made it back to his home in Burleson, Texas, Waddell started to make his dream of a classic conversion come to life. Wasting no time, he went after horsepower with an Industrial Injection 64mm turbo and an Industrial Injection Dragonfly P7100 pump to keep up with the extra power of the new turbo.
With the pump, a set of modified Bosch 370hp injectors were set in. Waddell followed up by installing a custom delivery valve to introduce more fuel for a little extra burn. There was already a significant difference in the Suburban’s response, but Waddell knew where he wanted it to be and there was still much to be done before he could call it a day.
Next on Waddell’s list of performance installs were a fresh set of ARP head studs and Hamilton valve springs, followed by a trip under the truck for an Industrial Injection three-piece exhaust manifold and a 4-inch turbo back exhaust. The icing on this cake didn’t come until Waddell made his way back to the transmission.
Originality At Its Finest
All of the power he was putting in was like singing the same old tune over and over. But for his classic conversion, he wanted it to be genuine.
“A lot of the older Suburban conversions I see on the road today have either the Dodge auto or manual transmissions put in. I never saw one with an original GMC turbo 400 in it,” says Waddell. “But that’s what I wanted to see in mine.”
Waddell headed over to Mike’s Trick Shift in Weatherford, Texas, and had them rework the GMC turbo 400 transmission to handle an excess of 1000 pounds of torque. The transmission itself was an older three-speed, but power is the name of the game. Waddell added a Gear Vendor overdrive as a fourth gear, which lowered his rpm’s and gave his engine the power to push 75 miles per hour at a cozy 2100 rpm’s. The previous upgrades gave power, but the original GMC transmission gave it style and flair, which in a classic, is a thing of beauty.
When all was said and done, the old ‘77 Suburban made its way from a gentle giant to an engine-screaming, tire-burning, 537 horsepower beast. Waddell finally had the classic he wanted, but his originality wouldn’t let him stop with this build until the old ‘burb was sitting pretty.
Gussied Up And Ready To Go
It was now time to focus on the aesthetics. Waddell replaced all of the lights with new original style housings and bulbs, but that’s where the restoration ended. After having the entire body coated with Line X Extra bed liner and wrenching in a set of Fuel Boost wheels and Street Michelin tires, the humble Suburban look disappeared and it became a street racing, armored tank. Waddell had found his perfect street truck and realized his dream of doing a classic diesel conversion. Now the only thing to do was put that power to the test. Waddell took his new build to the race track and let his 12-valve Cummins do the talking, which left everyone else in a smoke screen before they realized they never had a chance.
