1972 GMC Suburban Resto-Mod front three-quarter imageWith a rebuilt 350CID small under the hood and an overall excellent appearance, today's Nice Price or No Dice GMC Suburban more than makes up for the fact that it's missing a door. Let's see what we think this quirky SUV from the Paleocene should reasonably cost.According to the media mavens at Mazda, the Miata roadster embodies "Mazda's car-making philosophy, 'Jinba Ittai,' which means horse and rider as one and expresses the type of fun-to-drive roadster engineers have intended to build since day one of the vehicle's inception." With its exceptionally clean presentation, the 1990 MX-5 Miata that came our way on Monday looked good enough to be a day-one car. At a $22,500 asking price, however, its next owner would no longer "be one" with a significant chunk of their bank account. Based on the comments, that price didn't play well with the vast majority of you. Those sentiments were reflected in the votes, which, when the dust settled, came out in a sizable 83% 'No Dice' loss. Rocking the suburbs1972 GMC Suburban Resto-Mod driver's side imageThe term "Suburb" may seem modern in colloquial usage, since the idea of suburban communities really gained traction following WWII, when new neighborhoods were built to accommodate the massive wave of returning veterans and their families. In fact, the term goes back much further than that, first appearing in English in the fourteenth century as a loanword from the French suburbe. The French word was itself taken from the Latin, suburbium, meaning an outlying area of the city—a little bit country, and a little bit rock and roll.General Motors first applied the name "Suburban" to a model in 1933, on a specially built version of the Chevrolet Master station wagon. Save for a hiatus during WWII, the Suburban nameplate has graced a Chevy truck every model year since then, making it the marque's longest-serving nameplate. For a while, GMC got on the Suburban bandwagon too, as evidenced by this restored 1972 K2500 4x4 edition. This was the last year for this "Action Line" series of trucks, and the last to be offered in a weird three-door hatchback-wagon body style that made the leftmost middle-row seat an unsafe space for claustrophobics. Special K25001972 GMC Suburban Resto-Mod 350CID engine imageOdd as it may be, there's lots of versatility to be had with the Suburban. First off is the space. This wagon shares its 127-inch wheelbase chassis with the eight-foot-bed pickup, meaning it can haul a lot of stuff. That's underpinned by a stout part-time 4WD system, for which the seller claims this particular truck has an even beefier 14-bolt rear axle. Respectful of its age and purpose, this is an almost completely analog truck, with manual window winders, door locks, and 4WD selection. It's not completely uncivilized, however. It does have front and rear A/C, a tilt steering column, and a few other niceties we'll get into in a sec.Much of that comes from the restoration this truck has gone through. That work included replacing the rocker panels, applying a new coat of paint to the exterior, installing new suspension (including that fancy rear axle), and a spate of other work. Freshened up1972 GMC Suburban Resto-Mod driver's seat imageIt all looks exceptionally nice and tidy, if a little bit of a mixed bag of different eras, as though it went to a Taylor Swift concert and got ideas. The exterior, in light olive with a white roof, appears perfectly period correct with its white-painted steel wheels and copious chrome. It also looks large and in charge, even if people might be weirded out by the lack of a rear passenger door on the driver's side. Way to pinch pennies, GMC! Admittedly, there is a roll-down window there so egress, while difficult, is not impossible.Under the huge hood sits what is described as a fresh Small Block 350 (Chevy, one might assume) and a corporate TH350 three-speed automatic. That feeds a Dana 44 transfer case, which, in turn, sends power to the front and rear live axles when called upon.Facebook MarketplaceThe interior features a good bit of updating, including power seats and a steering wheel from a 1998 Suburban. Those seats are covered in seal-skin seat covers, and aren't just oddly upholstered. Other updates include fresh carpeting throughout, added sound deadening, an NVU gauge package, a fresh wiring harness, and a Bluetooth stereo, because nobody listens to the radio anymore. Additionally, the restoration included new glass for the windscreen and vent windows, as well as a new wiper motor. The truck has done a claimed 300 miles since the work was completed and comes with a clean title. Taking stock1972 GMC Suburban Resto-Mod rear end imageConsidering the popularity of overlanding these days, there's a lot of appeal to a turnkey truck that not only has the prowess to push into the bush, but also the room for secure sleeping quarters when it's discovered just how scary the prospect of sleeping amongst nocturnal predators out in the boonies can be. Since writing up the details on this listing, it's been updated as sold. So, someone out there thought it was worth the cash, but we still want to know if you think this truck was worth the $37,500 being asked to fulfill such a scenario.What do you think? Does this resto-mod truck's appeal extend to nearly forty grand in cold, hard cash? Or for that much, do you demand four doors, minimum?You decide!Hat tip to Bill Lyons for the hookup!Help me out with Nice Price or No Dice. Hit me up at robemslie@gmail.com and send a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your commenter handle. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and add us as a preferred search source on Google.
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