The 1997 disaster movie “Dante’s Peak” had three main characters: USGS volcanologist Harry Dalton, played by Pierce Brosnan; Mayor Rachel Wando, played by Linda Hamilton; and Harry’s decked-out 1987 Chevy Suburban, played by itself. After the movie, the human actors continued their successful careers, while the big red Suburban movie car faded into obscurity — until now. After rusting away in a Massachusetts barn for ten years, Greg Ward of Greg’s Restorations has found the Suburban, bought it, and will be giving it the restoration it deserves.
If you don’t remember, “Dante’s Peak” was a disaster movie set in a fictional town in Washington. Loosely based on the events of the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens, the film follows volcano expert Harry Dalton, who tries his best to warn the residents of a charming Pacific Northwest town that a local volcano is about to blow. Of course, nobody listens to Dalton, because otherwise there wouldn’t have been a disaster movie. He drives a bright red Chevy Suburban with a lot of custom off-road equipment that the United States Geological Survey would never have paid for in real life, but looks really cool in the movie.
About four or five Suburbans were used in the filming, depending on who you ask. One was destroyed while filming a river crossing scene, and others went their separate ways. The Suburban being restored somehow became a daily driver in Massachusetts. It then sat in a barn for ten years until Greg Ward recently acquired it, intending to return it to its former glory.
In rust we trust
To say Harry’s Suburban is in rough shape would be an understatement. As a literal barn find, it doesn’t run, despite the help of a jump box. The real issue, though, is the rust. Any daily driver in Massachusetts suffers from the dreaded winter road salt cancer. Having spent much of my life there, I learned to devote 80 to 90% of my time for any repair to busting those old rusted parts loose, or breaking them and dealing with the aftermath. This Suburban shows all the classic signs of this type of rust in the rocker panels, rear quarter panels, and pretty much anywhere that salty, slushy snow gets sprayed on the body while driving in it.
Fortunately, the underside looks quite good for a New England car. The frame and floor have only minor surface rust, which is easy to remove. It’s easy to find replacement body panels from LMC Truck and the original wheels and other parts were included, which should make this an easy restoration.
This isn’t Greg Ward’s first rodeo; he’s already restored a “Back to the Future” DeLorean as well as Marty McFly’s Toyota Tacoma, so he ought to do well. But first, he wants to get it running, take it off-roading, and get the full Harry Dalton experience, hopefully without the volcano eruption.
