Project- Suburban HD

'05TJLWBRUBY

Adventurer
Parts means you have a plan. :)

Ha! I do indeed! :) Just no time unfortunately. Lots of room for front suspension work now with engine gone but haven't had even a second to get to the shop and play. Next step in progress will be loose front axle assembly and mounting tires to maximize steer angles on lower links/frame so I can lock down front suspension links and plan for shock mounts. I have a pretty darned good looking suspension layout on paper that numbers wise should be great for handling and performance/overall drivability but what looks good on paper doesn't always work out how you want in the rig. Really itching to see how close I can get it, should behave very nicely if I can pull it off. I was really hoping to have this thing rolling by year end, but this late in the year, it's going to be very difficult at this point. Time will tell. My little girl is growing up so fast, this build is supposed to be our family rig for adventures so I need to get on it, and quick...

Best of Luck,

Mike
 

'05TJLWBRUBY

Adventurer
Testing PB pics active again...

Ended up buying a boat to spend time with family. spent all summer with wife and daughter out 4-5 days a week all summer long having family fun, catching lots of fish and chasing salmon, had an absolute blast. Haven't touched Suburban HD in months now, but working on getting shop cleaned and organized to get back to work.

Best of Luck,

Mike
 

GabAlmighty

Observer
Boats are fun! Glad you got to enjoy needed family time.

Excited to see this thing finally done. A guy on my old 4x4 forum in BC back in the day SAS'd one of these on 40's and his build thread was the same level of detail as yours. Can't wait to see the finished product.
 

'05TJLWBRUBY

Adventurer
So minor update to this one. I've done a little work on Suburban HD but nothing pic worthy. Did make a new purchase possibly could be considered an "upgrade" of sorts. Wife's "new" car is 12 years old now and having some issues. Decided we needed something new for the family I didn't need to work on all the time. New rig had to pull the boat, had to have 4 doors, had to fit in garage occasionally and preferred to have decent mileage. Big kicker was price- we needed something we could afford that wasn't a second house payment. Wife picked it out, ended up bringing this home-it has nailed every point we needed and then some:



It's a 2018 Colorado Duramax. New parts hauler for Suburban HD. Met all the wife's requirements. After bringing it home I've realized a major factor in all this- I'm getting old. It's sure nice having something new that rides nice, drives nice, is comfortable, quiet and gets good mileage. Turns out I am daily driving it and have almost 1,800 miles on it now in last couple weeks. Very impressed with the truck as a whole. This will not get built/modified like Suburban HD. It will be a "grandpa" build with main focus on maximizing fuel economy. I'd love to swap tires to the skinniest I can fit on factory rims keeping height same or close. I got a decent deal on it which was under budget actually so that allowed for a few small mods from the start. Wife demanded black bowties and bed liner so I swapped out OE GM black bowties soon as we got it home and had bed shot with Line-X. Added weather tech floor mats also. Minor details like painting the center cap bowties and steering wheel logo also. Wife hates the gold so have to keep her happy. It has Softopper canopy on it now which is pretty sweet as it's super light weight and folds up easy so we still have full bed use when needed yet protection from weather for the dogs and gear rest of the time. I'll toss an SPod in it with ARB twin for air duties and filling boat toys, front and rear/bed LEDs and backups for lighting. Wife and daughter want some steps so I'll build a slider of sorts to assist with that. Eventually will call Ryan at Accutune and add some good Fox coilovers/bypass for better overall ride then call it good. No lift, no big rubber. Just going to drive it and enjoy it for what it is. s

Suburban HD will continue but I've realized family time is more important than anything. We're doing more family stuff together which is what original idea of Suburban HD was all along. I'm able to do that now and still work on Suburban HD as I can with no fears of upsetting the family now and no major guilt trips to get it done in a hurry. This will allow me to save up for my planned drivetrain upgrades now and not rush it, skimping out on what I really want just to "hurry up" and get it done. As much as I really want it done, I want it done right. The mini-max will allow for family time and still get work done so while it's a bit of a setback on the wallet now, it's certainly the right move for the family. Overall everyone is happy and loves the little truck. The more I drive it, the more impressed I am with it. Anyway, that's it for now I guess.

Thanks again and Best of Luck,

Mike
 

FBJR

Adventurer
My build has slowed for the same reason. Plus I am adding a room to the house.

My Dmax is 12 years old, wifes "new" car is just 5. Hear good things about the new Dmax Co, enjoy!
 

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