04 suburban, back story and plans

[BradyD]

so here are some pix of my "camping box" I am working on for the burban. This is the beta version and I AM open to criticism and ideas. as i am building this i am thinking of better ways to do certain things immediately after i do them so "box 2.0" is already on paper. here is what i have so far.

battery with on board charger connected to and 800w inverter (eventually will be replaced with a deep cycle)

on board water (this aspect is still evolving)

How it sits in the burban

one thing that i felt necessary was that the box was the same height as the third row when laid down

 

[anw7405]

Do you have any pics on the front receiver. It is mounted a lot higher than any I have seen. It looks like there is a winch mount on the brush guard also. My suburban already has a winch but my father in law was looking for a setup like yours. Any details will be helpful. thanks.

 

[BradyD]

yea, i can post a pic after work this afternoon. it is more or less just the receiver welded underneath the winch mount. has a few small gussets for strength. it is used for a #100 deer corn feeder. feeder plus corn is close to #150 and the mount has held up nicely considering the use.

 

[DetroitDarin]

that is VERY cool - I like that camping box.

REALLY wish I could get my truck lifted that high! Looks great!

 

[BradyD]

that is VERY cool - I like that camping box.

REALLY wish I could get my truck lifted that high! Looks great!

Thank you sir! the box is still evolving. I wanted to leave it totally self-contained so it can be put in and taken out with minimal effort (other than the fact that it is heavy as hell) there is a lot i could have done different and will next go around. my plan is to eventually buy or build some type of adventure trailer/camper in which case i wouldn't need the box. but i live an hour and a half from the beach and would use the box for day trips on a day at the deer lease, basically i would use the box when there is no need to pull a trailer.

 

[mizeide]

Thanks! I have heard a few people say they have gone to the corvette servo. Ive never heard any feedback pertaining to how it affects MPGs, if at all. Not that I think mine could get any worse

The corvette servo should not affect the fuel mileage one way or the other. The stock gm fullsize transmissions are known to have issues with weak shifting which creates heat through trans slipping, which causes a snowball effect. The corvette servo firms up 2nd gear shifts which makes for less heat buildup. There are lots of writeups on how to do it all over the internet. I would suggest pulling your pan, replace the filter, install the corvette servo and maybe a billet 4th gear servo (same idea as 2nd gear corvette but for 4th gear) and refill with a good quality full synthetic fluid. Personal experience I would stay away from the flush. Coincidence or not, mine slipped much worse after a flush and had to be rebuilt less than 10k miles later.

Also, with that beast of a vehicle, I would consider a large trans cooler and re gearing of the axles to take some stress off the transmission.

Great looking truck by the way! My dream overland rig would be a quadrasteer suburban (think 3/4 ton suburban with the turning radius of a 4 door civic). Loving the camo.

 

[mizeide]

got new exhaust installed yesterday. not too loud but has a nice clean rumble. Also put a new K&N in it. Maybe the ol' girl can breath a little better now. Hope to get a tunner for it soon to capitalize on the bolt-ons. But I also have a new winch on my list so the tunner may have to wait.

Consider a custom tune rather than an off the shelf handheld tuner. They will actually design the tune around your specific needs, wants, and vehicle. They can also firm up and change the way the transmission shifts for more positive shifting and increased life. I am in no way affiliated with them but I highly recommend a tune from Blackbear Performance. I have had wonderful service from them and haven't regretted it one minute.

 

[BradyD]

The corvette servo should not affect the fuel mileage one way or the other.

That's what i was wanting to know! And yours isn't the only negative experience i have heard of with the trans flush, that's why i was asking. I have considered a custom tune but that will have to be done as finances allow thanks for the kind words and advice. Beefier trans cooler aint a bad idea either. Thanks my friend.

 

[BradyD]

Do you have any pics on the front receiver. It is mounted a lot higher than any I have seen. It looks like there is a winch mount on the brush guard also. My suburban already has a winch but my father in law was looking for a setup like yours. Any details will be helpful. thanks.

hope this helps

 

[mizeide]

That's what i was wanting to know! And yours isn't the only negative experience i have heard of with the trans flush, that's why i was asking. I have considered a custom tune but that will have to be done as finances allow thanks for the kind words and advice. Beefier trans cooler aint a bad idea either. Thanks my friend.

Not a problem! I would definitely address the transmission as soon as possible to keep it from slipping further.

 

[BradyD]

here is a few more shots of the box

 

[mizeide]

Really like the way the box turned out and the stove slide!

 

[BradyD]

Really like the way the box turned out and the stove slide!

Thanks. its not done yet. the plan was to have the "sink" under the stove (hence the slide) but there just isn't enough room for anything that could be a usable or practical sink. for now i have the collapsible bowl and that will have to work until i get some more serious things taken care of. i am completely open to suggestions as well

 

[BradyD]

SO i wasn't a big fan of the grey trim pieces on the burban..sooo....

...i did this

 

[Chili]

I love the stance of your rig. Couple questions. Would you mind measuring from the ground to the top of the roof rack, at the rear wheels? I am thinking about a lift for mine, but need to know how high the rack would be (for parking garage clearance and RTT reasons).

Also, on shifting, is it a 5.3 with the tow package? I know that if I have any decent amount of weight (inside or towing) that if I use the tow mode (button on the end of the shifter lever) it is a night and day difference. It also helps a lot on areas with a lot of hills, as it downshifts less.

Mine is an 05, but assume they are virtually the same, since equipped equally.

Oh, one last thing, are the tires in the pics the 305-70-17's mentioned in your sig?

Thanks a million!