wildviking
New member
So I just picked up this 1995 3/4 ton Suburban out of Colorado a few weeks ago. It's got 139,000 miles on it and a super clean interior and straight exterior. It's obviously 4x4, and equipped with the gas guzzling but powerful 7.4L v8. Behind that is the 4L80E transmission, as well as the fully floating 14 bolt rear axle. Things I like about it so far? It's one of the most comfortable vehicles I've ever riden in or drove, it's one of the last "classic" domestic products built that also has somewhat modern mechanicals like shift on the fly 4x4 and efi. Also it has a 42 gallon fuel tank...it's massive!!! We drove 12 hours home with it and only fueled up twice - while making 12 mpg! Things I don't like about it so far? Independent front suspension and under powered braking ability. That's honestly about it. It is huge and gets terrible fuel mileage, so some might view that as a downside but for what I will be doing with it and building it for - it's perfect!
I bought this rig mostly for transporting myself, my wife and our daughter to and from various destinations all around North America, with the ultimate goal of driving this thing to Alaska (that's like a 5 year goal at the earliest) In the meantime, we will be driving this thing all over North & South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Canada, and the Southwest states over the next few years, camping as we go, bringing our mountain bikes along, exploring as many old fire roads and gravel trails as this beast will allow us to. This is by far the biggest vehicle I've ever owned and so far I'm loving it!
Now for my plans for the rig
1. Come up with a nickname for her (all suggestions are welcome!)
2. Swap out the front brakes for the beafier k3500 dually gm brakes
3. Replace the stock 16x6.5 steel rims with something aluminum to save weight and help improve braking
4. Replace front and rear shocks with Bilstein 4600s
5. Replace rear bumpstops (front still look pretty good)
6. Baseline all mechanicals/change fluids etc
7. Stuff 35" tires underneath this thing on stock suspension
8. Repaint the entire truck black (typical gm paint is peeling and flaking everywhere)
9. New front grille and headlights
10. Possibly some elaborate camping setup in the back of the truck
That's all for now, but as the build progresses, I am sure there will be plenty of further mods coming down the line.
I'll try to keep this space updated on everything that happens to her.
I bought this rig mostly for transporting myself, my wife and our daughter to and from various destinations all around North America, with the ultimate goal of driving this thing to Alaska (that's like a 5 year goal at the earliest) In the meantime, we will be driving this thing all over North & South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Canada, and the Southwest states over the next few years, camping as we go, bringing our mountain bikes along, exploring as many old fire roads and gravel trails as this beast will allow us to. This is by far the biggest vehicle I've ever owned and so far I'm loving it!
Now for my plans for the rig
1. Come up with a nickname for her (all suggestions are welcome!)
2. Swap out the front brakes for the beafier k3500 dually gm brakes
3. Replace the stock 16x6.5 steel rims with something aluminum to save weight and help improve braking
4. Replace front and rear shocks with Bilstein 4600s
5. Replace rear bumpstops (front still look pretty good)
6. Baseline all mechanicals/change fluids etc
7. Stuff 35" tires underneath this thing on stock suspension
8. Repaint the entire truck black (typical gm paint is peeling and flaking everywhere)
9. New front grille and headlights
10. Possibly some elaborate camping setup in the back of the truck
That's all for now, but as the build progresses, I am sure there will be plenty of further mods coming down the line.
I'll try to keep this space updated on everything that happens to her.
