My 2004 Yukon XL 2500HD LBZ

[bigdogyj]

Very nice build, man. Turning my 04 Suburban 6.0l into a Duramax is a dream of mine. I thought I had seen somewhere that Duraburb stopped doing conversions on 00-06 models? When did you have this done?

For the GMT-800 series he limited it to 03-06 for a while as it was simpler computer wise with the LBZ as that was really the best choice to swap in. We got in as one of the last ones he did for that generation. Aside from his busy schedule with all the other rigs he’s been working on (assumed govmt orders) and the fact that the mfg has been discontinuing parts that he uses to complete the conversion, which complicates acquiring parts, it made sense to limit it to GMT-900 and newer.

I know its not a hard project to do. There is a lot of information about it posted on various forums. Honestly from a mechanical and technical aspect I could have easily done this myself. However, it came down to 1. TIME, 2. Access to a lift, 3. General knowledge of what to do and how best to do it. It probably would have taken me several years to finish and honestly probably wouldn’t have been 100%. That’s why we decided to use Duraburb plus he was one of the first if not THE first one to pull this off many years ago and has been successful in making them fully CA emissions compliant which was a requirement for us as well.

Eric is brilliant guy and knows a lot of about these platforms. He’s also willing to help you out and provide knowledge when possible. Unless of course your GM ;-).

 

[Kaisen]

Nick at Duramax Specialties in Atlanta has done 250+ conversions on Suburbans. He's a good friend, we've done business together, he has my endorsement.

 

[Martinjmpr]

What kind of transmission does that have? I know it's an Allison but is it still a 4 speed? How does it compare to the factory 4L80?

 

[Kaisen]

What kind of transmission does that have? I know it's an Allison but is it still a 4 speed? How does it compare to the factory 4L80?

The Allison paired with a LBZ Duramax was a 6 speed Allison 1000. Deeper first, taller overdrive... more gear spread

 

[bigdogyj]

The Allison paired with a LBZ Duramax was a 6 speed Allison 1000. Deeper first, taller overdrive... more gear spread

Correct 6 speed Allison 1000. Same gear ratios as the earlier 5 speed Allison but the 6 speed has a double overdrive.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[bigdogyj]

I realized it's been quite a while since I started this thread. I haven't done much exploring per se more putting it to work towing trailers and family road trips.
I did do a little overlanding trip a couple years back...

Finally got the winch mounted (Warn M12000) Did an overland camping trip and unfortunately got some new pin-striping so I'll have to work on that, but truck did fantastic.



Then towed a buddies Jeep out to KOH


Picked up a 30' RV during covid then sold it.


The Truck has got quite a few upgrades over the years. Differential cover, Rear bumper reverse lights, onboard air compressor, battle born lithium battery to power the fridge and other accessories in the back (DC to DC charger) and upgraded a few interior things to add some features (cell phone bluetooth -- using a corvette Onstar box, escalade Bose LUX amp upgrade).

Finally made a trip with the jeep out to Utah to check out Moab and Kenab.




That gets us pretty caught up through 2023.

 

[bigdogyj]

After selling the RV the wife and I were trying to figure out what's next. We still like camping but I despise pitching a tent.
so naturally Roof Top tent became the next idea. Wife was onboard -- maybe more than me. So then the prep work began as well as some maintenance/repairs.

First up suspension refresh...
All new body mounts:


New Rear leaf springs (Atlas Suspension progressive Expedition +1" over stock):



New Bilstein 5160 shocks all around and braided stainless steel brake lines:


Also did a lot of fluid maintenance and lubrication.

 

[bigdogyj]

Now were getting to the fun stuff....

With a Roof top tent comes a bit of weight on the roof, which usually involves a better roof rack, and with the clear coat starting to peel its time to address that before it gets too bad.

First up:



color matched line-x with UV protectant on roof.

Then new roof rack from Baseline Overland:




Now we've got a solid platform, time for the tent:





This should keep the wife happy at least for now. we've got a lot of camping trips planned for this year including a week in Glacier NP.

 

[XJLI]

A duramax GMT800 Burb is always on my list of "things I should be daily driving".

Glad this thing is still treating you well.

 

[mrpeterclark]

Love it! Let’s see some pics from those trips!

 

[stubbspy]

I love the build! Do you have pics and details on where you mounted your lithium house battery and compressor? I’ve been thinking about both for my GMT900 but I need 3 rows for seating. I’m also wondering if I could put a belt driven air compressor on with the supercharger I keep dreaming about.