Back in the summer of 2014 we were searching for a road trip worthy van or truck to buy. Steve’s father, Gene, owned a Chevy Suburban that needed a bit of work to be road ready. He generously offered that if we fixed it up, we could have it, so we started work on our big project…the BURB!
The burb is a 1995 K2500 with a 6.5 L turbo diesel engine. We learned along the way that the diesel suburban is a rare find. The benefit is a large online following with tons of helpful blogs and youtube videos. The drawback is that parts can be hard to find. As with any 20 year old vehicle, it needed more repair work than we initially thought it would.
First up to repair was the brake lines, an essential part of any road worthy vehicle. We had a fun rainy 4th of July weekend with JP and Corinne replacing all of the brake lines then subsequently getting the truck stuck in the mud.
Next up was paint. For a vehicle as large as the suburban, this took quite a bit of time (so much sanding…).
In addition to the paint and the brake lines, we also installed a new a/c compressor and starter, fixed a phantom electric drain, and found some rust that needed attention…
Now on to the conversion from suburban to camper vehicle!
We outfitted our future home with:
- Insulation (acoustic and thermal)
- 16 gallon water tank
- Water pump
- Water filter and tap
- Portable propane heated shower
- Two 100 watt monocrystalline solar panels (complete with rack capable of full tilt)
- Solar mppt charge controller
- 400 amp hour agm battery bank
- Refrigerator/freezer
- CB Radio
- LED lighting
- Vent Fan
- Custom headliner
- Queen size bed
- Extra storage below the bed
- Side awning
- Insulated window covers
Once Boris was ready, it was time to pack up and hit the road!