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.
Project Burb begins!
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.
Getting some help from JP to replace the brake lines.
Corinne fixing brake lines.
Next up was paint. For a vehicle as large as the suburban, this took quite a bit of time (so much sanding…).
The roof after sanding.
Power washing.
Primer goes on.
Friday night date night.
All the tape…
Cutting a hole in the roof for a fan.
This better work!
Base coat completed.
The clear coat adds some shine!
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…
What stated as a small section got bigger….
Steve’s attempt to fix the holes…
Metal was too far gone on the inside and breaks at a critical junction a few weeks before takeoff…
Replacement section of frame for a pro to install….
Fixing the window lift motor.
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
Good bye stock interior.
Hello acoustic insulation.
Thermal insulation installed.
A coat of new paint on the floor.
Thermal insulation and carpet liner for the floor.
Welding a steel frame for the solar panels.
Bending some metal with the oxyacetylene torch (measuring was a little too close).
Solar panels at maximum tilt.
Solar panel and CB Radio wiring completed.
Steve’s favorite hobby, looking for plumbing fittings in home depot…
Platform skeleton complete.
We have a platform!
Working in confined spaces.
Battery bank up and running (Thank you Joe for all your help!).
No mess here….
Don’t look under there!
Wiring up some LED lighting.
Let there be light!
Woodworking almost complete! This is to be our bookcase.
Custom materials requires patience.
Enjoying the custom headliner.
Rough cut of the mattress layers.
Bambi approves.
Mr. Mustache. Steve re-purposing a worn out set of ice picks.
The final touch to complete Boris.
Once Boris was ready, it was time to pack up and hit the road!
So much gear, how will we fit it all…
Almost there, working out the bin system.
