My "New" 'Burb: Build Thread

[OneTwo]

So, my truck has an unfortunate collision with a stump, leading to some pretty ugly body damage. Shortly after, the rear end and transfer case blew up. Realizing that it was going to cost as much as a new vehicle to fix it, I put that project on hold...

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/1feeddd6.jpg

Then this charcoal on tan 2000 Chevy Suburban 2500 came in on trade at my dealership. My boss and I borrowed it to haul a bunch of people around one night, and the first thing that caught my attention was the sound. 6.0L with true-dual Flowmaster 40's. We kept it around the dealership for a bit and used it for various things, and I started to notice how nice and well-kept it had been. AutoCheck shows no accidents, 5 previous owners, and 155,000 miles, but it was in great shape. It passed a shop inspection with flying colors, and I picked it up for cheap!

I only have a few bad pictures of it in stock form, but here it is, freshly traded, only mods are a 13.3" screen in the roof and dual Flowmasters:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/5acbd802.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/42a126bb.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/4f9392ec.jpg

I can't leave anything stock, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money on the Suburban. The whole idea of this project is "Bada**ery on a Budget." So I drew some inspiration from my other money pit:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/cabc4746.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/5987144498_c0382581df_brs.jpg

I wanted cheap parts, so I started searching Craigslist. Found some 20" MB Motoring Gunner 8's that were in great condition. Picked them up from some hole-in-the-wall tire shop in the original boxes for $300. I didn't want chrome, but I'd handle that later.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/4eaf1ba9.jpg

Shortly after I found the wheels, picked up these 12" Kicker CVR's in a prefab Kicker box for $150, also Craigslist. You can also see the Clarion VZ-401 7" in-dash DVD player that I picked up. Clarion isn't my first choice, neither is single-din flip out, but the price was right ($250 from a friend, brand new), and the 00-02's don't fit a double-din.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/ddcb8be0.jpg

Then, Craigslist did me well again. I found a guy who owned a powdercoating shop in Olympia, who wanted to trade some stereo gear and powdercoat my 20's for a couple sets of BMW wheels I had laying around. Score! I ended up using the Kicker KX-350.4 to power the Diamond Audio 6.5" components and some Kenwood Coaxials I bought, and the Kenwood 1000.1 to power the Kicker CVR's. It's a temporary setup, but sounds pretty good! The rest of the stuff will go in my BMW or boat.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/cdf1b68c.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/8c71f1e9.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/be673f4b.jpg

Worn but usable 305/50R20 Toyo A/T's, Craigslist, $150. Mounted and balanced them at work, free! I hadn't Plasti-Dipped the center caps yet. Also got some 6000k HID low beams from DDM Tuning, and some yellow Lamin-X, for that euro look. $50-ish. Debadge, destripe, remove running boards: $elbowgrease

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/bb9abb98.jpg

Oh yeah!

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/65cc2898.jpg

Plasti-dipped the grill and center caps: $10.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/59912331.jpg

Burberry Bowtie. Had some left over from another project: $0.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/8f34f33f.jpg

Black housing headlights: $100.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/5e8950c6.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/d5590c70.jpg

I had a bunch of stickers laying around, so I'm rocking the sticker-bombed look for a little while. I'll get sick of them in like a month and peel them all off, but for now:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/82f6934c.jpg

Plans include:
Stock-looking LED tail lights (barn doors complicate things)
Remove all chrome (Front and rear chrome bumpers get body color, plastic lower front valance get black, and silver part of the door trim will get black)
Crank torsion bars to level
Dump the exhaust after the mufflers (possibly)
Stereo overhaul (better amps/subs, Raamat/sound deadening, more TV's maybe?)
Escalade interior pieces

Then use it to tow this around:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/7aca00f3.jpg

Hope you enjoyed! I'll keep updating this thread as I go along. I'll also be taking some not-so-awful pictures when the weather gets nice with my new camera.

[97vortec383]

Wow you got a lot done to it and didn't do too bad on cost. I'm liking the look of it so far minus the stickers.

And I agree on leveling it up front.

[rocking chevy]

it looks awesome so far.

[OneTwo]

Finally gave her a wash and took a couple pictures. I'm officially over the stickers.*

Weekend projects include:
Black out chrome part of the door trim
Paint the exhaust tips black
Remove most or all stickers

And I think I'm just gonna plasti-dip the chrome bumpers and see how it looks. I'd rather have body color, but don't want to spend that kind of money right now.*

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/c68788e8.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/c9647087.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/b2a7d7b1.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/7858276c.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/34850b04.jpg

[DroppedAsAChild]

Nice Project man.

[OneTwo]

Thanks for the comments guys! I appreciate it. Small post-weekend update.

Classin' up the 'Burb... Stickers coming off.*

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/922131ea.jpg

Black trim.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/1e9df33b.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/db6d4da3.jpg

Just a few now.*

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/ad0c9624.jpg

Black tips.*

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/a0d7d999.jpg

Hit the ambers with some red translucent paint, followed by a medium smoke. Just a temporary solution before LED's.*

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/7a65e952.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/7ed366d8.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/a3f61fe0.jpg

[OneTwo]

I recently bought some more audio/video goodies... Updates are:

20% Tint on the front windows (not pictured)
(2) Alpine Type R 12's
Memphis vented box
Hifonics Brutus BXi-1606D (subs)
MTX Audio Thunder Elite 604 (speakers)
Playstation 2 Slim
Super Nintendo!

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/c21c07d5.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/0b130c31.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/2cd5c4f8.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/aa66ce37.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/de07e1db.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/404405_332274970141123_100000758675536_838075_9526 71934_n.jpg

[loki223]

Nice looking rig man, out of curiosity, do you work at a new car dealership, or a used one?

[OneTwo]

Nice looking rig man, out of curiosity, do you work at a new car dealership, or a used one?
Thanks man! And I work at a used dealership, but we're part of a chain (Dick Hannah) that has 8 other new-car dealerships.

[RWSZ71]

Nice suburban. Those 6.0s are a lot of fun to drive and with the flowmasters yeah. Good luck with future mods.

[OneTwo]

Forgot to update this thread right after I did all this stuff, but better late than never, right?

I'm all blacked out! Plasti-dip turned out pretty well and is still holding up months later. Leveled out the front, plus fresh meats: 305/50R20 Cooper Zeon LTZ's. Having multiple friends with vinyl plotters means I'm constantly changing stickers.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/c7661fe1.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/a04deb04.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/ea987b2b.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/9e7036c1.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/cc63b8bf.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/ae635585.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/1aa062d8.jpg

Stereo saw a few changes as well. 3 MTX 12's that I (sort of accidentally) bought for $200 in the box. Hifonics Brutus BXi-1606D and an MTX Thunder Elite 604. 1/0 awg Stinger Pro wires running through a Stinger Circuit Breaker, into some distribution blocks under the seat where it splits to 2 strands of Stinger 4/0. To top it all off and make hooking up a trailer 100x easier, license plate mounted backup camera.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/2629339b.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/7213159F-06C8-4E10-882E-A1189F2017E7-3328-000004685617411F.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/dc4b24ca.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/7fb95b26.jpg

As I should've expected, my obsession with car audio has taken this "budget" build to a "how great can it possibly sound?" build. I'm almost done acquiring all the stuff I need to get crazy with my stereo build. Here's the list:

[x] Sony XNV660BT double-din Navi/DVD/Bluetooth/etc.
[x] Sundown Audio SAZ-1500D amplifier (subwoofers)
[x] (2) Sundown Audio SAX-125.2 amplifiers (front & rear channels, or killer front stage)
[x] Infinity Perfect 6.1 component speakers (fronts)
[x] Diamond Audio 6.0m mids & crossovers with Infinity Reference tweeters (rears)
[x] Raamat BXT-II sound deadening (purchased, not applied; 4 doors and any trouble areas)
[x] Raam Audio Ensolite PS foam (purchased, not applied)
[ ] Custom under-seat amp rack
[ ] XS Power deep cycle battery
[ ] Big 3 upgrade
[ ] 18" Sound Solutions Audio XCON subwoofer
[ ] Custom ported & tuned box for the sub

I also re-did the bowtie of the Burb with some black/white Houndstooth vinyl. Don't have any pictures of it, but here's the pattern:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/othoundstooth.jpg

And I did so to match my E34... Matte black houndstooth vinyl on the hood (each piece is individually cut and applied by hand), and white/black inside.

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh78/meanm50/5erWest%20Show%20and%20Drive%202012/IMG_8780.jpg

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh78/meanm50/5erWest%20Show%20and%20Drive%202012/IMG_8773.jpg

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh78/meanm50/5erWest%20Show%20and%20Drive%202012/IMG_8776.jpg

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh78/meanm50/5erWest%20Show%20and%20Drive%202012/IMG_8777.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/5230DDCB-0D89-4B39-A0BB-26A86F98FBD1-8998-00000AAF7660073D.jpg

Hope you enjoyed! I'll update with the stereo build when I get going on it.

[OneTwo]

Small update...

Double-DIN conversion + Escalade dash bezel:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/DSCN1289.jpg

Here's a how-to thread:

http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forum/general-discussion/audio-video-electronics/507912-my-nbs-double-din-conversion.html

New LED tail lights. Some eBay units that I used some VHT Niteshades and Krylon clear coat on.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/DSCN1293.jpg

Comparison:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/DSCN1291.jpg

[dakotahq]

This thing looks pretty sick.

[OneTwo]

New stuff!

Tahoe Z71 front valance and fog lights.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/5CB6FC9C-23B4-4C97-9335-989EA1168D34-3442-00000195A90B7E76_zpsbcfa0a5c.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/390D896B-0ADE-45E8-BC14-CD4C5F9927EF-3442-00000195AD9ACDBA_zpsc8844938.jpg

Droppin' F-Bombs

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/AF17CD3A-9A88-41E8-B6DF-C31BD7D6652F-3442-00000195AF9DD3C6_zps5f391fb1.jpg

6000k lows, 3000k fogs

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/7346647B-47E4-4BAB-8189-7C2A2AC595E0-3442-00000195B17C10E1_zpsf6439e64.jpg

Didn't love the Sony's iPod control, so I opted for a 2013 Pioneer AVH-X5500BHS with AppRadio

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/ABF11C94-26AA-4ED7-BF20-A80EDDEA6433-3442-00000195B51A1EAE_zps3850d52f.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/24AAB840-217B-4260-B38B-AA9BAA60C3BC-3442-00000195B351C545_zps7ebbe679.jpg

Base nawb...

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/39CCBB41-5BF5-457B-8D66-27CF4DF50EFE-3442-00000195B8CD111C_zps9209cb76.jpg

...which controls how much power... (amp rack under construction)

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/417AFC0C-D80A-4A5B-BE13-FECEBE259B43-2071-00000127ED70563D_zps89630e79.jpg

...gets thrown at these bitches! 2 10" Skar Audio VVX's, custom box by Mobile Enclosures, 1.8 cu. ft. per sub, tuned at 34 hz. (Ignore the ghetto wire hanging over the seat. It's going to look as good as it sounds very soon.)

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/12E06445-094C-491B-A5E6-E09AE9CC471D-2071-00000127EB54EC91_zps27df00e9.jpg

And a Viper 2-way to help keep it all secure.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/43F0E0C8-1B86-4826-A0EF-3F5E1AA1BBC8-3442-00000195B6D10217_zps6b1a8242.jpg

Up next: The amp rack, HO alternator, deep cycle battery, and all this thick wire.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/mveale05/4D04D6F9-6045-49B0-8BFB-3D4FA50C086A-2071-000001286D7DA097_zpsb897eb2e.jpg

[Sub-Par]

That's one incredible build man, and man you go through a lot of stereo gear. Makes me want another K2500 Burb...

[Deej-79]

Your location and license plate dont match :P

I'll have to contact you when we move down there in a few months for a sub amp. Nice burb

[bat_man]

I have an 01 been looking for some LED for barn yard door. Where did u pick them up at

[OneTwo]

That's one incredible build man, and man you go through a lot of stereo gear. Makes me want another K2500 Burb...

Thanks bro! I do go through stereo gear like crazy. I thought I could keep this simple and cheap, but there's so much room to do anything and everything car stereo in this thing, that I figured: "Why not go for it?" This current setup already blows my previous ones out of the water, and it's turned down awaiting proper tuning currently. It should be incredible once I get all that done, so I'll probably keep this setup for a while!


Your location and license plate dont match :P

I'll have to contact you when we move down there in a few months for a sub amp. Nice burb

Car is registered at my parents house, I go to school at Portland State but live in The Couve. :D

I have a bunch of small amps (~500 watts or less) laying around that I'd be happy to sell you, no real powerhouses right now though. But hit me up when you get over this way, things may change!


I have an 01 been looking for some LED for barn yard door. Where did u pick them up at

This just reminded me to do a write-up on this, so I just made this thread that should answer your questions:

http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forum/general-discussion/exterior-tech/513489-allow-me-settle-led-tail-lights-barn-doors-debate.html

The ones I have are from eBay, but I believe they're clones of some name-brand set (but don't waste your money, eBay is fine).