Help me build my Daily Driver

[grimreaper]

I have final saved up enough money to build a daily driver. I plain in staring in 2 months. I live in Houston and drive in the city and park in parking garages every day. I only drive 15 miles a day on average but I go on long hunting and camping trips. I require at least room for two car seats. I have a small trailer and can pull a trailer with ease.

I currently have a 4 door Tacoma with a short bed. I like trucks but can not really leave anything in the bed due to people steeling stuff out of beds at the home improvement stores.

Requirements:
1) 4x4
2) decent gas mileage
3) 73-80 front end (ok to have a front end swap)
4) able to park into a garage in downtown and my house, I have 8' tall doors
5) room for at least two car seats
6) all new creature comforts a/c, power windows and locks, interior swap (probably mini van stuff), tv for kids, flip up tv for front radio, cruise, heated and a/c seats, anything else

So here is what I am torn on. Do I build a crew cab short bed or a suburban. I am wanting to run airbags on either of them. I want the tires to tuck when lowered but look rowdy when raised. If I do a Burban I want to blazer the back end and extend the wheel base at least 6-12" to match up to what a blazer rear wheel well to rear bumper is. I am torn on 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton. I am torn on a 12v Cummins swap or a built 350, 427, or lsx engine. I have $10k to spend in 2017 and $10k to $15k to spend in 2018. What should I build crew cab or Burban

 

[da_raabi]

Oh my that's quite the budget. Here are some thoughts:

1. The "extended" burb will be a very very long vehicle, and could be difficult in the parking garages. Extending the area behind the wheel will give you a lot of ass-swing, making parking much harder. It will be real easy to tear a whole in the car next to you without knowing it.

2. You will obviously need a cap/topper on the bed of a truck, if you go that route. If you decide to shorten a long bed crew cab you will be in for a lot of work.

3. These trucks were not designed for car seats, so you may want to plan on upgrading the seatbelts. The burb would be best for car seats, but the CC will work. I'm doing the same thing with mine right now.

4. Gas mileage will be terrible on any 4x4 square, even with a diesel. If this is a priority I would look into the 6.2L detroit. It will probably give you the best mileage, although the Cummins would probably work well too. No matter what you do, don't plan on getting any better than 15mpg highway with one of these trucks - especially as a straight-axle 4x4.


Honestly? The vehicle you are looking for is not a square. Hate to say it. Could it be done? I guess? But you would be miles ahead spending the $20-25k on a newer vehicle that fits your purposes better. I'm thinking like an '06 4x4 burb with crazy low mileage. It would cost less, last longer, and fulfill your needs much better.

Just buy a square as a toy, not your primary family-hauler. If you have that kind of money to spend on it, you can afford it.

Thats my 2... or maybe 10 cents.

 

[redneck_reed78]

Get yourself a minty 6.2 diesel suburban with all of the factory power optiolns, etc, slap a turbo kit on it and freshen her up a little bit and you'll be good to go right there. Don't do any hacking up, leave it otherwise mostly stock and maybe do your air bags, etc. Depending on what you get in to you might be around 10k in to it so the rest of the money can go to something else. That's what I would do

 

[yevgenievich]

Extending the wheel base will be a pain and you will loose the benefit of the suburban having a large gasoline tank behind there. I have a daily 1991 3/4 suburban and with some work it fulfills our requirements. I do not need 4wd any more, but hoping to get back in to activities that made it useful before, so the burban stays for now. I am on round two for sound insulation, and it is getting a lot better inside. Suburban is shorter than a factory crew cab, which to me was a benefit. 3/4 tons also factory 2" taller than 1/2 tons, but for me I wanted 3/4 ton hardware. Did not want to mess with 700r4 and 10 bolt bs. Mine is in two colors thanks to the elk that was too friendly out in the mountains.
Look at the following thread for a nice ls swap write up.
http://www.gmsquarebody.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13237

Here is my family daily.(I actually have a 2 door car for basic daily duties separate to cut on fuel)

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[CSFJ]

Oh my that's quite the budget. Here are some thoughts:

1. The "extended" burb will be a very very long vehicle, and could be difficult in the parking garages. Extending the area behind the wheel will give you a lot of ass-swing, making parking much harder. It will be real easy to tear a whole in the car next to you without knowing it.

2. You will obviously need a cap/topper on the bed of a truck, if you go that route. If you decide to shorten a long bed crew cab you will be in for a lot of work.

3. These trucks were not designed for car seats, so you may want to plan on upgrading the seatbelts. The burb would be best for car seats, but the CC will work. I'm doing the same thing with mine right now.

4. Gas mileage will be terrible on any 4x4 square, even with a diesel. If this is a priority I would look into the 6.2L detroit. It will probably give you the best mileage, although the Cummins would probably work well too. No matter what you do, don't plan on getting any better than 15mpg highway with one of these trucks - especially as a straight-axle 4x4.


Honestly? The vehicle you are looking for is not a square. Hate to say it. Could it be done? I guess? But you would be miles ahead spending the $20-25k on a newer vehicle that fits your purposes better. I'm thinking like an '06 4x4 burb with crazy low mileage. It would cost less, last longer, and fulfill your needs much better.

Just buy a square as a toy, not your primary family-hauler. If you have that kind of money to spend on it, you can afford it.

Thats my 2... or maybe 10 cents.

I've gotta agree with this. Plus, with a solid axle, the suspension geometry won't allow the wheels to "tuck" with the bags dropped. It's either up or down. The camber doesn't change.

 

[grimreaper]

I am not too concerned with turning a LB to a SB. Just cut frame and reweld and sell LB and buy a SB to put on. Airbags have me more concerned as I will have to 4 link everything. As for what I want to do to a burb, blazer back half and lengthen wheel base that would be more fab but if my photo shop uploads loads up correctly it would be awesome and if I wanted to truck it later I could leave the wheelbase and use a cut down short bed between cab and wheel like the new crew cabs

I have though about a new truck but anyone can buy and drive a new truck.

 

[grimreaper]

Photo shop of cut down long bed (late model front end)