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BangShift Project: Introducing the $200 Hauler…A Tow Rig on a BangShift Budget!

Project Cars

May 24, 2012
 
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Although the economy is looking up, regular Joes like us are still hurting, and there are plenty of folks, like us, who just can’t afford a new tow rig. So, when the opportunity came for us to pick up a 2000 3/4 ton Suburban for $200 we jumped at it. With an LQ4 6 liter, 4L80e, and semi-float 14 bolt, it’s a beast that can pull just about anything we’ve got here at BangShift.com. Now, we are going to show you how to take a cheap truck or SUV and make it just as cool and usable as any new one without a monthly payment.

Here is the back story. When my Dad went next door to his shop in Texas and asked the neighbor what he was going to do with his Suburban that had been sitting the last few years, he said “Why? Do you want it?” Again, the motivation for getting it was the 6 Liter and 4L80e, not the Suburban itself, and when the owner said he would part with it for $200, the wheels started spinning. After slamming an Optima in it, and driving it the block to the shop, the 160,000 mile Suburban started looking better than you would think. It was quite literally FULL of trash, but my Mom’s first comment was “It doesn’t stink inside like I would have thought!” After cleaning it out and finding the window sticker, along with the original unused brake control harness, in the glovebox my Dad realized that this thing had every single option except 4 wheel drive. The body was in decent shape, with just a few dents and scratches, plus a spot on the quarter panel where some thin filler was pealing off from sitting in the Texas sun for 4 years.  The front leather seats have some cracks, and the second row seats have some rash where child seats lived right along with all the kid’s spills, but the third row seat hadn’t event been sat in.

After removing the seats and carpet, which was pressure washed in the driveway, it was deemed good enough for who it’s for, and Mom and Dad gave it to us. We had two panels replace on the drivers seat, cleaned up all the electrical contacts for the windows and power mirrors, through the whole gambit of Lucas Oil super sauces in it, and put a couple hundred miles on it to get everything back to good. An oil change, belts and hoses, a windshield, and one headlight and it was ready for a road trip. Our buddy Jon Killion even fixed up the quarter for us so it’s primered and presentable. LOL. Costs: $500. Total expenditure: $700.

So a couple weeks ago on a layover in Dallas, I picked it up and drove 1400 miles home to SoCal in it and here we are. After 4 years of sitting, the tires are almost round, which isn’t quite as good as all the way round, but we’ll address that later.

Now, we are working on the plan. The LQ4 runs great, with just a hint of typical LS piston slap at cold startup, so we are going to leave it alone except for spark plugs, wires, a Spectre HPR Cold Air Kit, and exhaust. We aren’t sure whether to lift it or lower it, so we have renderings of both below, but either way it’s getting a cool BangShift.com vinyl wrap thanks to Ron “Chassisman” Thomas, and his lovely wife Tamara, who own the Shirt Shak in Chowchilla. Wheels and tires, a new grill, upgraded lighting, some stereo upgrades to replace the disintegrating speakers and allow iPhone hookups, and we’ll be good to go. It’s already got a big trailer hitch on it, and we’ll wire up our brake controller, add some other do dads for towing, and have a killer CHEAP tow rig.

Now before you cry bullshit on the $200 price tag, we know that it was a screaming deal. But, you can do the same things to a Suburban, Chevy Truck, Ford, or whatever that can be had for $2000 to $5000 in today’s truck market. Throw a couple grand more at them and have a bitchin ride.

We’ll keep track of every expense as we build this one, and want your input on what parts we should add or not. What do you think we should do? Lower it or lift it? What parts should we use? Give us some of your thoughts and we’ll talk about the options and take you along as we build this thing up.

At this point, we know that the parts list will include Lucas Oil Products and Spectre’s HPR Cold Air Kit. Help us pick the rest.

Check out our quick renderings below, and CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL GALLERY.