2003 Suburban 1500 Pop Top Conversion

[yosemitesamiam]

Oh dear God! I didn’t get much done today at work...decided it was better to spend my time reading this thread backwards and forwards. Amazing work! Saving this thread forever. Thanks for documenting all your hard work. Also, what format film do you shoot? Are you a member of any of the film groups on Facebook? Swwwweeeet Bolex Super 16 too!

-Sam

 

[yosemitesamiam]

Time lapse page 18...

Hey Boll, any chance you have a video of the pop top in action? How's the stability with it raised?

Racking my brain to figure out the best setup for our family of 5. I've been brainstorming an idea of building a pop-top into a cargo trailer (6x10 or 6x12). That would give me room up top to do a double loft bed at one end and a single on the other, with a convertible couch/bed area down below. A single SUV or van base camp for 5 people just isn't realistic, at least not with a vehicle that I have to drive daily. A converted cargo trailer would give us the ability to set up camp and still use the truck around the area.

Me and the wife have made a goal to really get some miles under us these next few years while the kids are still young (9,6,4), just gotta figure out the most efficient way to do it.

 

[EuroJoe]

well.....

That was awesome!!

 

[JSwanson]

Great job. I love your burb. I read the whole thread today and your work and persistence is amazing. Thanks for taking time for pics and write up. Really appreciated. Well done sir!

 

[boll_rig]

Great job. I love your burb. I read the whole thread today and your work and persistence is amazing. Thanks for taking time for pics and write up. Really appreciated. Well done sir!

Thanks Swanson, appreciate it.

And all the continuing comments from you guys!

Been in a bit of hold period and taking care of some injuries before finishing out the interior. Been taking a few trips in the rig though, still working great, always kind of a surprise to be honest.

Few 35mm photos from some recent trips/work trips:

Somewhere south of US40 and north of i70

Switzerland Trail near Gold Hill, CO:

Cortez, CO:

Also got some play in both my upper and lower control arms and remember someone saying they found a good pair of after market ones that helped with their CV angles, couldnt remember whether it was cognito or rough country or what.. Wanted to give another crank on my keys anyway so figured I'd ask you guys if you had any suggestions.

 

[bknudtsen]

Unfortunately, control arms won’t help with CV angles unless you go with a long travel setup. Cranking your keys will just make it worse. No real options for lower control arms other than stock, which are fine. Aftermarket uppers will help correct camber and caster numbers. At some point, if you want more lift/tire clearance, you will need to do either a front diff drop, or install a body lift.

If you have the money, go with a BDS 4” non-torsion bar drop lift. Otherwise, install a body lift and drop your keys back down until your CV angles look better.

 

[heidiurs]

Hi boll rig
i am impressed with what you did build.surely it got that factory look.my compliments.i am building a poptop 74 burb.i had this idea for a long time,but as you will understand i had to wait until my father passed the car on to me.maybe its better like that so he cant see what iam doing to his car.if he would be still alive ,sure he would bash the living daylight out of me. and i like your pictures when you go camping with it. nice scenery in your country.will post a few aussie pictures when the burb is ready.
cheers urs

 

[tbisaacs]

This is easily one of my favorite suburban builds. Well done!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DavidS]

26 pages Ive went through and wow this is absolutely awesome rig! Perfect build! Would it be to much to ask for a video of it in action?

 

[boll_rig]

David I swear one day I will get to it considering how much video I shoot, just haven't taken any of the pop top in action. Maybe Ill make a little edit next trip. Glad you enjoyed the build.

Thanks TB... and Heidiurs let us know how thats coming, theres a cool one on here of a square body with a westy top that dbreid made:
http://forum.expeditionportal.com/t...op-grafted-into-it-also-dual-360-swivel-seats
Thing is one of my favorites..


Also appreciate the help bknudtsen, I may have been thinking of just correcting the camber with new uppers. Wish someone made a 2in body lift all I could ever find was 3 and not sure I want that much.

 

[rayra]

Depends on the kit, but you could always cut down the spacer blocks. 35yrs ago my buds and I were making our own mini truck lift kits from thick wall 2" dia pipe cut down at the hardware store and grade 8 bolts.
Someone with a deft hand and a lack of self-preservation could make easy work of it on a table saw. Or even a chop-saw, using a v-notch jig, if the spacers are mushroom headed on the body end. IF they are straight cylinders it shoul dbe very easy to cut them down to the desired height.

/just one more custom thing to mess with, at this point

/hey I've got some questions for you on that Aries grill guard, but don' thave them all figured out yet. Mostly wondering how the pper portions are supported, besides the 3-bolt bottom brackets on each side. I'll send you a PM when I figure out the rest.

eta
can't believe its been nearly three years already

 

[boll_rig]

Hadnt thought about cutting them down thats not a terrible idea Rayra, will look into it if I decide I want to mess with more custom stuff ha. That Aries guard is pretty much just supported by the three bolts on each side, thats it.

And ya wow thats pretty crazy, almost three whole years on this thing, did not realize that :smiley_drive:

 

[DavidS]

David I swear one day I will get to it considering how much video I shoot, just haven't taken any of the pop top in action. Maybe Ill make a little edit next trip. Glad you enjoyed the build.

Thanks man! I’ll keep an eye out

 

[Factoid]

I love this build and how you did it your way, learning and adapting as you went. Most of us will never know how many redos and rethinks you made along the way. And I love this not because it is a Suburban, but because you did it yourself through your own vision. I'm in the same boat in that I have a LR 101 FC that has been heavily modified by the PO and I plan on putting a pop top on it. I've contacted CCV many times via email and phone with not a single response, so I'm left designing and building myself (which I'm looking forward to) and trying to source the enclosure material some where else. Anyway, great job and thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[Pengyou]

Thanks for your hard work and effort in documenting this! I have been trying to decide whether to buy a pickup with camper shell, van or suburban. Now that I see a pop top can be added to a burb I think I will shoot for a burb.

In the beginning, did you ever consider using styrofoam only as the moulding agent? First gluing pieces together so that you have one big enough...then conforming the foam to the top of the burb....then using a heated piano wire to trip the top, dig out grooves for supports, etc? Then adding fiberglass or metal supports to that, and glassing over it?