Copycat to the SWB Club {72 Tahoe/Escalade Project}

[CG]

How bout a synopsis of what you plan to accomplish. Would be nice to know the thought process of where you are going with this.

Take the pictures from your IPhone landscape style. Top of the phone in your left hand, bottom of the phone in your right. Should make the picture posting come out correctly.

[Madkidd007]

Originally Posted by CG

How bout a synopsis of what you plan to accomplish. Would be nice to know the thought process of where you are going with this.

Take the pictures from your IPhone landscape style. Top of the phone in your left hand, bottom of the phone in your right. Should make the picture posting come out correctly.

Thank you, I always forget about landscape mode being the default.
So the game plan: goal is as follows:

Shorten the body 10” between the wheel wells to keep the rear door stock, also collecting parts in anticipation to build a fourth door after all the other body mods are done so I don’t get overwhelmed or burnt out.
Remove 8-10” from the rear depending on how it looks proportionately after I pull 8” as I don’t want the rear side glass to look too short.


Going with a 1999-2006 GMT800 SUV chassis, either a Yukon Denali SWB, Escalade SWB, or worst case a loaded Tahoe. Around this part of the county you can get beat down body vehicles for between $1200-$2600 still driving. The wheelbase of the chassis is 116” as I don’t want to modify a frame in the least bit except body mount. Now that leaves a 116” wheelbase with a 117” wheel opening, as the suv uses a factory 4 link when you lower it the suspension levels out and slightly lengths the wheelsbase. At less than an inch I will split the difference between front and rear which should be 1/4”-3/8” at most.

By using the modern chassis I will have 4wd/awd suspension and have the awd parts from a previously ownded Escalade just laying around. Also no special LS swap parts, fuel tank mounting is done as well as all suspension and brakes.


Now as far as body mounting, still undecided if I’ll use custom mounts or if the plan is to use the modern floor, seats, consoles, firewall, A/C, I mean everything! GM spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on engineering so why should I pass up the chance to use it all.


And lastly if I end up 6.0 it will most likely just be cammed and tuned. If a 5.3 then with all the extra room under the hood vs the new models, I’m thinking a single turbo.

If you can imagine driving a 2004 Escalade with the body of a 72 Chevy, that pretty much sums it up.