4x4 "Family Size" Prerunner Platforms

DialedShockPrep said:
A 2000-2006 Tahoe or suburban would be ideal. The frames are strong, parts are everywhere, and i believe Cho/Richer Racing make a crossmember for put TTB’s on them. That opens the door to everything from cut and turned stock beams and 33” tires to fully fabricated beams and swing steering with fabricated uprights, hubs, and 40”s. For the rear you can have Deaver make a spring under setup and make a cantilever kit or poke 18” bypasses through the bed floor, or link it if you are trying to get the absolute most out of it. Suburban would favor a more traditional link setup since you could use crew cab spaced lower links and have the shocks mounting behind the rear seats. The wheelbase on those trucks is 116” for the Tahoe and 130” for the suburban, so they are fairly close to most rangers for comparison and drastically shorter than a crew cab silverado.
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I know Richer just did the silverado 1500 TTB swap with the fabricated cross member. Are Tahoe's the same frames in the front as the silverado 1500's. I'd guess they are.
 
Brett_408 said:
I know Richer just did the silverado 1500 TTB swap with the fabricated cross member. Are Tahoe's the same frames in the front as the silverado 1500's. I'd guess they are.
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Tahoes, Suburbans, Avalanche, and Chode trucks are all steering box / torsion bar style 4wd frames even if 2wd. The 2wd are missing the mounts for the front diff tho. Very similar to 2500 frames except not as tall.
 
I should also add, I am building a 2006 Tahoe. The 2500 Suburban is a better choice due to interior room and beefier drivetrain but I plan to 4l80/6.0 swap the one I have and use a modified TE Designs 2500 kit up front. I contemplated TTB as I've had soo many Broncos but I really wanted to try a 4wd A arm setup. 2006 was the last year of the steering box (2010 on 2500s) so anything newer than that you will have to deal with a weak rack.

If you have any questions about the GMT800 platform I know a lot about them.

The Tahoe got put on hold during Covid waiting for shocks and currently it's on hold till I get my Blazer wired and finished.
 
Nothing against Sequoias but a 03-06 Tahoe / Yukon / Denali with a 4L80E swap, 05+ Ford axles, and coilovers on each corner would be easy and fairly comfy even at speed.

You can pick them up fairly clean with a bad trans for like $1000.
 
My only proclivity to the Sequoia is the overall size is smaller than a Tahoe so the body will fit down trails easier. Three buckets won't fit across either so the fifth will be staggered back in the trunk a bit. High mileage V8 with Toyota reliability and a 2wd trans I can rebuild and add a manual tcase myself are available for $2000 pretty routinely. I do wish they had a longer good though to stuff big tires in.
 
DialedShockPrep said:
A 2000-2006 Tahoe or suburban would be ideal. The frames are strong, parts are everywhere, and i believe Cho/Richer Racing make a crossmember for put TTB’s on them. That opens the door to everything from cut and turned stock beams and 33” tires to fully fabricated beams and swing steering with fabricated uprights, hubs, and 40”s. For the rear you can have Deaver make a spring under setup and make a cantilever kit or poke 18” bypasses through the bed floor, or link it if you are trying to get the absolute most out of it. Suburban would favor a more traditional link setup since you could use crew cab spaced lower links and have the shocks mounting behind the rear seats. The wheelbase on those trucks is 116” for the Tahoe and 130” for the suburban, so they are fairly close to most rangers for comparison and drastically shorter than a crew cab silverado.
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Tahoes and Burbs are coil sprung in the rear.
 
Are the stock hoe' links long enough? I figured most of the fullsize suvs have stumpy links on them but I have never measured them.

Sean
 
smokeysevin said:
Are the stock hoe' links long enough? I figured most of the fullsize suvs have stumpy links on them but I have never measured them.

Sean
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They’re not terribly long, but could probably suffice in a pretty capable mid travel set up. Upper link measures around 17.5” c to c , lower links I can’t recall offhand, 20-something

My idea was if it turns out to be too hampering using the stock links/geometry, with some exhaust work could probably work out a 3 link set up
 
Aside from a basic toyota pickup for DD duties and slight beebopping around the desert, I don't think I'll ever build my own leaf sprung truck again.
 
the bodj said:
Aside from a basic toyota pickup for DD duties and slight beebopping around the desert, I don't think I'll ever build my own leaf sprung truck again.
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Basic link kits are everywhere and WIY set ups are super cheap if you can entry level fab. So I have to agree links over leafs any and every time.
 
Brett_408 said:
Basic link kits are everywhere and WIY set ups are super cheap if you can entry level fab. So I have to agree links over leafs any and every time.
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Totally. Also, aside from figuring out the geometry, I think they're easier to set up than leaf springs. I hate breaking down packs, moving shackle hangers around, adjusting shackle sizes...
 
Linking a Tahoe is kinda tricky due to super wide frame and rear seats. Factory rear AC is in the way too.

Factory setup could work for a basic long travel setup, but I think leaves would pull more travel easily. Packaging leaves with a bypass is also easier. I've never checked but I'd think the factory coils springs would coil bind easily and possibly not live long in this application.
 
What about a second gen double cab Tundra? You can easily fit four seats in one, shorten the frame to run the 5.5’ bed, throw a 2650 on top of the motor for bigger balls and call it a day. Several companies make kits for them, the drivetrain is reliable, and they can be had for <$15k these days since everyone wants the crew cab. Only downside is the width.
 
philofab said:
Linking a Tahoe is kinda tricky due to super wide frame and rear seats. Factory rear AC is in the way too.

Factory setup could work for a basic long travel setup, but I think leaves would pull more travel easily. Packaging leaves with a bypass is also easier. I've never checked but I'd think the factory coils springs would coil bind easily and possibly not live long in this application.
Oh4Tahoe said:
They’re not terribly long, but could probably suffice in a pretty capable mid travel set up. Upper link measures around 17.5” c to c , lower links I can’t recall offhand, 20-something

My idea was if it turns out to be too hampering using the stock links/geometry, with some exhaust work could probably work out a 3 link set up
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
17.5” CtoC upper link
22” CtoC lower link

Currently , as measured I have around 10” of travel, without really changing anything. H2 2” lift coil springs and some bilstein 7100s with 10” travel and I use the whole shock
 
Last edited:
Mullen said:
What about a second gen double cab Tundra?
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I looked into these pretty heavily as my wife drives a second gen Sequoia and a friend had this Tundra for a few years. There was even a fairly well built one at the Cinders this year. Wouldn't be bad for a mild build but even the race kits that get rid of the weak-ish spindles don't boost the ground clearance much. Luckily 37s fit easily and the steering holds up with basic mods. The back seat is roomy but I'm not sure it's quite enough for bigger kids for multiple days. The C pillar also makes it a bit Closter phobic as it sweeps up and ends early so you really can't enjoy much scenery. They're also heavy, big, and seem to have thinner sheetmeal and panels than domestic vehicles of the same period. Basically. I'm not a fan but would DD a built one everyday.
 
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