Fullsize SUV interior setups

Ya being 6'8" would really cut down on the sleeping options and make a fullsize mandatory. When I measured the 4Runner with the rear seats removed I ended up with 6'3" of room and that is plenty to lay down.

However, after sleeping on it, I'm waffling again. I got to thinking about the mods I would want to do to it, straight axle (I just like how they drive, maybe I'm getting old) Engine swap to get rid of the horribly slow 3 liter etc etc. Might still be better to get something with a V8 to start with. Especially if I want to tow anything.

So I'm still leaning Toyota, but the 5.3 in the 2000+ Tahoe is one of the sweetest engines in production and only a SAS away from being the perfect rig. I might have answered my own question there. A Tahoe would be less work overall to get ready. Damn, sorry about that guys, sometimes I just have to see a thought process written down in order for everything to fall into place. Back in the Fullsize camp :smiley_drive:

Thank you for pointing that out about the LP inside the vehicle, yes, why take the risk. It would be very easy to make a outside bumper rack for a tank and eliminate the risk.
 
Last edited:
The more you look at it before purchase the better. I started wanting out of my Cummins Dodge after driving on a terrible stretch of I5 and nearly loosing it multiple times...I started to watch what other rigs took the concrete changes in stride, the new 4runner actually caught my eye but they were way out of cost range. I would still love to end up with a 2005-2006 Jeep Liberty with the 2.8L diesel...it will toy with 38mpg if set up correctly and conditions are ideal, but it is still quite tiny for real travel.

I would definatly buy another OBS GM SUV, preferably GMC Yukon and secondly the Tahoe but they are dirt cheap, parts are sand cheap and they are very much worth replacing the powertrain after 200k. There is a really good step by step thread online for the 5.7 to 5.3 swap. If our 350 dies I will just find a diesel 3/4 ton GM truck and swap the engine onto our recently rebuilt 4L60E and get great mileage and a little more torque. One fellow I found even swapped in a 6.6L and Allison, but it looked factory original, he said that the drivers exhaust manifold on the 6.6L was even designed to allow the steering shaft to clear the manifold, so the preverbial GM to GM swap was possible.

More after a diaper....it was epic...

The Yukon/Tahoe have plenty of room in the 2nd row for even a huge guy like me in the front seats and I could still fold up into the 2nd row seats and it beats walking. I can also sit in the 3rd row, while not comfortably, it is better than the back of a 2 seater CRX (which I have traveled for 2 hours in the back of before).

Would recommend the fullsize and not worry about upgrading later, "Ron Suburbangdy" upgraded from his XJ because his boys were too big, and he may have lost 1MPG average, if not improved since the 5.7L don't really work all that hard untill you get over 3k behind them...they just hit high gear and cruise while soaking up all the crappy road conditions.
 
Last edited:

Clutch

<---Pass
I may of missed it, but is there a reason for an SUV over a pick-up with a shell?

They come in various roof heights, can find one, that you could sit-up in.


108027919_medium_cbd3c5.jpg




75945d1252545346-camper-shell-fits-dirtbike-camper.jpg



Could go as far as this...

tacoam-new-truck-shell.jpg
 
Last edited:
If you are near Port Angeles, WA anytime you are welcome to come and check out how I have set up my Yukon before you purchase....heck it might even be for sale!!!
 
A few reasons for an SUV over a Pickup. I've found out from past vehicle ownership that I tend to use pickups for pickup things. When I had a canopy on one, I would always want to haul hay, or a dirty motorcycle or ATV in them. When I've owned an SUV in the past, I would treat them more like the passenger vehicle and that is the intended purpose of this one. Take 1 or two passengers to out of the way areas, spend the night and move on.

Also the rear hatch of an suv tends to seal much better against water and dust than any tailgate/canopy hatch that I've ever had. Rear doors allow more complete access to the cargo area and more efficient use of space. Drop down area occupied by taken out rear seats will accommodate a water tank and fridge and still allow a flat sleeping area a little bit better than a pickup bed.

However, that being said, if I found a 2000 Silverado 3/4 ton, with an automatic and a 5.3 for around 5k that wasn't beat to hell I would jump on that too! (Those usually don't show up in that price range tho, so I know it's wishful thinking) Would just have to make the bed platform semi permanent so I didn't try to work it like a pickup!
 
Last edited:

xbox73

Adventurer
I have a 2000 Ford Excursion, with the 7.3L PSD. My quick & dirty make shift sleeping platform inside was to remove the 3rd row & put 6 Action Packer 24 gallon boxes for gear in the cargo area behind the 2nd row, and then drop a sheet of marine plywood on top, and 3.5" REI self-inflating camping mattresses on top of that. The 6 Action Packer 24 gallon boxes are a bit of a tight squeeze width-wise, but there's a couple of extra inches of length still available lengthwise. If I was desperate for storage space, and didn't need a sleeping platform, I could probably add a dog guard grate behind the 2nd row, and add another 6 Action Packer 24 gallon boxes on top of the 1st layer.

Disadvantages are:
- the sheet of plywood is bulky, so one either has to put under heavy Action Packers until needed, or reach under plywood to get to Action Packers, or chop the plywood down into smaller pieces, possibly with hinges or latches so they stay together
- the Action Packers are approx. 18" high (tops are a couple inches below top of 2nd row seat), so that doesn't afford much headroom when sleeping on top of them, but it works for an occasional quick & dirty solution
- if you replace one of the Action Packers in the rear with a fridge that's a different height, then the sleeping platform would only fit 1 person, or 2 with a narrowed foot box
- the length from the hatch to the back of the 2nd row seat is only approx. 5'6", so it's not ideal for tall people who like to sleep stretched out (I have to curl up)
 
Last edited:

pauljadam

New member
Consider an Excursion, I test drove 2 Suburbans and 2 Excursions wanting the superior interior cargo space. I looked at 2 other Suburbans that were too dirty so I didn't drive them. I much preferred the drive of the Excursions over the Suburbans. The Ex is way less bouncy and the brakes worked better. I also felt the interiors of the Excursions held up better. I preferred the cloth over leather which is usually cracked. I bought a 2000 4x4 V10 cloth with 159k miles for 6300 bucks. I really enjoy driving it around and my 2007 Tacoma has not been used at all lately! Planning to hit up the beaches, lakes, and rivers a lot more this year! :)
 
I will certainly take a look at the Excursions if I can find one, thanks :) I've been a little gunshy of them because of the 5.4's rep for spark plug issues and there was something going on with the V10, which I can't remember off the top of my head. Any comments on that?

Space on either the Suburban or Excursion won't be a problem as I'll be taking out 2nd and 3rd rows of seats if they are in there. This vehicle doesn't have to serve double duty at all for passenger work. I don't have kids and will only be bringing the SO along on my trips, so I can't really see a need to keep the extra seating rows in place. The cargo/sleeping platform will see a LOT more use than a passenger seat ever would.
 

Shocker

VanDOOM!
A V10 Excursion would be great. Forget the 5.4, not for the plug issue, but just for the power output. Not really adequate for the Excursion. The V10 has a good rep for reliability. Of course if you can find a 7.3, well, now your cookin' with gas...er...diesel...
 
Holy :Wow1: http://spokane.craigslist.org/ctd/4283272555.html

2000 Ford Excursion 7.3 Diesel with just under 50k miles.....wait for it $35,000. MSRP 14 years ago was 40k. I swear the dealer pricing in this area of the NW is absolutely ridiculous. Seattle seems much much better, just hard to get over there and stay for a week or so going vehicle shopping.

Looked at a Chev Pickup this morning that a local guy had for sale, could just about put my fist through the drivers floorboard due to rust....On the phone he only said it had "surface rust" I'm thinking that he wasn't expecting me to show up in coveralls and crawl under the rig with a flashlight.

The search continues :)
 

JIMBO

Expedition Leader
:sombrero: Lots of room in the jeep 4dr (JKU)

IMG_0614_zpsba5f662a.jpg


IMG_0612_zpsd606d0a5.jpg



IMG_0616_zps1a11ac35.jpg


Complete (?) tool set and recovery gear/w room to sleep !

:costumed-smiley-007:wings: JIMBO
 

xbox73

Adventurer
Holy :Wow1: http://spokane.craigslist.org/ctd/4283272555.html

2000 Ford Excursion 7.3 Diesel with just under 50k miles.....wait for it $35,000. MSRP 14 years ago was 40k. I swear the dealer pricing in this area of the NW is absolutely ridiculous. Seattle seems much much better, just hard to get over there and stay for a week or so going vehicle shopping.

Looked at a Chev Pickup this morning that a local guy had for sale, could just about put my fist through the drivers floorboard due to rust....On the phone he only said it had "surface rust" I'm thinking that he wasn't expecting me to show up in coveralls and crawl under the rig with a flashlight.

The search continues :)

As others have mentioned, the 5.4L V8 (~ 255 hp & 325 lb·ft) works, but isn't really beefy enough to move a vehicle the size of an Excursion with authority. The 6.8L V10 (~ 310 hp & 425 lb·ft) is a bit thirsty (think single digit to low teens mpg), but has a good reputation for reliability, and is sometimes used in Class C motorhomes, and is well suited to moving a a sizable vehicle. The '99- '03 7.3L PSD (~ 235 hp & 500 lb·ft) is the gem of the bunch, with enough torque & power to move the Excursion with authority, combined with the fuel efficiency (think mid to high teens mpg, if stock height & all terrain tires; lifting, mud terrain tires, roof racks etc. reduce mpg into the low to mid teens mpg region) & durability of the 7.3L PSD. The '03 - '05 6.0 PSD (~ 325 hp & 560 lb·ft ) has a somewhat undeserved poor reputation for reliability, partially as a result of being saddled with EGR equipment (which one may be able to remove, if living in an area without regular smog checks), and somewhat due to not having enough head bolts per cylinder. Some 6.0 PSDs also seem to need replacement injectors more frequently than one would expect. Many owners drive stock 6.0 PSDs for years without issue, while many (especially hotrodded versions) seem to encounter issue after issue. The other disadvantage of the 6.0 PSD is that they are newer, so tend to command a higher price. One advantage of the 6.0 PSDs is that I think they got the stronger 5R110 trans, which tends to be more reliable than the 4R100 trans in the other Excursion. The 4R100 trans can be built to be very strong, but in stock form can be a weak point on higher mileage Excursions or ones that have led a hard life or done a lot of towing. If one buys an Excursion with a stock 4R100 trans, and it doesn't yet have an upgraded trans cooler from the 6.0L PSD, that would likely be a wise investment.

My pick would be either the 6.8L V10 or the 7.3L PSD. I prefer the 7.3L PSD, which is what I bought, but you can buy a lot of gas with the price premium the 7.3L PSDs command over their V10 brethren, As far as Excursion pricing goes, a very rough guide is that reasonably priced V10s seem to go for $7k - $15k, whereas reasonably priced 7.3L PSDs seem to go for $13k - $25k, depending on mileage, condition, upgrades, local variances, urgency of sale, etc. If one is not in a rush and/or is willing to look outside one's immediate area, one can probably find one towards the lower end of those price ranges. If one is in a rush and/or is not willing to travel far to look at suitable examples, unless one is lucky, one may be looking towards the higher end of those price ranges.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the Excursion update...they look like one heck of a rig. It is definitely on the list of search terms for my Craigslist app. I'm a complete diesel fan, believe me. Well with the exception of one, the 6.5 chevy. Good friend had one and it was horrible to work on. However the entry cost for diesel is usually prohibitive. 5k is my self imposed budget for the vehicle itself. If I go over that, it eats into the Expo build budget and then I'm trying to go through mud and snow on street tires, and that' won't be pretty.

In my searching last night I noticed an odd pricing trend. Ford Expeditions and generally 2-3k cheaper than Tahoes with equal miles and equipment. However Excursions are 3-5k more than Suburbans.
 
Last edited:
When the Expedition came out it was delivered as a bigger Explorer...basically a car with a huge body (others will dispute and still others will affirm) but the Tahoe's and Yukon's were were were built on a truck chassis. Now the GM are all uni body I believe, so there is very little truck left except for the burbs or excursions.

If you really didn't plan on toting people I would go with the V10 Excursion and rip all the interior out and build a true platform for sleeping and camping with just the two front seats in. I fixed my Yukon's roof rack leaks and to do so I had to remove every single piece from the interior...I left the dash in place, but everything else came out....and if we ever buy mama a car, the Yukon will be re-designed and have the ability to carry 8 people and also unbolt the second row of seats and use the seat mounts for a custom aluminum or light gauge steel platform like many on this forum have done.

Our neighbors have a V10 crew cab truck and it gets 8 mpg..uphill, downhill, city, highway, towing a 35' fifth wheel....just 8 mpg, but it has less cost than the 7.3L and unless you really need to boost the power for towing the V10 is more than enough.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,529
Messages
2,875,555
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top