This is a 1991 Chevrolet Suburban that has been completely rebuilt from the frame on up as an overlander/camping vehicle with a decidedly post-apocalyptic “Bug Out” design ethos.
For the uninitiated, bug out is a term that dates back to at least World War II, it means to withdraw, retreat, or escape quickly, often under enemy fire or grave danger. The term has been largely repurposed now, with people preparing survival bug out bags to evacuate before natural disasters, pandemics, or military conflicts.
Fast Facts: A Unique Chevrolet Suburban Overlander
- This is a 1991 Chevrolet Suburban that has been rebuilt from the frame up into a purpose-built overlander with clear “bug out” intentions. The origins of the bug out term originates with a WWII-era military phrase meaning rapid evacuation, typically under threat or attack.
- The Chevrolet Suburban can trace its earliest roots back to the 1934 Carryall Suburban, a truck-based, eight-passenger station wagon aimed at commercial and institutional buyers. Its early success came from versatility and its toughness, establishing the long-wheelbase, body-on-frame formula that would define the full-size SUV category for decades to follow.
- Over multiple generations the Suburban evolved through steady refinement rather than radical redesigns. Key milestones included the postwar improvements in comfort and power, the long-lived 1973 Square Body generation that cemented its proportions, and later GMT400 and GMT800 platforms that improved road manners and interior fit out and quality.
- The Suburban shown in this article has a rebuilt 350 V8 with a stack of Edelbrock performance components, a 700R4 overdrive automatic, a refreshed drivetrain, suspension, and brakes, heavy-duty bumpers, and extensive off-road equipment. Further additions include a rooftop tent, winch, roof rack, auxiliary lighting, water storage, and other camping-focused modifications.
History Speedrun: The Chevrolet Suburban
The first Chevrolet passenger vehicle to carry the Suburban name was the Carryall Suburban of 1934, it was a factory-built, three-row station wagon body on a Chevrolet truck chassis, aimed squarely at commercial and institutional buyers who needed something tougher and more bus-like than the common wood-bodied passenger wagons of the era.
The 1934 Carryall Suburban (the 1935 model year) would be one of the first to use a full-metal body, and it quickly became one of the best selling in the market segment – despite the fact that the United States (and much of the rest of the world) was in the midst of the Great Depression at the time. Image courtesy of General Motors.
The Suburban name had been used earlier by other manufacturers, including DeSoto, Dodge, Plymouth, Studebaker, and Nash, all to denote a station wagon style vehicle built on a truck frame.
The 1934 Carryall Suburban (the 1935 model year) would be one of the first to use a full-metal body, and it quickly became one of the best selling in the market segment – despite the fact that the United States (and much of the rest of the world) was in the midst of the Great Depression at the time.
One of the key reasons for its success was its versatility, as a truck-based, eight-passenger, do-it-all wagon with ample room in the rear for cargo or luggage, it was a hugely capable vehicle, and it’s remembered today as the progenitor of the full-size sport utility vehicle – still a best selling vehicle platform for many American manufacturers today.
The generational progression of the Carryall Suburban, which was soon renamed to just Suburban, was less about reinventing the wheel and more about steady improvement and refinement. Early factory Suburbans established the core layout – multiple rows of seating, a large rear cargo area, and truck underpinnings intended for real work.
By the post-WWII years the Suburban tracked with Chevrolet’s broader truck evolution, picking up more power, improved comfort, better ride quality, and more polished styling – all while keeping body-on-frame construction.
A key pivot for the model series came with the 1973 Chevrolet “Square Body” era, when the Suburban settled into the proportions most Americans will recognize today. This generation brought a more modern full-size SUV silhouette and, perhaps more importantly, popularized the four-door long-wheelbase family-and-fleet format. It also stayed in production for a remarkably long time, something that tends to happen when a vehicle’s basic job description matches what buyers actually use it for.
A key pivot for the model series came with the 1973 Chevrolet “Square Body” era, when the Suburban settled into the proportions most Americans will recognize today. Image courtesy of General Motors.
By the 1990s the Suburban had become a mainstream American family vehicle, with the GMT400-era trucks bringing the broader shift you’d expect – with improved road manners, more refined interiors, and a general move toward passenger-car comfort without abandoning the truck foundation that had helped make it what it was.
The 2000 model year and the GMT800 generation carried that forward with a more modern platform and a rapid increase in electronic features, luxury appointments, and capability-oriented options, which became increasingly central to how owners used these vehicles for towing, hauling, and long-distance travel.
In the 2010s and into the current generation, the Suburban has continued to grow more sophisticated – particularly in safety systems, towing tech, cabin packaging, and high-trim luxury execution, while staying true to the age-old underlying format – a long-wheelbase, body-on-frame, full-size SUV designed to carry people, cargo, and perhaps some trailer weight with minimal drama.
The 1991 Chevrolet Suburban Overlander Shown Here
The vehicle you see here is a 1991 Chevrolet Suburban that has been converted into an overlander, that is a four-wheel drive vehicle designed to be used as a camper and for exploration and overland travel.
It was given a thorough rebuild which included having the frame sandblasted and repainted, the underside similarly sandblasted and refinished, and the body was finished in black Rhino bedliner. The interior was updated with black vinyl throughout, and it has a new fuel tank and lines.
The vehicle you see here is a 1991 Chevrolet Suburban that has been converted into an overlander, that is a four-wheel drive vehicle designed to be used as a camper and for exploration and overland travel.
The 350 small block V8 was removed and rebuilt, it now has Edelbrock EStreet aluminum heads, flat top pistons with Hastings rings, an Edelbrock dual plane four-barrel intake, and an Edelbrock VS2 carburetor with an electric choke.
During the engine rebuild it also received a Competition Cam XE262H14 cam, competition lifters, Edelbrock Signature Series valve covers and a matching air cleaner, and a GM HEI distributor. Power is sent back through a 700R4 transmission, this is a four-speed automatic unit with an overdrive on the top gear to make it more highway friendly.
It also has a rebuilt and resealed transfer case, manual locking hubs, new ball joints, leaf springs, bushings, shock absorbers, a new steering linkage and steering box, and rebuilt and resealed front and rear axles.
Additionally, it has been given new rear drive shaft U-joints, new brake calipers, wheel cylinders, and brake hoses, and an upgraded front and rear bumpers with heavy duty units from MOVE.
The 350 small block V8 was removed and rebuilt, it now has Edelbrock EStreet aluminum heads, flat top pistons with Hastings rings, an Edelbrock dual plane four-barrel intake, and an Edelbrock VS2 carburetor with an electric choke.
For off-road and camping use it now has a custom removable roof rack, a Smittybilt 4-person tent with built-in rain shield and canopy rooftop tent, a 10,000-lb winch, a custom spare tire carrier with mounting points for gas cans added to the rear, LED spotlights in the rear bumper and on the front of the roof rack, and the rear quarter windows were replaced with custom panels which house two Rotopax freshwater cans.
This unusual Suburban is now due to roll across the auction block with Mecum on the 11th of January and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.
Images courtesy of Mecum
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
