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Here’s a Chevrolet Suburban Converted To Duramax Diesel Power

If you’re in the market for a full-size sport utility vehicle of the body-on-frame flavor, there are plenty to choose. What’s not so plentiful is the option of a turbo diesel engine for these family-hauling behemoths, but a Florida-based shop addressed this issue with an OEM-quality conversion.
Duraburb Chevrolet Suburban 3500HD Duramax 11 photos
Photo: screenshot from YouTube
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Duraburb Inc. of Apopka, Florida has been converting General Motors full-size SUVs to diesel powertrain for more than a decade now, and their latest creation is this Suburban 3500HD bettered by an oil-chugging V8.

A heavy-duty SUV by all means, Duraburb’s Suburban is equipped with the LML version of the 6.6-liter Duramax diesel engine. What that means is, the Allison transmission sends 550 horsepower and 1,000 pound-feet of torque to all wheels. If that’s not enough to make your jaw drop, the company founded by a former automation engineer at Disney World also integrated a glowplug setup with the factory push-button and remote start.

In other words, what Duraburb did to the Suburban 3500HD is more than your run-of-the-mill engine swap. Other the sound a diesel produces, there are a handful of visual cues to tell this big boy apart from the stock model.

First of all, the Duramax badges give away what’s powering this particular Suburban. Then there’s the heavy-duty lug pattern on the wheels and the different tailpipe design. It’s as stealthy as this sort of conversion gets, and that’s perfectly fine for the people who’re interested in this sort of vehicle.

Have a guess what’s the average fuel economy of this thing. According to the owner, 21 miles per gallon is how the Suburban 3500HD rolls. Duraburb sells 50 conversions per year, and some of the company’s clients include the Department of Defense, Secret Service, and Border Patrol.

As for the price of the conversion featured in the following video, $135,000 is a lot of money. If, however, you already own a Suburban and plan to convert it to Duramax goodness, prepare to pony up $45,000.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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