When Nick Vasquez’s wife needed...
When Nick Vasquez’s wife needed a good vehicle to drive their three children around town, the man known as NorCal Nick built this beautiful ’07 Chevy 2500 Suburban.
There are a few people in the diesel truck world who don’t need to use a last name. Northern California’s Nick Vasquez is commonly referred to as NorCal Nick by just about everyone on the popular forums and at events across the country. This guy is known for building some awesome trucks, but he’s just as popular for helping out anybody who needs it.
When NorCal Nick’s wife, Andrea (Dre to her friends), needed a good family vehicle, he was determined for it not to be a minivan or crappy, imported econobox. Nope, NorCal Nick’s wife was going to cruise in style, and the three Vasquez children (Caroline: 12, Isabella: 6, and Lil Nick: 3) would travel in safety, too.
The Defender roof rack and...
The Defender roof rack and spare tire and wheel on the roof make the Suburban look like it’s ready for serious work.
Dre told us, “Nick already had his dualie, which I love, and I wanted to have my own family-mobile to match.” Now Nick tows the fifth-wheel and Dre gets the groceries (her words, not ours…we’re pretty sure Nick is a progressive, involved dad…but then again he sure spends a lot of time on the Internet…).
The ’07 Chevy 2500 Suburban Dre drives is truly built to be hammered hard and come back for more. When Nick texted some of the photos of Dre’s Suburban jumping and sloshing through the mud during the photo shoot one would expect the typical spouse to get all heated about it. Not Dre, she simply said, “You’re cleaning it!” She knew the truck could take the abuse.
A Cognito Motorsports suspension...
A Cognito Motorsports suspension combines with Fox Racing shocks (and reservoir clamps from www.billetclamp.com) for a very stout truck.
The lift is a Cognito Motorsports 7-inch kit (the NTBD is a non-torsion-bar drop version), which allows for plenty of suspension travel—even with 35-inch Toyo M/T tires and 22-inch BMF wheels (Novakane 8 Death Metal in black). The Suburban’s Cognito lift kit was augmented with more Cognito parts, such as Uniball upper control arms, a 1.5-inch front sway bar, heavy duty idler-pivot assembly, heavy-duty tie rods, a steering brace kit, and a CV-style upgraded front driveline. Reservoir clamps from
www.billetclamp.com contain the Fox Racing shocks dampers.
With the lift and big wheel and tire combo, Nick definitely wanted to wake up the 6.0L engine a bit, so he turned to S&B Filters for a cold-air intake and MagnaFlow for a free-flowing exhaust. An Edge Products CTS guarantees Dre gets all the power she needs when the ’Burb is totally loaded up.
No wife of NorCal Nick is going to be seen driving in a Plain Jane truck, so some more cosmetically aligned products were installed, too. The RBP front grille adds a distinctive look to the Chevy, and the Defender roof rack is not only good looking but also practical. A 50-inch LED lightbar from Rigid Industries lights things up in a big, big way, while HID headlights and foglights compete for attention.
We think “his and hers” matching trucks are a great idea and applaud the Vasquez family for their efforts.
Yeehaw! Nick throws caution...
Yeehaw! Nick throws caution to the wind and proves the truck can be punished and still hang together.
HID headlights and foglights...
HID headlights and foglights really light up the night. A 50-inch-long lightbar from Rigid Industries is capable of melting the eyeballs of rabbits.
Nick finally found a mud hole...
Nick finally found a mud hole that was too much for the Suburban.
Toyo M/T tires are mounted...
Toyo M/T tires are mounted on a set of BMF Novakane 8 Death Metal black wheels.