Images: João Mantovani

The Suburban nameplate is the longest continually running nameplate in automotive history. Suburban was the original hauler, moving people, gear, equipment, and furniture. Today those old Suburbans with their classic lines always catch our attention, as these trucks were so frequently abused, many are eventually relegated to the scrap heap once they’ve been all used up.

We’ve brought you numerous rides in the past from those South American masters of metal Hot Rod Company Brasil. This particular ’48 Suburban is just one of HCB’s latest creations. Under the careful guidance of HCB head man Alexandre Benevides, this particular suburban has been completely revived and customized for an owner who wishes to not have his name revealed.

Plagued with rust and other abuse, the Truck has received extensive metal work both inside and out. The hood has been cut down 3 inches, and the roof chopped two inches with a section of plate added to it from a ’76 van. Bigger still than either of those projects was the addition of two more doors to the truck, making it a four door. All of these changes necessitated a fully custom chassis which HCB also handled in-house.

Inside the truck there’s plenty of leather upholstery. Front seats were taken from a Citroen and the rear is from a Volkswagen. There are of course many modern amenities including the custom modern gauges, power windows, and a multimedia entertainment system as well.

Power comes from a 300 hp Chevy Performance 350 crate engine, backed by a turbo 350 trans. Suspension is from RideTech with air bags at all four corners. Brakes are 12-inch discs from Wilwood and it all rides on a set of Billet Specialties wheels, 18×8-inch in the front and 20×10 in the rear.

HCB has several years of work wrapped up in this build, with the owner spending over $400,000 (Brazilian) on the build. We’re once again impressed with the outcome of the build and HCB’s attention to detail every step of the way. We would love to see some more custom Suburbans like these from the US and around the world – any come to mind?