I received a text message from Gary in the morning when we were supposed to shoot his 1953 convertible for our LS issue. It read, “My 1952 ‘Burban also has an LS,” followed by photos of it. This was the cleanest looking, LS-powered ‘Burban I’ve seen, so I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to shoot it. I knew that we never feature two cars from the same club, let alone from the same owner, but I would rather have the photos of it than not to possibly use in a later issue. As it turns out we ended up using both his rides in this issue.
Gary found this Suburban on eBay. It had a reserved price but he offered $5,000 less than what the asking price was, and after it didn’t sell the poster gave him a second chance offer for his bid. Gary couldn’t resist the deal and jumped on it. Cosmetically the ‘Burban was in great condition, so he left that alone. It was a whole other story when it came to the drivetrain and suspension. He replaced the original rearend with a 10-bolt posi. Since he wanted it to be reliable he had his buddy Allen Magrini swap in a 5.3 LS out of a 2008 Chevy. After Gary installed the stereo system he gave the seats a refresh look by having Todd Vers wrap them in red vinyl. In the end, Gary never tried to build a show car, he just wanted a cool-looking driver, and he succeeded.
1952 Chevrolet Suburban
Vehicle Nickname
LS Burban
Owner
Gary Villeggiante
City/State
Millbrae, CA
Club
Sin Nombre
Engine
5.3 LS from a 2008 Chevy with aluminum radiator
Body/Paint
pistachio and mint green paint
Suspension
10-bolt posi rearend
Interior
red vinyl
Sound
Bluetooth head unit with a two-channel Rockford Fosgate amp, Infinity mids, and a 10-inch Bazooka tube subwoofer
Wheels/Tires
15-inch steel wheels with Silvertown Radial tires with 3-inch whitewalls
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