Until Jessie Dornbush of Rancho Santa Margarita, California, started driving the Suburban her granddad built for her, she thought a 4×4 was just her primary track-and-field event: Jessie runs anchor for the Trabuco Hills High School 4×4 (four laps by 400 yards) relay team. When her grandfather found out that Jessie is slated to run track and major in veterinary medicine at U.C. Davis, he immediately made plans to modify his ‘87 K2500 (4WD 3/4-ton) Chevrolet Suburban for her.

The 17-year-old Orange County resident now knows the difference between four-wheel drive and 4×4 relay races and thoroughly enjoys both - even if her truck is older than she is. And, it’s large enough to carry her entire relay team and their dates to the local sushi bar, the prom, or the Glamis dunes for a weekend of fun. After driving it for over six months, Jessie thinks the 4WD Suburban is very possibly the ultimate in dual-purpose, dual-sport, and dual-fun vehicles. Being an O.C.

girl, she’s used it to go skiing in the mountains, camping in the deserts, and hauling her and her friends’ surfboards to the beach. It’s large enough to sleep in, if necessary, small enough for trail-riding, and it’s also capable of towing a trailer full of toys into the dunes. Although she wasn’t involved in the building, she was involved in the planning. First of all: larger, more aggressive tires than the skinny ones it had when it was bought in San Jose.

For the all-around use SoCal four wheeling requires, BFGoodrich LT315/75R16 All-Terrains on Pro Comp Xtreme Alloy 1879 16×10 wheels were chosen. These tires give good traction in all kinds of weather and trail conditions without undue highway noise. The 35-inch-tall tires, while providing better bite and more ground clearance, create problems with fender clearance and turning radius on an unmodified Suburban.