Unfortunately—and we use that word lightly—neither of those fit Robert’s parameters for what he envisioned as the perfect family vehicle. “I wanted a vehicle that I could haul my growing family around in and have plenty of room for all the things you need to take with you when you have kids … I wanted something with some modern amenities so it was reliable and could keep up with the pace of how people drive on our freeways. I also wanted my wife to be comfortable driving it and not have to worry about all the quirks that some old cars have. At the end of the day, I wanted a reliable, daily driver for my family,” Robert explains. At the end of the conversation with Garcia that followed, that daily driver candidate turned out to be a 1949 Chevy Suburban.

While Robert had quite a bit of input as far as the direction went, from the color combos to the particular styling aspects, he knew all too well there would be no gambling by “letting [Garcia] and his crew at Lucky 7 do what they’re best at: creating a timeless masterpiece.” And that’s exactly what they did.

Lucky 7 started out by forgoing a stock frame, suspension, and mechanical transformation altogether by using an entire chassis from under a similarly wheelbased 1997 Tahoe. To accommodate its new (channeled) body components, the front and rear framehorns were shortened, body mounts reconfigured, running board mounts fabricated, and a new radiator support hand built. Suspension-wise the stock Tahoe upper and lower control arms were narrowed to match the factory 1949 track width, and Belltech dropped spindles with QA1 adjustable shocks added (the rearend was lowered with a Belltech flip kit). Power-wise, a 383 Chevy crate engine was mated to a 1992 Corvette 700-R4. When all was said and done, other than those of you being told what’s been done right here and now, few would be the wiser when it comes to knowing what lies beneath that two-toned beauty!

Speaking of tones, Garcia went with a PPG-based tan color scheme, as Robert initially expressed wanting to go with that on the exterior. And as you may have noticed, the two also opted to go the “factory accessory” route: front and rear sergeant stripes trim, front fender spears, cattle guard, and Fulton 1000 Series sunvisor along with the requisite 16-inch artillery wheels wrapped in “daily driver–friendly” Diamond Back radial wide whitewalls with caps ’n’ rings. Furthermore, Lucky 7 eliminated the lower clam shell rear door stay cables and converted it to power actuators and relocated the fuel filler to the driver side to accommodate the Tahoe gas tank.

The same theme carries on inside Robert’s Suburban. The dash and all related garnish moldings, LimeWorks banjo steering wheel, and even the Lokar shift knob have been beautifully woodgrained, while the actual shifter, Borgeson column, and Kugel Komponents adjustable column drop are done in a complementing solid brown. Lucky 7 facilitated a Vintage Air A/C system and installed a set of Classic Instruments All American Series gauges in the process. Using the seats from the same Tahoe donor, Divine’s Interiors created the perfectly “suited” upholstery setting using a combination of broadcloth and pinstriped wool with dark brown German square-weave carpet.

So far, the longest trip Robert has taken with his family in the modern-vintage Suburban has been from their home in the Bay Area down to Los Angeles—and that was to attend the Grand National Roadster Show, the very same venue he and Lucky 7 Customs debuted their first two collaborations, so it was quite the appropriate voyage, to say the least!