2004 Cadillac Escalade Transformed Into Ultra-Luxurious, Ultra-Capable Off-Roader
The owner of this 2004 Cadillac Escalade had a vision of straight-axle swapping it and taking it off-road, and that’s precisely what he’s done.
Over the years, certain vehicles have become incredibly popular targets among avid off-roaders, mainly because they’re easy to find, affordable, and easy to work on, with cheap and plentiful parts available to boot. GM has quite a few enticing offerings that fit this mold, though SUV prices have skyrocketed in recent years – even models that were pretty cheap not terribly long ago. Regardless, one vehicle that essentially no one views as a suitable base for an off-road-focused build is the Cadillac Escalade, a luxurious status symbol of sorts that’s better suited to cruising mall parking lots – lest we forget that it’s essentially just a gussied-up Tahoe. But that didn’t stop Matt Oden – the owner of this 2004 Cadillac Escalade – from transforming it into something truly special, as he recently explained to The Drive.
A life-long Chevy guy, Oden saw his first second-gen Escalade when he was a young man, and his immediate thought was that it would look cool lifted with big wheels and tires. Many years later, when hunting for a new family hauler, Oden came across this 2004 Cadillac Escalade and it was love at first sight. However, after taking it on its first off-road excursion, he immediately realized that he wanted to bring his high school vision to life.
Things “escalated” quickly from there, with Oden purchasing a bevy of parts for his big comfy rig, including a Dana 50 front axle and Suburban springs, a 14-bolt rear differential, an NP241C transfer case, 4.10 gears, Bilstein shocks, and 7-inch Skyjacker lift springs. With plenty of extra room, he then secured a set of Hummer H2 wheels and 35×12.5-inch BFGoodrich tires, though he left the SUV’s stock 6.0-liter LQ9 V8 and 4L65E transmission alone.
The result is a seriously capable, seriously luxurious, and 100 percent unique build that turns heads everywhere it goes, whether that be the mall or the local trails. Oden has spent quite a bit of time on the trails surrounding Mammoth Lakes in Mono County and Fordyce Lake in the Tahoe National Forest since finishing his build, but he’s ready to move on, regardless.
In fact, this 2004 Cadillac Escalade is currently up for grabs via Facebook Marketplace, giving someone else the chance to tool around in what is easily one of the cooler projects we’ve come across in some time – not a bad proposition given its reasonable $15k asking price.
Photos: Facebook Marketplace
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