97 3/4t 454 Suburban - brakes suck

I've had my 'burban for a few years now and am sick and tired of the brake system. It feels undersized - long stops (yes I know it is big and heavy, I mean long stops for it's size). It goes through pads, rotors, and calipers too frequently. I would like to upgrade the performance of my brakes. I would like to do it with readily available parts that wont leave me out on a limb (especially if travelling) because it is some custom part now discontinued. I have read a tiny bit about upgrading the rear drums to disks but given that my rotors go wha I think, and my mechanic thinks the front should be the focus. We can lock-up the rear brakes on a hard stop (as much as the ABS will allow anyhow).

John