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| | My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. | |
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+81984twodoor sdstick Cadet57 bowtiepimp Pooge toomanytoyz Machine-De-Zine Matt Trakker 12 posters | |
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Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jun 18, 2011 6:48 pm | |
| So instead of assing up the Misc. section with my escapades [ thread: https://badass-of-ne.forumotion.com/t3086-i-am-getting-the-itch-for-a-newer-truck ] , I decided to make a thread over here to show what I've done to my '03 Tahoe. The other day I managed to clean up the dirty as hell leather seats with a concoction of Woolite mixed with water in a 6:1 ratio (mostly water, of course). I had a Kiwi horsehair shoe brush to scrub the seats, as well as a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser that Justin recommended. That thing was insane. I bought some saddle soap just in case but didn't use it, I'll likely hang onto it though. Before: After cleaning that spooge that was all over the back seat Grime on the front seats The steering wheel's bowtie was caked with dirt along with most of the other switchgear, the multi-stalk had gunk all over it too. Managed to get everything pretty damn clean. Nasty^ Clean. This is after I went over all the vinyl and plastic trim with Tuff Stuff (it is known to remove the white printed on lettering for some switchgear) or the Woolite solution for sensitive parts, cleaned and rinsed, then sprayed with 303 Protectant. There was a ton of brake dust and junk in these wheels, I didn't even really clean them and they still looked a million times better. Why can't people wash their vehicles? You could barely tell that the tires had white letters too. These pictures make it look like crap because of the flash and overall lighting but in person the interior looks a million times better. It was gross before. I don't think the leather seats were ever cleaned. After this I just grabbed some Meg's leather cleaner/conditioner and went over them all to help rejuvenate them, the seats look even better now. Hopefully it's nicer out the next few days so I can actually wash it. I want to polish the taillights as well, may do that tonight. The headliner and carpets are on deck too. Oh, I also replaced the DRL bulbs with amber ones because one was burnt out. Looks pretty cool with the black grille. And this has to be the EASIEST line of vehicles EVER to replace headlight and turn signal bulbs in. Holy chit, no tools, nothing! I did this because I kept seeing other Z71 Tahoes or Suburbans and wanted mine to look different coming down the road. I am currently researching what the hell color the top of the dash and the bezel are so I can spray that bad spot above the radio with touch up paint. Late Model Restoration Supply (CK Resto) has paint that is supposedly the color but it's like 13 bucks or something like that, and 14-15 to ship it! Wtf? SEM makes it I am sure, just having a hard time figuring out the exact code. | |
| | | Machine-De-Zine
Posts : 512 Join date : 2010-11-16 Age : 67 Location : Wrentham
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jun 18, 2011 10:19 pm | |
| Wow, Looks great!
Very inspiring to see someone intelligently caring for such a deserving vehicle. Now because of you, I have to go outside and do a comprehensive spring clean-up on my 02 Silverado Dually.
Do you know what is the best cleaner-treatment for the light grey leather seats in my 96 WX3? They are already immaculate, but I want to protect and preserve them (without sliding all around on the seat while driving through the twisties).
If you have any problem finding the new S.S. brake lines let me know, because if/when they fail, you will NOT be able to stop. Ask me how I know! I was doing 70 MPH on the interstate when some one slammed on their brakes directly in front of me. Well I was VERY lucky to have the next lane to jump into to avoid having a terrible accident. Crawled home in LO-Range - manually shifting the Allison. I have photos of the R&R process of doing the S.S. brake lines & Ceramic Plated S.S. Gibson header up-grades on my old Krack-Berry. | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jun 18, 2011 10:44 pm | |
| Thanks. Yeah, those lines ARE on the horizon, believe me. I'm not bothering with the wheel bearing myself I don't think, I'll prob. have the guy who swapped in my 14 bolt do it for me, where I live now is just awful for doing anything to my vehicles...no paved driveway and not even an outside faucet to wash my car! Anyway, I'll have him look at the lines and give me a price.
I will be employing my photography skills again some night where I took that pic of my Impala and try to recreate it with the truck once it's all cleaned up!
For the seats, do what I did with the Woolite. Woolite was the recommended cleaner that GM and Lexus specified in the owner's manual back about 20 years ago I guess? Now they say "mild soap". Some people use Simple Green, but you really shouldn't, it's too harsh. I'm not a detailer but I also don't want to trash my seats!
You just take some water in a spray bottle, add one part woolite to appx. six parts of the water, shake it up, spray, rinse, repeat. I scrubbed it as well. However you can use the Woolite once a year with just a rag to keep the seats clean. After using it you have to moisturize the seats with something because the cleaner will dry them out a little. I used that Meguiars stuff they sell at Wal-Mart for now. Worked pretty nice.
Autopia.org is a great website forum I browse to see about this stuff and many detailers use the Woolite because it's way cheaper than using specific leather products. If your leather's a real mess there are more expensive but superior options, I'm sure. | |
| | | toomanytoyz Club President
Posts : 6876 Join date : 2009-01-20 Age : 47 Location : East Hampstead, NH USA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jun 18, 2011 10:58 pm | |
| Wow! What a difference! Nice work, man! And when the Hell did you get that??? Want to sell your old one? Good luck with it! | |
| | | Machine-De-Zine
Posts : 512 Join date : 2010-11-16 Age : 67 Location : Wrentham
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jun 18, 2011 11:35 pm | |
| - Matt Trakker wrote:
- Thanks. Yeah, those lines ARE on the horizon, believe me. I'm not bothering with the wheel bearing myself I don't think, I'll prob. have the guy who swapped in my 14 bolt do it for me, where I live now is just awful for doing anything to my vehicles...no paved driveway and not even an outside faucet to wash my car! Anyway, I'll have him look at the lines and give me a price.
I will be employing my photography skills again some night where I took that pic of my Impala and try to recreate it with the truck once it's all cleaned up!
For the seats, do what I did with the Woolite. Woolite was the recommended cleaner that GM and Lexus specified in the owner's manual back about 20 years ago I guess? Now they say "mild soap". Some people use Simple Green, but you really shouldn't, it's too harsh. I'm not a detailer but I also don't want to trash my seats!
You just take some water in a spray bottle, add one part woolite to appx. six parts of the water, shake it up, spray, rinse, repeat. I scrubbed it as well. However you can use the Woolite once a year with just a rag to keep the seats clean. After using it you have to moisturize the seats with something because the cleaner will dry them out a little. I used that Meguiars stuff they sell at Wal-Mart for now. Worked pretty nice.
Autopia.org is a great website forum I browse to see about this stuff and many detailers use the Woolite because it's way cheaper than using specific leather products. If your leather's a real mess there are more expensive but superior options, I'm sure. Thanks for the seat treatment input. The front wheel bearing R&R can be a real P.I.T.A., although new trucks are a breeze to do. However there are somethings you CAN do that may save you some money. Pull the front wheels and clean the spot where the wheel speed sensor goes, if its stuck in the hole (most are), shops can't spend the time patiently trying to save it. They will break it off and you'll be charged for a new one. Soak it with penetrant and carefully coax it out if its stuck, they are usually salvageable if you are careful, as the plastic casing is very thin and the rust can expand inward on the sensor and make removal hard. Same goes for the rotors if they are rusted/stuck on the hub, most shops will beat the SH1T-LIGHTS out of it just to get it off, you'll buy a new rotor. I would also look into the choices of hub bearing brands ahead of time too. Its also a good idea to clean and soften the rust/crud that makes hub assembly removal difficult. Rust-Buster on the back of it as well as on the threads for the big axle shaft nut, and the mechanic will THANK you! I eagerly anticipate the no doubt beautiful new photos of this baby. | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jun 18, 2011 11:56 pm | |
| - toomanytoyz wrote:
- Wow! What a difference! Nice work, man!
And when the Hell did you get that??? Want to sell your old one?
Good luck with it! LOL thanks Bill! I take it you didn't see the other thread? I've kinda always wanted one of these and I love it the more I drive it. Definitely glad I "settled" for a 5.3, for sure. haha I am selling the Blazer to my father, but if for some reason he changes his mind I'll let you know, Felt bad about selling it, but I'll still see it all the time, I just hope my father doesn't ruin the thing. It kills me because of all the work I did even collecting all the parts for that 14sf swap debacle, but apparently I got a good deal on the 'Hoe [knock on simulated wood] so it evens out... | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jun 18, 2011 11:59 pm | |
| - Machine-De-Zine wrote:
- Matt Trakker wrote:
- Thanks. Yeah, those lines ARE on the horizon, believe me. I'm not bothering with the wheel bearing myself I don't think, I'll prob. have the guy who swapped in my 14 bolt do it for me, where I live now is just awful for doing anything to my vehicles...no paved driveway and not even an outside faucet to wash my car! Anyway, I'll have him look at the lines and give me a price.
I will be employing my photography skills again some night where I took that pic of my Impala and try to recreate it with the truck once it's all cleaned up!
For the seats, do what I did with the Woolite. Woolite was the recommended cleaner that GM and Lexus specified in the owner's manual back about 20 years ago I guess? Now they say "mild soap". Some people use Simple Green, but you really shouldn't, it's too harsh. I'm not a detailer but I also don't want to trash my seats!
You just take some water in a spray bottle, add one part woolite to appx. six parts of the water, shake it up, spray, rinse, repeat. I scrubbed it as well. However you can use the Woolite once a year with just a rag to keep the seats clean. After using it you have to moisturize the seats with something because the cleaner will dry them out a little. I used that Meguiars stuff they sell at Wal-Mart for now. Worked pretty nice.
Autopia.org is a great website forum I browse to see about this stuff and many detailers use the Woolite because it's way cheaper than using specific leather products. If your leather's a real mess there are more expensive but superior options, I'm sure. Thanks for the seat treatment input. The front wheel bearing R&R can be a real P.I.T.A., although new trucks are a breeze to do. However there are somethings you CAN do that may save you some money. Pull the front wheels and clean the spot where the wheel speed sensor goes, if its stuck in the hole (most are), shops can't spend the time patiently trying to save it. They will break it off and you'll be charged for a new one. Soak it with penetrant and carefully coax it out if its stuck, they are usually salvageable if you are careful, as the plastic casing is very thin and the rust can expand inward on the sensor and make removal hard. Same goes for the rotors if they are rusted/stuck on the hub, most shops will beat the SH1T-LIGHTS out of it just to get it off, you'll buy a new rotor. I would also look into the choices of hub bearing brands ahead of time too. Its also a good idea to clean and soften the rust/crud that makes hub assembly removal difficult. Rust-Buster on the back of it as well as on the threads for the big axle shaft nut, and the mechanic will THANK you!
I eagerly anticipate the no doubt beautiful new photos of this baby. I'll pull the wheel (I think I'll put putting my 09 wheels on just to see how it looks anyway) and give it all a look and spray some of the parts, thanks for the tip! | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:13 pm | |
| Have a few updated pics: The taillights on this truck were kinda chalky looking, last time I did taillights I wetsanded to like 2000 grit then polished, these I just polished straight with Plast-X and my Powerball Mini. Before: After: ^This one was worse than the pass. side was before polishing. They came out pretty nice considering I didn't sand them first. You can also see my "corrected" fuel filler door, I found a package of assorted rubber bumpers in the HELP/Dorman section at Advance, only one of them was the correct size for my truck but whatever, it's not sunken in anymore like it was when I first saw the truck (if you look close, you can see how dumb it looked, wonder where the original bumpers went?): | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:28 pm | |
| Cleaned the headliner, here are some before and afters: Looking closely you can see dirt and crud all over the headliner. It's not as bad in the picture as it was in person because of the camera flash, but here you can see it in the left center of the pic at that hump next to the moonroof. Whole thing was like that, I don't know what it was, but I will say I found what looked like remnants of some recreational plants under the cupholder when I yanked it out of the console. . It doesn't smell like any kind of smoke inside though, so I dunno. Around the door openings, the headliner fabric was BLACK. The visors were full of crap too. After cleaning with Tuff Stuff (carefully), and a Magic Eraser gently moving backward, constantly wrung out in a bucket of water. You're not really supposed to do that, but this was so filthy I had nothing to lose. Most of the time you can clean a headliner by blotting with a towel supposedly, that wasn't gonna happen here. As long as you don't saturate the headliner with water where the glue would get wet, you'll be fine I imagine. I can't believe how much better it looks. ^That white airbag warning label had hand boogers all over it and was more or less brown before I cleaned the ceiling. Washed with dish soap to get any old wax off and other stuff, then I went over the truck with a Meguiars clay bar and QD. Stuff was coming out of the paint but it wasn't bad, mostly down around the bottom of the truck. While cleaning I found out at some point the truck was driven through white paint and it got on the gray/black plastics around the pass. side wheelwells, but it's not really noticeable. Either the P/O or the dealer tried spray painting over it with matched paint colors. It's only inside the wheelwells though. Someday I'll try getting off what remains. I was gonna polish then go over it with Klasse All in One and sealer glaze, then wax, but I didn't have time, I'll try to do it this weekend. I think the paint looks decent considering the truck is black, has no wax, and wasn't even polished. These pics look sort of crappy though, it really does look nice in person. This truck has some kind of remote start/alarm system in it called a Crimestoppers Cool Start. I didn't even know it had a remote starter when I bought it. I put an old A23 battery in the fob because it was dead, and it worked, then seemed the batt. died right afterward. Bought a new one, put it in, the system worked again. Now it stopped again, the fob just ain't working. I need to find the box for the system under the dash I suppose, get the number off it, and maybe get a new fob. I'm going to try another battery first though, I didn't notice the Energizer batt.s I got wound up being made in China and therefore cannot be trusted worth a shit. | |
| | | Pooge
Posts : 1700 Join date : 2009-03-24
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:28 pm | |
| Way to bring it back man...those seats and tails look phenomenal after you cleaned them...wow dude.
+1 on the magic erasers, those things are the bomb-diggity | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:41 pm | |
| Thank you sir! I kind of feel it doesn't look much different in the pics from how it did in the older pics, but the difference is remarkable when you see the truck, it's crazy. I'm psyched! I've been getting a lot of looks and compliments on this thing as I've driven it! Next up is to get that duct tape glue off the black part of the center console near the lighter socket, and clean the carpets, which aren't too bad. I am ordering the new radio face/buttons tonight as well as the seat bottom leather. Here's my temporary fix using some sort of kidnapper/Free Candy van/SWAT team/Arnold Schwarzenegger in True Lies/diesel-ass duct tape that I had: I mean, it's black, and the truck's...black...so it matches, right? I left that seat bottom kinda dirty too, to show how bad the rest of them were. Sort of like how the White House has that one little burnt section on the balcony to remind whoever is President that the British burnt it down during the War of 1812, or whatever. | |
| | | Guest Guest
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Wed Jun 22, 2011 6:19 am | |
| I am so digging your Z71. |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Fri Jun 24, 2011 1:53 pm | |
| Thanks Billy, I think I'm bringing it to mod day | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:37 pm | |
| UGH. I just went and picked up the SEM paint to touch up my dash, and two F'd up things happened with the truck in one trip. LOL I noticed today that the front brakes (sounds and feels like the front) started grinding. It felt like the linings up front were getting weak anyway and I was going to replace them, but at least they weren't noisy. Well over this last trip they went from a very slight noise to when I drive by walls and fences I can hear the noise echoing back at me, it's literally embarrassing and makes me look like some fool who doesn't know how to drive because his brakes are all worn down to nothing from bearing down on them, tailgating, and not letting them cool by letting up here and there during long periods of deceleration/braking. I don't know if the rain made the noise show up or what. It sucks. Now, I have to find pads and rotors immediately, and I don't even know if I want to drive the truck to mod day like this. Plus, I have to research what the best rotors and pads are for this truck vs. value, so I don't get POS Chinese ones that will warp in a few months. Then they'll prob. have to be ordered online, blah blah blah... Secondly, when I was stopped at a light, the "Low Coolant Level" warning came on in the inst. cluster. Wtf? I checked it, it was about a half inch below the cold level on the expansion tank, and the truck had been running for a while. I didn't smell any coolant or anything really. Last time I had looked at it, it was at the cold level when the truck had been sitting and cold. I got some Dexcool and topped it off about where I thought it should be at for when the engine was warm. I did remember hearing a bit of air bubble noise in the dash after I'd run the defroster. Hope I don't have a leaky intake gasket or anything. Regardless, I got my SEM paint, Now I have to figure out how to prep the dash. | |
| | | toomanytoyz Club President
Posts : 6876 Join date : 2009-01-20 Age : 47 Location : East Hampstead, NH USA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:04 am | |
| Oh I'm sure the brakes'll be fine for the ride up. And my GMC made coolant disappear sometimes too. Weird. Truck looks great. That interior came out AWESOME! | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jun 25, 2011 9:38 am | |
| Thanks mang, I love this truck the more I drive it. Even with the bad brakes all of a sudden it handles and takes off so much nicer.
I'm going to stop at a couple places and try to grab some rotors and pads today. Then I can probably throw them on today if it gets nicer, or drive to the mod day and have something to do...West Springfield Auto Parts is up the street from me and is a Delco dealer. I ain't bothering with R1 slotted rotors or GMT900 brake swaps and all that stuff the Z71 forum does. LOL | |
| | | bowtiepimp
Posts : 1568 Join date : 2010-06-19 Age : 38 Location : working a corner near you
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jun 25, 2011 11:23 am | |
| - Matt Trakker wrote:
- Thanks mang, I love this truck the more I drive it. Even with the bad brakes all of a sudden it handles and takes off so much nicer.
I'm going to stop at a couple places and try to grab some rotors and pads today. Then I can probably throw them on today if it gets nicer, or drive to the mod day and have something to do...West Springfield Auto Parts is up the street from me and is a Delco dealer. I ain't bothering with R1 slotted rotors or GMT900 brake swaps and all that stuff the Z71 forum does. LOL are you sure the rotor cant be cut? Ive always notice the brakes on the tahoe's do get loud with just a little moisture...... even the new brand news with 10 miles on them. | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:00 pm | |
| Nah, I would, but the rotors are pretty bad looking, where the fins are in the middle, they almost look rotted! lol. I think they are as old as the truck, all around. I just blew 430 bucks I didn't really have on Delco Durastop ceramic pads for front and back since they have a lifetime warranty, and the "Advantage" rotors for all 4 wheels because I didn't want to spend anymore. I just got front brakes, started driving home, noticed with my window down that it sounded like the back, so when I got to my house, I noticed the right rear wheel had a ton of that bad brake dust that is really metal shavings which rust on the wheel. Pads look worn out. So I drove back up the street and bought the rear brakes with my credit card. At least I HAVE the rotors, ordering from Rock Auto.com or some place is out of the question because they'd have to be shipped here. I hope I don't have a caliper issue in the back. They seem to be "working", which I guess is a good thing, the grinding noise happens when you apply the brakes, and it's only a slight scraping when the truck is coasting. My dad had a FWD Grand Prix where the rear calipers would just get frozen up and not even work at all. I hope I can do all these on mod day! I'll bring my trolley jack and whatever else I can think of...haha
Last edited by Matt Trakker on Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:05 pm; edited 2 times in total | |
| | | Cadet57
Posts : 4481 Join date : 2010-03-14 Age : 36 Location : Chicopee, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:02 pm | |
| - Matt Trakker wrote:
- Thanks mang, I love this truck the more I drive it. Even with the bad brakes all of a sudden it handles and takes off so much nicer.
I'm going to stop at a couple places and try to grab some rotors and pads today. Then I can probably throw them on today if it gets nicer, or drive to the mod day and have something to do...West Springfield Auto Parts is up the street from me and is a Delco dealer. I ain't bothering with R1 slotted rotors or GMT900 brake swaps and all that stuff the Z71 forum does. LOL Now you're in West Springfield? WHY DO YOU KEEP AVOIDING ME | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:03 pm | |
| - Cadet57 wrote:
- Matt Trakker wrote:
- Thanks mang, I love this truck the more I drive it. Even with the bad brakes all of a sudden it handles and takes off so much nicer.
I'm going to stop at a couple places and try to grab some rotors and pads today. Then I can probably throw them on today if it gets nicer, or drive to the mod day and have something to do...West Springfield Auto Parts is up the street from me and is a Delco dealer. I ain't bothering with R1 slotted rotors or GMT900 brake swaps and all that stuff the Z71 forum does. LOL Now you're in West Springfield? WHY DO YOU KEEP AVOIDING ME W. Springfield Auto Pahhhts has a store a mile up the road from me, LOL don't cry Justin | |
| | | Cadet57
Posts : 4481 Join date : 2010-03-14 Age : 36 Location : Chicopee, MA
| | | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sun Jun 26, 2011 12:01 am | |
| I swapped the radio face (came in the mail this afternoon) and touched up the dash with SEM Color Coat today. The bezel pulls right off w/out any tools and snaps back on too. Awesome. Good to know if I ever swap a Denali bezel in there. I did the best I could touching up w/SEM. The paint reacted a little with what was left of the old stuff in the worn spots, so after it dried I wetsanded then tried respraying, didn't look as bad, but isn't perfect. But hey, I don't think it'll ever be perfect without stripping and redoing the entire dash! The factory paint is thick and seems like it will just keep peeling off if you pull on the loose stuff, so I had to try sanding it lightly and as flush as I could so you wouldn't see the edge of the paint peel under the SEM. There is light overspray around the area I touched up that I'm hoping will be unnoticeable once I go over the whole dash with 303 Protectant again. Before Bad spot on the dash itself, tried scuffing and sanding to hide the flash edge of the peeled dash paint but this is tricky because it just wants to keep peeling off more. The radio face was totally easy. There are 2 clips on the top, bottom, and both sides of the radio holding the face on. You can get a small flathead screwdriver in there to pop them all, then the face just pulls off, have to do it carefully. Then the new one pushes on. There is a cushioned gasket in between the radio body itself and the circuit board of the faceplate you have to transfer to the new one. A few of the buttons on the new one have different wording compared to the old one, but I think they do the same thing, I hope anyway. Looks like shyte. My facial expression reflects my disdain for this subpar piece of mobile electronics. New face from Replacement Radios. These three buttons have different print, but I guess they do the same thing, I didn't really care. Bad face pulled off. There is a gasket that mounts on the back of the face that sits between this surface and the circuit board that I transferred to the new face. Success! Got the duct tape adhesive off with WD40, a napkin from Honey Dew, and my fingernail, nothing else would work. I'm hoping 303 will renew that as well. Might just be thin glue residue. Overall I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out, took my mind off the brake problem for a little bit. | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:25 pm | |
| It's probably a good thing I didn't try to do my brakes on mod day- pulled the RR wheel today to inspect what the hell that noise is, the pad on the outboard side of the caliper was pretty much fine, the one on the inside was worn all the way down to nothing, INTO the metal backing plate of the pad itself. That side of the rotor was trashed, deep grooves and wear all into the rotor and everything. I suspect that either a brake line has collapsed inside or the caliper is hung up, the pad that wore down was the inboard one that the two pistons push on. | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:06 am | |
| Good news, the truck is apparently fixed- I got off work early so I watched/helped the guy doing the job, holy rusty brakes, Batman. The rear pass. side caliper slides were just completely packed mud/horse poo/crap and rusted together, had to be heated up to be taken out. After being all cleaned up with a wire wheel and lubed they work now. Caliper was fine otherwise. The rotor was rusted to the hub. The front brake rotors were rusted to the hubs too. It stops really nice now with no weird noises whatsoever. Didn't cost me much in the end to fix. Also passed MA inspection yesterday, hellz yea. Apparently the front end is tight and the wheel bearing is okay too, it is making some tire noise from needing an alignment. I'll take care of that next week. | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:13 pm | |
| What say youse? Stock '03 Z71 wheels (I think these only came on these Z71 Tahoes and Suburbans, I thought the Avalanches had them too but I guess they're different?) Stock '09 Z71 Tahoe (or Silverado) wheels that I have kicking around, I was running them on the Blazer and took them off of it a week ago. Honestly, I have seen some NBS trucks with these wheels swapped over to them, and I didn't really like the way they looked as much as I do on the OBS 1988-98 trucks. I loved them on my old truck. But, I dunno, after seeing it in real time instead of trying ti picture it, I think they'd look pretty good? I think these wheels have slightly less backspacing than the stock wheels. I might as well try them out on the truck, I mean, I already have them. I was actually going to try selling them on craigslist to see if I could get a good chunk of cash out of them (I have a spare brand new wheel to go with these four too) but maybe I'll keep them! | |
| | | sdstick
Posts : 4292 Join date : 2009-03-20 Location : Revere, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:17 pm | |
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| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:44 pm | |
| - sdstick wrote:
- I like them. Keep em on
The 2009 ones? I just rolled them up against the truck to see what they looked like, lol. Matt suggested it. | |
| | | 1984twodoor
Posts : 4068 Join date : 2010-03-30 Age : 30 Location : Wilmington/Wakefield/Andover
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sun Jul 03, 2011 1:12 am | |
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| | | sdstick
Posts : 4292 Join date : 2009-03-20 Location : Revere, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sun Jul 03, 2011 8:44 am | |
| Yes, the 09's, shouldve said PUT em on. Just looked quick & thought it was the lighting that made them pop...lol
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| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| | | | 1984twodoor
Posts : 4068 Join date : 2010-03-30 Age : 30 Location : Wilmington/Wakefield/Andover
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sun Jul 03, 2011 4:53 pm | |
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| | | sdstick
Posts : 4292 Join date : 2009-03-20 Location : Revere, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sun Jul 03, 2011 5:32 pm | |
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| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Thu Jul 14, 2011 10:11 pm | |
| Ha, so inasmuch that my truck came with essentially no working key-fobs, I decided to email the P/O for some info. Dude mailed me the pair of factory fobs for the truck the next day, found them in his house. LOL. They showed up a couple days later and both worked, didn't even need batteries! Using the key was getting old. Now I just need to figure out the issue with the aftermarket remote starter fob, guy gave me the name of the shop that installed it over in Littleton. He also told me that the truck had the new transfer case put in last Dec. at 140K miles, he could not find the slip for it either but I can go to the garage and they will print one if I want it.
I'm starting to get the itch to do more mods, the immediate next things I want to do are the seat repair and the bumper fix, but after that...hmm..
http://home.comcast.net/~digital_dash_solutions/03_silverado_repair.html
This guy in CT rebuilds clusters- Mine works fine, but there are 2 burnt out bulbs in it, and to replace them on an 03+ you need to pull all the needles off the gauges, and basically disassemble the whole thing. AND solder them in. AND you need to be good at soldering. AND you could mess up the board if you put the iron too close to certain parts you shouldn't. Eff that. I am also turned off by the lack of a trans. temp gauge. The circuit is in the truck now for a gauge but GM only put them in the Escalade, Denalis (I think) and the 2500s, heavy half trucks if there's such a thing, etc. If you send the cluster down to him he rebuilds your cluster, retaining the mileage, and makes it look like an Esky cluster or whatever you want then ships it back with all new stepper motors and bulbs. Pretty cool. He sells them on eBay too.
I'd probably go with the Escalade one though...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GM-TRUCK-BLACK-ESCALADE-STYLE-CLUSTER-GAUGE-CONVERSION-/270734423223?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item3f090774b7
Looks awesome!
This is a close second for me, but really, that fast in a Tahoe?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SALE-REMAN-140-mph-CUSTOM-POLICE-CERTIFIED-CLUSTER-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3f0a3feea6QQitemZ270754901670QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
I just think that looks awesome with the Escalade trim on it.
Either way, this is down the road...I need to fix the probs. I mentioned, crank the bars/oil change/clean engine bay (probably this weekend), get an alignment, grind and paint the trailer hitch, then buff the truck out and see if I can fix the paint. The shocks are getting old too I can tell, so I will probably need Bilsteins soon. I think they're original. They'll do for now, might put that off as long as I can so I don't wind up dumping a ton of money into this.
Last edited by Matt Trakker on Wed Dec 07, 2011 5:02 pm; edited 1 time in total | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Fri Aug 19, 2011 7:08 pm | |
| So I think I have a water leak in the truck, I've had this thing for a couple months now and never encountered this until a few bouts of BAD rainstorms here and there over the last couple weeks. A few days back I noticed that the carpeting under my carpeted driver's floormat was soaked. The mat itself was not, so I'm assuming it was not an accumulation from my wet feet getting into and out of the truck. I tried drying it with towels but it was bad to the point where that was impossible, today I pulled up the driver's carpet and checked the floor, it's fine with a couple of very small surface rust spots, so I guess this may have happened before. Everything has since dried substantially after leaving all the windows down and the moonroof open in the sun with the rug peeled back and the trim pieces off (still can't believe how much of this truck can be disassembled without tools, haha). Anyway, there is what I believe to be a drain hose for my moonroof running down the floor below the pedal area into a big rubber grommet and coming out the bottom of the truck. Is that what I think it is if anyone knows? I noticed there are drains behind both A-pillar trim so I guess there must be one in the pass. side floor too? I had hit some really bad puddling, literally 4" of rainwater not even in low spots of the street, and drove for about 30 minutes in those conditions a week or so ago, then another day like that later on. Maybe water came through the grommet in the floor by force? I have to investigate this more, I plan on getting it as dry as possible, cleaning the floor/vacuuming any crap out of there, then running a hose on my roof and around the windshield to expose a leak. I need a new windshield due to pockmarks and a small chip so maybe I should get that done soon in case it's the windshield gasket. Has anyone here had this happen? Noticed a few threads on other forums in a search but most people attributed it to an AC evap problem on the other side of the truck, my pass. side is bone dry, it is just the driver's side... Thanks in advance! | |
| | | bowtiepimp
Posts : 1568 Join date : 2010-06-19 Age : 38 Location : working a corner near you
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Fri Aug 19, 2011 8:23 pm | |
| check the drain holes in the sun roof....... if clogged they will back up and run from the headliner down the A pillar..... cause of material inside the liner you won't always see a water mark. If they are not plugged then check the adjustment of the glass. Check it with it closed. If you notice it sits lower in the front or back that could be a cause for water leak. If you look inside the tracks of the sunroof you will see two T15 torque screws on each side. loosing them slightly and raise the the glass accordingly , but dont push it to high so it sits above the roof panel. cross tighten like you would a wheel. Over time the glass sags from opening and closing, so it's not uncommon to have to readjust once in awhile. Run the hose over it for about 20 mins, sit inside to make sure it doesn't come rushing in. after checking that for good measure run a hose up the A pillar , starting at the rocker and moving up very slowly keeping the hose firmly against the truck to allow water to soak the area and penetrate any weak spot. When you get to the cowl area let run for a bit in that area. After running it up the wind shield run across to the other side, water will travel it's own path. also check to see if you have the factory wind shield. I did a lot of water leaks and most were due to the sunroof needing re-adujstment, but strange shit does happen. As for water coming up through the floor?..... not likely if so.. ditch the truck | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| | | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Thu Sep 29, 2011 7:15 pm | |
| An update, this dragged on since my last post about it- After the e-brake grommet issue, I still had a leak, but way less than before. It had rained, and I checked the Tahoe and the floor was wet under that black plastic/rubber thing with the foam backing that is under the carpet, the rest of the floor pan was still dry, door sill channel was dry, etc. I propped up the black floor piece with some stuff kicking around my truck, and went to work (took the car). When I came home, everything looked about the same, except it was a distinct puddle instead of wetness: I feared a sunroof drain might have frozen and popped off, but I poured water in there and they seemed pretty clean and water traveled through quickly, out the bottom of the truck behind the fender aprons. I did not see nor test the rear drains since my truck was on sort of an incline, and the leak is up front anyway. Next, I dumped a few good size glasses of water on the driver's side of the cowl near the edge of the hood. As soon as I poured it, water rushed out under the truck, and with the carpet pulled up, I could see that water comes through some seam in the floor of the truck. It only took 2-3 seconds after the pour for the water to ooze out of the seam. There is a crack in the seam sealer, hairline crack, and it has what looks like mildew or dirt coming through it. It looks like water comes under the sealer bead right there too. It does not drip from above or anything, only seeps/oozes out near that corner where the metal floorboard, the metal of the kickpanel, and the metal that ramps up behind the pedals all meet. Pics: ^Crack in sealer ^Black blob is what I put all over my E-brake cable grommet. ^Should give an idea where this leak is... Now I don't know what I should do here, can I just cut all this crap out with a utility knife, then clean the seams good and refill them with some kind of marine adhesive sealant like 3M 5200? What should I use??? Your thoughts would all be appreciated, haha. Heard I shouldn't use silicone for body seams, I'd use seam sealer itself but seems harder to find and more money, plus I could use the 5200 for other stuff and it's at Home Damage, readily avail. Why is the water coming out there, is that a cowl drain behind it- does water run down the backside of that steel through a channel from the cowl to under the truck, and the water is adhering to the metal as it drains therefore finding any possible crack/void in said metal? I'm glad I finally got around to getting closer to solving it, that's for sure. | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Mon Oct 10, 2011 12:26 am | |
| All fixed (I think)... Pinhole after sealer dug out 3M 5200 marine sealant for through-hull connections, etc....chose it because it stays flexible and is a lot better than silicone. This spot looks accessible but it's really not easy to get to because of all the crap installed over it, did the best I could as far as neatness but who cares, it's under the carpet in the corner. Form follows function. Since the tube is useless a few days after opening, after this pic was taken I went over the whole seam down in that area to use up the rest of the stuff, as well as over what I already blobbed on there. View from under the truck, white blob is the other side of that pinhole Rust ground down and cleaned up, removed metal piece from rocker that holds wiring in place under step plate and ground that down (not pictured), painted all with brush-on aluminum paint my dad was using (I'm starting to think all silver rust preventive paint is just aluminum paint, lol). Spray bombed with some satin black. Buttoned everything back together, put my new Husky Liners in, and haven't seen any more leaks, will keep an eye on it though. | |
| | | 1984twodoor
Posts : 4068 Join date : 2010-03-30 Age : 30 Location : Wilmington/Wakefield/Andover
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Mon Oct 10, 2011 12:34 am | |
| Nice! Saw the whole fleet today the 74 looking out at all of the stuck up Reading cars. It matches the house! | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Wed Oct 26, 2011 7:44 pm | |
| Replaced the bumpahh, etc. This was actually pretty damn easy, although I kind of hate the gap above the bumper and will have to research how to adjust it up a little, I know some have done this... I guess the bees died from smokin' some Joe Camel brand cancah sticks, dudeguy? You can really see how bad the old bumper was here, it's solid for now, but has rust all over the place inside and out. I'll see if I can use it as a Line-X candidate and just grind the metal section down (after I take it apart, next year probably, lol) The craigslist bumper came with fogs, but mine were a little cleaner looking so I just swapped them all over. The bulbs in the CL bumper were literally rusted apart and blew up when I turned the fogs on! Pretty amazing difference after looking at this pic, I have to say. Amber DRLs, I like how they look when driving with just the fogs turned on in the afternoon combined with the parking lamps... Now I just need to replace the driver's seat leather bottom, and maybe do plugs and wires soon. I think I'm getting some driveline vibration at speeds around 70 and above. I cleaned the MAF (MAF cleaner by CRC, I didn't douse it with carb cleaner or anything) and the throttle body, but lately it kind of seems like the truck isn't running as silky as I remember (even though the cleaning I did smoothed out the idle TBH, it's hard to explain), and I get a slight clunk from either a u-joint or the slip yoke on the driveshaft as the tranny shifts from 1-2, 2-3, etc. It shifts a little hard too, not like a banging into gear but depending on how hard you're stepping on the pedal, go slow enough and the shift might bob your head back a bit? Kind of like a shift kit. Are all these trucks just like that and I'm not used to it? Maybe I need a fluid and filter change? | |
| | | 1984twodoor
Posts : 4068 Join date : 2010-03-30 Age : 30 Location : Wilmington/Wakefield/Andover
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Wed Oct 26, 2011 10:22 pm | |
| - Matt Trakker wrote:
- Replaced the bumpahh, etc. This was actually pretty damn easy, although I kind of hate the gap above the bumper and will have to research how to adjust it up a little, I know some have done this...
I guess the bees died from smokin' some Joe Camel brand cancah sticks, dudeguy?
You can really see how bad the old bumper was here, it's solid for now, but has rust all over the place inside and out. I'll see if I can use it as a Line-X candidate and just grind the metal section down (after I take it apart, next year probably, lol)
The craigslist bumper came with fogs, but mine were a little cleaner looking so I just swapped them all over. The bulbs in the CL bumper were literally rusted apart and blew up when I turned the fogs on!
Pretty amazing difference after looking at this pic, I have to say.
Amber DRLs, I like how they look when driving with just the fogs turned on in the afternoon combined with the parking lamps...
Now I just need to replace the driver's seat leather bottom, and maybe do plugs and wires soon. I think I'm getting some driveline vibration at speeds around 70 and above. I cleaned the MAF (MAF cleaner by CRC, I didn't douse it with carb cleaner or anything) and the throttle body, but lately it kind of seems like the truck isn't running as silky as I remember (even though the cleaning I did smoothed out the idle TBH, it's hard to explain), and I get a slight clunk from either a u-joint or the slip yoke on the driveshaft as the tranny shifts from 1-2, 2-3, etc. It shifts a little hard too, not like a banging into gear but depending on how hard you're stepping on the pedal, go slow enough and the shift might bob your head back a bit? Kind of like a shift kit. Are all these trucks just like that and I'm not used to it? Maybe I need a fluid and filter change? Whole truck looks Hella better! I'd like to say that U-joint noise is familiar from my buddy's 05 Yukon 4.8 but I didn't really drive it at all so it's hard to judge. | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Fri Nov 25, 2011 12:58 am | |
| The damn shocks in this truck are ORIGINAL, but to my surprise it didn't seem that bad, at first. After a while I became nauseated by the wallowing up and down on the highway, mainly in the back of the truck. Also, a certain highway was poorly repaved in my area (Route 128), and there's a washboard/ripple effect to it now. I'm fairly certain that the wheels on my truck were hopping while on that road. I want to eventually run Bilstein 5100s with a small key lift and coil spacers, so for now I just found some new factory NNBS shocks that were govt. surplus from a Border Patrol Tahoe on eBay. I think I paid around 35 bucks for the pair shipped to my door. Pretty easy swap (although it still sorta sucked) without even jacking the truck up. I replaced them at night with a flashlight! It rides fine now, the fronts are original but don't seem as bad for some reason. Have to mess with that tire hoist for the spare, the cable comes down but the tire does not, I think there is a safety catch of some sort. I guess the original owner replaced the mechanism before already. | |
| | | 1984twodoor
Posts : 4068 Join date : 2010-03-30 Age : 30 Location : Wilmington/Wakefield/Andover
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Fri Nov 25, 2011 10:05 am | |
| When I did rears in the cougar the LH side was original and worked pretty well still haha. The RH side where it was hit was a replacement that was installed wrong, was rustier than the other one, had been bouncing around instead of absorbing the shock of the bump...I had to sawzall it off... My guess is that the body shop who did the work (years before I had the car) put in the shock. They should have stuck with paint and body. Then again maybe not because I have a leak in back window | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sun Nov 27, 2011 4:25 pm | |
| Well this sucks- The other night while at a friend's in Beverly, my truck suddenly decided it wouldn't start. No crank or anything.
Long story short, my friend is a mechanic and traced it to loose wiring in my steering column, after trying everything and us taking the dash apart in the dark, you could see that some auto electronics place tied the remote starter (that I have no keyfob for) into the wiring that runs up to the ignition switch, and taped it up. I guess it's loose someplace where it's connected. If the truck won't start, you can tilt the wheel up and down and try again, and it will start. LOL
I guess I'll have to take the two halves of the column apart somehow and get it so I can see all the wiring, then try to redo the splices or something...ugh | |
| | | toomanytoyz Club President
Posts : 6876 Join date : 2009-01-20 Age : 47 Location : East Hampstead, NH USA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sun Nov 27, 2011 8:25 pm | |
| Sorry Matt, I lost tract of this thread... Trucks looks AWESOME!!! You'd done some escellent work to that beauty! Nice! As far as the remote start, if you don't want it, just remove it and reattach the wires and you should be good. | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Wed Dec 07, 2011 1:25 am | |
| Haha, thanks Bill, it's def. getting there, slowly but surely! Next step I think will be the back window and the seat that has the rip in it. I forget if I ever posted about it, but I went over this truck a few months ago with Menzerna Final Polish II and a PC 7424 polisher (not a rotary, just dual action) and some suitable pads, then Klasse All in One. I never got around to doing the Sealant Glaze or wax on top of that, I still may try to get that done before it's incredibly cold out. Truck should be done with a real rotary polisher and some tougher polish to start with, but I'll try that next year. I think it looks a hell of a lot better considering... I actually fixed that problem and forgot to post- With the knee bolster off, you can see a metal piece that kind of shields your knees from the steering shaft in case of a crash or something I guess? I yanked that off (4 bolts) and behind it you can access the shaft area, a junction block that all the steering column's wires enter, and some other things. On the shaft there was a white plastic loop that looked like it was supposed to be holding the main harness up against it. The harness was not fastened in it, and was hanging down about 3 inches below it. I opened the clasp and locked it in there, then tilted the column up and down. No more problem. Before the truck would cut out if you put the tilt column all the way up. I took the harness back out, and the problem came back. So I guess that without it in that little locking loop thing, there is not enough slack in the harness, and the wires pull out of the junction block ever so slightly, but not enough to actually unplug them? It's been fine, the only sucky part was putting the stupid plastics of the steering column back together and getting them to stay that way! I have a pic of the area with the loop I'll post when I get a chance just in case this happens to anyone else, I have no idea why it had fallen out, maybe the place that installed the remote starter did it? | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Tue Jun 19, 2012 12:53 am | |
| Just a little update, I replaced the old blown out front shocks with the new-ish pair I got off a Tahoe forum... Thankfully I had this tool sitting around, made things a lot easier. Only issue now there is the pass. side upper shock mount came loose, it started rattling tonight. I knew it felt like that shock was bad. I tried cranking it down tonight, but the nut on the stud wouldn't tighten anymore! The cap on top I can turn around by hand, and the upper rubber cushion isn't even compressed. WTF. I'll have to mess with it tomorrow after work. A while back, I hacksawed off the little safety catch nub on the spare tire winch mechanism. What a fun time that was...had to remove the winch with the tire still hanging on it! I almost couldn't get it out! Works fine now. I also grabbed a matte black pass. side mirror cap for my mirror over that side...when I got the truck, the driver's side was matte black, and the pass side had an original gloss black cap on it. I like it better with the matte caps for some reason. I think they go better with the flares. I also did the speaker grilles a while ago, a couple of them looked a little rusty for my tastes... ...at the same time I fixed the stupid light that was dangling somewhere in my door shell, I think someone took the panel off to redo a window regulator in the past, and forgot the bulb. Last year I polished out the taillights, they looked a thousand times better, but not awesome. Then they got dull again! I like the newer Tahoe black-border taillights better, so I got a clean set from ebay and installed them. Came with extra harnesses and everything, not a mark on them. Old dull red-border ones New I can't stress it enough how much better the truck looks with these lights on it. The pics don't do it justice, it changed the whole look of the truck in person when you're walking up to it from the back...they're also brighter as well...I'm saving the originals in case I ever do smoked tails. Next, I want to tackle that driver's seat, and swap in my color matched Denali steering wheel my friend gave me: My truck does not have the DIC option, but if you change the clockspring harness, then get the inst. cluster and some module programmed at a dealership, it's supposed to work as all the 2003 and up trucks have the system built in otherwise? For now, I just want a nicer wheel and this one is very clean. My black one looks like someone got hungry and tried eating it. Not me, mind you. So, the non-functional buttons won't bother me. I have the SEM paint to change the color of my airbag from when I touched up the dash as well! I also still need a back bumper. Found one with a few rust bubbles on CL for super cheap, mine has a softball size rot hole in it on the pass side. So, I may grab that if it's still there, and have it sandblasted and painted, or just grind the rust down and have it Line-X'd. Haven't decided yet. Today I tried some Meguiars 105 on the paint but it was getting dark. It made a difference, but I need to use the smaller more aggressive pads I just got (need a different mount for my polisher, new pads are 5.5" and my mount with the velcro on it is like 6" since my old pads were 6.5...). Should come out nice when I'm actually trying, then I'll go over that with finer polish, Klasse AIO, then SG and finally wax it... | |
| | | Matt Trakker
Posts : 5093 Join date : 2009-07-30 Age : 42 Location : Reading, MA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sun Sep 16, 2012 6:01 pm | |
| Just a little update, currently redoing the driver's seat as I type this (watching an instructional video for the replacement, haha), got the leather, the seat bottom foam, and the switch panel on the side of the seat (prev owner got some kind of nasty glue or something on it trying to glue the ripped leather back together) from GM via our own mikiehews! It was a way better deal than going with the online aftermarket covers, and I also noticed that the factory seat leather section comes with the hole for the power switches already cut into it. The aftermarket ones don't... The other day I used some of the Meguiars 105 with a new smaller and more aggressive cutting pad on my DA polisher...the truck came out nice but really needs a rotary polisher taken to it. I'll get to that some other time. I think it will look even nicer once I go through the other steps and then finally wax it. The 2003-2006 trucks did not come with under-dash footwell lighting, but the 99-02s did. So I grabbed a few of the bulb sockets from the junkyard and I'm going to wire them into the interior lighting so they work with my dome lights. The bulb holder brackets are actually under my dash from the factory! I have heard some of the later trucks did not get them. I'll post pics in a bit... | |
| | | toomanytoyz Club President
Posts : 6876 Join date : 2009-01-20 Age : 47 Location : East Hampstead, NH USA
| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. Sun Sep 16, 2012 6:22 pm | |
| Who died and made this a Tahoe forum? | |
| | | Cadet57
Posts : 4481 Join date : 2010-03-14 Age : 36 Location : Chicopee, MA
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| Subject: Re: My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. | |
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| | | | My Z71 Tahoe thread...build thread...um, "having a truck and not doing anything" thread..I dunno. | |
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