aero
Adventurer
Long time lurker, made a few posts here and there. I originally found the forum looking for a solution for cargo drawers and have been browsing and soaking up the knowledge ever since. I figured I should start one of these to document my build since I plan to start using the truck soon for lots of outdoor stuff.
In the planning stages of moving out of Florida... to move somewhere not so boring (ie. anywhere north of the Florida/Georgia border), my search began for a Tahoe because I wanted an SUV, and was more than pleased with the Silverado I had. If the Silverado would've been 4wd I would have kept it, but... it was not.
Ive had quite a few different vehicles, OK a lot of vehicles, but I am a big DIY'er and love modifying them.
My first 4wd experience, 98? Cherokee that hit a pole at 40mph per the previous owner:
6" Long arm lift on 35's. Never drove it, just rebuilt, then transferred some of the parts to the new white one (xfer case and SYE). 4runner was also only 2WD or I would've lifted that.
I bought the white one mostly modded with a crappy transfer case. It had a 2-3" lift on 31's. It would go through a LOT and keep going.
I'll end up with another Cherokee, but a decent one was in the same price range as the Tahoe, so I figured I'd give it a try.
Back to the Tahoe:
I purchased the Tahoe from North Carolina and flew up to get it. It was in somewhat rough shape even though the seller said his "master ASE tech" dad maintained it. The seller was also a politicians do-boy so I should've taken more of what he said with a lot more than just one grain of salt. But overall the truck was in decent shape other than the apparent lack of maintenance. The truck was a Florida truck other than the few years in NC, so no rust to deal with.
This is what she looked like under the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville...
I had to take her across the Tail of the Dragon (even though it was not as spirited as I had a few months earlier with my old S2000).
Once home, I started to catch up on the lack of maintenance. That "tiny drip" of oil from the oil pan was actually a completely doused and gunked up, this is what the valve cover looked like before and after.
The transfer case was in a very similar condition, and I also noticed that the seals were leaking and the incorrect fluid (which looked new thankfully) was in there. So I removed it to clean it up, reconnect the vent line that was missing and rebuild what needed attention.
Not bad for 200k (Lower cladding that was faded grey was repainted to be black again)
Then I set out to build the cargo drawers that I was wanting to build BEFORE I even bought the truck.
The drawers are accessible from the top as well if I am in a situation where the doors cant be opened. There is also a full width cargo area behind the seats perfect for my heavy recovery, hitch, and longer items. The whole assembly is secured to the truck with a 250-pound turnbuckle at each corner. It is a little heavy (3/4 ply) but no rattles and is completely solid.
They are currently filled up and ready for my maiden voyage. In a week, I will start my migration north with an end goal of Denver, which I have a feeling I'll love with endless outdoor activities. I plan on hitting up a lot of national parks, trails on the way out there and probably end up making the trip in the 4k miles visiting friends and family along the way. Once out there, the full size spare will either go up top or get mounted on a bumper.
I stepped the tires up to Cooper Discoverer A/T 285/70/17's, added a 1.5" spacer in the rear and torsion keys up front. I also just added a corvette servo which made the shifts much more solid and should prolong the transmissions life. My long term plans are for a mild build that will probably include a DIY RTT among other things to make it a great expo rig. Would like to modify a land cruiser or FJ cruiser front ARB bumper to fit because the ones made for the Tahoe are just too large in my opinion. Or may just pick up a welder and figure something out myself.
This is how it currently sits...looking forward to the long trip ahead of us!
In the planning stages of moving out of Florida... to move somewhere not so boring (ie. anywhere north of the Florida/Georgia border), my search began for a Tahoe because I wanted an SUV, and was more than pleased with the Silverado I had. If the Silverado would've been 4wd I would have kept it, but... it was not.
Ive had quite a few different vehicles, OK a lot of vehicles, but I am a big DIY'er and love modifying them.
My first 4wd experience, 98? Cherokee that hit a pole at 40mph per the previous owner:
6" Long arm lift on 35's. Never drove it, just rebuilt, then transferred some of the parts to the new white one (xfer case and SYE). 4runner was also only 2WD or I would've lifted that.
I bought the white one mostly modded with a crappy transfer case. It had a 2-3" lift on 31's. It would go through a LOT and keep going.
I'll end up with another Cherokee, but a decent one was in the same price range as the Tahoe, so I figured I'd give it a try.
Back to the Tahoe:
I purchased the Tahoe from North Carolina and flew up to get it. It was in somewhat rough shape even though the seller said his "master ASE tech" dad maintained it. The seller was also a politicians do-boy so I should've taken more of what he said with a lot more than just one grain of salt. But overall the truck was in decent shape other than the apparent lack of maintenance. The truck was a Florida truck other than the few years in NC, so no rust to deal with.
This is what she looked like under the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville...
I had to take her across the Tail of the Dragon (even though it was not as spirited as I had a few months earlier with my old S2000).
Once home, I started to catch up on the lack of maintenance. That "tiny drip" of oil from the oil pan was actually a completely doused and gunked up, this is what the valve cover looked like before and after.
The transfer case was in a very similar condition, and I also noticed that the seals were leaking and the incorrect fluid (which looked new thankfully) was in there. So I removed it to clean it up, reconnect the vent line that was missing and rebuild what needed attention.
Not bad for 200k (Lower cladding that was faded grey was repainted to be black again)
Then I set out to build the cargo drawers that I was wanting to build BEFORE I even bought the truck.
The drawers are accessible from the top as well if I am in a situation where the doors cant be opened. There is also a full width cargo area behind the seats perfect for my heavy recovery, hitch, and longer items. The whole assembly is secured to the truck with a 250-pound turnbuckle at each corner. It is a little heavy (3/4 ply) but no rattles and is completely solid.
They are currently filled up and ready for my maiden voyage. In a week, I will start my migration north with an end goal of Denver, which I have a feeling I'll love with endless outdoor activities. I plan on hitting up a lot of national parks, trails on the way out there and probably end up making the trip in the 4k miles visiting friends and family along the way. Once out there, the full size spare will either go up top or get mounted on a bumper.
I stepped the tires up to Cooper Discoverer A/T 285/70/17's, added a 1.5" spacer in the rear and torsion keys up front. I also just added a corvette servo which made the shifts much more solid and should prolong the transmissions life. My long term plans are for a mild build that will probably include a DIY RTT among other things to make it a great expo rig. Would like to modify a land cruiser or FJ cruiser front ARB bumper to fit because the ones made for the Tahoe are just too large in my opinion. Or may just pick up a welder and figure something out myself.
This is how it currently sits...looking forward to the long trip ahead of us!
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