'99 Tahoe - Expedition Build!

[Spargman]

Some really good news and updates!

We left NJ @ 4am on the 15th and drove like mad to reach Flagstaff AZ by the 17th...and we made it. We first camped out in St Louis, then in New Mexico. The first leg was really long...we stopped around 2:30am local time as neither of us were in any condition to drive further.

Even though we hauled across many states, the scenery was amazing and the trip was a lot of fun.

I was at about 3k miles on my synthetic oil when I left NJ so I knew I needed an oil change along the way. After sleeping in New Mexico, the gentleman running the KOA site pointed me towards a small town on old Rt 66 that had two auto shops. I went to the first and they did not have full synthetic oil, went to the second, same story. So, I found a Napa store, bought the oil and filter I wanted and drove back to the second shop...and for $15, he changed my oil. Really friendly guys and they let me borrow a wrench to tighten a leaky valve on one of my calipers and even did a quick one over on the truck for me...this town was almost exactly like the movie Cars...very cool experience.



On the road right outside Oklahoma - over the next few days, you WILL see more equipment on this rig. We ran out of time and bought a few boxes of parts with us.

Our first destination was the Overland Expo in Flagstaff. We were a Feature Vehicle there and the ONLY chevy in the group...let alone a Tahoe. The reception to our build was pretty amazing and three guys from other Chevy forums stopped by to check us out!

For anyone thinking of building an Expedition ("Overland") style rig, I highly recommend going to the expo next year.

Enough of my rambling, here are some pics from the Expo

This thing was a monster...it's seriously hard to consider how big this is until you're next to it....but think $500k+ w/bullet proof windows



The actual Land Rover Camel Trophy team truck...they flew the team members and x2 of their rigs to the event


Another GlobalX truck - met the founder, nice guy


The world renowned Turtle Expedition team - very nice couple








I have hundreds of more pics & videos I'm hoping to post soon!

[BurbanAZ]

glad to see u got to update ur build thread some, it was good getting to meet u at the expo

[firesq14]

nice tahoe! i have a 99 burb. what arb bumper did you put on? was there a mod for it?

[Funrover]

That was a great build. The rig looks great and seems to be taking care of you also. Thanks for this thread, I don't see many of these used as an expo rig. They seem like a great platform for a expo famil and such.

[Spargman]

That was a great build. The rig looks great and seems to be taking care of you also. Thanks for this thread, I don't see many of these used as an expo rig. They seem like a great platform for a expo famil and such.

This rig is a GREAT platform for overlanding within the US/Canada....for this trip we're close to 4k miles and I haven't come across terrain I was not able to handle (within reason of course). It's a very comfortable cruiser and overall I'm really excited about how it turned out.

A photo to show depth:
IMG_9415.jpg

going up the hill!

[Spargman]

Going down the hill....this thing was pretty steep...hard to get the perspective from the video

[Spargman]

It's been awhile since I've had wifi access, but I'm hoping to put some big updates together for the last 1.5wk of traveling we did.

Some highlights:
-We parked/camped on the RIM of the Grand Canyon for three days and wheeled/hiked each day (amazing)...check out "Crazy Jug" on the north rim and you will know what i mean
- Slept in the valley of a canyon (high clearance 4x4 only access) two nights ago and the scenery was beyond breathtaking
- Did a bunch 10%+ grades off road with the trailer and it handled like a dream, but we had to shut it down x2 in one day due to engine and tranny temps getting too high
- We've met tons of incredible ppl in the middle of nowhere with some incredible stories (check out Gooseneck State Park in UT), we slept on the edge of the canyon there)

For the next two weeks we're in Moab UT - wheeling, hiking, swimming and possibly sky diving - so check in for some more updates coming soon!!

Some ppl have asked how the rig handles with a suspension lift, tires, armor etc etc. Legally, we've done 75mph with a 2500lb trailer and the truck drives like a dream...minimal vibrations, tracks straight as an arrow and suspension is just how I like it.

We've probably driven close to 500miles purely offroad (some really nasty stuff) and the alignment is still spot on.

Sooo....if you're wondering how a suspension lift will affect your rig....if you replace worn parts, grab a nice set of shocks, run your CV's at a comfortable angle, you can have a really nice handling and SAFE truck. My only gripe is that steering is a little soft after I removed the variable speed sensor so I could run a hydroboost setup...but with close to 9k lb at a steep angle going down a mtn pass, these brakes have been amazing.

[Spargman]

nice tahoe! i have a 99 burb. what arb bumper did you put on? was there a mod for it?

Thanks!

The ARB bumper was for a big Land Cruiser. I worked with the owner of Liquid Iron Industries and we created mounts on his CNC. Fit was perfect with his mounts...I highly recommend giving him a call b/c I know he saved the specs and we specs hours figuring it out.

When I get back from the trip, we're going to raise the hoops b/c right now they're a little too low for my taste.

[Spargman]

That was a great build. The rig looks great and seems to be taking care of you also. Thanks for this thread, I don't see many of these used as an expo rig. They seem like a great platform for a expo famil and such.

I have no idea why guys in the US don't rig their tahoes/burbs for expedition use. THe platform is truly amazing IMHO and I have done some really crazy trails with this thing over hundreds of miles....and she never hesitates....big engine, comfortable ride, etc. I've towed that trailer offroad in 20%+ grades, all in 2wd and the truck never stuttered.

And to expo these rigs out, you really don't need to do much work other then body armor and a good limited slip or locker in the rear (the OEM G80 is garbage and WILL wear out)

[Spargman]

glad to see u got to update ur build thread some, it was good getting to meet u at the expo

It was awesome mtg you at the expo!! We ended up getting jammed in Tucson exploring for a few days and then stayed at a friend's in Phoenix...apologies for not calling you that wkd to wheel; time disappeared.

Today we're going to hit some slick rock on one of Moab's advanced trails.