2004 Tahoe Z71

[UltimaSanctus]

Last November I bought a soccer mom's old Tahoe with 171000 miles, so still somewhat young. Fully loaded with stuff I'll never use, like the DVD player. I bought it for overlanding/towing because I wanna do some more autocross/track days with my Sonic and, due to its mods, is near unbearable on the interstate for more than 30mins.

First thing I did was put on some 265/70/17 General Grabber ATX to replace the KO2's that had turned to basically drag slicks

Next was new headlights as a Christmas gift and some cheapo led pods



Next was the interior bed platform with a notch cut out to get in and out. Still need some kind of mattress pad




Most recently was a trailer brake controller, new radio (spoiled by Bluetooth in the other car), and Bilstein 5100s all the way around



More will come over time bit it will be slow going for now

 

[UltimaSanctus]

So this happened today...



Noticed it was bubbling earlier this week so I set up an appointment to get it and the passenger window tint replaced Friday. Guess it was pretty good timing

 

[UltimaSanctus]

Installed a swing down hitch mounted tire carrier



Write up: Another Hitch Mounted Tire Carrier

 

[UltimaSanctus]

So a week or so ago, a coworker told me about a problem for the 99-07 4wd GM trucks and SUV's called "pump rub." Basically, in the transfer case, the aluminum oil pump is on the main shaft "floating" in the magnesium tail housing. Since aluminum is stronger than magnesium, and there will be movement/vibration of the pump, the pump will slowly wear through the housing and eventually cause a leak. I bought a fix kit from Merchant Automotive which comes with a new, thicker pump half that spreads the load better on the housing compared to the factory "knife edge."



So after a couple days of using my parents garage (cause I don't have one) I got the t-case out, pulled it apart to swap the pump parts, and found out that A) It's been apart before, most likely to replace a leaking tail housing, and B) that this newer housing was already worn down maybe 3/16 of an inch.



So now that everything is back together and I have yet to see any leaks I have much better peace of mind on this truck. However, I also feel like the weight gain from using an aluminum housing instead of magnesium would have prevented this completely.

 

[UltimaSanctus]

Switched and wired the innermost bulb from a DRL to a blinker and I added an Aries brush guard a few weeks ago that I apparently didn't mention

 

[Dahoe]

Nice rig.. gotta love a hoe...

 

[RoarinRow]

So a week or so ago, a coworker told me about a problem for the 99-07 4wd GM trucks and SUV's called "pump rub." Basically, in the transfer case, the aluminum oil pump is on the main shaft "floating" in the magnesium tail housing. Since aluminum is stronger than magnesium, and there will be movement/vibration of the pump, the pump will slowly wear through the housing and eventually cause a leak. I bought a fix kit from Merchant Automotive which comes with a new, thicker pump half that spreads the load better on the housing compared to the factory "knife edge."

View attachment 106531

So after a couple days of using my parents garage (cause I don't have one) I got the t-case out, pulled it apart to swap the pump parts, and found out that A) It's been apart before, most likely to replace a leaking tail housing, and B) that this newer housing was already worn down maybe 3/16 of an inch.

View attachment 106532

So now that everything is back together and I have yet to see any leaks I have much better peace of mind on this truck. However, I also feel like the weight gain from using an aluminum housing instead of magnesium would have prevented this completely.

I had the 'pump rub' on my 02 2500hd. When we discovered it the transfer case was nearly dry. While I had them down there I had them replace the diff cover as well.

 

[Dpie1495]

Got any side pictures would like to see a better picture of it! Also I got an 02 I’d like to setup for overlanding!

 

[UltimaSanctus]

Got any side pictures would like to see a better picture of it! Also I got an 02 I’d like to setup for overlanding!

I guess this is really the closest thing to a side shot that I have. Haven't been able to do anything with it or go anywhere in a while due to an extremely unpredictable work schedule

 

[Dpie1495]

You just got leveling keys on it? Or did you lift it a little?

 

[UltimaSanctus]

You just got leveling keys on it? Or did you lift it a little?

Keys up front and 1.5" spacers in rear

 

[UltimaSanctus]

Long post:

So I guess it's been a while since I've updated this thread but since the last update I've done a few things.

In April/May I picked up a RIGd tire carrier when they had a sale



Not long after that I had a flowmaster 50 delta flow muffler welded in for just a bit more noise without being obnoxious


Over the summer my gauge cluster died (common problem on early-mid 2000's GM) and shipped it out to be repaired and have a transmission temp gauge added in



Last month I added an AirRaid intake tube and AEM dryflow filter to smooth the airflow coming into the engine. The new tube essentially deletes all the added sound dampening sections



And finally this week I've added Diode Dynamics SS3 fog lights to replace the cheap amazon ones and Method MR702 wheels on 285/70/R17 General Grabber ATX tires





So that's basically how she sits right now. I have a 18" light bar from Diode Dynamics as well it's just not installed yet

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Long post:

So I guess it's been a while since I've updated this thread but since the last update I've done a few things.

In April/May I picked up a RIGd tire carrier when they had a sale

View attachment 180511

Not long after that I had a flowmaster 50 delta flow muffler welded in for just a bit more noise without being obnoxious


Over the summer my gauge cluster died (common problem on early-mid 2000's GM) and shipped it out to be repaired and have a transmission temp gauge added in

View attachment 180514

Last month I added an AirRaid intake tube and AEM dryflow filter to smooth the airflow coming into the engine. The new tube essentially deletes all the added sound dampening sections

View attachment 180515

And finally this week I've added Diode Dynamics SS3 fog lights to replace the cheap amazon ones and Method MR702 wheels on 285/70/R17 General Grabber ATX tires

View attachment 180519

View attachment 180518

So that's basically how she sits right now. I have a 18" light bar from Diode Dynamics as well it's just not installed yet

View attachment 180520

Very nice Tahoe all the way around. I'm a big fan of the K5 Blazers from the 70s and 80s, and the k1500 big Blazers from the early 90s. These Tahoes are the closest thing to them, so I'm a big fan. Following

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Aside from my own truck or a 70's or 90's big Blazer, I would probably get one of these or the 07-13s. Big fan

 

[UltimaSanctus]

Aside from my own truck or a 70's or 90's big Blazer, I would probably get one of these or the 07-13s. Big fan

My first vehicle was a '93 K1500 Blazer. Oil pump failed one day and had to sell it cause at the time I couldn't afford a new motor



I also thought about getting an '07-14 but the towing rating is abysmal for a vehicle that size. From what I've read it's only about 5000lbs compared to my '04's 7300lbs

 

[ThundahBeagle]

My first vehicle was a '93 K1500 Blazer. Oil pump failed one day and had to sell it cause at the time I couldn't afford a new motor

View attachment 180552

I also thought about getting an '07-14 but the towing rating is abysmal for a vehicle that size. From what I've read it's only about 5000lbs compared to my '04's 7300lbs

Ah, yes! I had both a 94 and a 93 k1500 and someday, by the powers that be, shall I have one again! The last one was donated to Kars for Kids on account of the frame cracking on either side of the fuel tank.

Chevy may be selling a reasonable amount of these new Nissan Muranos they call Blazers, but I think they made a huge miscalculation by not bringing back a simple, rugged 2 door wagon of an SUV like this. Hell, I believe while Ford hit a home run with the new Bronco and Bronco Sport, they would do well to introduce an F150 based2 door Bronco "XLT" or something.

We cant even get a single cab short bed in this country anymore.

Anyway, nice work on your Tahoe!