Influencer III
In 2018 I was looking for a daily driver and first overland rig. I had specific criteria in mind: affordable, reliable, and a bit unique. What I found was a Chevrolet Tahoe. Some might say a Tahoe is not unique, but in the world of Pathfinder‘s and 4runner‘s, the Tahoe stands out.
I bought my single owner Tahoe for a great price. It started it’s life as a Wyoming state trooper supervisor truck. It had a great service record and surprisingly low miles for coming from a government agency. I knew that Chevrolet’s had a reputation for being reliable and affordable, something that has come in handy for me.
My first order of business was painting the wheels to a more aesthetically pleasing color. Soon after I got a 54 inch light bar, a Wilco spare tire carrier and a custom built sliding drawer for the rear.
After making these upgrades, I took sometime to enjoy the car and get out and camp so I could see what upgrades I should plan for.
After a few months, I started making more upgrades. I added new wheels and tires, a leveling kit in the front and coated the front and rear bumpers in raptor liner.
After this I moved to Northern Idaho. Here I became acutely aware of my lack of self recovery equipment. To solve this problem I installed a hidden winch plate and shackle conversion intended for a 2007-2014 Silverado with the help of a little bit of modification. The winch is a 12,000 pound Badlands Apex and has served me well so far.
The next major step was replacing the tired factory 3.42 gears to a 3.73 setup. Also a Detroit true track rear differential was installed. Ditch lights, a diablosport tune, a iDrive pedal tuner and a more rugged rooftop tent mount rounded out the build that you will see today.
I’ve made future plans to add a beefier suspension setup, full length platform system, a more rugged front bumper setup, and of course, sliders.
This rig has taken me me all over the Rocky Mountains and some pretty desolate parts of the Pacific Northwest.
I’m sure there a few small things that I am missing, but if you have any questions feel free to ask.
Thanks for reading I look forward to seeing you on the trails!
I bought my single owner Tahoe for a great price. It started it’s life as a Wyoming state trooper supervisor truck. It had a great service record and surprisingly low miles for coming from a government agency. I knew that Chevrolet’s had a reputation for being reliable and affordable, something that has come in handy for me.
My first order of business was painting the wheels to a more aesthetically pleasing color. Soon after I got a 54 inch light bar, a Wilco spare tire carrier and a custom built sliding drawer for the rear.
After making these upgrades, I took sometime to enjoy the car and get out and camp so I could see what upgrades I should plan for.
After a few months, I started making more upgrades. I added new wheels and tires, a leveling kit in the front and coated the front and rear bumpers in raptor liner.
After this I moved to Northern Idaho. Here I became acutely aware of my lack of self recovery equipment. To solve this problem I installed a hidden winch plate and shackle conversion intended for a 2007-2014 Silverado with the help of a little bit of modification. The winch is a 12,000 pound Badlands Apex and has served me well so far.
The next major step was replacing the tired factory 3.42 gears to a 3.73 setup. Also a Detroit true track rear differential was installed. Ditch lights, a diablosport tune, a iDrive pedal tuner and a more rugged rooftop tent mount rounded out the build that you will see today.
I’ve made future plans to add a beefier suspension setup, full length platform system, a more rugged front bumper setup, and of course, sliders.
This rig has taken me me all over the Rocky Mountains and some pretty desolate parts of the Pacific Northwest.
I’m sure there a few small things that I am missing, but if you have any questions feel free to ask.
Thanks for reading I look forward to seeing you on the trails!
