2011 Chevy Tahoe LT 4wd build

[Charles M]

Dannyboy I like the light bar it is looking great.

Ah ok. I have the Solo version and mine does not have that.

Mine either it has bolts going through the mount that moved around when you tried to mount a tire... That got old so now they are welded in place...

 

[Threads]

Looking great!
Cant wait to see it as you build it out, thanks for sharing!

 

[Danny Boy]

Thanks fellas. I’m currently working on installing the K9 roof rack this weekend. I will post pics when done. They don’t make a ready to install option for the 11 Tahoe so had to do some customizing to make it work

 

[RoarinRow]

Dannyboy I like the light bar it is looking great.




Mine either it has bolts going through the mount that moved around when you tried to mount a tire... That got old so now they are welded in place...

Now that you mention it that part of the design is lame! They should at least make it so the bolts are bolted to the mount. Not everyone has a welder lol.

 

[Charles M]

Thanks fellas. I’m currently working on installing the K9 roof rack this weekend. I will post pics when done. They don’t make a ready to install option for the 11 Tahoe so had to do some customizing to make it work

You could use three 1 inch aluminum square tubes for crossovers and drill through the tubing and the side frames and run a 1/4 inch bolt through them. Then put the K-9 rack on top...

 

[Danny Boy]

You could use three 1 inch aluminum square tubes for crossovers and drill through the tubing and the side frames and run a 1/4 inch bolt through them. Then put the K-9 rack on top...

Ya that is one way. I just ended up buying the k9 rails had to drill and insert a rev nut on each side of sun roof because I wanted the 84” long rack. That way I have extra storage space on the event I put a RTT up there some day. As is I was told static weight limit will be 1000 LBs.

 

[Danny Boy]

Well, got the K9 roof rack installed. Would have been a lot easier with a second pair of hands, but it is done. It is the 87" long x 49" wide, so I have a lot of storage space up there. It will be great if I decide to put a RTT up there some day or just be good storage if I stick with ground tent. The tahoe roof was a bit of a challenge since there seems to be a concave area in the roof top where the front oem rack bolt was. Lucky the feet for the new rack are placed on either side so no issues.

 

[RoarinRow]

Well, got the K9 roof rack installed. Would have been a lot easier with a second pair of hands, but it is done. It is the 87" long x 49" wide, so I have a lot of storage space up there. It will be great if I decide to put a RTT up there some day or just be good storage if I stick with ground tent. The tahoe roof was a bit of a challenge since there seems to be a concave area in the roof top where the front oem rack bolt was. Lucky the feet for the new rack are placed on either side so no issues.View attachment 125750View attachment 125751View attachment 125752View attachment 125753

Looks very militant, in a good way!

 

[Danny Boy]

Added a few more little accessories to the rig. Added the MaxxTrax recovery boards, 8lb Maul Axe, Trasharoo and a camp table storage under the rack. I have a bunch of other projects piling up in the garage that I need to get to soon.
Next up:
install the 23Zero 270 deg awning with amber strip lights
Wilco Cargo basket
30lb horizontal propane tank
Dual Battery setup with 134 amp hr battery
Solar panel and 1000w inverter
21 gallon holding tank for shower
Spare Fuel tank
Also need to finish my 80/20 storage unit with Dometic 95 fridge freezer

 

[RoarinRow]

Added a few more little accessories to the rig. Added the MaxxTrax recovery boards, 8lb Maul Axe, Trasharoo and a camp table storage under the rack. I have a bunch of other projects piling up in the garage that I need to get to soon.
Next up:
install the 23Zero 270 deg awning with amber strip lights
Wilco Cargo basket
30lb horizontal propane tank
Dual Battery setup with 134 amp hr battery
Solar panel and 1000w inverter
21 gallon holding tank for shower
Spare Fuel tank
Also need to finish my 80/20 storage unit with Dometic 95 fridge freezer
View attachment 135081View attachment 135082View attachment 135083View attachment 135084

That rack setup is slick!

 

[Danny Boy]

sweet!
nice tahoe, well done, good choice of accs
step #4? haha! couple more yrs and you'll be posting step #26...their never finished....lol
how do you find them pro-comps? had a set of pro comp XT's once, loved them but they wore out fast.
not to nitpick your rig but a small suggestion, one thing i noticed was your headlights....they really stand out on a sharp truck.
my buddy who works at a body shop gave me this for my headlights, there's lots of diff ones out there, but in half an hr this made my lights look like new..
View attachment 135100

before and after
View attachment 135104View attachment 135105

Oh I know they are never finished, it is just my running list of projects stacking up in the garage. Parts are in just no time to install hahaha. Im liking the pro comps so far, but ya we will see how long they last. The headlights is one of my to do things. I have a buddy who owns a body shop and he said to stop by someday and see about clearing them up. I have another set I found on ebay just in case I can't get them clear.

 

[Charles M]

Your Tahoe is looking great...

 

[Danny Boy]

Got a few projects done this weekend. Installed the 23Zero 270 degree awning with LST fabric. Also got the Wilco Offroad cargo basket installed which I installed a 30lb horizontal propane tank on and it still has room for other small items items if needed. I made it quick disconnect for refills and when i'm back home I can take it off to lighten the load on the vehicle for town driving. Also added some quick fist for shovel as well. Finally got to mark a few things off the install list, but barley made a dent hahaha. Need the wife to go out of town so I can get the big projects done. Trying to get everything done before June when we go on our big west coast trip. May even squeeze in a big bend trip as well before it gets too hot.

 

[Danny Boy]

Well I got a start on the rear storage unit. Started building it around the new Dometic CFX3 95DZ 94L fridge freezer. It is being built out of 80/20 aluminum material and is really light so far, but damn expensive. I like the way it is turning out and it will provide plenty of storage space for gear and clothes. Will have 3 drawers on the right and one above the pull out fridge. I also got all the drawer pieces cut, just need to assemble.

 

[Sparksalot]

sweet!
nice tahoe, well done, good choice of accs
step #4? haha! couple more yrs and you'll be posting step #26...their never finished....lol
how do you find them pro-comps? had a set of pro comp XT's once, loved them but they wore out fast.
not to nitpick your rig but a small suggestion, one thing i noticed was your headlights....they really stand out on a sharp truck.
my buddy who works at a body shop gave me this for my headlights, there's lots of diff ones out there, but in half an hr this made my lights look like new..
View attachment 135100

before and after
View attachment 135104View attachment 135105

how long did they stay looking good? I tried to polish mine too. They looked great fir about two weeks. I ended up buying a new set from amazon.

 

[Danny Boy]

nice rack, but i really like your fridge. i'm in the process (waiting for a nonwork/rain day) of putting a used Dometic in my camper. what was that one worth if you don't mind me asking


visually they look great. did it one yr ago, i will take a pic of them tomorrow and compare it with the pic the day i did it

The fridge brand new is $1,200-$1,400 depending on where you buy it from. I got mine on Cyber monday and with a discount code for $1,000. I haven't seen this model used, but I am sure you can find one. I love the size of this thing, it will hold a lot in each compartment. Its a bit overkill for the weekend trip, but usually twice a year we try and go on a 4-8k mile trip for a few weeks and that is when this unit will be really nice. We haven't got to use it yet as I have been building this storage around it, but I am about to install it in the rig now that the frame is done. We have a 2-3 week west coast trip coming up in a couple months, so i will be able to give a review on it at that point. I have a dedicated second battery installed for this unit which the battery will be charged by main battery when vehicle is on and im about to install an 80w solar panel on the hood of the rig to give a light charge when the vehicle is off.

 

[Gannett Peak Garage]

Great looking build so far! I am planning on probably going with a squarebody Suburban or Jimmy, so I am interested to see some of the solutions you come up with for the space you have.

 

[Danny Boy]

Great looking build so far! I am planning on probably going with a squarebody Suburban or Jimmy, so I am interested to see some of the solutions you come up with for the space you have.

cool, sounds like a good project. As you can see I'm currently working on the storage unit and fridge. Next will be installing the Solar panel on the hood for extra charge for second battery. Then install amber light strips to the wings of the 270 awning and have them wired to a rocker switch in the rear. After that will most likely be a water holding tank mounted where the spare tire was. This will provide ample water for a shower, dish washing etc.. on those extended trips. The shower will include a hatch for filling water and dispersing water with a water level gauge. I will have a propane water heater that I can connect my 30lb propane tank to for a good shower. Haven't decided on the shower privacy tent yet, but that may depend on the decision of a RTT. No RTT I will put the 23Zero swing out privacy tent. Get a RTT may just do a quick pop up tent...decisions decisions. The RTT decision will be before August when I head to Colorado for the EXPO, but I may just stick with the ground tent I have with a cot...works nicely.

Another project maybe next year I would like to do is remove the two rear side windows and install gull wing doors for extra storage. Maybe keep quick access items there like recovery gear and first aid etc..not important, but an idea. Other than that, maybe some extra lights for the side , rear and ground.

 

[Danny Boy]

Well I put a pause on the storage unit, so that I could install the solar panel and inverter. Got it all setup with the Lensun 80w panel, Renogy Wanderer 30 amp 12v PWM charge controller, Renogy BT-1 controller Bluetooth module & Renogy 1000w 12v inverter. Still trying to learn all the info from the app, but so far it looks like this setup will keep me going for a few days if I left the vehicle off. My first test will be next weekend when we go camping and the vehicle will stay parked from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon with the fridge running in the back and also recharging camp items for Saturday night and outside temp around 80 degrees. I will see each day how much battery discharge there is and at the send of 48 hrs how much battery is left.

 

[Danny Boy]

Finally finished up the storage unit. Made from 80/20 quick connect aluminum tubing and hdpe plastic panels. I also used some black carpet in the drawers.