'97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by Longmire85

How are you going to go about re-attaching the trim ring to the grille? Adhesive? I considered doing that to my grille when I painted it, but was a little nervous about destroying the tabs and how I would re-attach it. I didn't consider using a Dremmel, which is a great idea btw. I really need to buy me a nice one as it would be handy as hell. My grille turned out ok for now, just had to do a ton of taping. But, this would be nice to do when I get the whole truck re-painted and show worthy.

If I recall correctly, I just hot glued the trim ring I removed on my old '93 fullsize when I changed to the '94-98 GMC grille & added billet. That's what I'm planning to do with this one. I could JB Weld or whatever other more permanent adhesive, but the hot glue would be easier to work with if I ever need to remove it again. The Dremel worked great. I wish mine had a cord though, because the battery doesn't last worth a darn.

Originally Posted by Cashed

Dang Phillip, sorry to hear about your dad.

The emblem looks great! I can't wait to see the finished product once the grille is complete.

Thanks man. We initially thought my dad was dealing with kidney cancer as a result of smoking, but the biopsy threw everyone for a loop. It's just an unfortunate freak occurrence.

Yeah, I was happy with the way the emblem turned out. I'm ready to see it all back together as well!

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by killthewabbit

Sorry to read that about your dad, man.

Tahoe's looking great. That bumper came out nice. Can't wait to see the smoothies on it. Didn't you have smoothies on your old stepside for a while?

Thanks man. I didn't have "real" smoothies on the old truck, but it was a similar look. They were mid-90's Caprice steelies with the larger Moon style hubcaps. With these smoothies I can run my bullet caps, baby moon style, police-style, etc. I will be running the bullets, but I still have the police-style ones with embossed bowtie in the center that were previously on the Vette rally wheels.

Btw, just got news this Wednesday that we're gonna be moving to your neck of the woods! We've been trying for a good while now to get back closer to our families in MS, & my wife just accepted a job in Franklin. We have a month to figure out where to live & get everything moved. It's chaotic when you factor in everything going on with my dad! However, we're excited & ready for the new adventure. We're probably going to rent for about 6 months & be looking for a house to buy. If you have any advice/suggestions about the area, we'd be grateful for any insight.

[likaroc13]

Took it in yesterday to test fit the front wheels. Had to clearance one small spot on the driver's side lower control arm & had to grind each brake caliper a bit to allow the wheel to spin freely. My stupid chirping engine noise came back as well, so I had them look that over. I was told it seems to be the water pump pulley slipping. Gonna have to dig further into that issue again. It's so annoying to drive it sounding like that!

[likaroc13]

Spent the last two days packing, loading, moving, & unloading. Now I can officially say I'm a Tennessean. Took a quick pic at a rest area along the way near Chattanooga.

[killthewabbit]

Welcome to TN.

Sorry, missed this earlier. Left a reply just now on your SE region thread. If you have any questions, hit me up via PM

[RUN GMC]

Welcome to the area...Im just south of you in North Alabama.....I pass through there a lot headed to destinations north using I-65.....my next project Im leaning towards is a 2wd Tahoe/Jimmy......Im liking your take on that platform.......

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by killthewabbit

Welcome to TN.

Sorry, missed this earlier. Left a reply just now on your SE region thread. If you have any questions, hit me up via PM

Thanks man! I responded in the regional thread, but I'll send you a PM to ask some other stuff a bit later.

Originally Posted by RUN GMC

Welcome to the area...Im just south of you in North Alabama.....I pass through there a lot headed to destinations north using I-65.....my next project Im leaning towards is a 2wd Tahoe/Jimmy......Im liking your take on that platform.......

Thanks! I'm originally from Corinth, MS. What part of North Alabama are you in?

[RUN GMC]

Originally Posted by likaroc13

Thanks man! I responded in the regional thread, but I'll send you a PM to ask some other stuff a bit later.



Thanks! I'm originally from Corinth, MS. What part of North Alabama are you in?

Huntsville AL...............

[killthewabbit]

Small world. My sister lives there. I grew up in giles county tn

[likaroc13]

I ordered a Gates kit (belt, tensioner, & idler pulley). Gonna see if it does anything for my chirp/squeal issue. If not, I'm resorting to it being a pulley.



Also, for anybody who has replaced their factory taillights, I'm looking to get an OEM equivalent pair to replace my tinted ones. Just wondering what brands anybody would recommend. I've always heard pretty good things about TYC lights, but there are some others on Amazon that have positive reviews. I just want something that fits good. I don't plan to keep them solid red, but this is what I'm leaning toward:

taillights 1 by likaroc13, on Flickr

taillights 2 by likaroc13, on Flickr

[Cashed]

I have had TYCs on mine for about 3 years. They have held up great. The only thing I didnt like were the light sockets that came with the lenses. I had one go out a year after installing them. Thankfully, I still my stock ones so I just swapped out the sockets then put the new lenses on.

I want to put red LED taillights on mine eventually. Unfortunately, my TYCs look like new so I hate to pull them. Haha!

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by Cashed

I have had TYCs on mine for about 3 years. They have held up great. The only thing I didnt like were the light sockets that came with the lenses. I had one go out a year after installing them. Thankfully, I still my stock ones so I just swapped out the sockets then put the new lenses on.

I want to put red LED taillights on mine eventually. Unfortunately, my TYCs look like new so I hate to pull them. Haha!

Thanks for the info. I plan to keep my tinted ones, so I could also use them for parts if necessary. I'd still like to keep them as a secondary pair to switch out from time to time. Not sure how lenient the law is around here, so I figured I'd get another set just in case. My el-cheapo LED light bar is beginning to look really ugly too, so I need to look into replacing that as well.





Btw, I got the Gates idler pulley, tensioner, & new belt installed. I ended up cleaning the grooves of the pulleys again, & I noticed a bit of a squeak when spinning the alternator pulley. I wonder if that was my culprit all along. I lubed it good with some silicone spray until it quit making noise. After I got everything installed, I'm happy to say it fired up with no more annoying chirp/squeal. Wish I knew exactly what fixed the problem, but I'm just glad I solved it.

I got the front bumper reinstalled with the help of my wife. Man, who knew that could be such a PITA! That's what tends to happen when you take things apart though.

[likaroc13]

Guess I spoke too soon! Monday afternoon I got ready to head to North MS to help with my dad. Well, I still didn't hear any noise. However, as I got closer to my hometown, slowing down in speed, I could hear a light chirp again. It progressively got more noticeable, but it's not quite as loud as it was in the past. I wonder if the lube on the alternator wore off, & maybe that is indeed my culprit.

[killthewabbit]

I'd bring the spray with you next time you go on a long drive. If you hear it again, spray it and see if it goes away.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by killthewabbit

I'd bring the spray with you next time you go on a long drive. If you hear it again, spray it and see if it goes away.

Will be headed back to Spring Hill this afternoon, so that's the plan. Drove it to get dinner last night, & the chirping is still there. Gonna borrow some of dad's spray lube & see what happens before I hit the road. I guess if it ends up being the alternator, I'll just go ahead & upgrade to a 140 amp. I want to add electric fans eventually anyway.

[killthewabbit]

Betting that's the problem. Upgrade to the 140 amp alternator would be an outstanding solution

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by killthewabbit

Betting that's the problem. Upgrade to the 140 amp alternator would be an outstanding solution

I think that's the culprit. I lubed the alternator again yesterday before leaving my dad's. I cranked it shortly afterward & still got the chirping. So I sprayed again & waited a while longer as I inflated the front tires. Cranked it again, but it was still chirping. I turned the vehicle around to inflate the rear tires, so I sprayed it yet again. Once I was done, it cranked with no chirping. Well, after I drove probably 30 miles or so & had to slow down in a city along the way, the chirp had returned. I didn't spray anything other than the alternator, so that has to be the problem.

[killthewabbit]

Sounds like time for an upgrade

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by killthewabbit

Sounds like time for an upgrade

Do you know of anyone in the area that's good with rebuilding/upgrading alternators? I checked with a place that my dad mentioned in my old hometown, but I didn't have much luck. I was looking at possibly upgrading my existing alternator to 140amps, but he said it would cost more to do that than buying a rebuilt outright. He didn't have one on the shelf that would work for me though. I'd like to stick with the same style (CS130D) since I just bought a new serpentine belt. I think the CS144 style requires a different belt. I was looking at the Powermaster 48206, which is exactly like my stock Delphi except 165amp. Jeg's has them on sale, but I found it on Amazon as well. Would still like to compare upgrading my existing unit though.

[Cashed]

Im pretty sure the 144 and 130 use the same belt. The pulley may be a different diameter and Im not sure if a stock Delco 144 will fit in place of your 130. When I get home tonight, Ill take a look. I have a stock LT1 144 on my 70 and I have a the stock alternator still in my tahoe.

A cool thing about the 144's is that they are very easy to rebuild. I rebuilt mine in my garage. A complete rebuild kit set me back maybe $50. I was able to polish out the case while doing the rebuild, too. I dont have a good pic or Id post one up.

[killthewabbit]

I sure don't man. Most of the old shops that did stuff like alternator/starter rebuilding and radiator routing I knew in Columbia are long gone. If it were me, I'd probably consider the powermaster as well.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by Cashed

Im pretty sure the 144 and 130 use the same belt. The pulley may be a different diameter and Im not sure if a stock Delco 144 will fit in place of your 130. When I get home tonight, Ill take a look. I have a stock LT1 144 on my 70 and I have a the stock alternator still in my tahoe.

A cool thing about the 144's is that they are very easy to rebuild. I rebuilt mine in my garage. A complete rebuild kit set me back maybe $50. I was able to polish out the case while doing the rebuild, too. I dont have a good pic or Id post one up.

Thanks. I appreciate your help!

Originally Posted by killthewabbit

I sure don't man. Most of the old shops that did stuff like alternator/starter rebuilding and radiator routing I knew in Columbia are long gone. If it were me, I'd probably consider the powermaster as well.

Thanks, & I may just go that route. I might still try to do some checking around. It's hard to find good ole mechanical mom n' pop kinda places anymore.

[Cashed]

The pullies are the same diameter but the mounting ears on the 140 dont look like they'd fit in the Tahoe's accessory bracket.

[killthewabbit]

There used to be a lot of mom and pop places like that in Columbia, but I'm not sure how many are left. I don't really get down there much anymore, so I can't say for sure but most of the ones I knew personally are gone

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by Cashed

The pullies are the same diameter but the mounting ears on the 140 dont look like they'd fit in the Tahoe's accessory bracket.

Thanks for the info!

Originally Posted by killthewabbit

There used to be a lot of mom and pop places like that in Columbia, but I'm not sure how many are left. I don't really get down there much anymore, so I can't say for sure but most of the ones I knew personally are gone

I hear ya. I haven't been around long enough yet to do any research, so I'll have to figure out the reputable places to go. I still know of trustworthy sources back home, so if needed I have those options I can go to when I'm back helping with dad.


Btw, I checked gas mileage tonight. My calculations yielded approximately 17.5 mpg. That's mostly highway with fairly minimal city driving, & highway speeds never exceed 65. I drove pretty conservatively on that tanks as well. It'd be nice to get it up to around 20 mpg at least. Maybe I can achieve that in the future with a little tweaking.