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

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by Hankster

Don't feel bad, I traded my rallys for some 20s and went to put them on and they wouldn't fit. So I tried some slip on spacers, still to small, I wound up having to get atleast 1/2 inch spacer but went 1.5 inches anyways.. lol

That sucks. Hopefully I can get my issues sorted out soon.

Originally Posted by dragginmetal

I've heard several people complain about Boss and the dust caps. Wonder why they made them fit the small rotors when almost all have the bigger rotors. Somebody wasent thinking that day at the factory. The p/o I got mine from had the same problem. Luckly (I guess)(big rim, small breaks. sure sounds safe. lol) I have the small rotors and rims fit good.

I remember reading about the issues a good while back, but I never knew my wheels were the earlier version since I didn't buy them. If not for asking the PO, I still wouldn't have known. From what I understand, the problem has been corrected on the newer version BOSS wheels. And yeah, I'd say somebody at the factory wasn't thinking.

[likaroc13]

Well, I got my wheel issue sorted out earlier this week. I drove down to dad's place Monday since the weather was nice. We yanked the wheels & did some light grinding in the problem areas. Then we painted the parts & reinstalled the wheel before a test drive. The fresh paint allowed us to see exactly where it was rubbing each time. It took a little trial & error on both sides until we got it right. But we got it! So, no need for spacers anymore. I went back to check & noticed that I used 4.5" backspacing on the front wheels, per suggestion of an unnamed reputable truck source of another forum. While they did work with a little trimming, I guess a bit less backspacing would've yielded less headache.


I also received the correct bullet center caps for my smoothie wheels. Once I get a chance to clean up my wheels/tires & install dust caps for my hubs, I'll get them on & snap some pics.


Bad news is that the dang chirping has yet again returned with a vengeance.

[Hankster]

Originally Posted by likaroc13

Well, I got my wheel issue sorted out earlier this week. I drove down to dad's place Monday since the weather was nice. We yanked the wheels & did some light grinding in the problem areas. Then we painted the parts & reinstalled the wheel before a test drive. The fresh paint allowed us to see exactly where it was rubbing each time. It took a little trial & error on both sides until we got it right. But we got it! So, no need for spacers anymore. I went back to check & noticed that I used 4.5" backspacing on the front wheels, per suggestion of an unnamed reputable truck source of another forum. While they did work with a little trimming, I guess a bit less backspacing would've yielded less headache.

At least you didn't have to buy spacers!

Originally Posted by likaroc13

I also received the correct bullet center caps for my smoothie wheels. Once I get a chance to clean up my wheels/tires & install dust caps for my hubs, I'll get them on & snap some pics.

Can't wait to see the smoothies on!

Originally Posted by likaroc13

Bad news is that the dang chirping has yet again returned with a vengeance.

That sucks, hope you get it figured out soon!

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by Hankster

At least you didn't have to buy spacers!

Can't wait to see the smoothies on!


That sucks, hope you get it figured out soon!

Glad I didn't have to use spacers as well! The smoothies have been on for probably a month now. They're not too impressive without the centers though.

As for the chirping, gonna check with some shops to see if anybody has a tool for measuring pulley alignment before I replace anything else. I already mentioned before, but it's so annoying to drive around with it making noise like that.

Also, gotta give a shout out to YBNORML (aka Jason) for hooking me up with a set of dust caps.

[Justin@EntropyRad]

2dr Tahoes/Blazers are such unicorns...always fun to see one

[Hankster]

Originally Posted by likaroc13

Glad I didn't have to use spacers as well! The smoothies have been on for probably a month now. They're not too impressive without the centers though.

As for the chirping, gonna check with some shops to see if anybody has a tool for measuring pulley alignment before I replace anything else. I already mentioned before, but it's so annoying to drive around with it making noise like that.

Also, gotta give a shout out to YBNORML (aka Jason) for hooking me up with a set of dust caps.

Yeah the noise is pretty annoying. Also, they may have already been on, But I haven't seen them on.. lol

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by Justin@EntropyRad

2dr Tahoes/Blazers are such unicorns...always fun to see one

Yep, don't see too many around. I like being unique.

Originally Posted by Hankster

Yeah the noise is pretty annoying. Also, they may have already been on, But I haven't seen them on.. lol

I'll try to remember to snap a pic without center caps, just to compare. Once the caps are on, then I have to determine whether I want to run the trim rings or not.

[Hankster]

I don't think I would run trim rings, thats just me though.

[likaroc13]

Had a little snafu with the dust caps not fitting, & I just figured out why last week. Turns out the outer lip of the front hubs was machined down on a brake lathe in order to allow the center caps from the 18" Boss wheels to fit. As a result, the hub is now too short for the dust caps to fit. So, we've decided to just try & take two pair of dust caps to make a couple that will fit. The only other option would be to replace rotors, which I don't want to do until it's time for a brake system overhaul.

I'm also happy to say that last week we finally fixed the chirping issue. It feels so good to have that annoying sound gone. It had gotten so bad that I hated to even drive to town. A few weeks ago I went by a local custom shop in Spring Hill, & the guys there looked it over for a while. The only conclusion they could come to was that it might be the water pump itself. So, I gathered up a bunch of parts in preparation of a cooling system overhaul. I ended up going with the AC Delco OE style pump, which is pricey. However, they're supposed to be better quality. I also bought new Gates upper & lower radiator hoses, along with the small heater & bypass hoses that attach to the water pump. Since they were originals, I went ahead & replaced them all. I also bought a new Delco 195* thermostat & genuine GM serpentine belt just for the heck of it. Before installation, I bought some VHT satin black engine enamel & painted the pump. My dad's friend Mark did the work for me at a great deal. For what a local shop in Spring Hill was going to charge, it was a no-brainer to let him tackle it instead. I needed to make a trip down to MS anyway to help dad do some stuff at my grandparents' place, so it worked out good.

Here are the part #'s I used:

water pump~ ACDelco #251-719
bypass hose from w/p to t-stat housing~ Gates #19025
small hose from w/p to heater hose~ Gates #28466
thermostat~ ACDelco #131-151
thermostat gasket~ Fel-pro #35710
upper radiator hose~ Gates #22209
lower radiator hose~ Gates #21941
serpentine belt~ GM #19244955

[Hankster]

Glad you got it all figured out and the chirping noise gone!

[tommys72]

Good looking Tahoe

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by tommys72

Good looking Tahoe

Thanks.

[likaroc13]

Sadly, the drama continues. My dad had the dust caps lengthened. However, they still won't fit. Why, you ask? Because the amount of metal on the hub/rotor that was machined down, is the amount that was needed for the caps to slip into. Without that metal there, the caps hit the bearings when trying to tap them into place. So now my only option is to get another pair of rotors.

[likaroc13]

No updates on the rotor situation yet, but I decided to snap a couple pics this evening. These are the first pics since installing the steel smoothie wheels & new tires. Nothing is clean in the pics, & they were taken not long before dark. So, it's not the most accurate representation. I'll get some better ones when I get the rotor/dust cap situation fixed & finally install the bullet center caps.

[Cashed]

That looks sweet!

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by Cashed

That looks sweet!

Thanks man. It should look much better with the center caps. Rolling kinda Plain-Jane right now.

[likaroc13]

Been gathering parts for a brake system overhaul, which I will elaborate more about once the time comes. I'm still having some vibration issues around 55-60 mph & above, which I think is wheel related. I took it to Discount Tire a while back for rebalancing, thinking it was the problem. The guy did mention then that he thought I had a bent wheel, but everything balanced out okay. The vibration is still there though & quite annoying. I'm taking it back to determine for sure what's going on & where, & I'll just have to proceed with whatever is necessary to fix it.

On a positive note, I just took some parts to the painter. I pulled the crappy LED strip light from my roll pan & will be replacing with something better. While it was off, I decided it would get new paint. I also pulled the mirrors for repaint, since they weren't done to my satisfaction the first time. The grille will also finally be coming together, as it went off for paint as well. After driving it looking like a hooptie for close to a year now (if not already), I'm excited to get this thing back together!

[killthewabbit]

Good deal. Should be pretty awesome when you get it all done

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by killthewabbit

Good deal. Should be pretty awesome when you get it all done

I hope so! Been working on the rear frame rail/hitch area while the roll pan is off. Trying to clean up some surface rust & prep for repainting. Not sure if I want to spray bomb it or splurge on POR-15.


Dropped it off at Discount Tire on Saturday. They said the wheels/tires were slightly out of balance, but my passenger rear wheel is bent. My guess is that's definitely where the vibration is coming from. I need to get it up to highway speeds to see how it responds after the re-balancing. My guess is that'll I'll be ordering a new wheel though.

[likaroc13]

Got it out on the highway last night, & the vibration is definitely still there. It didn't seem quite as bad as before, but I guess that's partially due to the balance previously being off a little. I went ahead & ordered a new wheel today. Now I have to wait for it to be custom built. That's almost $100 I wasn't expecting to spend!


I've also decided to ditch the plan to replace my tailgate light bar/strip, while keeping the tinted tails. I just didn't trust the fact that most of them are hit/miss on quality. I got a crappy one last time, & I don't want to get stuck with another. So I plan to order a new set of taillights & have them painted in this fashion:

taillights 1 by likaroc13, on Flickr

taillights 2 by likaroc13, on Flickr

[DroppedAsAChild]

Trucks looking good brother.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by DroppedAsAChild

Trucks looking good brother.

Thank you sir!

Just got back into town after being gone to MS for the past week. My grandfather passed away unexpectedly, so we've been trying to get things situated. Just before I left town, my new Wheel Vintiques wheel showed up. I need to see about having it powder coated to match my others & then get it mounted up. I also got word from the painter today that my parts are ready, so I plan to pick them up this weekend. Once I have a chance to get things reassembled, I'll be sure to post some new pics.

[likaroc13]

Got some parts back from paint. While most look pretty good, the grille just isn't up to my standards. He even redid it free of charge, & it still didn't come out right. I also noticed that he failed to prep/fix some of the minor imperfections before painting, thus they're still noticeable. As most who have a vehicle with one know, black paint jobs are unforgiving. This guy isn't the one who was supposed to be painting my parts, however it is his full-time profession. The guy I wanted to do them has been tied up with bigger projects, thus he passed me on to his friend. If I had known it would go down like it has, I would've just waited for another painter.


On another note, I went to Discount Tire this past week to have my new wheel checked. Since I needed to get it powder coated before installing, I just wanted to make sure I didn't run into another bent/warped wheel issue. Sadly, as soon as the wheel was put on the machine & spun, it was obvious that it also had a slight wobble. So, I got in touch with Summit Racing when I got back home. They're known for great customer service & have always been good to me, & the guy I spoke to assured me that he'd take care of me. So, hopefully we can get it all straightened out eventually. It just sucks to wait 4-6 weeks for a wheel to be built to spec, & then it doesn't even run true. I'm just glad I definitely had it checked before powder coat.


Lastly, I've also been checking about having the metal fuel & brake lines (ones along the frame) replaced. One brake line was replaced just before I acquired the Tahoe because it had developed a leak. The PO paid to have it fixed before I took ownership. The others probably should've been replaced at the same time. They're quite corroded, & I have yet to try changing the fuel filter for fear of line breakage. Since I'm about to do a brake overhaul anyway, I figured it was time to fix these lines before they decide to crap out. While I was doing an internet search about brake lines, I coincidentally came across a thread on another forum where the PO had posted about these lines. Unfortunately, he decided not to replace them for whatever reason.

[likaroc13]

Still been gathering brake/fuel line parts. I got my new Ni-Copp lines a little while back, & now I'm in the process of getting stainless tube nuts. Hoping to never have to deal with rusting lines ever again. If it ever finds another owner someday, hopefully he'll appreciate the effort as well.

After 2 friggin' months waiting for my new Wheel Vintiques wheel, it finally showed up last week. I took it to be checked out today, & it looks like we finally have one that will work. I have to say, I'll probably never deal with Wheel Vintiques again. I can get the same style wheel from other manufacturers if ever needed. Now I just need to get it powder coated to match my others & then mounted up.

I'll snap some pics of my brake/fuel line overhaul parts before installation, just for reference.

Btw, I had a guy stop me at Wal-mart today to talk about the Tahoe. Even in all it's current ugliness, it still gets positive attention.

[jcramsey]

Hey Phillip, just now venturing over to the 88-98 board and saw your Tahoe in another thread. Love it man! Looks great with the steelies on it.