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

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by 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.

Thanks man! I appreciate you stopping by to post in my "build" thread.


Just before Christmas, I got my stainless tube nuts & unions ordered for the brake/fuel lines. I went through Inline Tube inlinetube.com & have to say Pete, the sales/marketing manager, treated me right. They price matched & beat the lowest prices I could find from various sources. I also got my new wheel back from powder coat a couple weeks ago & just need to get it installed. Now I'm stuck waiting on the mechanic to fit me into his schedule. Hopefully in the next 2-3 weeks he'll be ready.

[likaroc13]

Finally making some progress again! I got my new wheel installed, & initial around-town results suggest the vibration is gone. I plan to take it for a highway test soon. I also dropped it off with the mechanic this morning. Over the weekend, I crawled underneath to snap some "before" photos. I also snapped some of the rear, exterior frame area around the gas tank. The mechanic will be cleaning up & undercoating the areas I can't get to, & I'll tackle the rest once I get it home. Once that's done, I can reinstall the roll pan.

Some "before" pics here, along with all the new parts:
https://flic.kr/s/aHskuDoSGL

[likaroc13]

As usual, when you do stuff like this, there's the potential to "open up a can of worms." Due to some of the rustiness, I'm now dropping unexpected money on a new fuel tank sending unit. Accompanying that will be a new fuel pump. I figured it's best to do now while the tank is out & everything getting attention.

Here is what I opted for & purchased through Rock Auto:

Sending Unit: AC DELCO 19179428 (#FLS1069)

Fuel Pump: AC DELCO EP381 (#25163473)

Fuel Pump Strainer: AC DELCO TS3 (##25055457)

*As you will notice, those parts are particular to a 2-door. Before researching parts, I had no idea of the differences between the two & 4-door, so I wanted to make sure & point it out.*

[GAc10boy]

Incredible ride. This has me wanting a 2wd/2dr tahoe. Very nice!

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by GAc10boy

Incredible ride. This has me wanting a 2wd/2dr tahoe. Very nice!

Thank you! The bug bit me about 3 years ago, & I wasn't actively looking to buy one at the time.

[likaroc13]

I can't win for losing! After installing the new front brake parts, I was informed that the calipers were rubbing the inner wheel. If you have been following along, you'll know that to avoid spacers I had to grind them down a little when I first installed the Wheel Vintiques. Well, I guess the new parts lessened the tolerances I had previously clearanced for. I had the guys at the shop grind them some before it left, hoping it would be fixed. On the trip home it was evident that they're still rubbing. Not having any power tools to remedy such a problem, I'm now investing in an angle grinder. It will come in handy for trimming a bit more of the lower control arms as well.

A couple positives are that the brakes feel much better, & I now believe splurging for that new fuel pump maybe was a good idea. It had always hummed/buzzed quite loudly, but now I only hear it briefly before cranking. I read that the loud pumps were common on this year Tahoe/truck/etc.

[likaroc13]

Been working on the calipers the past couple days. I had no idea how crappy of a job was done until I pulled the wheels. After a few times of trial & error with the caliper grinding & seeing if rubbing was still an issue, I think I got it all sorted out. I took it around the block & heard no scraping noises while rolling or braking, & pulling the wheels confirmed all is good.

While I was in there, I went ahead & trimmed the lower control arms a bit more. The wheels have been rubbing during tight turns, which isn't often but still enough to screw up my powder coat.

Next, I plan to clean up the back side of my wheels where the rubbing occurred. As you can see in the pics below, the paint on my rotor hubs didn't hold up too well either.


Snapped some pics to show what I was dealing with:


Wheel damage by likaroc13, on Flickr

Caliper grinding by likaroc13, on Flickr

Caliper grinding by likaroc13, on Flickr

Caliper grinding (correction) by likaroc13, on Flickr

Caliper grinding (correction) by likaroc13, on Flickr

[Hankster]

Atleast the wheels ain't to bad. I have run worse on my ride before.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by Hankster

Atleast the wheels ain't to bad. I have run worse on my ride before.

Yeah, just hate that my powder coat got messed up. The outer edge seen in the bottom of that wheel pic also got ruined by the lower control arm scraping. I'm just gonna clean the rear of the wheels good & spray them satin black.

[likaroc13]

Worked on getting the back of the front wheels touched up. I sanded/smoothed areas where the lower control arms & calipers rubbed the wheels, & I scraped off the messed up powder coat. I did the best I could before prepping them for satin black VHT wheel paint. Here's a shot of one:

Wheel paint by likaroc13, on Flickr

I also touched up the rotor hubs & painted the calipers with VHT satin black caliper paint.

Rotor hub/calipers by likaroc13, on Flickr

Rotor hub/calipers by likaroc13, on Flickr

[likaroc13]

Also, a couple weekends ago my wife and I drove to Chattanooga for a Saturday of fun. That following Sunday I drove on down to Canton, GA to drop off some stuff to be painted by fellow member Alan (Alan's Classic). I've been following him in the '60-66 Forum for years & now on Facebook as well. He puts a lot of attention to detail into his work, & I appreciate his effort to make sure things are done with quality. Here's a link to his beautiful '65 C-10 build:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=248460

I had talked with him in the past & planned to have him paint all my parts, but some life circumstances got in the way. I found someone fairly local recommended by another fellow member from my area. Being anxious to get things back together, I met the guy & decided to take a chance. Unfortunately things didn't go as I had planned. The guy was in the middle of a big build with SEMA deadlines, & my stuff got pawned off on his friend who also paints. Most of the stuff turned out okay, but the grille & taillights just weren't up to my expectations (which I think I mentioned before). So, Alan will be taking care of fixing that stuff. It's one of those instances where I should have just been patient & waited a while longer, as Alan could've done it all.

[bL.A.zer90045]

looking good! im picking me up a 93 today to add to my fleet do you know off hand if the rear (from the b-pillar back)on the 2-door measures out the same,as the 4 door tahoe/yukons? mostly concerned if the rear interior panels will fit from a 4 door to a 2 door? thanks,and look forward to the progress!

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by bL.A.zer90045

looking good! im picking me up a 93 today to add to my fleet do you know off hand if the rear (from the b-pillar back)on the 2-door measures out the same,as the 4 door tahoe/yukons? mostly concerned if the rear interior panels will fit from a 4 door to a 2 door? thanks,and look forward to the progress!

Thank you, & I honestly have no idea about the measurements. Congrats on your purchase though. Waiting on parts to get painted for mine. Need to finish up my rear frame rails behind the gas tank. Haven't had much time due to a new job & getting ready for the arrival of our baby boy (who just arrived!) Will update on a small mechanical fix as soon as I get a chance. Hopefully some cosmetic updates in the near future.

[bL.A.zer90045]

CONGRATS!!!! nothing like a Lil man to get the motivation flowwing!!! Go daddy go
that along with every truck in my fleet no mater if it be 2ws or 4wd is a " monster truck" to him! Lol.yeah don't think the 4 door tahoe/Yukon will interchange,but I think the burbs wil?

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by bL.A.zer90045

CONGRATS!!!! nothing like a Lil man to get the motivation flowwing!!! Go daddy go
that along with every truck in my fleet no mater if it be 2ws or 4wd is a " monster truck" to him! Lol.yeah don't think the 4 door tahoe/Yukon will interchange,but I think the burbs wil?

Thank you! Can't wait till he's old enough to understand & hopefully take interest in the same passion, but I look forward to enjoying these baby years as I know they won't last long.


Been driving the Tahoe daily lately. I started a new job, & it's doing duty as my only transportation right now. Just hoping I can get enough time to do some smaller projects that have been getting put off for quite some time.

Before the new job, I was doing more trimming on the lower control arms. I had my wife turning the wheels side-to-side while I looked underneath for rubbing. As I looked at the passenger side, I happened to notice some coolant dripping down the frame onto the control arm. Upon further inspection, I found the culprit to be a leaky water shut-off valve (at least that's what Rock Auto calls it). That explains why my coolant overflow tank kept slowly leaking down. I found a replacement through the local O'reilly Auto & decided to just buy it there. While I was in there, I decided to go ahead & replace the short lengths of heater hose from the firewall to the valve, as well as the vacuum tubing to the valve. After replacing the valve, all is well. Since I had to remove the air intake tubing/air filter box, I also went ahead & did a needed cleaning & re-oiling of my K&N filter.


shut-off valve by likaroc13, on Flickr

shut-off valve by likaroc13, on Flickr



Links to the new valve & other parts I bought:

Shut-off Valve
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...&keyword=74781

5/8 Heater hose
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...&keyword=28417

3/4" Heater hose
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...&keyword=28418

7/64" Vacuum hose
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...&keyword=27041

[killthewabbit]

Dang dude, still hard at it huh? Congrats on the new kiddo. Did you guys ever find a place you liked?

Glad to read you got the chirping noise and wheels sorted.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by killthewabbit

Dang dude, still hard at it huh? Congrats on the new kiddo. Did you guys ever find a place you liked?

Glad to read you got the chirping noise and wheels sorted.

Thanks man. Yeah, we're in a subdivision off Kedron in Spring Hill. Not sure how long we'll remain at our current place. We bought thinking we'd spend a few years here & then look for a place with more land. Then both of my grandparents passed away unexpectedly late last year. Since I'm inheriting a few classic vehicles & already have one of my own, I'll need a place to store them. Once everything with their estate is settled, I guess we'll start looking again.


On another note, the Tahoe died on me last week. None of the instrument panel lights come on when you turn the ignition, & it won't start. I have power to my interior/door lights & radio, & the battery is rock solid. I backed it into the driveway to try and jump it off (before I knew it wasn't the battery). My driveway is on a slope, so I couldn't push it back in. I also couldn't jack it up, & you can't just crawl under. So it's currently at the mechanic, as I had to get it towed out there a couple days ago. Thinking it might be the ignition switch or possibly starter. I'll update once I know for sure.

Also ran into another issue with the wheels. After having them rebalanced again not long ago, I realized a scrubbing noise started to occur again when turning deep. Turns out the guys at Discount Tire put regular wheel weights back on, & they're hitting my tie rod ends. That was an issue in the beginning due to the wheel backspacing. Apparently the tire guys didn't make a note of it, because I informed them what the issue was back then. Gotta use the stick on weights! Since discovering the problem, I haven't had a chance to get it straightened out. Once we get it running again, that'll be on the agenda. It's always something I tell ya.

[likaroc13]

Update: as I mentioned, the Hoe got dropped off at the mechanic. He noticed no power getting to the starter. Thinking ignition switch, one was ordered & installed. Still nothing. So I drive by to chat with them one day while off work, & he tells me they're going to dig further into the matter. He calls me the next day to tell me it's fixed. Guess what it was? The main 40 amp ignition fuse. He never checked it, & neither did I before having it towed. I could've saved myself a chunk of change & almost two weeks time had I tried to check that fuse. The mechanic felt pretty dumb himself for not checking it first as well. Luckily the switch was able to be sent back, so that was a relief. Just glad it's back on the road again.


Had a chance to make it up to White House, TN a couple weekends ago for the Southeastern All Chevy/GMC Truck Nationals 2016. For any who are interested in looking, you can follow this link to my pics:
https://flic.kr/s/aHskEsuhfj

[likaroc13]

Been a long time coming, but I was finally able to spend some time working on the rear frame. I still have more to do, but it's starting to shape up. On Sunday I spent the majority of the day wire brushing & sanding. Then Monday morning I taped off & sprayed the Rustoleum Rust Reformer. When I have some more free time, I still plan to use the Rustoleum undercoating on the same areas. Once that's complete, I can finally get the roll pan reinstalled. I've been modifying my license plate light as well, & I'll show more pics of that progress a bit later.

Before:

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

[likaroc13]

After wire brushing:

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

And after the Rust Reformer:

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

[Cashed]

Nice work

[likaroc13]

Got some updates on the grille. After Alan started inspecting the grille a bit closer, he came to find out a bigger issue than we expected. The cracks weren't in the plastic itself but rather in the paint. Due to lack of prep work, the paint never bonded and just blew right off with an air nozzle. So the grille had to be stripped of paint in order to be properly prepped before repainting. Alan sent me some progress pics, which I'm posting below:

Where a crack was:

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr


Paint chips blown everywhere:

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Finished sanding with 320 and primed:

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

Untitled by likaroc13, on Flickr

[likaroc13]

If you reflect back on post #165, you'll see where I had to change that heater control valve. I was working on the rear frame rails this past weekend, & I noticed a small pool & various drops of coolant on the garage floor after backing out. I popped the hood & started searching. Lo & behold, it's that damn heater control valve again. Before replacing the original, I had read some reviews stating the new one failed. It's just a cheap piece of reproduced plastic anyway. I guess this weekend I'll have to pull this one & take it back to O'reilly Auto.

On a better note, I was able to do some undercoating on the rear frame rails around the areas where I had wire brushed & painted with rust reformer. I only had time to get one coat done, but I plan to do one more once I have another chance. I didn't get pics this time but will be sure to post some next time around.

[likaroc13]

Got that heater control valve changed again, & all seems well for now.

This past Sunday I was able to do a second application of the undercoating. Here are some pics of that:

undercoat1 by likaroc13, on Flickr

undercoat6 by likaroc13, on Flickr

undercoat2 by likaroc13, on Flickr

undercoat7 by likaroc13, on Flickr

undercoat5 by likaroc13, on Flickr

[likaroc13]

So, I was hoping for a nice little update earlier this week. Alan got my grille & taillights painted & sent me pics. However, later while buffing the grille he found that some cracks were showing up again. They weren't visible before paint, & he was really upset at himself. He will get it all straightened out though. It just means I have to wait a little longer before making a trip over to pick up the parts. He did a great job fixing the taillight paint scheme, after the first painter didn't exactly do them how I wanted. I'm sharing pics of them below.

Before:

1-before(2) by likaroc13, on Flickr

1-before by likaroc13, on Flickr

Taping:

1-taillight_taping(2) by likaroc13, on Flickr

1-taillight_taping by likaroc13, on Flickr

Sealer:

2-taillight_sealer by likaroc13, on Flickr

After paint & clear:

taillight_clearcoat2 by likaroc13, on Flickr

taillight_clearcoat4 by likaroc13, on Flickr

taillight_clearcoat5 by likaroc13, on Flickr