2003 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 - Road Trips/Light Overlanding/Daily Driver

[skyphix]

A couple of weeks ago I picked up a 2003 Suburban 2500 - originally from Oregon, so minimal rust compared to anything I'd find in Maine. Really, I only purchased this to last until my mother in law is ready to sell her 2018 Yukon...

But now I really like it, and the kids love it, so we'll see what happens over the next 2 or 3 years. Until then, I'm making it mine.

Mechanically its in pretty good shape - 172,000 miles and previous owner did all new tie rods/tie rod ends/sway bar end links, and gave me the remainder of a MOOG front end kit (control arms, etc.) He also just did spark plugs and wires, and replaced the intake gasket. I noticed a small leak from the valley cover and possibly the power steering but I'm not concerned with either - I have a hydroboost powersteering pump in my parts stash and he gave me the rest of the top end gasket kit he didn't use. He also gave me 4 basically brand new Blizzaks. He'd also converted the second row to Captains chairs - which is perfect since I've only got 2 kids and I can take the 3rd row out to make the dog happy on long road trips.

Here he is, running 285/75/16 tires. I don't know if I'd go this big if I were the one buying them, or gone with these tires - they're just a lot more tire than I really need. I'll probably go with a less aggressive all terrain in 265/75/16 when I replace them. I have a Hypertech tuner that came with it to adjust the tire size but I'll also be retuning it with HPTuners eventually.




Tested out the rear seat entertainment - the kids love this and use it no matter where we go.




And all the tires/parts he sent me with. Whats not pictured is a brand new Radiator - the one in the burb works perfectly fine but he picked one up when he saw the oil cooler leaking externally - turns out it was just a loose fitting and its not leaking, but if it starts again, I've got the replacement ready to go.





Upgrades and maintenance up next...

[skyphix]

The first upgrade is a simple one - and one I perform on any vehicle I own that uses 9005/9006 bulbs. I convert it to 9011/9012 HIR bulbs for more light output at the stock wattage and no additional heat. The conversion is simple. Remove the old bulbs, trim one tab on the new bulbs, and install them as usual (see photos below)









The bulb with the "green" back panel is the new style bulb - just trim the one tab close enough to a match of the old bulb. Bam! 10 minutes to much brighter headlights, without blinding oncoming drivers or shortened lifespan.

[skyphix]

Next up was the gauge cluster - as with most of these, it had failing parts. The gas gauge didn't work correctly - partly because I need to replace the sending unit in both gas tanks (yup! This has the extended fuel capacity setup with one large and one small tank) - partly because the gauge itself was failing. The sending unit doesnt register anything when the tanks are full - but it starts to register at 3/4 tank. The old gauge would stick at 3/4 tank until you had driven enough to get down near 1/2 tank, and then restarted (repowered) the gauge cluster. So, I got ahold of Carl at fixmygauges.com who was awesome and provided an excellent looking custom cluster. I went with black Escalade faces, white LED's, and red pointers for a clean, simple look that hopefully wont stick out too badly until I can convert the rest of the dash lights to white or blue LED's.

Here's the old gauge cluster. The digital portion was also failing - if it turned on at all, it would only show me overall odometer and "Trip A" which, I believe, means this was the incorrect gauge cluster for a 2500 Suburban. Half the bulbs were out as well.



After pulling it, I found out that this was actually a Denso remanufactured unit - so definitely not the original cluster.


This is a crazy simple swap, for those that haven't done it. It took me 15 minutes and I hadn't ever been inside the dash of a GMT800. All you really need is a 7mm socket, a nut driver or long extension, and if your dash surround is stubborn, something to pry it off with. I was able to get mine off even with my damaged hands. A little tip; turn the key to the ACC position and drop the shifter down all the way. Makes getting everything out much easier.




VERY happy with the results - much better to look at and really improved the driver experience for me. Also very satisfied with Carl at Fixmygauges.com - I know he's semi-retired now but as long as he is still turning these out, I'll recommend them to everyone I know that has a 99-2013 truck and is having gauge issues or just wants a change. Bonus win? The bottom steering wheel control buttons (fuel economy, personalization, etc - they were missing from my Suburban when I got it) that I stole out of my LS swap donor Yukon work perfectly now that the new cluster is installed, and instead of "Trip A" and "Trip B" its "Personal" and "Business" which works perfectly since I do travel for work.

[skyphix]

Next up was the stereo. This was equipped with the BOSE system, RSE, and a DVD player - I wanted to add a backup camera but dont like accessory monitors for cameras (unless they're for cameras on a trailer or something) - the dash is already cluttered enough for me. So, since outwardly the radio is pretty worn out anyway, I figured I might as well add some more functionality as well.


Here's the old:



As I always do, I laid out all of my harnesses and made my own solder diagram.




In this case, I wanted to retain as much factory function as I could - that means as much of the RSE function as possible, the factory amplified BOSE system, steering wheel controls, door chimes, and retained accessory power. All of that required an interface module - not my first time with this. I did something similar with an iDataLink in my wifes Toyota 4Runner. I like the iDataLink more, I think, because its more easily customizable, but the RP5-GM11 module is also customizable. All I had to do on this one was set the "radio manufacturer code" which is just a little dial to what was specified in the manual. For my Jensen, it falls under "other" which was number 7.




Once I had double checked all of my solder sheet - this one was simple, basically just match wire colors except for the parking brake signal, which was pink -> light green for my harness - I got to soldering. I don't always solder automotive connections (instead using a tight hook splice for strength and good conductivity but maintaining some flexibility,) but I find radio connections hold up well when soldered so I do with those. This little cheap solder station and my cheap adjustable soldering iron works great for this small gauge wire. Using 63/37 solder.




From there it was just removing the factory stereo, installing the side bracket plates from the install kit, and bolting it back in place after testing everything.




It fits nicely, is really shallow so didn't require any cutting of the rear brace in the dash, and overall looks pretty slick in the dash. This is a "No Disc" model - so it just does Radio, bluetooth, and both CarPlay/Android Auto. I DID lose the wired connections to the RSE, but the kids only ever use the wireless headphones anyway, and really only for the DVD player.


Up next is the backup camera, which I totally forgot to take photos of. But installation was simple - Its a license plate bracket camera, to a wireless transmitter, and a wireless receiver plugs into the camera input on the back of the stereo.

I hid the transmitter inside the passenger taillight bucket, behind the housing, and zip tied it to the internal bracing. I did a T-Splice into the reverse light wires to provide power and ground - and the receiver gets its signal from the "reverse signal" wire in the factory radio harness. Easy peasy. I ran the cable from the camera up into the taillight housing, utilizing the cable loom that GM put on the tail light harness to keep it protected. Super easy. My only concern is breaking the camera mount when loading items in the back, but I'll just have to be extra cautious. This camera doesnt have the highest resolution, but its far better than not having anything when I have to back into spots at most of my customer sites.






And, CarPlay works great (since I'm currently using an iPhone) - I prefer Google Maps to built in nav systems that never stay up to date, even if you load new maps every time they're released.




For this being on the low end, cost wise, of touch screen CarPlay compatible stereos with a shallow install depth, I am actually really impressed with it. See the parts list below for the complete list of things I needed. I purchased from Crutchfield because I have always had excellent experience with them, but you can probably find this stuff cheaper elsewhere.

Jensen CAR70V
EchoMaster CAM-WLP EchoMaster CAM-WLP
Metra 95-2001 Dash Kit Metra 95-2001 Dash Kit
PAC RP5-GM11 Wiring Interface PAC RP5-GM11 Wiring Interface


The total came out to about $450 shipped and it arrived in less than a week.

[Greg58]

We used to have a 2000 4x4 2500 Suburban, same color as yours. 6.0 engine.
We loved it, I did have to replace the transfer case due to pump rub leak.
Unfortunately it was totaled in 2009 in a bad hailstorm.
We then bought an 07 1/2 ton Sub with the DOD engine, a big POS, used oil like crazy. My wife liked that we could burn e-85 in it. Then I had to replace all the lifter parts that make the DOD work, cost a fortune. Sold that and switched to Lincoln Navigator with Eco-Boost, we love it.
I would buy another like yours if I ever found a nice one.
Greg

[skyphix]

Too bad about your 2500 getting totalled! What you described is why I avoid the 07-13 vehicles unless its a VERY good price. I know people have gone well over 200k on the DOD stuff but I'd prefer not to take my chances. I looked at an 07 with 130k on it that ran great, and was cheap enough that I could buy the DOD delete stuff and be well ahead of the game, but it was pretty beat up and the trans was starting to not want to shift (typical 2-3 shift issues with the 4L60) so I passed. I was looking specifically for an 03-06 2500 and got lucky enough to find this one in my price range.

Its also had its transfer case replaced due to the wear through, with what appears to be a GM part (Im guessing a reman from GM?)

I had found a 2005 Yukon XL 2500 with under 100k but it was double my budget for this vehicle, and the family loves the leather/rear entertainment/etc and the Yukon was the base model.


Glad to hear you loved yours as well! The more I drive this one, the more I like it. It definitely needs an alignment and as I mentioned, I'm not a huge fan of the Duratracs for the driving I do, but the tires can wait until next year and I'll get the alignment done before our big road/offroad trip to the outer banks, NC in November.

[Greg58]

Yea we were pretty sad to see that truck go. But it was really beaten up. Was a beautiful truck before the storm, leather, sunroof, LT.
The funny thing is the insurance company kind of lowballed us on the value, using 1/2 ton Subs for comps. My wife can be a pit bull if she thinks someone is trying to take advantage of her. She called the adjuster out on it and asked for comps in 2500 only, or to have them find us one! She mentioned I had searched for that truck nationwide and had bought it in TX. They came up $4500 to make her happy!
Anyway seeing your brought back memories of how much we loved ours.

[skyphix]

Originally Posted by Greg58

Yea we were pretty sad to see that truck go. But it was really beaten up. Was a beautiful truck before the storm, leather, sunroof, LT.
The funny thing is the insurance company kind of lowballed us on the value, using 1/2 ton Subs for comps. My wife can be a pit bull if she thinks someone is trying to take advantage of her. She called the adjuster out on it and asked for comps in 2500 only, or to have them find us one! She mentioned I had searched for that truck nationwide and had bought it in TX. They came up $4500 to make her happy!
Anyway seeing your brought back memories of how much we loved ours.

I always love hearing stories like yours - minus the totaling it part! Mine is an LT as well - but no sunroof surprisingly. It seemed to have everything else minus Sunroof and Quadrasteer. It even has the off road package, with skid plates (though not really huge or substantial, better than nothing.)

Glad to have brought up some fun memories for you!

[skyphix]

Some more updates; the factory Bose speakers sounded OK-ish after 17 years of use, but at least one was fully blown and they were all a bit muddy. I picked up some cheap speakers to throw in place and they definitely made a big improvement for a low cost. Not audiophile or show quality, but they work great for me.

Old BOSE speakers, well worn







New replacement speakers - 5.25 for the rear, 6.5 for the front (I think)





Besides fighting fragile plastic clips inside the door panels, it was a super easy job. The rear speakers screwed in place with the factory holes and hardware. The front required a bracket that Crutchfield sent me for free - and the screws included with the speakers worked fine. Crutchfield also sent along some adapter harnesses so I didnt have to cut the factory in door wiring.






I also grabbed a junkyard RSE control unit with HVAC controls to replace my well worn and only partially functional one. Super easy swap - pry the old one out gently with a flathead screwdriver, unplug it, plug the new one in and push it into the open hole. I need to deep clean my new junkyard unit but the kids are wicked happy they can control their temperature now.







And, of course, there are always the fun things you find when disassembling older used vehicles. In this case, coloring book pages and gum wrappers.

[skyphix]

This Suburban was worked pretty hard over its life. It seems to have been a family hauler/work vehicle. Lots of small dings and scratches in the paint, but overall the paint is actually in decent shape and cleaned up well. I do my own car detailing/paint correction and restoration. On this one, I just used cheap off the shelf stuff and it made a huge difference. Kids love helping me with detailing - and with the size of this bus, I was happy to have the help!

Hood scratches before, with some hazing



Hood scratches after - no cover product on yet (no wax/sealant, just after a gentle compound and polish.) Whats left are only ones you can catch with your fingernail, and will likely require either a wet sand or a full respray. Not worth it to me on this vehicle.





Just cheap harbor freight polisher, with HF pads (I only use the orange/peach, and black - the black provides a finer finish in the same time as the blue "medium" pad from them when using the polish and compound I used on this vehicle.)





I use the same brand polish, and ultimately top coat with the same brand Sealant (they call it "Ultimate Wax" but its a sealant) for daily drivers of my own. When I did customer cars, I used higher quality stuff, but for my cars this stuff works fine and gets them 85% of the way to perfect. Good enough for my daily drivers.




Its been kind of rainy here, so no full photos at this time, but here's a good example of the reflectivity after a good wash/clay/compound/polish/seal routine.

[Greg58]

I did a speaker upgrade on my 07 Sierra shortly after I bought it. That was one of the best things I did. Nothing fancy just better stuff than worn out OEM.
Looks great!

[skyphix]

Originally Posted by Greg58

I did a speaker upgrade on my 07 Sierra shortly after I bought it. That was one of the best things I did. Nothing fancy just better stuff than worn out OEM.
Looks great!

I hadn't planned on it, but I noticed the rear speakers were muddy at best, blown at worst. The fronts still sounded good but I wanted to make sure it was balanced. We have some long road trips planned for this fall so I figured it'd make sense to have decent quality audio for the road. The only "downside" I'm seeing so far is that these new speakers want a little more power - just means I have to turn the stereo up a little more. Not really an issue.

I was impressed with how the paint cleaned up too - 17 year old GM's don't always have the best paint quality but what isn't chipped off shined nicely!

[skyphix]

Did a little road trip test last weekend. 800 miles round trip. Its definitely got a minor oil leak which I knew about but nothing I am too concerned about - lost less than 1/2qt in around 4000 miles. I'll deal with it after a longer road trip next week and monitor it through the week. I'll bring the suspect gaskets (pretty sure its the valley cover seeping) and enough tools to do the job on vacation if I need to.

Added a Thule roof rack and carrier I had - funny story, these cross bars, feet, and carrier originally came off of my neighbors volvo. I bought it for dirt cheap a couple of years ago to put on my 4Runner... and surprisingly, the same bars and feet fit the Suburban too. Pretty versatile. Did a few other minor things like LED reverse lights to help visibility through the tint and even with the camera. I'm also adding a Roku streaming system to the on-board DVD player. Its just roughed in right now with cables hanging but after our trip I plan on running the RCA cables under the passenger seat, up through the B Pillar trip, and snake them through the headliner to pop out next to the DVD player and plug them in. Then I'll hide the HDMI Converter and mount the Roku to the top rear of the center console so that the remote still works. We'll just use our phones hotspots (unlimited data - we both work in IT and are comfortable with the speeds and data usage) to provide internet access when the kids want to use it. I'll take some photos once its all actually done.




Averaged 14.5mpg mostly interstate at 70mph. Thats hand calculated with GPS verified speed (previous owner used a hypertech to set for the larger tire size) and distances. On-board computer figured around 14.2. Saw as high as 15.5 across VT where speeds were averaging around 55mph rather than 65mph. These are with the roof rack...


We leave this Friday for a 3000 mile round trip that includes a significant amount of offroading/beach driving, so that will be fun. I've done quite a bit of beach driving with my old 4Runner (which had 32" AT tires that I ran around 20psi) and my wifes 2011 4Runner (which has 20" rims and street tires and we ran around 25psi) so hoping with these tires aired down to around 20psi, things will be fine with the big girl too.

[hatzie]

Originally Posted by Greg58

I did a speaker upgrade on my 07 Sierra shortly after I bought it. That was one of the best things I did. Nothing fancy just better stuff than worn out OEM.
Looks great!

You can get the OEM Bose speakers on Amazon fairly cheap.
I posted the part numbers in my build thread.

[MalibuSSwagon]

So steering wheel controls work with the interface unit? I have one of those from a parts truck I want to use in my 2003 2500HD. I'm just addicted to the volume controls on the wheel. I love it. Touchscreen with nav is awesome too, always using nav in the truck.

[hatzie]

If you have the right BCM and Instrument cluster and clockspring and....

Essentially if your truck came with the UK3 option


To install the steering wheel controls in a truck without that option is not as simple as installing the steering wheel with buttons.

[skyphix]

Originally Posted by MalibuSSwagon

So steering wheel controls work with the interface unit? I have one of those from a parts truck I want to use in my 2003 2500HD. I'm just addicted to the volume controls on the wheel. I love it. Touchscreen with nav is awesome too, always using nav in the truck.

What Hatzie said is the pre-requisite. But yeah, if your truck already has functional steering wheel controls, the adapter module retains all of that with supported aftermarket head units. My steering wheel controls still work because of the interface module.

[hatzie]

Originally Posted by skyphix

What Hatzie said is the pre-requisite. But yeah, if your truck already has functional steering wheel controls, the adapter module retains all of that with supported aftermarket head units. My steering wheel controls still work because of the interface module.

I assumed "I have one of those" he was referencing was the UK3 steering wheel but re-reading his post it could mean the radio interface module.

[MalibuSSwagon]

Yea I guess it was confusing the way I said it. My truck came with the steering wheel controls and they function. I got the same interface module from one of my parts trucks with all the wiring.

[hatzie]

You'll need the installation manual but that should be fairly easy to find.

[skyphix]

Here's the instruction/owners manual for the interface

https://pdf.crutchfieldonline.com/Im...541RP5GM11.PDF


Just make sure whatever head unit you select is supported - I believe most are, but it would be good to confirm. I believe the button behavior is also customizable, but I left it with the defaults to match what the factory defaults were. Works great - have used it for about 3000 miles now without even a hiccup.

Thanks
Eric

[skyphix]

Trips all went well - I've put around 5000 miles on the Burb since early September and its been doing great. Survived a pretty rough beating after a week offroad in OBX after nearly getting rear ended in the snow, in Connecticut, by a Tractor trailer. I did lose a window regulator while we were in OBX - it was greased well but clearly the cables had hit the end of their life span. Got that swapped in less than an hour for under $50 once we got home.







And here's a couple of videos of beating on the old girl going over the dune. Unfilmed were several times jumping it (not all 4 wheels, but the fronts came up) and a time missing a turn and heading straight into some 2ft whoops and "sandblasting" my skid plates clean.


https://youtu.be/3LVoWub8h5s

https://youtu.be/sAKsUc6jWiQ

[LT7A]

You got this right set up really well. Still driving it?

[skyphix]

Originally Posted by LT7A

You got this right set up really well. Still driving it?

I wound up upgrading the wheels and tires in 2021 - kept it until spring of 2022 when I sold it and got a smaller SUV for my wife to commute ~240 miles with for our youngests Softball team. It was awesome - the second time we took it to OBX it started to run hot and the trans temps were soaring while we were beach bombing but besides that, it never had a single major issue. We just didn't need a giant SUV anymore and it didn't really fit in our driveway with all of my projects.

[LT7A]

I hear you on that. I don't need my 'Burb at all (earlier one) but they're such a good all-around rig.