Pete's (Now Nate's) 2003 Denali Budget Build thread

[blurred]

Moarlow... makes getting to the roof easier.

And I like numero 1. Simple design is simple.

Makes me want to remove the roof rack again.

 

[Sevenevez]

Moarlow... makes getting to the roof easier.

And I like numero 1. Simple design is simple.

Makes me want to remove the roof rack again.

haha, maaaan you aint lyin.. i wish i was about 6 inches lower to spray the roof! thanks, i like 1 too

 

[Sevenevez]

twas another long day/night. i ended up drinkin a bunch of beer so i must've accomplished something.

let's see here..

removed the front lip

time for body filler/bondo!

as you can see all this acne on the paint on both sides of the front bumper cover.

and this pretty nasty scratch/groove on the right rear

quick skim coat of body filler (actually i think i did 2 coats on the front)

after about an hour and a half of sanding with various different grits. primed

waited about an hour and then sanded all the primer until it felt seamless and smooth as new. hard to tell by looking, but it came out great.

went over the whole body again looking for any gloss with a 3M pad and scuffing one more time.

so what do i left to do? actually, the pain in the as$ stuff is pretty much complete. I need to install this dessicant filter somehow to my compressor so i am spraying clean air

few other items and small things but i am almost ready to spray. unfortunately its coldest time of the year, but during the day it is still hot enough to spray and flash the paint. i just need to keep an eye on the weather and pick a 3-4 day block of good weather and DO IT.
nice knowing the bodywork is pretty much complete though. end of boring post. cheers

 

[kwOH]

So f’n siked to see this thing when its done!

 

[Fosscore]

I keep circling back to this one. Something about the thin line paralleling the hood/fender line and coming right out of the headlight and rolling along with the sexy NBS curved lines to almost/at the top of the tail light if we are talking balance.

Any of them will pop, but this one keeps grabbing my eye. That dark color will sizzle the AZ summers. Man that is going to be one sweet looking ride rolling down the desert roads. Whoa!! I am looking forward to seeing this paint job. And nice work on the shifter.

 

[Sevenevez]

I keep circling back to this one. Something about the thin line paralleling the hood/fender line and coming right out of the headlight and rolling along with the sexy NBS curved lines to almost/at the top of the tail light if we are talking balance.

Any of them will pop, but this one keeps grabbing my eye. That dark color will sizzle the AZ summers. Man that is going to be one sweet looking ride rolling down the desert roads. Whoa!! I am looking forward to seeing this paint job. And nice work on the shifter.

View attachment 187153

thanks, Foss. I like all 4 of them in different ways. i like this one too, mainly because its darker and a little more subtle. Wanna come over and help me? haha, i have beer

 

[Fosscore]

thanks, Foss. I like all 4 of them in different ways. i like this one too, mainly because its darker and a little more subtle. Wanna come over and help me? haha, i have beer

I'd come to AZ anytime and bring beer just to keep the fridge full, even though I haven't really had any beers lately. See Fitness Thread. Love AZ this time of year and my parents were hoping we could make it this year, however, the in laws are arriving from Australia for the next 2 months, so that trip is out for the moment. lol The kids are all jacked up though.

 

[willinnashville]

Man, I forgot all about this thread until today. I read pages 30-100 today. I must be bookmarked 10 different things for future reference on my Denali. I have to ask, are you still pretty happy with your drop kit?

I saw your foose wheels and did a search on craigslist. Looky what I found:
https://nashville.craigslist.org/wto/d/foose-22s-gm-6-lug/6391248817.html

 

[Sevenevez]

ha, cool man. i got a bunch of Aussie friends. Great people. Melbourne.Sydney, Brisbane etc.. i see them like once a year if im lucky

 

[Sevenevez]

Man, I forgot all about this thread until today. I read pages 30-100 today. I must be bookmarked 10 different things for future reference on my Denali. I have to ask, are you still pretty happy with your drop kit?

I saw your foose wheels and did a search on craigslist. Looky what I found:
https://nashville.craigslist.org/wto/d/foose-22s-gm-6-lug/6391248817.html

ha, awesome man. keep bookmarking! i learn a lot from this forum. all forums. i try to always give back in any way i can.

also... Holy Sh*t. Those are the same as my wheels. You don't see them very often at all. i have really only seen one wheel on ebay forever and its the a black replacement.

thanks for checkin the thread, Will.

 

[Sevenevez]

Man, I forgot all about this thread until today. I read pages 30-100 today. I must be bookmarked 10 different things for future reference on my Denali. I have to ask, are you still pretty happy with your drop kit?

I saw your foose wheels and did a search on craigslist. Looky what I found:
https://nashville.craigslist.org/wto/d/foose-22s-gm-6-lug/6391248817.html

also, yes. i am Very happy with the drop kit. cant beat the price. i am thinking of getting the sway bar endlinks and possibly new sways to stiffen up the turns. but as a whole i am very happy with it

 

[willinnashville]

Right on!

 

[Fosscore]

Any thoughts on sway bars?

I’ve seen threads and many opinions on here, but nothing definitive. Thinking about the same for the Tahoe at some point.

 

[Sevenevez]

Any thoughts on sway bars?

I’ve seen threads and many opinions on here, but nothing definitive. Thinking about the same for the Tahoe at some point.

ha, yeah i am a little blurry on which ones are best bang for the buck. they are expensive. I mean how does a factory sway bar even go bad? It's just a stiff piece of rod. there is an old thread here with a ton of praise about the Eibach kit making a huge difference. It used to come with the endlinks that straighten the rear sway if you are low. I know there's DJM and Belltech etc.. I have no idea. Im in no rush to get them with all this stuff on my plate but i would love to know what the right choice is as well

 

[HiHoeSilver]

I've also read praise for Hellwig. There was a thread about using end links from a different vehicle to straighten the rear for lowering. Maybe from a jeep. I think you really just need to measure how long you need them to be and find ones that length.

 

[Sevenevez]

I've also read praise for Hellwig. There was a thread about using end links from a different vehicle to straighten the rear for lowering. Maybe from a jeep. I think you really just need to measure how long you need them to be and find ones that length.

i just looked theirs up. never heard of them

 

[Sevenevez]

has anybody removed the Onstar and XM antennas from the roof? Do you have to pull the headliner to do it???

 

[kwOH]

has anybody removed the Onstar and XM antennas from the roof? Do you have to pull the headliner to do it???

@Fosscore, I believe you have to drop the headliner.

 

[05Single]

Yep sure do. You're gonna do suede headliner anyway
2 mods one bird...or something like that

 

[Sevenevez]

dayum. screw that mess. haha