2007 Yukon Denali Build (This got outta hand really quick...)

[992dr]

Any updates?
How's it been runnin?

 

[67RS427]

Any updates?
How's it been runnin?

It's been running pretty damn good... Much better since my track day in October now that I have the transmission issues worked out. I'm in Michigan so it's been boost weather for sure, cold and dense air. I've been tweaking my tune and had some issues with my Nick Williams 102mm throttle body putting me in limp mode randomly under light load and let off of the throttle (TB motor getting weak, that's what I get for being cheap and buying a used TB). I ended up pulling the 102mm off and putting on a LS3 throttle body the other day. I'm probably down some horsepower (25hp) at the wheels overall but the response is much better with the smaller TB. I might end up keeping the LS3 TB and just porting it. Those larger 102mm and bigger throttles act like an on/off switch for the engine lol. Much smoother with the 90mm LS3 on there now. Once I get it how I want I plan to get it on an AWD chassis dyno. A friend has one locally but these trucks only barely fit with about 1 inch of space front and rear on the roller. It can be dangerous if not strapped properly but I really wanna see what this thing is putting to the ground. I'm certain it will hit 700whp though... I will post some updates soon and if we get some damn snow, I'll certainly post up some donut videos.

 

[Tonyrodz]

It's been running pretty damn good... Much better since my track day in October now that I have the transmission issues worked out. I'm in Michigan so it's been boost weather for sure, cold and dense air. I've been tweaking my tune and had some issues with my Nick Williams 102mm throttle body putting me in limp mode randomly under light load and let off of the throttle (TB motor getting weak, that's what I get for being cheap and buying a used TB). I ended up pulling the 102mm off and putting on a LS3 throttle body the other day. I'm probably down some horsepower (25hp) at the wheels overall but the response is much better with the smaller TB. I might end up keeping the LS3 TB and just porting it. Those larger 102mm and bigger throttles act like an on/off switch for the engine lol. Much smoother with the 90mm LS3 on there now. Once I get it how I want I plan to get it on an AWD chassis dyno. A friend has one locally but these trucks only barely fit with about 1 inch of space front and rear on the roller. It can be dangerous if not strapped properly but I really wanna see what this thing is putting to the ground. I'm certain it will hit 700whp though... I will post some updates soon and if we get some damn snow, I'll certainly post up some donut videos.

In it for the donuts

 

[Fosscore]

In it for the donuts

Me too.

That track run video was sweet.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Me too.
View attachment 213801

That track run video was sweet.

Lol

 

[992dr]

It's been running pretty damn good... Much better since my track day in October now that I have the transmission issues worked out. I'm in Michigan so it's been boost weather for sure, cold and dense air. I've been tweaking my tune and had some issues with my Nick Williams 102mm throttle body putting me in limp mode randomly under light load and let off of the throttle (TB motor getting weak, that's what I get for being cheap and buying a used TB). I ended up pulling the 102mm off and putting on a LS3 throttle body the other day. I'm probably down some horsepower (25hp) at the wheels overall but the response is much better with the smaller TB. I might end up keeping the LS3 TB and just porting it. Those larger 102mm and bigger throttles act like an on/off switch for the engine lol. Much smoother with the 90mm LS3 on there now. Once I get it how I want I plan to get it on an AWD chassis dyno. A friend has one locally but these trucks only barely fit with about 1 inch of space front and rear on the roller. It can be dangerous if not strapped properly but I really wanna see what this thing is putting to the ground. I'm certain it will hit 700whp though... I will post some updates soon and if we get some damn snow, I'll certainly post up some donut videos.

That's awesome, glad to hear how well its running.
Could you refresh my memory, What was up with the trans?
How's the tuning part coming along? I'm really interested but, definitely intimidated with any tuning. My local (who's really not local after we moved, haha) guy is about 3 hours away and there is one guy in the town we moved into but I really want to learn on my own and not have to rely on anyone.
Is it something in particular with the NW TBs that this happens? I think I've seen that before.
I'm definitely in for how much power its making.
What's your motor set up? Forged internals?
AWD donuts would be sweet haha. Lookin forward to the vids of them.

 

[67RS427]

That's awesome, glad to hear how well its running.
Could you refresh my memory, What was up with the trans?
How's the tuning part coming along? I'm really interested but, definitely intimidated with any tuning. My local (who's really not local after we moved, haha) guy is about 3 hours away and there is one guy in the town we moved into but I really want to learn on my own and not have to rely on anyone.
Is it something in particular with the NW TBs that this happens? I think I've seen that before.
I'm definitely in for how much power its making.
What's your motor set up? Forged internals?
AWD donuts would be sweet haha. Lookin forward to the vids of them.

The transmission was rebuilt again after I roasted it before Dream Cruise... I decided to completely redo my tune since I was forced to start from scratch. Any time you replace the ECU or TECM in the transmission you need to relicense with HP Tuners and have to copy/paste your entire tune. Basically it forced me to start all over and I made some changes to the transmission tune and screwed up. Tuning kills these 6L80 (any clutch to clutch trans) transmissions more than anything. Basically I had a bad torque model and these transmissions are VERY sensitive to tuning. It just wasn't shifting right... I was able to scale my torque model accordingly and got the transmission shifting great. I lost .4 seconds on my 2-3 shift at the track and a good .4 seconds from my ****** 60' times.

I wouldn't be too intimidated if you gave a good understanding on how the engine works. It does help to have a friend that's a retired GM Engineer/Calibrator to explain to you how the ECU/controller works to better understand what changes you make and how they affect other tables or areas of the tune. I am lucky for that but he is making me learn on my own at the same time. Trial and error... I didn't burn up the transmission too bad at the track but I probably did shorten the life of the clutch packs slightly. I was running the transmission too cold also and have a thermal bypass I need to install. Running 18-20 back to back passes probably didn't help either lol... I flushed the transmission and put some fresh fluid in. That along with fixing my torque model got me back on track and the truck is faster than ever.

The NW 102mm limp mode issue was a separate issue altogether. I purchased a used TB and it probably had a weak motor to begin with. The throttle blade tends to flutter at WOT and have a hard time stabilizing when you left off the throttle when the motor is worn or weak. Any time I would get in the gas 30-40% and let off suddenly, the throttle blade would slam shut and the engine would go in to limp mode. Easy fix was to toss on a stock LS3 TB for now and I will port it later. Might send the NW 102mm in for repair or buy a new one if I feel I'm really missing that much power. I don't notice it right now since it's so cold out and I'm on snow tires... Time will tell and the track will be the deciding factor in the spring. My goal is a 11.40 qtr or quicker, I think the truck is capable of a 10.9 or so if I get the suspension figured out and my 60' times where they should be.

 

[67RS427]

That's awesome, glad to hear how well its running.
Could you refresh my memory, What was up with the trans?
How's the tuning part coming along? I'm really interested but, definitely intimidated with any tuning. My local (who's really not local after we moved, haha) guy is about 3 hours away and there is one guy in the town we moved into but I really want to learn on my own and not have to rely on anyone.
Is it something in particular with the NW TBs that this happens? I think I've seen that before.
I'm definitely in for how much power its making.
What's your motor set up? Forged internals?
AWD donuts would be sweet haha. Lookin forward to the vids of them.

Sorry, almost forgot. I think I posted the build but can't remember lol... It's a 6.0L LQ9 iron block .005" over and a Lunati 4" stroke (402"), Lunati Rods and Weisco forged pistons. Billet double roller timing chain, ATI 10% over damper and Weapon X 2.5" upper. Makes 14psi all day, 15-15.5psi peak. Self ported blower and Stage 3 Brian Tooley Racing Positive Displacement CAM Motion CAM. I used my L92 heads from original motor and rebuilt them with a BTR Spring kit with titanium retainers and upgraded to lighter Manley valves. So much more I'm probably forgetting. Any questions feel free to ask away... I got lazy updating here and have done a lot over and over lol

 

[12BlackTahoe]

lots of good info, TY

 

[67RS427]

Sorry for the delay, here's some donuts for you all... Still waiting for some real snow to have some more fun but this was a good time.

 

[Blue Rock]

I just looked through your build. Very nice indeed man. Makes me wish I had bought an AWD years ago.

 

[Chrismnj]

That is quite of transformation, Nice job Matt.

 

[67RS427]

That is quite of transformation, Nice job Matt.

Thank you... Kind of a trickle affect as you know but as I mentioned in your thread, I can't buy a new or used car/truck that even comes close to what I've created for less than $50k. I also like that it's "#builtnotbought" by ME!

 

[Sam Harris]

So this is where things started going sideways... I was finished porting the blower, pressed on new Weapon X hub and 2.5" pulley, completely rebuilt blower with new bearings and fresh oil, reinforced the intercooler brick, assembled the entire motor and reinstalled the entire powertrain (Front diff was out and rebuilt, Transmission was out and rebuilt again due to a bad 3-5-R clutch pack, Transmission reinstalled with the new Circle D triple disc torque convertor, TCI Flex plate and new custom driveshafts installed with the original transfer case)... All that work didn't take too long believe it or not. My issue was with my new 8 Rib LSSimple accessory drive kit. It should have been a direct bolt on and I was truly impressed with he way it LOOKED. It should have bolted on in 15 minutes but it's function however was terrible. I can't recommend anyone uses the LSSimple kits. They had a bad batch of laser cut plates in my case and shipped me a system that they knew was bad but tried to salvage. He elongated holes and used washers/spacers instead of solid mounts. It was terrible and out of alignment from every aspect. It wouldn't track a belt properly even during cranking. I wasted over 6 days trying to make this kit work. I had access to a Bridgeport and a lathe and still couldn't get belts to track properly even after machining new spacers and tweaking things. Murphy @ LSSimple was very apologetic and refunding my money without even asking for the kit back (which is garbage!). That 6 days cost me weeks in the long run.


Looks pretty but doesn't fit or work for shit... Bracket was contacting bottom of snout, had to take out 1/4" of material on the bracket just to start test fitting this turd:
View attachment 201837
View attachment 201836
View attachment 201835

Idlers not lining up at all, the alternator and tension on the opposite side were also canted back in different directions... Still couldn't get it right even after taking the spacers down in the lathe.

View attachment 201834


Luckily I found a guy locally in Michigan that is very big in the LS Swap stuff... Here is a pic of one of his garages, lets just say he has a few blowers laying around if anyone needs parts ;-)

View attachment 201838

He hooked me up with a Holley alternator/power steering mount kit and I used an LSA Water pump and factory LSA accessory drive parts for everything else. Came out a hell of a lot nicer in the end and I know I'm running something factory proven and the blower is on it's own 8 Rib belt. Only thing left to do is relocate my factory A/C compressor backwards 1.5" on the LSA A/C bracket so I don't have to cobble together custom LSA to truck A/C lines and electrical. Pics of that to come in the next few days.

 

[Sam Harris]

Wow! Awesome truck. Awesome thread. So jealous of that beast, and your skills and knowledge. Keep those posts coming!

 

[67RS427]

Wow! Awesome truck. Awesome thread. So jealous of that beast, and your skills and knowledge. Keep those posts coming!

Thank you, it's been a roller coaster but well worth the hard work... I've been slacking on the updates and content but I'll try to get some updates and new content posted soon.

Coming soon:
*Just received my QA1 Double Adjustable Coil Overs for the front, springs are blue Hyperco 800LB (Eibach no longer makes red springs apparently)
*Coil Over brackets and Poly engine mounts are from @Atomic and will be installed in the next week
*Will be removing my BellTech rear springs and adding 5-6" drop springs in the rear from @NORCAL SS and a double adjustable shock in rear as well with helper bags. Need to do the free travel mod too...
*Interchiller being installed soon for the blower
*Once spring is here and the tracks are open in Michigan I will be making pass after pass until I hit a 11.4 qtr mile or faster. I honestly think if I get this thing to hook it will run a 10.9 in the 1/4 mile. Not too bad for a $30k truck that weighs in at almost 6k pounds

 

[Chrismnj]

and no motivation to add one switch? lol

 

[67RS427]

and no motivation to add one switch? lol

Lol, nah... Not even really about the motivation. I honestly see NO scenario where I would want the ABS and/or Traction/Stabilitrack ON. I had so many issues with my old TB SS and Silverado SS with pulling out into traffic and it going on and I just thought it was dangerous when the power would cut out and leave you with no power. My foot is better at controlling the traction than the stupid GM Stabilitrack. I'd rather have complete control over what the truck is doing, I don't need the electronics. I've never needed the ABS either, it stops just fine in snow and ice, you just need a good tire.

 

[Chrismnj]

Lol, nah... Not even really about the motivation. I honestly see NO scenario where I would want the ABS and/or Traction/Stabilitrack ON. I had so many issues with my old TB SS and Silverado SS with pulling out into traffic and it going on and I just thought it was dangerous when the power would cut out and leave you with no power. My foot is better at controlling the traction than the stupid GM Stabilitrack. I'd rather have complete control over what the truck is doing, I don't need the electronics. I've never needed the ABS either, it stops just fine in snow and ice, you just need a good tire.

Did you remove #61 ABS 1 (40A) or #9 ABS 2 (25A)? I have been removing #9 only

 

[67RS427]

Did you remove #61 ABS 1 (40A) or #9 ABS 2 (25A)? I have been removing #9 only

Pretty sure the only one I removed was the 40amp. I know for sure that one is pulled, I don't recall pulling #9. I'm in Florida till Tomorrow, I'll check when I'm home.