2002 Tahoe Z71

[zraffz]

I purchased this Tahoe bone stock in March of 2014 with 191k miles on it; blown rear, no 3rd or 4th gear and rotten brake lines.

It sat for a year while I did all of the brake lines, fully rebuilt the rear, had the transmission & converter rebuilt, cleaned/painted the frame, installed a 6" Rough Country NTD lift, replace the entire front end, serviced the front differential & transfer case, upgraded the audio system, replaced all of the window motors and so on.

A few months later I did tires...

 

[zraffz]

I eventually lifted it another 1.5"...

A few months later, those cheap Chinese hub assemblies bit me in the ass and got replaced with Timkens...

The truck continued on its life and got new fuel lines, shocks, HID lights and torsion bar crossmember bushings along the way. I have literally done everything imaginable to this truck short of the motor, transfer case and fuel pump. I have this crazy attachment to the old girl; this fall I had listed it for sale and couldn't stomach letting it go when $3,000 was placed into my hand.

Recently, I noticed how bad the rocker panels, inner door jams around the rear wheel wells, rear bumper and rear quarters have gotten with rust. The 5.3 is tired of lugging around this truck, the cold start piston slap has gotten much worse and this past week the rear main seal started to pour out oil when its running.


This spring & summer the truck is getting overhaul #2...
The 5.3 is getting replaced with a refreshed LQ4 with a small cam/tune. Transmission and differentials will be serviced. All the body work will be done. The frame will be wire wheeled and repainted. The truck is getting new cab mounts and a 2-3" custom body lift (no, not hockey pucks) in preparation for 37's. I'll follow it up in the winter with changing the gears out for 4.56s until the differentials grenade.

 

[zraffz]

RESERVED

 

[Tonyrodz]

Nice looking truck. Where in Jersey are you?

 

[DenaliBQ]

how was the rough country lift any issues i want to add that to mine

 

[DenaliBQ]

your truck really looks great btw

 

[zraffz]

how was the rough country lift any issues i want to add that to mine

The kit itself is much better quality than the old 88-98 style RCX kits. It took 8-10 hours total but I replaced control arms, hub assemblies and steering components too.

No issues within 5 years/50,000+ miles!

 

[Fosscore]

Nice.

 

[05Single]

Looks good. I love they way these trucks look lifted

 

[zraffz]

Looks good. I love they way these trucks look lifted

Same. I wanted one back in high school but couldn't afford it. I recently entertained buying a 2007+ style to lift but I can't part with this old girl. I'm excited to knock off my checklist this year.

 

[05Single]

That's the spirit . Have all the fun with this one and build your dream truck. As I'm sure you know theres a million different parts and ideas for these trucks

 

[newburghyukon]

I admire your dedication. Are you doing the work yourself? Or do you have a shop you trust to do the work?

 

[zraffz]

I admire your dedication. Are you doing the work yourself? Or do you have a shop you trust to do the work?

I've done everything on this truck. I have done so much to this truck over the years that I've forgotten more than I remember. I have to be encroaching on $10,000 in repairs and altercations in total once I finish the 6 liter.

The way I see it, i have done everything underneath except for the fuel pump, transfer case and evap (since I am doing the body mounts this time around).

 

[73impala]

Nice work!

 

[zraffz]

Nice looking truck. Where in Jersey are you?

Northern NJ in Sussex County. The truck previously was from right outside of Boston MA.

 

[89Suburban]

Great story, thanks for sharing.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Northern NJ in Sussex County. The truck previously was from right outside of Boston MA.

Worked at the camps--before they closed them down--at Stokes/High Point. My first work van came from Mass, that thing was more rusty underneath then a Jersey truck!

 

[zraffz]

Worked at the camps--before they closed them down--at Stokes/High Point. My first work van came from Mass, that thing was more rusty underneath then a Jersey truck!

Yeah they are terrible out there. I had pressure washed/paint the frame and replaced every line when I bought it. The original transmission case was so badly deteriorated that I bought another blown up transmission just for the case!
The inner and outer rockers were starting to rust but I didn't want to touch them until it got bad. Now it is encroaching towards the braces where the floor pans and inner rockers meet so I have to do it. I also have a few small spots on the lower rear quarter panels that I will probably just cut out and patch rather than replace.

I believe Stokes is still open. I am only 20 minutes away from there. It's an absolutely beautiful area in New Jersey!

 

[Tonyrodz]

Yeah they are terrible out there. I had pressure washed/paint the frame and replaced every line when I bought it. The original transmission case was so badly deteriorated that I bought another blown up transmission just for the case!
The inner and outer rockers were starting to rust but I didn't want to touch them until it got bad. Now it is encroaching towards the braces where the floor pans and inner rockers meet so I have to do it. I also have a few small spots on the lower rear quarter panels that I will probably just cut out and patch rather than replace.

I believe Stokes is still open. I am only 20 minutes away from there. It's an absolutely beautiful area in New Jersey!

Yes, Stokes Forest is open, but I worked at the prison camps--those have been closed for awhile.

 

[zraffz]

Yes, Stokes Forest is open, but I worked at the prison camps--those have been closed for awhile.

Where was that located? Perhaps before my time or recollection lol. My parents had a summer home 5 minutes away from stokes in the mid through late 90's but I was 10.