Fosscore's 2013 Suburban LTZ Build Thread

[Fosscore]

A few more shots from the day.

My brother was collecting some old bikes and still had this one hanging in one of his sheds.

His awesome wood burning stove.

Lifted Sienna mini van. There is an outfitter in Prescott that specializes in lifting vans.

See their site here:

Journeys Off Road

Journeys Off Road - Making custom lift kits and off road accessories for vans such as the Toyota Sienna, Chevy Astro, Ram Promaster, and many more!

www.journeysoffroad.com

Our friend rolls up in this and I'm going that thing is lifted, has A/T tires and is very quiet. Sure enough 3" lift, hybrid, AWD, lifted mini van. Turns out, our friend has had a lifted Safari too at one point. Perfect for the dirt roads and snow in the winter.

He said it was just a spacer at the top of the strut and rides exactly the same with no change in travel of the suspension or ride quality. Those Honda Odysseys we used to have would have been cool to lift, but then again they were pavement pounders for the wee kids and the low door was perfect with the toddler legs way back when...lol.

 

[Fosscore]

And a few more.

My daughter taking aim.

Tackling a hill with my daughter in the Polaris.

The kids headed out for another run.

Sunset and temps dropping rapidly.

 

[Fosscore]

One story worth mentioning while sitting around with my dad this past week was from Sonora, Mexico. Back in the mid-90s for about 10 years?...hard to remember exactly - my dad and some of his siblings owned a house down in a sleepy town called
San Carlos on the mainland side, near Hermosillo and across the bay from Guaymas, which is a busy fishing and shrimp port.

They ran dive and fishing charters in partnership with a local businessman that has remained friends all these years. I think it was required that you must have a local Mexican national as your partner in the business venture. There were also many family reunions with sometimes over 30 people sleeping all over the house on blow up mattresses to enjoy the fishing and pool parties around the palapa.

I used to drive down there from Tucson for Spring Break and did a lot of scuba diving there as well. The Sea of Cortez is one unique body of water with so many pelagic species and fish present. Sea lions, rays of all sorts, big whales, sharks, even killer whales have been seen there.

Anyways, on to the story, but I wanted to paint a picture of this sleepy, seaside town in Mexico that used to be a USA retiree haven, family place, that has since fallen victim to the cartels.

So my dads colleague and his friend were having lunch at one of the local restaurants, when two guys walk right up to them and point machine guns at their faces, saying they were the guys they were looking for. Somehow my dad's colleague convinced them they were not the guys they were looking for, that they had the wrong guys. That is some fast acting Jedi mind trick conversation to save your life. Literally. After some words, the hit men turned and left.

Talk about a check your shorts, Narcos moment!! My dad stopped going there years ago, the house was sold and the crime and negative influence has only escalated. What a shame. Such a beautiful place. Street tacos, fishing, diving and friendly people who now live in constant fear.

Here are a few pics I harvested from the web, since mine are all of the paper format lol.

Famous landmark as you drive into town and a great lookout for the sunsets.

Named Tetas de Cabra aka Goats teats.

We used to dive just outside the marina around that first rock a lot. Sea lions, octopus and many fish. Cold in the winter needing a 7mm wetsuit with full coverage to nothing in the summer when the temperatures heated up. Beautiful.

 

[adventurenali92]

Looks like a fun thanksgiving trip!! Funny how driving side by sides will get a boy interested in driving Hahahah. when I spend time with my best friend and his family, there’s always kids out in the back parcel behind the barn that Bruce bought built into a dirt bike track for the grand kids. Anytime the kids are down on the track one of us has the Kawasaki mule out on the track and it’s always fun to fuel the love for vehicles with the kids and the adults!

 

[Fosscore]

Sunday after I got back from AZ, it was a shine the ole Burb up morning. Hot and humid considering I left Prescott at 25F to PHX mid 50s and back to humid FL in the 80s.

Rain X on the windows and ceramic shine the black plastic on the mirrors, rear bumper pad and front air defector.

Put another coat of Collinite’s 845 Insulator Wax on the hood and tried out Collinite’s No. 520 Mister Collins detail spray.

Still love the Lucas Oil Slick Mist, but am partial to the Collinite’s products.

Liked the smell, ease of removal and cannot complain about the shine.

Also replaced the center console wireless charging pad from Boost Auto Parts. Waited for the 30% off Black Friday sale.

Took about 10 minutes to remove the center console inside cover and replace just the top pad. My wife had spilled a big cup of coffee (she won't be doing that again lol....err maybe?) that leaked through the pad, down the screw holes and fried the board. The rest of the PNP harness that plugs into the 12v 2nd row seat plug were fine.

Wireless pad now shows red light for standby and blue light for charging.

 

[Fosscore]

New cowl end caps finally installed. What a difference!

 

[Fosscore]

GM Driver Side Windshield Reveal Molding 20918020

When the truck got shipped from 07Burb back in April 2022, I'm guessing a rock or something came up and hit the molding while it was on the carrier but luckily did not crack the windshield.

5 Torx screws under the weather stripping and it was off. A bit of a clean up of the area including the drip tray over the door (squarebody rust spot...nothing up there on the Suburban that I could see) before installing the new molding piece and done. Looks much better. Probably not necessary as the the rest of the molding is in perfect condition, but it was an ugly crack to see every time you walked up to the truck.

Left picture is new piece. Right picture between 3rd and 4th hole, shows the crack.

New trim piece and cowl end cap installed.

 

[adventurenali92]

Those little fine details you’re so good at keeping an eye on!

 

[Fosscore]

Those little fine details you’re so good at keeping an eye on!

Thx man. Doing my best to keep up on those little things.

 

[07Burb]

New cowl end caps finally installed. What a difference!

View attachment 386496View attachment 386497View attachment 386498

I always wondered how those things got so jacked up. Do you have any ideas? They were like that when I originally bought it from ya and thought it was odd considering the condition of the rest of the rig

 

[91RS]

The sun kills those.

 

[Fosscore]

I always wondered how those things got so jacked up. Do you have any ideas? They were like that when I originally bought it from ya and thought it was odd considering the condition of the rest of the rig

That rubber appears to be molded/heated? to the plastic.

That tropical sun and UV lays waste to anything under its laser beam. Lol

I was going to try and just replace the rubber somehow with some thin gauge neoprene rubber (gasket material) but haven’t figured out how to properly attach it and make it a flush fit.

I will keep the old ones and maybe do something with them at some point. The clips are all solid and the cap itself is in good condition.

I’m sure the rubber got worse after I painted them when you see the comparison photos.

Glad to have those couple little things sorted. For now.

 

[Fosscore]

72200 miles

I went to open the lift gate one day and it only opened up about 15-20%, then closed on it's own. There are a few threads on the TYF with info and plenty of YouTube videos online detailing this problem.

The motor and locking mechanism sounded fine, so the only other option would be the lift supports.

I remembered seeing Stong Arm as an option and I think it was also mentioned in the threads.

Power Lift Gate won't open all the way

My 2014 chevy Tahoe LT power lift gate will open half way and it will start to close immediately. I heard that the problem may be the struts and I replaced them and still have the same problem. Could it be a bad sensor thinking there is an obstruction or something else? Any help would be great!

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

Power liftgate partially opens then closes

2007 Denali rear power liftgate partially opens with key fob, console button and handle then immediately closes. Motor appears to be working fine both opening and closing and I can't see where it may be binding up anywhere. Anyone have a clue? If I turn it off on the console, I can open it just...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

I ended up ordering from this site. My part number was for the Strong Arm lift supports.

6156-W
6156 Strong Arm
22.70”

Lift Supports Depot®
https://www.liftsupportsdepot.com

It took about a week for the supports to come from California. I used a 2x4x8 to wedge the lift gate open at a about a 45 degree angle because the wood was too long at 8' overall. I pulled the little sleeve retainers on the ends of the supports and pulled the first OEM support off and installed the new Strong Arm unit.

The new version was a few inches longer and needed the end rotated a few inches to line up on the ball. I had to push the lift gate up a few inches to the maximum swing to get the bottom end on the ball of the truck.

The passenger side needed a little rubber mallet persuasion to pop off and installation was the repeat.

I let the 2x4 go and the lift gate held in position. It seemed to be a few inches taller than before. I gave it multiple tests at the handle, the interior button and the key fob and it worked as it should up, down and locked.

That was a win.

View attachment 387025

 

[Fosscore]

 

[07Burb]

Now that you've been riding with them for a while how do you like the belltech coilovers on the front?

 

[Fosscore]

Now that you've been riding with them for a while how do you like the belltech coilovers on the front?

I think the suspension upgrades as a whole are better. Seems to ride good. Just wish it was another 2" lower all around. But at least the rear wheel gap is more betterer.

 

[07Burb]

I think the suspension upgrades as a whole are better. Seems to ride good. Just wish it was another 2" lower all around. But at least the rear wheel gap is more betterer.

I knew you’d want it lower. That’s the way these things go was curious as I contemplate purchasing them again to determine if they’re worth the extra $$$

 

[Fosscore]

I knew you’d want it lower. That’s the way these things go was curious as I contemplate purchasing them again to determine if they’re worth the extra $$$

I think they are great >> caveat >>....Is it a massive difference? Is it worth the extra $$? I just don't know honestly.

When I look at the OEM vs the Belltech's (sans total knowledge of the tech/hardware of the 2 assemblies) I'm not sure. It is an expense that I am sure is offering something. The adjustability to lower that front was nice and since they were there, seemed like the right mod to do while also getting the rear down a bit on the conservative side and still keeping the auto ride active.

Different set up, but going back to the NBS, I did not have this set up, but changed out to the Belltech shocks and changed out the LCAs which we know took her down low. That was worth it across the board for me. I would love to do that to the NNBS, but that can't happen unless the wife got something new and gave me the long body.

Not sure if that helped or made it clear as mud.?!

 

[Fosscore]

A couple weeks ago I got an alert from LKQ that an NNBS had hit the yard, so I went down the next day to check it out. I hadn't been to the junkyard in over 2 years and was excited to have a dig around.

Turns out there were numerous NNBS models to choose from. Just shows how times change as the NNBS is now a few gens behind current and they are turning up in the yard more now. Always plenty of NBS too.

Anyways, I was on the hunt for some small parts that nobody else would be looking for.

The little rubber nubs on the center console that stop the cup holder lid from going too far. Somehow one got lost.

Also, the front lid on the little storage box had a broken piece on the underside that made the lid wobbly when opening and closing.

Turns out is that the little screw in piece that also acts as the piece that the lid pivots around when opening and closing had broken off. Rather fragile and not very well anchored. I found a new one in the yard.

I plastic welded it in place and now the lid works like it used to without wobbling. Wife never knew, but drove me nuts. Two small niggly issues sorted.

 

[Fosscore]

Still working on the passenger interior door grab handle issue. That cheap, skinny pathetic plastic piece they use inside broke and the handle is squishy. I found some L brackets that I pounded flat to insert from the top x 2 and bottom x 2 of the handle when you peel the skin back to help reinforce the handle.

I filled it with Liquid Nails construction adhesive and zip tied it to hold it in place. The driver's side I used spray foam and it is still pretty solid. Unfortunately the adhesive never flashed off and dried, but stayed wet, so I will have to clean that out and apply something else when I get another chance to work on it. For now, I used a couple clear cable ties to keep the door handle skin together.