Matt's Denali Build

[OneTwo]

Ugh.

We're finally having our first few days of actual sunshine in the PNW here, and nothing points out paint flaws like direct sunlight... I had suspected the front bumper had been resprayed and that the shade of black was off ever-so-slightly, I was correct. I didn't realize that HALF of the driver's door had been resprayed that same shade of not-quite-right black. There's a barely-visible tape line at the top of the door molding. The paint fade on various pieces is worse than I had hoped as well.

So instead of paying for an expensive respray right now and putting off all other mods I had planned, I think I'll solve the problem the same way I fixed the last car I had with less-than perfect paint:

That was my first time vinyl wrapping that I did as quickly as possible in about 12 hours, because I was using my buddy's garage.

I'm confident that I can do a much better job that will flow a little better and look a bit more professional on the Denali. The beauty of "camo" wraps that don't cover 100% of the panel is that you can avoid really complex curves that would normally require a professional and professional tools.

For the Denali, I'm thinking something more along the lines of this Audi. Big shapes, simple designs, main focus on black/silver/gray with a little bit of white.

 

[OHSIXX]

Something like that Audi would look dope! Definitely different.......

 

[05Single]

Loving the plans so far.
I just moved from seattle, it was 70 there few days ago. Damn I miss that place.

 

[mastertony]

What an exciting garage you have!

 

[Speck]

I'm definitely going to be following this build! Looks great so far! I agree the back looks much better with the badges removed, and I think that the sides would benefit from the same treatment, especially if you're looking to black everything else out... Just my .02 worth though. I can't wait to see how it progresses being a fellow PNW member...

Joe

 

[AppocAlexx]

Looks like a promising build so far. Keep up the good work.

subdidid.

 

[OneTwo]

Thanks for the compliments, guys.

Amazon randomly dropped the price of the head unit I was looking at by $150, so I pulled the trigger on it and an iDatalink Maestro RR, and wow, what an incredible combination.

I had been very unimpressed with the Kenwood double dins I've messed around with in the past, so I wasn't really planning on going with a Kenwood, but Alpine doesn't really have anything for less than $1000 right now and both my Pioneers I've owned have had stupid errors and glitches that drive me crazy. I mainly wanted Apple CarPlay and compatibility with the Maestro and the Kenwood DDX6902S had both as well as a $399 price tag, so I went for it.

I am blown away by the features and customization options on this thing! CarPlay works very well, and the factory integration and vehicle data provided by the Maestro is super cool.

My only complaint is that the icons on the Kenwood menu look like they haven't changed since 1998. But when you get in to CarPlay, where I'll be spending most of my time anyway, it's a whole different story.

The one thing I am fully unimpressed with the is the Metra dash kit... What a pile of sh*t.

I was spoiled by Lexus/Toyota on my last double din install because the Toyota Aristo, the Japan-only version of my Lexus GS400, comes with a standard size double din from Toyota. So I made a call to Carson Toyota who ordered me the OEM part from Japan and made for the most perfect aftermarket radio install ever. Metal brackets, perfect fit, perfectly matched trim...

Going from that to the Metra kit is a night and day difference.

Test fitting just the face plate of the Metra, with no sides or head unit attached, it appeared to be majorly crooked. Since it was the last thing standing in the way of my install and it was 9 PM, I went ahead and installed it, hoping the fit would improve.

After much forced manipulation, I got the thing to line up well enough that I could get all the screws in their respective holes and MAYBE it would've been good enough, but the kit is too wide to fit inside the wood trim, hence the trim-less photos above.

I'm going to try to source an anything-but-Metra kit locally today and if I can't find anything, I'll start hacking up the Metra kit.

Here's the top corners of the faceplate so you can see what I'm talking about. This is with a lot of bending, pushing, pulling, and many other forces to make it fit better. It was much worse before.

 

[OneTwo]

The (formerly) terrifying acceleration clunk is gone now, thanks to a new AC Delco driver's side motor mount.

 

[05Single]

Nice upgrade. Always feels food to drive around with a new deck

 

[OneTwo]

Nice upgrade. Always feels food to drive around with a new deck

I agree! This one with CarPlay and Maestro features especially feels great. It feels the car is almost a decade newer than it is now.

I went and bought a Scosche dash kit without even looking at it because I assumed it had to be better than the Metra, but it may actually be worse. The Metra is at least a close match to the factory dash plastics, the Scosche is a rough textured finish and the wrong color. Does anybody have any other suggestions for a dash kit? Scosche and Metra are the only two I've found...

Anyway, I shaved down the Metra and altered the mounting tabs so that it would fit inside the wood trim and sit level. Then I put it all back together and was happy to not have to take it apart again...

...until I started the car this morning and had a high pitch whine coming from all the speakers that corresponds with the engine noise. Now I get to rip it all apart again to fix (what I assume is) a pinched wire behind the dash.

 

[05Single]

No idea on kits , especially for that year. But maybe have the surround vinyl wrapped to match the wood trim. That would look clean.

 

[OneTwo]

Finally got around to lowering it. Looks much better!

 

[Fosscore]

Win win!!

 

[OneTwo]

Win win!!

Thank you sir!

One more for good measure...

 

[NeverSatisfied]

Nice!

 

[OneTwo]

Nice!

Thanks man.

Had to grab a shot with my buddy's GT-R last night, since the bar was closed when we pulled up.

 

[Speck]

That looks fantastic Matt! I'd love to see it in person some time. I'm up on Olympia if you're ever up this way. I'm hoping to get my Denali to around that level sometime this summer as well. How is the ride so far?

Joe

 

[OneTwo]

That looks fantastic Matt! I'd love to see it in person some time. I'm up on Olympia if you're ever up this way. I'm hoping to get my Denali to around that level sometime this summer as well. How is the ride so far?

Joe

Thanks Joe! I don't head towards Seattle all that often, but I'll shoot you a message the next time I do.

The ride is okay. Time constraints had us rushing through it, so we didn't do Tony's "free travel mod" (cutting the factory bump stop bracket off the frame) and instead used the Belltech bump stops that came with the kit. I also forgot to shorten the front bump stops by an inch, so it's a little bit rough on big bumps.

I think once I do the free travel mod and shorten the front bump stops, it will ride almost like stock.

 

[Speck]

Right on, I'll keep that in mind for when I finally get around to getting mine lowered down.

Joe

 

[OneTwo]

So every time I walk out and look at the truck, my first thought is "wheels are way too small," which means it's time to upgrade.

I had originally planned to run a 24" so that it won't be too big and will still have some sidewall, but every time I see one dropped on 26's, I'm blown away by how aggressive it looks.

So I need your opinions on this matter. Aesthetically, which looks better in your opinion, 24" or 26"? Is there a thread with some side by side comparisons somewhere? Furthermore, is there anything required to run 26's that should dissuade me from doing so (major fender/suspension/whatever mods, terrible ride, etc.)?

Thanks guys!