Initial projects: headlights, fender flares, trim removal

New owner/member here. Just beginning the search for some BUDGET FRIENDLY replacement parts for my Black '97 2-door Tahoe. First up: my lights are hazed and have to go. Found these (pictured) on amazon for $90, think they might be nice, but no reviews. I also found in a old thread that the corner lights are not universal between Chevy and GMC and the secondary image on the amazon page shows these lights installed in a GMC, so does that shoot this option down completely?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0083YDO08/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A19COJAJDNQSRP

I also found a set of OEM style replacements selling for $75 with good reviews, but was thinking of a more custom look. Still not very interested in any spendy, light conversion HID job, just a housing swap. Thoughts/suggestions?

Next, I have seen about a dozen old threads about fender flares, and they seem to be a real pain in the ass to remove when looking at junkyard finds. Those of you who have the bushwackers, was it an easy install? I am thinking that I'd rather just buy these and skip the search and rescue mission.

Last, bodyside molding removal: Goo Gone/hair dryer/fishing line, is this the way to go? I see there are other ways out there on this forum, but has anyone had bad results with the above method? I'd have a much easier time getting ahold of these 3 items.

Thanks everybody!

1. Those headlights are black. I can't see how those put out any decent amount of light at all

2. No idea about fender flares

3. Not sure if I'd remove them on a 15 year old vehicle. The paint underneath hasn't been touched by the sun/weather/etc, but I used fishing string and a 3M eraser wheel on mine.

do not use those head units. and that molding removal idea works but a buffing wheel is often needed.

Well, I ended up going with the OEM-style replacement lights, and after receiving them, I am very satisfied. They are gonna look great with the replacement grille I also picked up. I also went ahead and ordered the Bushwacker fender flares, getting it all put together soon. Haven't decided on the bodyside trim removal yet.

I'm working on the interior right now, the last owner had a dog and I have enough hair in the thing to stuff a sofa. Pulled the front seat and console, time to shampoo.

Next on my list is new rims/tires. I like the look of many different GM factory rims from the last ten years or so, so I think it will just be a surprise when some come up for sale.

Any pics or advice of what you guys think look best on the OBS 2-door would be welcome. Thanks!

Update/Question

Well, after a few weeks of too much other stuff going on, I finally got around to installing my replacement lights and grille. Everything looks great, but as I had read, the fitment of the aftermarket grille was a real pain. It was tight, but looks like a new front end after the swap, before/after pics attached.

I have not gotten around to my Bushwacker install yet, as I am still looking into some bodywork (rust on rocker panels...).

I got started on the bodyside moldings, removing the segments ahead of the doors near the front wheel. Just using the heat gun, a plastic scraper, and some adhesive remover did the trick, but it was a lot of work. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the paint looked after 16 years of being covered, it blended in perfectly. I will definitely be purchasing the 3M eraser wheel I have heard so much about on here. I still have to do both doors, and the 2 segments on each side that are in front of & behind the rear wheels (total of 6 pieces). Do I need to buy 1 or 2 of those wheels? Anyone who has done this project would be helpful with any other tips. Thanks!

Trim removal went alright, some paintwork to be done underneath, but overall an improvement. Some of the quotes on the rust repair are higher than what I paid for the Tahoe, so I'm not sure what I'll be doing just yet.

Now onto the rims. I've already got a set of rims from an '03 Silverado (16" and in excellent shape) that I was gonna put on, but now I got the chance to snag some '13 Silverado rims (18" and taken off of the truck right after leaving the dealer lot, in perfect condition and for not a lot of money). Anyone have either of these on their OBS trucks? Seeing them on a 2DR would be very helpful. Thanks!

Please post up on the Bushwacker. I need to replace mine after my front tire blown out and crack my stock ones. Witch ones did you go with??

I have the Bushwackers in my shop, uninstalled... Still waiting to get the bodywork plan together. I ordered the OE Style (1.25"), as I don't plan on getting too carried away with wider tires or anything else too spendy. This is gonna remain my spare vehicle for winter driving and toy hauling. Picked the flares up on Amazon, a good deal cheaper than buying locally.

I love the NBS 16's

great lookin truck.................I recently bought rims from a 2012 yukon. same idea from me, stock rims from another truck for mine = not spending a grand for aftermarkets. 17's and they fit tight.






then i painted the insets black............







i see a lot of yukons and sierras as well with these rims.................one of the best looking factory rims. i paid 300 bucks with the 60% tread tires.............try to find aftermarkets for that price!?!?

heres the rims finished................good luck with your new tahoe!!






peace

Wow great work I loved the front with stock lights

Good work keep it up

looking good man!! stock headlights are always the best IMO.. unless you can do a custom projector retrofit..

Thanks everybody! I have been working really hard trying to find the time to tackle the to-do list.

Dudeface, I am loving your Tahoe. Yours is the exact look I am going for, no bodyside molding, newer rims, and those same fender flares. I checked out some of your other posts and pics, what a find that that Tahoe was! The shot taken of the underside of the rocker panels makes me sick with envy when I look at my rusted rockers.... And I think the black-painted insets on the rims is just what they needed. Awesome job, man!

Gjovik said:

Dudeface, I am loving your Tahoe. Yours is the exact look I am going for, no bodyside molding, newer rims, and those same fender flares. I checked out some of your other posts and pics, what a find that that Tahoe was! The shot taken of the underside of the rocker panels makes me sick with envy when I look at my rusted rockers.... And I think the black-painted insets on the rims is just what they needed. Awesome job, man!

Click to expand...

thanks man..........i try to keep it clean and simple. never was a big truck/SUV fan until a guy i know that tints windows for a living was selling it pretty much as is. fell in love the first time i drove it. I stole it for 4 grand about 3 years ago..........HIDs....rear LEDs.....lowered 2 inches, no roof rack/nerf bars, new alternater and $ 3,750.00 worth of tranny work done 6 months before i got it!!! all I have had to do was throw a aftermarket full kenwood sound system in it and keep it clean.

peace

Please tell me you didn't get oem style flares. Saw some at the junk yard and looked like shit. Pocket style only for 2drs. My oem flares look good but will do bushwackers soon. And yes they are pita to remove oem flares

I definitely got the OEM style flares, as I am not getting any wide mud tires on this thing. The crazy-wide flares with "highway" tires would not be a good match in my opinion. Too bad I didn't know you were swapping yours, I would have offered to buy those shit-looking flares off of you

Back to work on this thing, finally got time to take some pictures. I removed the bodyside molding back in July and found that there were some areas that needed paintwork (some bubbling and chipping happening). Still haven't given the rust my full attention, and I know at this point it is going to wait until next spring/summer. But I wanted to hide the imperfections as much as I could, so I decided to cover the lower panels with something.

I've seen a lot of guys using roll-on bedliner products or various spray-on options, but I haven't had any experience with these. I ended up using plasti-dip on another project earlier this summer on my daily driver, and I really liked the stuff. It was a snap to work with, super cheap, and surprisingly durable (has held up perfectly on my car through weather/highway bugs/carwashes since May). So that's what I went with. Just masked off and sprayed on, looks nice. If a person gets really close and the light is just right, you can see that the paintwork underneath has some problems, but who cares? It looks good from a few feet away, so I am happy.

Next thing was the fender flares. We removed the chrome fender-lip trim before putting on the new flares, and some of the screws required a grinder to do this, but the best luck was that there was no rust underneath! The Bushwackers were great. They were not pre-drilled, but had some guides as to where to drill. This was for the best because some of the original holes on the body were in tough shape, so this way I could decide where the stongest attachment points were. Even with this being the case, some of the screws wouldn't hold, so we went with pop rivets in a number of spots. Overall, not that difficult and looks great now. I really am pleased at the color-match of the unpainted flares and the lower rockers with the plasti-dip. Who knew??

The last few projects of the year are swapping out my rims and tires, new rear shocks, new brake pads, and getting a remote start installed. Hopefully in the next few weeks. Got some pics of the work I've done and what it looks like right now. Also, a shot of mine next to my dad's '99 4 door. All together, there are 5 GMT400's in the family, 2 Tahoe's, 2 K1500's and a Suburban. My dad and older brother have lots of practice working on these trucks...

Came out great

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2