‘97 Yukon work horse

[89Suburban]

It took 3 weeks, I’m in Canada - cross border shipping etc, and that was over the Christmas holidays. fast in my opinion.

I tried a rock auto one as well, Lares. It’s terrible. I kept my original one, that’s the one I sent to blue top.


What is the new rag joint?

Rag joint is that rubber connector on the steering shaft. On the older squarebody chevys you could get a factory u-joint shaft from a Jeep Cherokee to swap in to tighten things up some. Or there are more expensive aftermarket options out there. Not sure on this generation of truck though.

 

[NorthernYukon97]

Rag joint is that rubber connector on the steering shaft. On the older squarebody chevys you could get a factory u-joint shaft from a Jeep Cherokee to swap in to tighten things up some. Or there are more expensive aftermarket options out there. Not sure on this generation of truck though.

Thank you, yes I put in a new rag joint when I tried the other gear box. I thought there might have been an updated one.

 

[Miami-Dade]

Hey guys,

Joined the forum a year or so ago looking for info and posted in the introduction section. A couple of reply’s asked for pictures. Sounds good. I like my Yukon, happy to show a few. It is a work horse for me. So it has some bumps and bruises along the way.

I’ve done quite a bit to it over the years, last year did a minor refresh of a few things:
Whole new front end - with the exception of the steer gear, wheel bearings, shocks all around, all new brakes - complete with new lines, major tune up with MAF sensor, door pins, etc etc.

Along the way, lots of things done. From radiators, transmission overhaul, interior door handles, hvac controls, extra leafs in the rear, relay to run high and low beam same time, etc etc. Long list.

With the barn doors that open 180 you can load it with a fork lift. Seats fold flat and ply wood in the back. It hauls. It tows. It plows through two feet of snow. The SBC keeps going. -30 or +30. Soak it in oil every fall. It’s just a good truck. I thought about replacing recently, but I think I’ll keep it around. Nothing new out there will replace it for what I do. So, I ordered a new steering gear box for it, and carrying on. Just here today looking for info to sort out the rear defrost. Maybe next year or so, I’ll give it a paint job.



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Cheers,

Nice Yukon! It is definitely in excellent condition and very well maintained. Looks good in red! Unless I missed it how many miles do you have on your Yukon?

 

[Squirrelsmith]

Thank you, yes I put in a new rag joint when I tried the other gear box. I thought there might have been an updated one.

there is a updated one
http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/articles/steeringadjustment.html

 

[NorthernYukon97]

Nice Yukon! It is definitely in excellent condition and very well maintained. Looks good in red! Unless I missed it how many miles do you have on your Yukon?

Thank you, there’s 160k miles on it now.

 

[NorthernYukon97]

So, the Blue Top is in, and it is like new. Cant say enough good things about it, or blue top. Great service. There is zero play in it. None. I rebuilt the entire front end last year, everything from the wheel bearings to the gear box. It’s like a new truck again.

I have to admit though, I cheated and had a shop install it, I just didn’t have the time right now. Too many other projects on the go.

View attachment 267556

 

[NorthernYukon97]

Hey, let me ask, is the GM EVO bypass kit, 19168825, worth it? I’ve never heard of it until I was doing some reading on the above mentioned rag joint replacement mods.

I replaced the sensor a couple of years ago, and I can’t say I’m having any issues. If anything, I would say the steering is over sensitive in this truck. But I haven’t had the ‘jerking’ I’ve read about. My wife drives this thing occasionally, if it works, I’d like to instal it. Does it change the steering feel much?

Thanks

 

[NorthernYukon97]

Hey, that blue top has been in for a month now, what a difference. It’s like new again. At this point the whole suspension (other than springs), steering, bearings, and brakes, are new. Now to get the ac working again...

Hauled my engine block, heads and crank from my pickup truck to the machine shop.

 

[NorthernYukon97]

 

[97YukonNZ]

Holo moly! That is an Awssome amount of snow you get where you are. We have not had snow on the ground here since 2011 and it was gone in a couple of days. Nice looking truck! Have just started work on my Suspension (sway bars front & rear) and what a difference just that has made!
Really looking forward to the rest of the Suspension refresh.

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