Great work there man! Thanks for posting!
2011 Tahoe Z71 Build Thread
- Thread starter mattjones
- Start date
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Yeah I had no idea it wasn’t wireless until after I got it but with the way the battery would drain it makes sense to have my phone plugged in and charging. I had a lot of hiccups getting the thing installed but now that it’s finally in there and done I’m happy with it. I also added a parking brake bypass to it which should get around maps apps not letting me input an address while driving. Not a huge issue but the bypass was only $13 so I figured why not
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Glisella
Full Access Member
A few weeks ago my wife had a flat tire so I let her take my '08 Tahoe to run some errands. Unfortunately some guy decided to get good and drunk at 7pm on a Monday and drive home, causing an accident with my wife and totaling the Tahoe. The thread with story and pics can be found here:
https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/thr...h-a-drunk-driver-the-tahoe-is-totaled.110809/
Anyways, I ended up picking up a 2011 Z71 Tahoe with about half the miles of the last one (75k).
I test drove a 2015 but it just felt sluggish compared to the NNBS.
It came with captains chairs, Bose sound system, DVD player, touch screen, backup camera, sunroof, etc. Very similar features to my last Tahoe--it wasn't a Z71 and didn't have the touchscreen nav system, but other than that the last one had pretty much the same features, plus an intake/exhaust, 20" wheels, brushguard, and a nice tint. I had Weathertech allweather floormats in the last Hoe and this one came with the Weathertech floorliners. Call me crazy but I actually prefer the floormats. I'll really miss the tan interior of my last one, but I love the black exterior of the new one.
Issues I've noticed so far (all minor):
-The previous owner removed the moldings on the doors. I love the look of Tahoes without the moldings (like the PPV Tahoes), however they managed to scratch up the paint removing them. I've buffed some of the scratches out with NuFinish but I've still got some work to do before they're gone
-Rear window washer fluid doesn't spray out
-One of the daytime running lights is out
-Caps are broken off of both of the cigarette lighter plugs
Here's what I've done so far:
-Upgrade to Bosch windshield wipers
-K&N air filter
-Airaid intake tube
-Plasti dip rims black
-Upgrade reverse lights to LED projectors
And here's what I plan to do:
-Paint calipers red
-Tint
-Exhaust OR resonator delete with SLP
-Upgrade touchscreen to an aftermarket with Apple Carplay
-LED bulbs in daytime running lights
-Brushguard
A few ideas that I'm playing with but might not necessarily do:
-Black it out: black grill, smoke tail lights
-Upgrade headlights to something like this
-Lift it
Pour one out for the old Tahoe:
Did you ever find out why rear window sprayer doesn't work anymore? Mine is doing the same and I honestly haven't even looked at it yet. I'd imagine it's simply clogged or toast.
Thanks, I like it a lot so far. The head unit cost about $300, plus another $100 or so for the wiring harness, parking brake bypass and housing. I used a Metra Axxess harness but I’ve heard good things about the idatalink maestro. I think you can actually set that one up to give readings from the engine, etc.
Not yet. I’m assuming the line is ruptured somewhere and I just need to follow it and figure out where that is. I figure I can just hold down the button to spray the rear windshield for a little bit and then check under the truck for a puddle where it’s leaking. Unfortunately I’m going to be gone for work until the end of the month though so I won’t be able to fix it until at least August.
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Pulled the wheels off to redo the plastidip and paint the calipers red today.
Old plastidip coming off
It actually did some damage to the lugnut covers when it came off, which was surprising
The first time I plastidipped my rims I didn’t take the wheels off the truck. Taking them off and laying them down makes the plasti go on MUCH better as it’s much less likely to run
While the rims were drying I took a wire brush to the calipers to get them ready for the caliper paint. I noticed this rotor was looking a little concerning
I bought the Tahoe less than 6 months ago and it has brand new tires, so I’ve kind of assumed the brakes and rotors were fairly new as well. This was my first excuse to get the wheels off and actually take a look. The brake pads didn’t look too worn down and I couldn’t feel any sort of gouge in the rotor, but you can see that lighter colored ring on it. I’m going to keep an eye on it, but ultimately the truck brakes just fine without any symptoms of a bad rotor/bad brake pads so I’m not too worried at the moment.
Painting the calipers was actually kind of a pain in the ass since the paint didn’t want to stick to 3 out of the 4. One or two still have some spots the paint wouldn’t fill in properly but they’re out of sight. This is probably the one that turned out the best:
I used glossifier on the plastidip this time. It’s kind of hard to get an even coat since you can’t see it going on like the black plasti but overall it didn’t turn out too bad
And while in the course of doing all this, I may have discovered the cause of my squeaky suspension:
Looks like my next small project will be replacing this bushing
Old plastidip coming off
It actually did some damage to the lugnut covers when it came off, which was surprising
The first time I plastidipped my rims I didn’t take the wheels off the truck. Taking them off and laying them down makes the plasti go on MUCH better as it’s much less likely to run
While the rims were drying I took a wire brush to the calipers to get them ready for the caliper paint. I noticed this rotor was looking a little concerning
I bought the Tahoe less than 6 months ago and it has brand new tires, so I’ve kind of assumed the brakes and rotors were fairly new as well. This was my first excuse to get the wheels off and actually take a look. The brake pads didn’t look too worn down and I couldn’t feel any sort of gouge in the rotor, but you can see that lighter colored ring on it. I’m going to keep an eye on it, but ultimately the truck brakes just fine without any symptoms of a bad rotor/bad brake pads so I’m not too worried at the moment.
Painting the calipers was actually kind of a pain in the ass since the paint didn’t want to stick to 3 out of the 4. One or two still have some spots the paint wouldn’t fill in properly but they’re out of sight. This is probably the one that turned out the best:
I used glossifier on the plastidip this time. It’s kind of hard to get an even coat since you can’t see it going on like the black plasti but overall it didn’t turn out too bad
And while in the course of doing all this, I may have discovered the cause of my squeaky suspension:
Looks like my next small project will be replacing this bushing
Nice work.
The plastidip was starting to bubble and come off in places so I went ahead and peeled it off (minus a few spots on the lugnut covers) yesterday. Probably just going to leave it like this for awhile. If I decide I want to go back to the black I'll wait at least until spring/summer to try it again.
The plastidip was starting to bubble and come off in places so I went ahead and peeled it off (minus a few spots on the lugnut covers) yesterday. Probably just going to leave it like this for awhile. If I decide I want to go back to the black I'll wait at least until spring/summer to try it again.
For what it's worth, I like it better like this.
wjburken
Supporting Member
I’m with @89Suburban on this. Like the non-plastidip look better.
