'99 Tahoe - Expedition Build!

[noJeepshere]

Will try to keep an eye on this for some ideas... Wish I had the money to put into my truck to do some of these things... Yet mine is 2WD anyway, So probably couldn't half of it.

You'll be surprised what a competent driver in a 2wd can do. 2wd and a locker is almost as good as a standard 4wd, if not better in some ways.

cent frum a smaert fone

 

[sparg93]

Im looking for eather October or spring of 2014 Will give ya a heads up When my build thread starts thats when the count down will begin

Sounds good to me. I'll keep my eyes open for your build thread and I look forward to it.

If you have any questions or looking for advice, feel free to ask. I went a specific route with my truck, but there are a lot of other great ideas for how to improve the 4x4 capabilities of these rigs.

 

[xanatost]

Good deal. When I start on my built you got a few one off or more off-road parts on yours that I want to put on mine. Tomorrow I got an extremely important interview and if I land that job then its on!!! It will be the job Ill ever have or want. keep your fingers crossed and links handy just in case

 

[sparg93]

Good deal. When I start on my built you got a few one off or more off-road parts on yours that I want to put on mine. Tomorrow I got an extremely important interview and if I land that job then its on!!! It will be the job Ill ever have or want. keep your fingers crossed and links handy just in case

Goodluck Rodney, definitely let us know how it went.

 

[sparg93]

Working through an electrical bug right now running through my center console. Gauges are screwy and I think it's affecting my big relay between the batteries.

 

[SunlitComet]

how kinda screwy?

 

[sparg93]

150amp fuse on the main line feeding the fuse bus in the console blew, put another one in and it blew instantly. I have the ground from this bus going back directly to the battery.

I then removed the main power and ground wires to the bus assuming the positive had grounded itself. Even though I had a grommet on the fire wall, I figured it may have worn through over time and cut the wire.

After ripping it all out, there were no cuts in either line and when I reinstalled, power went to the console. The strange thing is that I never found the issue...but it started working again; sorta.

When I put power to the 2nd battery gauge and trans gauge (both AutoMeter), the readings were way off. When I apply power to the trans gauge, the dial now goes backward until it hits the mechanical stop. On the second battery, it stays at 12.7 volts (on the AutoMeter gauge) even with the truck running and the batteries in parallel....however the main battery still indicates 14+ volts.

I have no blown fuses on the bus and when i checked the wiring, it seems to be ok to each individual component.

My next step is to take out a meter and see what's going on with my two batteries and the big 500amp relay I have between them. From there, I'm going to apply the meter to each circuit on the bus, gauges and everything else plugged into it.

What's strange is that I also have CB running through the bus and it's working without issue.

Thoughts?

 

[SunlitComet]

yeah get me a diagram of the whole thing. it does sound like your battery is isolated some how.

 

[sparg93]

yeah get me a diagram of the whole thing. it does sound like your battery is isolated some how.

It would take me awhile to draw everything out. However, once I put a meter to everything if the problem still eludes me, i'll create a diagram and show you.

B/c I didn't change anything from when it worked until now, once I find the problem, it should be an easy fix...it's just finding the bug that may be the difficult part.

Thanks for chiming in Sunlit, always appreciated.

 

[SunlitComet]

uh, i have time to wait.

 

[sparg93]

Fixed it...ground issue with the relay between the two batteries.

Big update today:
I just tested out the new Hawk Super Duty (SD) pads; I had been running Hawk LT. Even though I'm running 3/4t calipers (larger piston then 1/2t), I decided to go with a 1/2t pad. The 3/4t pads need to be trimmed down to fit the 6lug hat and it just didn't seem like the contact patch was optimized...so I went back to 1/2t's.

Also, when I completed this test, I made a few changes to my truck...most notably the correctly valved shocks. 5150's are too light for my truck, but the 5100's dampen perfectly.

It's impossible to tell how much each component change reduced my stopping distance. But even with the extra weight of x2 steel bumpers, winch, full spare, steel roof rack, etc the SD's produced some really nice results.

HYDROBOOST, 3/4t Master, 3/4t PS pump, 3/4t calipers, 1/2t Hawk SD (Super Duty) pads, 285/70R17, 5.0" lift

1st pass - 127 feet
2nd pass - 117 feet
3rd pass - 107 feet
4th pass - 112 feet
5th pass - 108 feet

For the complete test results and the difference between hydro and vacuum, I posted it here - http://www.gmc4x4.com/topic/119-spongy-brakes-testing/

 

[SunlitComet]

i remember someone mentioning that that sd parts should be gotten on a regular basis. i wonder who that was. ME! and they get stronger when hotter then colder. What have i always said? you must learn to be one with the suv.

 

[sparg93]

i remember someone mentioning that that sd parts should be gotten on a regular basis. i wonder who that was. ME! and they get stronger when hotter then colder. What have i always said? you must learn to be one with the suv.

I would be interested to see a comparison between the various pads Hawk manufactures and their competitors (EBC) make. The hardest part is finding good data so people can make decisions on actual results....as we all know, there's a bit of bad info floating around out there; even my data is only somewhat precise.

Once I burn through the SD's, I'm going to purchase a set of EBC's aggressive compound and I'll publish the results.

For Hawk LT vs SD, it's a no brainer...as expected, the SD's provide greater stopping power. If you bed them in correctly, they don't make any noise so it's a misnomer that they are loud.

I can't comment for how quickly they will wear down your rotors due to their aggressive bite, but if you don't buy junk, the rotors will last for many years.

 

[SunlitComet]

after 10k at least:

 

[sparg93]

Looks good Sunlit.

Some new toys arrived today!!!

As you guys may remember, I used the Samlex 600w Pure Sine inverter on my trip. Well, I decided to upgrade to the commercial version of their Pure Sine inverter line and jump to 1000w. This inverter, from everything I have read, is an incredibly robust commercial unit that can handle just about anything I can throw at and last a lifetime. Also, because of where I mount it within my console, I opted for the remote so I can easily turn the unit on/off.

So far I am blown away by the quality of everything I received today and can't wait to install and turn this puppy on. Sure, it only converts electricity, but this unit is literally top-of-the-line and will be the last one I'll ever have to buy

They also make a number of high quality units in the SSW Pure Sine and Modified Sine inverters.

Samlex PST - 1000 - 12 / RC -15A Remote / HD Install Kit

 

[saif najd]

I need to ask you regarding the lift how is it and what was the total coast and how does it feel on road and off road compared to the original stock setup?

I am looking for a lift and really need help

 

[sparg93]

I need to ask you regarding the lift how is it and what was the total coast and how does it feel on road and off road compared to the original stock setup?

I am looking for a lift and really need help

Rough Country lift - 6"

I don't recall what I paid, but expect to spend $1k - $1.5k depending on options. If you have the np246 transfer case (Auto 4wd), you should purchase their custom front driveshaft which is about $400.

If you need a shop to install the kit, I've heard guys spend $500 - $1k in labor alone depending on how well they knew the local shop.

I'm running about 4.5" of total lift and find the truck handles well, but I have so many mods it's hard for me to isolate just the pro/cons of the lift. However, I'm confident that this lift has not adversely affected the handling of the truck. But with any vehicle, once you lift it higher, you will lose some performance.

However, performance is relative when you're driving a heavy chevy to begin with...there's not much there.

My recommendation is that when you lift the truck, you should replace most of your front end components if they are still original - pitman arm, idler, idler bracket, control arms bushings, tie rods, ball joints

B/c you have to take the control arms out and your front end will be in pieces, it doesn't take that much more to put new equipment in. It will be a sizable investment, but trust me, you'll be very glad you did.

 

[saif najd]

Thank you, I am glad for your help and advices.

I was looking for a 2-3 inch lift and keeping the stock feel but I guess I have no choice but to do 4inch

Again thank you for the input

 

[sparg93]

Thank you, I am glad for your help and advices.

I was looking for a 2-3 inch lift and keeping the stock feel but I guess I have no choice but to do 4inch

Again thank you for the input

To get to 4", you will have to decrank your torsion bars about 1.5" using the RCX lift. This will actually kill your ground clearance up front b/c of the angles. Depending on the type of wheeling you do, this can be good or bad.

What size tires are you looking to run with?

 

[saif najd]

I am using my favorite size 265/75/16

I dont need more for tires my wheeling is jumping sidewalks and sand thats it I need the lift because I don't want get stuck on the tip of the dunes now I am using force by hitting it so I realy don't want that!