Back from the dead 2007 Tahoe 2wd LT

[Rocket Man]

Had to drop back and take care of one last mechanical issue because I ran out of time last round. The rear main seal, so now zero leaks. Drove her around all weekend, loaded down with people, she's doing great!

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Looks like you have a nice shop with a lift and all the tools you need so that makes it a bit easier but that’s still one of the most difficult maintenance items there is. Nice work. I did mine when I had the trans out for a rebuild so it was just an add-on.

 

[Leevon]

Well I can't take much credit, it is my shop but one of my techs did it. Sometimes it's harder to make time for my own stuff than it is to do it at home myself though! We were almost there with this rear main. He last worked on it 3-4 weeks ago, been trying to get in again for that long. I told my manager I couldn't park in the driveway and my wife was mad that I took her spot in the garage so if we couldn't make time he'd have to talk to her! Works every time lol

 

[Rocket Man]

Nice, I hadn’t heard that you own a shop. Nice perks.

 

[Leevon]

I had to do something about the stereo situation, mainly because the stickers on the worn buttons of the stock unit were killing me lol. I wanted Carplay and a volume knob but a reliable brand and not too expensive. So that narrowed it down to one option; Sony XAV-AX1000. It's simple and easy to use, it boots fast and sounds good. It woke up the new speakers. I prepped it for a backup camera too so later this week I will get that mounted and wired in. My wrap job is showing on the dash pieces now, might have to drop back and paint the stereo surround too.

We loaded up the fam and went to Branson for a high school baseball game, and ye olde Tahoe did exactly what it was supposed to. I don't mind food and drinks in this one and it doesn't matter where we park it, etc. Kind of nice to have a psuedo-beater! I drive to Houston and Dallas each once per year, sometimes I rent and sometimes I take my daily drivers. That really racks up the mileage and there is almost always an "oh shi*" moment of hitting a pothole or cone or something on that trip so this old hag will be my new road tripper. We have a bunch of baseball trips ahead this summer also.

 

[Geoffsfas10]

Branson huh? Thats only a few hours from me. I need to get down to the lake this summer

 

[Leevon]

yessir, lake traffic is already picking up!

 

[Leevon]

Well I haven't been able to lower this thing yet but I picked up some 22" snowflakes. I wasn't really needing new wheels or tires but these popped up on FB Marketplace for $600 and they're OEM and clean. I have tires, TPMS, center caps and lug nuts ready to go just need time to get them all together.

 

[VDV18]

Great job.....awesome transformation so far. Can't wait to see the drop and rims/tire combo next.

 

[Leevon]

Just been driving the wheels off this thing all summer, almost 5,000 miles. I love that I can rely on it to go anywhere and park anywhere without worry about windshield chips, dings, hail, theft, etc. Keeping the miles off my new truck was the main reason I bought this, followed by having an extra ride for the inevitable service on the three dailies in the family. It's doing all that perfectly. I put Kenda Klever S/T 285/45/22 tires on the snowflakes. I really like the value on these. Not expensive but high quality, good wear rating, quiet tread pattern, great in rain and V rated.

 

[Leevon]

Earlier this week I took a trip down to Texas, about 1500 miles round trip. The Tahoe did awesome overall, it averaged 17mpg and gave me zero drivetrain problems, no lights, no hiccups, nothing. That's amazing for a previously neglected 265k rig with original engine and trans. But the rough roads in Oklahoma and high speeds in Texas highlighted my worn front brakes and poor riding original struts. So this weekend I dug in.

It went a little farther than I planned, mainly because of regular old worn out original parts. She ended up with new lower ball joints (Moog), new 2" drop spindles (Belltech), adjustable struts set down 1" (McGaughy's), new wheel bearings (AC Delco), strut mounts (AC Delco), sway bar links, rotors, pads, calipers, and hoses in the front. In the rear just Belltech 34324 spring kit (no spacer for 4") and shock relocators, I ran out of time to do the rear brakes but they're in good shape right now. Still have to do the alignment, but a ride around the block felt much better than before. No rest time for her she's heading to Florida next week!