Building the SS(V) TrailHoe

[Bill 1960]

New shoes.

The previous Generals were not bad tires; just a miscalculation on my part. I like a quiet ride and they have an aggressive tread with the corresponding noise level. BFG KO are quiet like a highway tread and still capable off road, as long as you’re not a mudder. Which I am NOT.

Load range C again, as I am not fond of the harsh ride from using E rated tires on light duty vehicles. Although many off roaders would disagree.

 

[Sparksalot]

I’ve got 65 series E range KO2s, and don’t mind the ride. My wife thinks they ride better than the Eagle RSAs. Sure thing, dear.

 

[Bill 1960]

Swapped in a new dash and cut out for the cabin air filter. There was about an inch of mud in the bottom of the housing where you make the cutout for the filter door. And the evaporator coil is over 50% coated in mud, going all the way up. I’ll pull the blower out and get in there with a hose next.

 

[Bill 1960]

Dash in progress. It’s really not too difficult a job, just takes time. I took a lot of photos along the way in case I forgot where a fastener went.

 

[Rocket Man]

Dash in progress. It’s really not too difficult a job, just takes time. I took a lot of photos along the way in case I forgot where a fastener went.

View attachment 274073

Are you replacing a cracked one or doing a swap? I swapped in an LTZ in my 08 Silverado, went from an LT. It’s just a bit more, have to change the supporting structure too. It’s just a ton of 7mm screws.

 

[Bill 1960]

Are you replacing a cracked one or doing a swap? I swapped in an LTZ in my 08 Silverado, went from an LT. It’s just a bit more, have to change the supporting structure too. It’s just a ton of 7mm screws.

Just replacing the cracked one. This old Hoe is not getting much in the way of bling. She’s spent too much on hard parts.

 

[1BADI5]

Swapped in a new dash and cut out for the cabin air filter. There was about an inch of mud in the bottom of the housing where you make the cutout for the filter door. And the evaporator coil is over 50% coated in mud, going all the way up. I’ll pull the blower out and get in there with a hose next.

View attachment 274071 View attachment 274072

Gross, to think you were breathing that shit.

 

[Bill 1960]

@1BADI5 thankfully it’s just plain old Texas dirt, not fungus and rat shit. And it’s been EVERYWHERE in this vehicle, under the body, below the carpet, inside every interior trim piece I’ve removed. Ten years in the desert.

 

[1BADI5]

@1BADI5 thankfully it’s just plain old Texas dirt, not fungus and rat shit. And it’s been EVERYWHERE in this vehicle, under the body, below the carpet, inside every interior trim piece I’ve removed. Ten years in the desert.

Yeah mine was a K9 unit.......the dog fur I can see from under the dash (yuk) once I pull the dash I'm sure it will be fun

 

[Sparksalot]

@1BADI5 thankfully it’s just plain old Texas dirt, not fungus and rat shit. And it’s been EVERYWHERE in this vehicle, under the body, below the carpet, inside every interior trim piece I’ve removed. Ten years in the desert.

Imagine living in it. Lol.

 

[Sparksalot]

Yeah mine was a K9 unit.......the dog fur I can see from under the dash (yuk) once I pull the dash I'm sure it will be fun

I’m still finding fur in mine too.

 

[Bill 1960]

Got the side steps/ rails put on. Lightweight, but good enough for my needs in the short term until I get time to build my own.

These are APS Truck Armor Side Steps. PN is APS-IA03SAC1B

 

[Sparksalot]

View attachment 274422 Got the side steps/ rails put on. Lightweight, but good enough for my needs in the short term until I get time to build my own.

These are APS Truck Armor Side Steps. PN is APS-IA03SAC1B

View attachment 274421

I’d love to see how those are mounted.

I also noticed they have gone up in price.

 

[Bill 1960]

I’d love to see how those are mounted.

I also noticed they have gone up in price.

I’ll add a shot from underneath tomorrow. They’re mounted to the factory running board mounting points. There’s a bunch of threaded holes already in place along the pinch weld and above it. No drilling required, and the brackets are carved out to fit around the heating and cooling lines under the passenger side.

Here you go:

 

[Sparksalot]

Cool. Gracias.

 

[Bill 1960]

Rear diff oil change. I hate paper gaskets! If I valued my time at even half of commercial rates I’d throw the old cover in the scrap metal and use a new one to save time.

It goes back together with the Lube Locker gasket from post 100.

 

[Sparksalot]

I’ll add a shot from underneath tomorrow. They’re mounted to the factory running board mounting points. There’s a bunch of threaded holes already in place along the pinch weld and above it. No drilling required, and the brackets are carved out to fit around the heating and cooling lines under the passenger side.

Here you go:

View attachment 274522 View attachment 274523

Thanks for the pics. That helps envision them a lot.

 

[Bill 1960]

Near the bottom of my maintenance list has been dealing with an intermittent evaporative emissions codes. I believe I got lucky and found the culprit today while replacing the missing tire tools and jack.

The wiring for the Fuelmaster passed through that compartment so I decided to remove the rest of the cables. When I got to the fuel filler I realized that what looked like a rubber gasket around the filler neck was actually the Fuelmaster antenna, and it was positioned such that it was between the sealing surfaces of the gas cap and the filler neck. It was a bit misshapen. So I’m hopeful this bit of legacy government hardware was the source of my vapor leak.

I know some others out there have found the Fuelmaster hardware on their retired PPV/SSV.

For the majority that haven’t seen these gadgets, it’s an electronic device with an OBD2 connection and a transducer antenna on the fuel filler. The purpose is to automatically record the vehicle ID and odometer at the government fuel depot. Presumably it also serves to activate the fuel dispenser so only authorized vehicles can fill up.

 

[Bill 1960]

Here’s what was done on mine to alter the rear door locks. The rods connecting the rear lock button to the lock were removed, and they replaced that mechanical lock function with a pull cable run to a knob on the front of the door. Hidden in there by the B pillar. And the electric lock harness was just unplugged from the lock.

 

[Bill 1960]

This shows how the rear window switches were disabled. Tape covering the switch contacts. To remove it, just carefully unsnap all the layers of the switch assembly. I used electrical contact cleaner and a small cloth to remove adhesive from the contact surfaces marked SW1 and SW2.