Complete Makeover

[RAWVORTEC]

I have had my 99 tahoe for 10 years now. It was my dads at first, and I took over at 170k miles. It just clicked 300k and I want to keep this thing forever. It has some body rust and needs some love. I want to do a complete frame-off restoration on this truck and do a ton of cool custom stuff to it. I live in central VA and I wanted to see who would be the person to talk to about a restoration like this. I'm talking about making 500+hp(maybe a 6bt), all new everything! I would guess this would take $30-40k? This would have to be done PERFECT. If anyone knows Jonathan Wards work(owner of ICON), that is the quality I would be looking for.

 

[Big Mama]

Are you going to do some work yourself? Unfortunately 30-40k won’t do for a frame off with custom mods and 500hp. I’m in Roanoke and can recommend a few local guys for body and chassis work, interior and engine work. What you might do is decide which areas you want to spend the money on. 500 hp from an LS plus new trans and front and rear end can be 15-20k. See if you can save some cash by doing some of your own tear down or other work and do a little on line pricing of the power train.

 

[RAWVORTEC]

BM, I work 80+ hrs/wk and have a family to really do much myself. I was thinking of having it all done in shops. This is a couple years down the road, but I want to get information now to prepare for what it takes. So an easy $20k in drivetrain is what you're saying? I'll look at pricing. I know cars pretty well, but what axles/transmissions would I be looking at? I wanted to swap in a manual also...Tremec? I want it to be fun and abnormal. Like an LS7. Have a tahoe that rev's to 7k!!

 

[Big Mama]

I didn’t ask upfront if your rig was 4wd? Great idea doing your homework. The manual trans swap is going to add to the bill. The axle may be able to support that kind of power but I would think the ratio would change with a manual trans but I might be way off there. You have expensive taste with an LS7 and Tremec. Check the price on that setup and if youirig is 4wd add a little more. Let’s invite some guys that have done serious mods. @Doubeleive @kbuskill[/USER
] [USER=48691]@iamdub @SnowDrifter @swathdiver @NathanJax fellas what’s he looking at?[/USER]

 

[kbuskill]

'99 should be an OBS and have the 5.7L 350 in it.

Boost and a good tune would get you to 500 hp pretty easily but I would definitely not do that to an engine with 300k miles on it.

4wd makes everything more expensive including labor in most cases.

Swapping to a manual trans also adds substantially to the bill.

Rust is also expensive to contain/fix if done properly.

It's really hard to give a good estimate on something without seeing it in person to see the extent of the repairs. Also you location will play a factor in the cost.

Since you are talking about a frame off restoration, you might consider a body swap. If you could find a good rust free body you could just swap it over onto your frame. You could blast your frame and coat it with POR15 while the body was off.

Body swaps sound intimidating but they really aren't that bad... I have done several body swaps on S-10 Blazers back when I was younger.

 

[MarkD51]

Where's the fire?!
I don't know, but this sounds totally whacked to me, sorry to say it.

500+ horses, for what? You wanna go fast, go find yourself a C5 or C6 Vette, and get your ya yas out. About $25K or so for a el minto example.

For the money you want to invest, just walk into any chevy dealer right about now and pluck down the $55K on a honkin brand new end of year fully loaded to the gills 2019 Tahoe, and never look back.

Use that old junkmobile you got with 300K on the odo for plowing the driveway when the snows come, or taking trash to the dump. And for everyday use, ride in style, life's just too ******* short!

 

[MarkD51]

'99 should be an OBS and have the 5.7L 350 in it.

Boost and a good tune would get you to 500 hp pretty easily but I would definitely not do that to an engine with 300k miles on it.

4wd makes everything more expensive including labor in most cases.

Swapping to a manual trans also adds substantially to the bill.

Rust is also expensive to contain/fix if done properly.

It's really hard to give a good estimate on something without seeing it in person to see the extent of the repairs. Also you location will play a factor in the cost.

Since you are talking about a frame off restoration, you might consider a body swap. If you could find a good rust free body you could just swap it over onto your frame. You could blast your frame and coat it with POR15 while the body was off.

Body swaps sound intimidating but they really aren't that bad... I have done several body swaps on S-10 Blazers back when I was younger.

Swapping Bodies,Trannies, blasting frames, that's insanity IMO! How long do people expect to live? Why take years off your life with such BS, which IMO is a fast road to nowhere.

I could see if we were talking a barn find L88 '67 Stingray Coupe, Which the Tahoe surely isn't.

 

[kbuskill]

Swapping Bodies,Trannies, blasting frames, that's insanity IMO! How long do people expect to live? Why take years off your life with such BS, which IMO is a fast road to nowhere.

I could see if we were talking a barn find L88 '67 Stingray Coupe, Which the Tahoe surely isn't.

I understand what your saying... time is very valuable and once it's gone you can't get it back.

However, everyone has their own idea of what is enjoyable. The OP was asking what it would take to accomplish a particular goal. While his goal may seem ridiculous or ignorant to you, it is ultimately his time and his money.

Perhaps he has a sentimental attachment to this vehicle that no one else on the planet would understand. While it is not a '67 Stingray it may be worth it to him and him alone.

Ultimately it's his boat... whatever floats it.

I did body swaps because I wanted to and because I enjoyed wrenching and being able to say that I did something that a lot of others have not. It's very interesting having intricate knowledge of every nut and bolt on a vehicle that you drive. It's something that you just can't explain to someone, you just have to experience it to understand it.

There are a lot of guys on this forum that put a lot of time, effort, and money into vehicles that will most likely never be "classics" just to make them unique and personalized... that doesn't mean they aren't cool, it just means that you, evidently, can't understand it.

To each his own... if the OP wants to invest the time and money into it... more power to him.

 

[Big Mama]

Watch some reruns of Fantom Works and you’ll see what he’s after. Folks putting 60k into a 66 bug their dad owned worth $800 or more into a 1970 lb fwd k10. Life is short, you’re right, do what makes you happy.

 

[RAWVORTEC]

It does have sentimental value coming form my Dad. He's still alive, but he's important to me and I want to keep this thing forever. I'm not looking to go fast, but when i want to rip from stop light to slop light, I want it there. 500 doesn't seem all that much to me anyways. Maybe 700+ would be asking alot lol...Rust is mainly around fender wells and kick plate. It is 4wd, and I would maintain that. Obviously I'm not making money on something like this. I would have a $15k c5 vette to go fast in . This would be a labor of love. It looks like for a t56 4wd capable is $5k and an ls7 is $15k. This would sit at someones shop and get wrenched on when they're not busy. I'm in no rush at all. Like I was saying, I want it done right as if Jonathan Ward himself was working on it.

 

[Big Mama]

That’s a good plan you might save a few grand if you stay with an auto trans and if you want to go light to light shift manually. I think there are plenty of fenders and rockers out there vs metal working what you have. Lots of little ways to get more for your dollars. Good luck and post pics as you go

 

[RAWVORTEC]

I will be taking lots of pictures. This will be down the road. I'll probably start end of next year. Getting debt free before I throw extra money at this.

 

[Big Mama]

Good luck

 

[ColoradoMike99]

I understand where you are coming from. I have a 1999 2 door that I bought new. Sold it a few years ago, but kept in touch with the buyer, and just bought it back.
I also have a nice 1996 Bronco with mild lift etc, so not sure what I want to do with the Tahoe now. But doing a lot of research.

I also know Jonathan Ward - not personally, but have spoken with him in length on the phone. My wife has met him and done a tour of his shop etc back in April. We have contemplated one of his broncos. BTW, He has also done a few killer K5 blazers - one of which is back on the market now. He is top of the line. If he were to take your tahoe and restore/mod it, I bet it would cost 250k. Maybe 200k if you didn't go too far. Last I heard he was 18 months out.

For an engine, mine has 170k on it, if it ever needs replacing, I would probably do the HT383. I think it is a direct replacement.
5 speed manual would be fun, but no idea what a nightmare that swap would be.
Paint, suspension, lift, wheels, tires are all fairly straight forward. I think any reputable shop could do a fine job if you figure out what you want.

What do you want it to look like? Stock, original, mildly upgraded/udated? big lift etc.

 

[Cigarman]

I just did all interior on my 2003 Tahoe la 5.3 headliner, katskin seats, carpet stereo and whole truck off and doors and floor sound dead matt for just under $3000. The more you do yourself the better you are. And I'm 66 years old.

 

[YukonGTmaster]

It does have sentimental value coming form my Dad. He's still alive, but he's important to me and I want to keep this thing forever. I'm not looking to go fast, but when i want to rip from stop light to slop light, I want it there. 500 doesn't seem all that much to me anyways. Maybe 700+ would be asking alot lol...Rust is mainly around fender wells and kick plate. It is 4wd, and I would maintain that. Obviously I'm not making money on something like this. I would have a $15k c5 vette to go fast in . This would be a labor of love. It looks like for a t56 4wd capable is $5k and an ls7 is $15k. This would sit at someones shop and get wrenched on when they're not busy. I'm in no rush at all. Like I was saying, I want it done right as if Jonathan Ward himself was working on it.

I totally know where you are coming from. I just removed all the rust on my 97 GT. I am the original owner, so it is sentimental. You just can’t go into a dealer and buy a new OBS. I can’t really give you a dollar figure for the rust, because I’m up here in Canada, and our money is worthless compared to USD. It would definitely be something to think about, fix rust or body swap. Please post some pictures of your ride. This project intrigues me.