Denali XL 6.2 salvage build, plates paint wrap SEMA

[PeteCT]

About ten years ago I bought a 2007 Tahoe from Copart. What could go wrong, right. The car puller rolls in and the show starts. Side of the engine decides to eject like a CD. Neighbors safe. Pride not so much.

That truck was supposed to haul my whole family from Connecticut to Florida. No backup plan. So I tore the engine down, rebuilt it in two weeks, and pointed the nose south. My wife’s tiny bug sat on the trailer, judging me. I crossed my fingers and pretended I knew what I was doing. It worked. That rebuilt Tahoe dragged me all over Florida like a loyal dog that eats alternators.

Life changed a bit. I picked up different cars. The Tahoe became a project. I stripped it to bones. Suspension, interior, steering wheel, brakes, wheels. New leather. Hybrid front bumper and grille. Right color combo so it looked properly menacing. It was fun. Zombies? I was ready to valet them.

Then real life hit. My neighbor got squeezed by code complaints and fees. He lost the house. Ended up with nowhere to sleep. I found out too late to stop it. So I donated him Tahoe. At least he had a roof, even if it was a headliner. That was goodbye to my truck. I went quiet for a while.

Cut to 2025. I am building things again. A 3D configurator for tuners. A design bureau for custom 911s and other fun cars. Headed to SEMA this year. North Hall 11245 if you want to say hi. I needed a tow rig that was not a pickup. Something I could wrap, brand, and hitch to an enclosed trailer that is basically a rolling billboard.

So back to the wheel. Copart. Spin again. I landed a 2016 Yukon Denali XL with the 6.2. Hit on the left cheek. Fender gone. Tire gone. Somehow the suspension is fine. Wheel is straight. Bumper and headlight survived (not even scratch), were chilling in the trunk. Lucky roll. No CELs. Give it a night.

This thread is me keeping score while I add the Yukon to my configurator and turn it into the rig that drags this fall a wide body 1968 Fastback to Vegas and back.

The plan

• New left fender. Ordered.
  
  
• Inspect inner structure. Cut, pull, weld if needed (but seems to be good).
  
  
• Walk the body. Fix the dents.
  
  
• New front tires. Ordered.
  
  
• Triple check the suspension. Then check again.
  
  
• Runs strong. Still tearing down and refreshing the engine so I know the heartbeat.
  
  
• Design a subtle wide body. I cannot help myself.
  
  
• Wider 22s with a spicier ET. Maybe I design them. Maybe I order. Depends on mood.
  
  
• Bi color wrap incoming. Black roof with a punchy body.
  
  
• Enclosed car trailer with full graphics. The show starts when you pull in.
  
  
• Chrome delete.
  
  
• Re dye interior to black with BMW cinnamon seats and accents.
  
  
• Gloss black on select plastics.
  
  
• Black out grille for now. Long term I will design my own.
  
  
• Functional hood intakes. Not fake vents. Real air.

I am not promising timelines. Just the effort. This is for accountability and for fun. Like old times, but with better tools.

Hello again.

 

[PeteCT]

Good news first. Bumper, grille, splitter, both headlights are fine. Right side has light scuffs on the bumper and lens. Looks like the opening jab, not the knockout.

Had a little RPM needle tango. Could have been a nightmare. Swapped the air filter, cleaned the MAF, boom, needle froze in the sweet spot. Engine is whisper quiet. Quieter than my old 5.3, which always had opinions.

Bad news, served last.

1. Rear axle is shifted about one inch to the driver side. Plan is an adjustable panhard bar, same fix I used on the Tahoe.

2. Front suspension, passenger side, not happy. Likely a torn control arm from a clean evasive hit. Wheel tips in a turn and ticks like a metronome made of regret. I will get under it and see what else joined the party.

3. Wheel locks. No clue where the key is. Maybe it is hiding in the truck (update:nope, time to look elsewhere). Maybe AutoZone has a kit. If not, scavenger hunt.

4. Door shell is nudged just enough to fight the fender. Either buy a new door or massage this one with a hammer and a puller kit. We will see who taps out first.

Now the fun bit. I have wrap on deck from the M5 ultra wide body project, still a WIP. Two full grey rolls and one black. Fastback only needs one, the M5 can wait until Bimmer Invasion, so the Yukon gets the two tone. Gloss black roof (and maybe across the entire body?) matte grey bottom part of the body. Gray is very decent color - X5 wears this combo as well, so Yukon will too. Good enough to pass inspection and roll into SEMA. I might go black and red later to match my brand colors.

3D Yukon is done. Next stop, upload to the configurator. I will share screens before the vinyl touches paint. Let us see how weird we can get.

Next steps

• Pull the damaged wheel and inspect everything. If the wheel is true, it gets fresh rubber that already arrived.
• Diagnose and rebuild the front suspension on the right. Control arm, ball joint, whatever the hit took.
• Recentre the rear with the panhard bar.
• Decide the door’s fate. Replace or reshape.
• Start laying out the two tone in 3D, then wrap for real.
• Begin sketching custom wheels for a mild wide body, about 2 to 3 inches of tasteful flare. I would rather design than buy temps.

It is moving (squeaky). But it is fun.

 

[tuckerrnr1]

Looking forward to following this build. Good on you for caring for someone in need.

 

[Geotrash]

Hear, hear! I look forward to following this one as well, and fully concur that it's great to see someone investing in bringing such a great vehicle back to life. I'll be especially curious to learn about the wrapping work. I've been considering a wrap for my '07 and would love to learn from your experiences through this.

 

[PeteCT]

AutoZone. Advance Auto Parts. Even the Amazon lookalikes. Sixty bucks later and every “matching” key was almost right. A removal kit? eBay wanted a hundred. Harbor Freight whispered thirty four. Bought it. It almost fit, which is code for get the heavy hammer. Two thumps, one heroic grunt, and the lug spun off like it was hand tight. Bless the lug nuts I did not torque myself.

The hit was diagonal. Picture a post on the right and a curb below. Tangential smack twisted the wheel and yanked it back. Geometry lived, but the upper control arm cracked. Chain stores wanted 250 to 300. I went with my usual Detroit Muscle special for 46. Ordered. Now we wait.

The almost stolen 911. Parked the old 911 by the house to chip away at the redesign. Around 2am, fiddling. Alarm sings. Florida is not the place to practice grand theft anything, so the visitors teleported. They picked the one car mid surgery. Not safe to drive. I would have been chasing them yelling please stop, your life is in danger. Cameras got faces. Lidar gave me geometry. Net result: their 3D mesh. I am one click from printing the almost thieves at quarter scale for my son’s action figure battalion.

Next steps

• Upper control arm should land in 3 to 4 days, hopefully Saturday.
  
  
• Install the arm and recheck alignment.
  
  
• Pull the front wheel, check for true, mount the fresh tire if it passes.
  
  
• If the wheel is bent, plan B.

 

[Tonyv__]

A good narrative goes a long way. I enjoy following so far

 

[PeteCT]

Before the workday, I tossed one Yukon 22 into the X5 with an eBay tire. Heavy is an understatement. One stock Yukon wheel weighs more than four aftermarket 22s on X5. Classic Anatoly energy. Disguised light, actual planet. I heaved the wheel and my ankle almost learned to speak Latin.

Made it to Pep Boys. Shop manager, smart kid, swapped the tire on the fly. He knows about my builds and asked how to get into SEMA. It is trade only during show days, so I told him grab a cheap Spirit flight from Florida and I will badge him in. I have 12 invites, maybe 5 bodies, so why not. Good deeds were rewarded with a four dollar discount. Total was 28. That receipt goes straight into the inspection folder. At the DMV, the more paper you stack, the less they stare.

Five of six lugs are home. The wheel lock saga is over, so the new locks I bought get to earn their keep. Sixty bucks not wasted. Wheel on. Looks right.

Next up

- the arm

- the alignment

- the door

 

[Geotrash]

View attachment 466250

AutoZone. Advance Auto Parts. Even the Amazon lookalikes. Sixty bucks later and every “matching” key was almost right. A removal kit? eBay wanted a hundred. Harbor Freight whispered thirty four. Bought it. It almost fit, which is code for get the heavy hammer. Two thumps, one heroic grunt, and the lug spun off like it was hand tight. Bless the lug nuts I did not torque myself.

View attachment 466251

The hit was diagonal. Picture a post on the right and a curb below. Tangential smack twisted the wheel and yanked it back. Geometry lived, but the upper control arm cracked. Chain stores wanted 250 to 300. I went with my usual Detroit Muscle special for 46. Ordered. Now we wait.
View attachment 466252
View attachment 466253

The almost stolen 911. Parked the old 911 by the house to chip away at the redesign. Around 2am, fiddling. Alarm sings. Florida is not the place to practice grand theft anything, so the visitors teleported. They picked the one car mid surgery. Not safe to drive. I would have been chasing them yelling please stop, your life is in danger. Cameras got faces. Lidar gave me geometry. Net result: their 3D mesh. I am one click from printing the almost thieves at quarter scale for my son’s action figure battalion.

View attachment 466254

Next steps

• Upper control arm should land in 3 to 4 days, hopefully Saturday.
  
  
• Install the arm and recheck alignment.
  
  
• Pull the front wheel, check for true, mount the fresh tire if it passes.
  
  
• If the wheel is bent, plan B.

With any luck, that aluminum control arm snapped before any frame tweaking happened. I'd be real surprised if that wheel isn't bent tho. Looking forward to the next installment.

 

[PeteCT]

Got a few things done this week.

Starting from spacer confession. I put the truck on spacers for stability. That is the excuse we all use. Process was simple. Three stubborn wheel locks got the extractor treatment and boom, done. The 1.5 inch spacers were tight for this setup, so I trimmed only the stud tips, not the threads. Bolted it all back together and the wheels sit a hair outside the arches. Consider it a note to self.

Harbor Freight panel puller did work. A few clean tugs and the door is bondo-ready. Laid fiberglass filler, left it rough. Closed the door to fender gap, tweaked the hood, and nudged the rear quarter back in line.

Upper control arm arrived and was ready for Front corner rehab. The old one was snapped and the left side mount was bent. Frame is fine, but the bracket needed persuasion. The 10T press was short, so I stacked steel blocks and pushed it back. Rear tab moved easy. Inner tab fought.

Not perfect, close enough for phase one. Alignment pins are on the way.

Without alignment the rear of the fender kisses the tire on turns. Who knows what it this, right? Some of that bend happened when the wheel was nearly horizontal. Alignment first, then judgement.
Light clunk on stops, starts, and bumps (listen the video). Might be the upper arm torque. Might be a loose fastener. I will recheck every bolt. Maybe some drama. The engine is in a great mood. Quick pull tonight and it moves with intent.

Next steps

• Install the panhard bar that is already here
  
  
• Install alignment pins
  
  
• Align the wheels
  
  
• Slow test drive while I listen, or have my wife drive while I crawl around and listen
  
  
• Then bodywork rhythm: sand, bondo, sand, primer, paint

 

[PeteCT]

More Bondo. More sanding. Lines are waking up. Tomorrow I finish the pass and hit a quick seal coat over filler and primer.

That door crease gets fixed and set arrow straight. Vinyl hates primer, so this becomes the base if I wrap later.

Fender math. On turns, the front passenger wheel kisses the rear edge of the fender and sits about half an inch closer to the cabin than the driver side. Upper control arm mounts were bent. I straightened them, but maybe not all the way back.

Plan A. Grab a 10 to 20 ton frame puller at Harbor Freight, pop the spring and shock if needed, and pull the mount into spec.
Plan B. Counter-rotate the upper control arm eccentric bolts to claw back that half inch. I will measure twice and commit tomorrow.

Mystery clank. With one front wheel lifted, rocking it forward and back about an inch to an inch and a half gives a single metal clank when it hits the limit. Sounds mid-car or rear. Could be a few suspects. I will chase it tomorrow.

Tomorrow plan:

• Finish Bondo and shoot a light seal coat
• Try eccentrics or the puller, then correct the passenger front position
• Hunt the clank and tighten what talks back

 

[PeteCT]

I parked the Yukon in the backyard. It is the only place with trees left, and right now trees are tools.

Plan B recap. I tried to cheat it with eccentrics.

A little better, not enough. The front passenger wheel still sits about half an inch closer to the cabin than the driver side and kisses the rear of the fender at lock. Less than before, but still there. The upper control arm mounts were bent and my first straightening pass did not bring them fully home. If Plan A does not fix it, I will grab an upper arm for lowered trucks. Those run a touch longer. That may be the ticket.

Plan A, with patience. My first idea was to anchor to the giant oak behind the truck. Then I imagined the headline if it went wrong. Tree falls, house loses. Hard pass. I slept on it and set up for control, not chaos.

Found a short, thick palm that can take a gentle pull. Wrapped a chain around it.

I will pull the bumper, set solid stands under the frame, no sketchy jack balancing.

New plan is slow work. Drop the upper arm, spring, and shock. Reinstall the upper arm bolts with the metal caster adjusters in place, just snug, not tight.

Hook the chain to the front pivot bolt and do light, measured pulls. Watch the mount walk back into spec. If the front lands true, repeat for the rear.

If the fore-aft position still bugs me, I will add a sideways pull toward me once the front-to-rear is fixed.

Rush is a bad advisor. I would rather spend two days easing metal back than one hour making a new problem and a date with the junkyard welder.

The clank that clanks. Noise test, part two. As I mentioned before, with one front wheel lifted, I can rock it an inch to an inch and a half and hear a single metal clank at the limit. On the road it went quiet after the upper arm tweaks. In park it still talks. Likely the parking pawl doing what pawls do. I will still run a torque parade and a stethoscope ear along the driveline.

While I am there. I plan to upgrade the U joints to Spicer 5-1350X or similar. Cheap insurance, clean conscience.

Tomorrow plan
Backyard, palm tree, measured pulls. Two coffees, three chains, five millimeters at a time.

 

[PeteCT]

I knew the easy path. Cut the mangled shock well, hit the junkyard, grab a 2007-2018 Tahoe Suburban Escalade Yukon shock well, weld it in, go home. Sixty bucks. Project done two weeks ago.
For context, my welding homework was a ’68 Fastback. It began as Coupe in pieces and ended Fastback in one piece. From this..

to this (then I grabbed the cutoff wheel for the wide body chapter).

Instead I did the classic guy move. Bought tools that cost ten times more to fix one cheap problem. I have never pulled a frame in my life, so I gifted myself a week and a half of pulling, stretching, straightening. The practical answer was donor metal and a weld. I chose character development.
Side quest: the same circus let me true up the 911. Could have scored it, swung a sledge, zipped a bead, called it a day. But no. Peace is for other people.


Result so far.

I pulled it, massaged it, and it looks right. Geometry wakes up. One hitch. With the overall tweak, the stock upper control arm runs out of reach, so the wheel will not sit perfectly vertical (almost there). Small stuff. I ordered upper arms for lowered trucks. They are about an inch longer. That should stand the wheel up.
Arms are on order. While I was measuring, I noticed the front sits about an inch lower than it should. Nine years under a 6.2 will sag a spring. I am ordering fresh springs and shocks so ride height stops looking tired.

Next moves

• Install the longer upper arms (ordered)
• Set camber and toe, check clearance at full lock
• New front springs to bring the nose back up (ordered)
• Road test for clunks and vibes, adjust, repeat

Right choice or expensive lesson. Either way the Yukon is straighter, my toolbox is heavier, and the story is better.

 

[WVBKW]

Great stuff- keep it coming.

 

[PeteCT]

Long arms save the day again. The longer upper control arms were the right call. I had to push the pivots all the way to the back. The other option was cut in the middle, and we both know how that movie ends.

The mounts that hold the arm were a little banana. Holes were oval left to right. The circular saw was whispering to me, but at 44 the mantra is slow baby. I backed the nut almost off, wiggled the pivot home, and tightened it like a grown up. The falling pins were a pain, so I flipped the setup to bolt and nut. Magic.

I rushed, bolted everything, made a few honest mistakes, wheel on and off a few times, then did a parade lap in the backyard. I clipped a garden table and chairs. Zero damage to the car, zero damage to the chairs Wheel sits where it should. Vertical is vertical.

I am not calling it cured. I will put it on plates, do gentle rides, then real rides, then highway. Probably a tow test before the big trip. I may weld small reinforcements on the arm mounts since bending metal back can soften it. Little gussets from both sides into the frame and the hinge faces should keep the geometry honest.

Tempted to do a victory lap around the block, but the clock is louder. Widebody needs love. Wrapping the final 3D print for the wide body ’68 Fastback - rear valance. That is the SEMA booth hero. 3D sneak peek incoming.

Back to Yukon. Paint before wrap. Yes, I am painting first. Vinyl will not stick to primer. Saturday is prep day. Sand, mask, two stage spray. Then wrap.

Trailer update. Ordered Arising 18 by 8.5 by 7, 5200 tandems, car hauler, red. Clock tax was paid because SEMA is 42 days away. Looks like this, only taller. After the show I am slicing one side into a fold-down stage. Today it is a box. Tomorrow it is a billboard.

Game plan

• Sand the Yukon, mask, two stage paint
• Saturday is wrap class with my pro friend. Tuition applies.
• Button the front end, check alignment on plates
• Light road test, then highway, then tow rehearsal
• Fastback rear valance print, fit, and smile

p.s. Somewhere between sanding and sanity I tried to start the lawn mower. It exhaled a cloud big enough to turn the backyard into Arnold vs Predator. I grabbed a photo. The kids screamed, dad, your truck is on fire. Nope. Just the Yukon auditioning for cinema.

 

[swathdiver]

I parked the Yukon in the backyard. It is the only place with trees left, and right now trees are tools.

View attachment 467076

Plan B recap. I tried to cheat it with eccentrics.

View attachment 467077

A little better, not enough. The front passenger wheel still sits about half an inch closer to the cabin than the driver side and kisses the rear of the fender at lock. Less than before, but still there. The upper control arm mounts were bent and my first straightening pass did not bring them fully home. If Plan A does not fix it, I will grab an upper arm for lowered trucks. Those run a touch longer. That may be the ticket.

View attachment 467078

Plan A, with patience. My first idea was to anchor to the giant oak behind the truck. Then I imagined the headline if it went wrong. Tree falls, house loses. Hard pass. I slept on it and set up for control, not chaos.

View attachment 467079

Found a short, thick palm that can take a gentle pull. Wrapped a chain around it.

I will pull the bumper, set solid stands under the frame, no sketchy jack balancing.

New plan is slow work. Drop the upper arm, spring, and shock. Reinstall the upper arm bolts with the metal caster adjusters in place, just snug, not tight.

View attachment 467080

Hook the chain to the front pivot bolt and do light, measured pulls. Watch the mount walk back into spec. If the front lands true, repeat for the rear.

If the fore-aft position still bugs me, I will add a sideways pull toward me once the front-to-rear is fixed.

Rush is a bad advisor. I would rather spend two days easing metal back than one hour making a new problem and a date with the junkyard welder.

View attachment 467095

The clank that clanks. Noise test, part two. As I mentioned before, with one front wheel lifted, I can rock it an inch to an inch and a half and hear a single metal clank at the limit. On the road it went quiet after the upper arm tweaks. In park it still talks. Likely the parking pawl doing what pawls do. I will still run a torque parade and a stethoscope ear along the driveline.

While I am there. I plan to upgrade the U joints to Spicer 5-1350X or similar. Cheap insurance, clean conscience.

View attachment 467096

Tomorrow plan
Backyard, palm tree, measured pulls. Two coffees, three chains, five millimeters at a time.

Aren't the stock rear universal joints in those 1415 series?

AAM - 19256729

Dana Spicer - 88964413

The front joints are still 1344s like the previous generation, 23104840.

AAM are great and can last the life of the vehicle, I've had new ones on the shelf for mine for years and just passed 217K miles.

As you know, solid joints are better than greaseable ones.

 

[PeteCT]

Aren't the stock rear universal joints in those 1415 series?

Not sure yet. I just want rock solid joints that fit 2016 Yukon XL Denali. Solid over greaseable, got it. I will order it.

 

[PeteCT]

Small weekend, useful weekend.
AC fix. Baking like an oven. Culprits: the Temperature Valve Actuator Assembly and the Temperature Mode Valve Actuator Assembly. Rare Florida miracle where the GM dealer beat aftermarket on price. Drove to St. Pete on the tiny chariot to grab them.

Fun trip, but wow I forgot how comfy a big truck is. I am definitely dailying 50|50 with X5 the XL once this is sorted.
Back home: two small tools, boom-boom, done. It is cooling now. Not arctic yet, so there is probably a micro leak. Time to break out the smoke machine or UV dye and go hunting.

SEMA stuff -> GT donor chaos. Pulled 4.6 from S197. From the top. Nightmare. People ask why not Coyote. Because every other build does that and because budget. I use what I have. I am trying to launch a custom car company, not shopping for crate engines this month. Energy bar hit empty. Dropped the motor in the garage and meant to prep the Yukon for paint. The pull wiped me out. I was ready to tap out at 945pm, which never happens.

Plan for the morning

• Sand the Yukon
• Finish paint prep
• Shoot a sealing layer so vinyl sticks
• Start wrap

Paint results by the end of the week.

 

[PeteCT]

Actively sanding. Low spots getting knocked flat. Paint this weekend so the wrap has something to bite.
Why paint the whole truck before a wrap? White or silver underlayers are wrap horror. Every chip, every edge, every tiny peel screams hello. So I shoot the body in the final colors first. When life throws a rock, the scar blends. No white halo. No silver blink. Color on color, quiet and clean.

Quick color tests. Goal is more flow by cleaning the lines. Fewer verticals. Keep some up front to add visual weight.

Scanned the truck with iPhone LiDAR. Dropped the mesh in Blender. Texture painted on the real scan instead of guessing on photos. Blocked space for a splitter. I will design and 3D print it.

Two color layout. Black on the roof and along the lower body. Fog lights deleted. Fins and brake ducts go there and that whole band stays black. I was going to keep the hood and bumper body color but it broke the flow. So the grille goes black and I follow the inner bumper line in black to keep the ribbon continuous. Molding is gone. I am adding a subtle lower character line to carry the motion and wrap it into the rear cover.

Plan of attack
Finish sanding and maybe shoot sealer before the weekend
Paint Saturday and Sunday
Wrap in October
Keep the stock wheels until after SEMA, then decide the next move

Back to dust and block paper

 

[PeteCT]

Salvage title registration usually takes 2 to 3 weeks, so DMV day is penciled for Oct 6. Paperwork marinated, patience on low heat.
Wrap vs reality. Wrapping before SEMA is spicy. I am semi-novice with vinyl and a full send would eat 7 days I do not have. Fastback still needs assembly and show finish, so it will be wrapped by a pro on a stopwatch.
Booth chaos. Trailer paperwork is done. Platform v2 needs work and love. Video wall and lightboxes just landed, and the 9-to-5 still exists. Translation: paint is the move right now. I am semi-pro with a gun - vinyl can wait.

Paint kit. Ordered a gallon of 2K red, jet black, and clear. Also grabbed a matte clear to try.

Bottom-shelf stuff, but I painted numerous of my cars with these brands and they were alright.

Plus I am going to wrap it anyways so, that should do and great as a underlaying base for any wrap.
Sanded yesterday. And today. And probably in my sleep. I will check if the sealer is still alive tomorrow. I have almost a gallon. If it passes the sniff test, it goes on first. If not, straight to paint over 600 grit. Prep is done. Gun is ready.

Phase 1 spray. I have some jet black and clear left from old projects, so while the new paint ships I am splitting the job: roof and hood now, the rest later. Painting the whole truck in one sitting is cardio with a respirator. Roof first, hood next, then we breathe and live to spray another day.

Sticking with the bi color plan. I will paint the OEM splitter now and design a new one to 3D print after SEMA.

After SEMA. Yukon gets wrapped to match the trailer, and the trailer gets wrapped with color and ads on both sides. Rolling billboard, rolling booth.
Back to blue tape religion. Paint first, plates second, vinyl later.

 

[PeteCT]

I set Yukon up for a Sunday spray, clouds looked friendly.

Then Florida did Florida. Ten minutes into the drizzle I remembered the sunroof was masked open. Sprint outside. Tiny swimming pool on the headliner. Saved it with towels and a shop vac. Nothing died, except my heart rate.
Monday gave me more rain. Tuesday looks like the only window before the week turns to soup. Hurricane flyby on the radar does not help. The plan is paint tomorrow or live with gray primer in my soul.

Contingency playbook:
If the sky stays polite, I shoot the roof and hood first. Big panels hate humidity, so they get the first dry air.
If the sky turns spicy, I rig the pop-up tent, box fans, and my very fancy overspray control system that is also called a bedsheet. No time to waste.