3 May 2015
A few updates since the brake upgrades.
I had the brake fluid and power steering fluid flushed this week at my friend's shop. Still very happy with the Powerstop brake kit. No noise, seems to be low dust, stopping power feels good and the brake pedal feels more firm.
Polished out the roof and put another coat of Collinite's 845 Insulator Wax over the entire truck this weekend. Smooth as butter going on and the paint just sheds water. Put some Lexol leather conditioner on the seats.
Did a test fit with my new custom truck cover from Cover Craft. I ordered it from Car Covers Direct as they had a 15% off sale at the time. It is the Technalon Evolution style which came recommended for the harsh Florida summers. We use the Evolution lining on the yachts to line any covers that we put over varnish or areas that need to be super soft. The price with discount and $10 Gust Guards was $280 shipped. Pretty happy with that considering some covers that I was looking at were upwards of $500 with the ultimate Cover King Autobody Armor cover coming in at $1000! Ouch.
Some of you may wonder why I would bother with a cover for the Tahoe? Unfortunately, I do not have a garage and cannot kick the wife out of the car port all the time. There are extended times when the truck does not get driven or washed. After spending countless hours last fall detailing the neglected paint from the harsh summer due to my travel schedule, I decided to detail the hell out of the paint this year, buy a custom, quality cover and do my best to protect the paint and keep her in better shape this summer.
I am very happy with the fit. This is a custom cut/fit cover to the truck with limited seams. As you look at the pictures, you can see that it hugs the vehicle pretty tight, but with a little breathing room. There are mirror pockets that leave a little wiggle room, but not so tight that it is a hassle to get on. There is not an antenna hole unless you want to make your own with the provided grommet. I deleted my antenna to the engine bay, so I will not be adding a hole to the cover. Each end is elastic and fits all the way under the bumpers. There are two grommets where I will be attaching a cable and lock under the center of the frame. I purchased the Gust Guards to combat the summer storms that roll through. The cover comes all the way down to about 6 inches above the ground. Total coverage from rain, wind, dust, birds, yard service, sprinklers, sun, salt, hopefully a sticky fingers/looky loo theft deterrent, etc...
Here is a link to the cover that I purchased.
http://www.carcoversdirect.com/
I will update after the summer tropical abuse.
The painters finally finished color matching my front lower valance after getting backed up big time in their shop. I think it looks sweet!! That was the last big piece of black textured plastic to color match. The bumper cap and Esky rear appliques also went in for a fresh coat of paint, but both came out of the booth with small imperfections that are going to get reshot. And we ran out of the custom paint from Automotivetouchup.com Every batch I have ordered has been spot on with color, but it takes a good 5-7 days from order to ground delivery, so that will set me back a bit. Always a work in progress.
Now I just need to decide whether or not to add the front air dam or leave it off. I am kind of leaning towards leaving it off. Let me know what you guys think.
