Fosscore's 2013 Suburban LTZ Build Thread

[swathdiver]

Thx man. Was an awesome trip. Would have easily stayed in the Outback for more time.

Yeah bummer about the burb, but it will get fixed.

Just dragging my feet this week. Having a hard time letting it go and trusting that the shop will do the right thing removing and replacing parts as well as the final paint result.

But it needs to get fixed.

You know who will do the best job Michael? YOU!!! We've seen your work and attention to detail, nobody is likely to come even close.

 

[Fosscore]

You know who will do the best job Michael? YOU!!! We've seen your work and attention to detail, nobody is likely to come even close.

Thx for the vote of confidence. Appreciated.

That level of repair might be just out of my comfort zone, skill set and materials on hand.

I was all set to deal with the missing paint touch ups myself if the dent guy could work his magic.

I know he would do a good job, but maybe not 100% for the entire dent especially in the double wall rear quarter panel area. That dent would likely still exist due to him not being able to fully access the entire area of damage. But it would be so much less noticeable. Wet sand and polish out the dented areas.

And the low level below the eyeline would make it so much less noticeable as well if there was a touch left that he could not release.

Believe me I am still very tempted to just give him a go to see how much he can do. Would take him a day, maybe 2 to work his magic.

It would satisfy my curiosity....And no harm if I end up sending it to the body shop. He may do an incredible job. Still pondering this weekend.

I know it’s my truck to do what I want. No body shop , no record. May not be perfect but may still be amazing and then done and move on. May not be good enough then revert to body shop.

Open to more input. I know it seems a bit crazy but trying to view from all angles. Thx guys.

 

[swathdiver]

Thx for the vote of confidence. Appreciated.

That level of repair might be just out of my comfort zone, skill set and materials on hand.

I was all set to deal with the missing paint touch ups myself if the dent guy could work his magic.

I know he would do a good job, but maybe not 100% for the entire dent especially in the double wall rear quarter panel area. That dent would likely still exist due to him not being able to fully access the entire area of damage. But it would be so much less noticeable. Wet sand and polish out the dented areas.

And the low level below the eyeline would make it so much less noticeable as well if there was a touch left that he could not release.

Believe me I am still very tempted to just give him a go to see how much he can do. Would take him a day, maybe 2 to work his magic.

It would satisfy my curiosity....And no harm if I end up sending it to the body shop.

He may do an incredible job.

Still pondering this weekend.

I know it’s my truck to do what I want. No body shop , no record.

May not be perfect but may still be amazing and then done and move on.

May not be good enough then revert to body shop.

Open to more input. I know it seems a bit crazy but trying to view from all angles. Thx guys.

I've felt the same way in your shoes before. I'd let the dent doctor do his magic and see, the guy up here has done some amazing work.

https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=e...sAF1QipPMEqQhufN2LtSYwVvp1SQLsvCdIXfcxGqB-Lfi

 

[Fosscore]

Took the kids to the wake/ski lake this morning on our friend's boat. 4 adults and 5 kids. We wake boarded, wake surfed and jumped in the water between skiers before Mother Nature threw down some heavy thunderstorms this afternoon.

No detailing today. Headed to another body shop tomorrow for a 3rd opinion.

Tres Generaciones....at the boat ramp.

 

[adventurenali92]

Took the kids to the wake/ski lake this morning on our friend's boat. 4 adults and 5 kids. We wake boarded, wake surfed and jumped in the water between skiers before Mother Nature threw down some heavy thunderstorms this afternoon.

No detailing today. Headed to another body shop tomorrow for a 3rd opinion.

Tres Generaciones....at the boat ramp.

View attachment 228119

Damn look at those GMs!! Haha. Good looking rigs in a beautiful setting! Love it! Wakeboarding is so fun! I get to go a few times a summer with our close family friend! She actually taught me to wakeboard and she was a competition water skier back in the day. Lol

 

[Fosscore]

Stopped by the hot rod body shop today. Saw an old red and white Corvette and a green Nova.

Had a good chat with the owner of the shop and his wife. Family run, word-of-mouth shop and he's been modding hot rods since the 1950s. The office is lined with pictures and articles of modded cars and trucks.

Bottom line, he will not work on the NNBS in any way associated with an insurance claim. Too much hassle, middleman, insurance not willing to pay for quality work that his shop does. I was the 3rd person that morning that he had turned away. He was super nice about it, explained why from his view as a business owner, having tried it and then stopped when it became too much of a hassle. Insurance looks at volume and doesn't care about quality. Shame, and you lot can agree that we pay premiums to be covered, then every excuse in the book is made not to pay or pay less.

We talked about a clean Carfax report, diminished value, quality work, blends and full paints jobs.

We never made it outside to look at the truck and give me an estimate as he wasn't going to work on the Suburban anyways. But it sure was a great conversation and he gave me 30 minutes of his time. Very appreciated. Nice guy with way more knowledge and stories than I currently possess.

We circled back around to where this journey started and that was the dent repair. I asked him for a recommendation. He mentioned a shop that he currently had a car at. Turns out it is dent shop I originally went to. The father and son shop. Well knock me down!! It was only 5 minutes down the road.

We agreed before I left, that to not make the claim, pay cash myself, keep it off the record/no Carfax and let the dent guy try his magic and do his best to make it right would be a good option to try first. Sure it is $$ out of my pocket, but may be worth a go. I can leave it for now if I wanted to, but it really sucks seeing those dents. Thankfully only a few chips of paint off on the leading edges that I can touch up and no one will ever really pay attention to it as all of it at knee level.

So I went back to the dent shop and the father and son looked at it again. They hmmmddd and hawwwed and poked around a bit. The realized that the estimate after the 2nd look was a bit low and I knew it was too. You could feel it wasn't setting well with them. We agreed on a bit higher...I know...I know but it is a lot of work. Better to keep a relationship if we are going to do the job, than to quibble over $$ and them not do as good a job as they could at a lower rate. If he can get rid of 90% or more of those dents plus the other 2 door dings for a little bit more money and put his best effort forward that will never be noticed by average Joe, then it will be worth it. I am not betting on perfect in this case. I am betting on amazing results that only I will notice.

I am still contemplating it and have to explain it to the wife so she understands. The truck cannot go to the shop for another 2 weeks anyways. So I still have time.

 

[Fosscore]

My brother shot me a message today with these pics of a new horse in the stable. Got it trailered from San Diego to AZ. Looks like beast with plenty done to it. Not sure what his plans are for it, but sure looks to be in good shape.

Said the guy who converted it and sold it to him, was a Baja chase truck driver and knows his stuff underneath. He did some research on Quigley vans http://www.quigley4x4.com

eBay ad details:

2002 FORD E350 DIESEL CARGO VAN EXTENDED 4X4 7.3 DIESEL
UP FOR GRABS 2002 FORD E-350 7.3 DIESEL VAN 4X4 GREAT BASE FOR YOU TO MAKE VAN OF YOUR DREAMS HAS THE LEGENDARY 7.3 POWER-STROKE TURBO DIESEL CURRENTLY HAS 172,000 MILES NOTHING FOR THE MILLION MILE MOTOR ON THE DASH BUT PRETTY MUCH THE WHOLE VAN BEEN GONE THRU AND UPGRADED HAS ONLY A COUPLE OF THOUSAND MILES SINCE RESTORED RUNS AND HANDLES GREAT THERE'S NO LEAKS VAN IS A NON SMOKER OR PETS VAN FIRES RIGHT UP DRIVES STRAIGHT NO WOBBLING AT ANY HIGH SPEEDS ANY QUESTIONS LET KNOW..IF WINNING BIDDER IS FROM OUT OF STATE I WILL MORE THAN HAPPY TO PICK YOU UP AT SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIR PORT AT ANY TIME YOU FLY IN ..OR I CAN STORED VAN NO ADDITIONAL COST UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO PICK UP VAN BUT NEEDS TO BE PAID OFF FIRST--- VAN HAS FRONT AC BLOWS COLD SHES READY FOR A CROSS COUNTRY TRIP HAS BEEN SERVICE ALL FLUIDS AND FILTERS CHANGE ... CAN EASY TOW OVER 10,000 LBS .--"""COLOR OF THE VAN IS LIKE THE TOYOTA TACOMA CEMENT COLOR
FRONT AXLE 2007 DANA 60 WITH NEW 3;73 GEARS
REAR AXLE 2007 10.5 LIMITED SLIP NEW 3;73 GEARS
NEW DRIVE LINES SHAFTS FRONT AND REAR
NEW SHOCKS ALL 4
NEW DOUBLE STEERING SHOCKS
NEW EXTENDED TOWING MIRRORS
NEW TIRES ALL 4 35/12.5/17
NEW WHEELS 17 INCH WHEELS ALL 4
NEW FENDER FLARES
ROOF TOP OF VAN HAS BEEN SPRAYED WITH RHINO-LINE PAINT SMOOTH FINISH
NEW SIDE STEPS
REBUILD TRANSMISSION
NEW BALL JOINTS,DRAG LINK,TIDE RODS.

 

[Fosscore]

 

[05Single]

I’ve always wanted one of those . Nice grab !

 

[Fosscore]

Noticed a bit of oil on the carport floor. Crawled under the truck and I see oil on the oil filter that had dripped down, some on the cross member, but nothing really sprayed around on the transmission or other parts of the undercarriage. Nothing up in the engine bay from the top side either.

I cleaned the oil off the filter, started the truck up and let it idle.
Almost instantly oil started to stream down the oil filter and a small puddle formed on the driveway.

I took it to my friend's shop as he was still open until 1330 on Saturdays. He put it straight up on the lift, changed the filter, topped it off with 1 quart of fresh oil and good to go. Rear main seal looked good. He wasn't sure if it was the gasket or the seam where the can meets top. No charge and me and my son were on our way in about 30 minutes. Quality time with my boy too.

 

[NeverSatisfied]

Had the same thing happen to my last truck about a week after I bought it. Just did a full oil change on it and never had the problem again. Think it was just a bad filter from the dealer or PO

 

[Fosscore]

Had the same thing happen to my last truck about a week after I bought it. Just did a full oil change on it and never had the problem again. Think it was just a bad filter from the dealer or PO

Yeah he saw one earlier this week and did the same procedure. Thankfully an easy fix and only a quart low when I got back home to get it sorted. My wife would never have noticed....kind of like the low fuel light.....ammaright? lol

 

[HiHoeSilver]

Yeah he saw one earlier this week and did the same procedure. Thankfully an easy fix and only a quart low when I got back home to get it sorted. My wife would never have noticed....kind of like the low fuel light.....ammaright? lol

Glad you caught it. Once on my OBS, we were heading to Michigan to visit relatives and I didn't have time, so I had the wife take it to the place down the street before we left. On the second day we were there, the wife and her aunt took it to go shopping. I get a call a little later that they're in the mall parking lot and the truck is making noise and smoking. Wtf. Be there in a few. Uncle and I go outside to leave, and he says "wait, what's that?" In the street at the end if the driveway lies my oil filter with a big black stripe going down the street. Grab a new one on the way to the mall. Get there and put it on. "Didn't you see the oil light come on?" "What oil light?" Smh.

I have the shop a pleasant phone call the next day and told him to teach his 16 year olds how to not strip a filter by over tightening. Offered me a free oil change. Ummm, no thanks.

 

[BADRIDES]

Put a delco filter on it

 

[07Burb]

Noticed a bit of oil on the carport floor. Crawled under the truck and I see oil on the oil filter that had dripped down, some on the cross member, but nothing really sprayed around on the transmission or other parts of the undercarriage. Nothing up in the engine bay from the top side either.

I cleaned the oil off the filter, started the truck up and let it idle.
Almost instantly oil started to stream down the oil filter and a small puddle formed on the driveway.

I took it to my friend's shop as he was still open until 1330 on Saturdays. He put it straight up on the lift, changed the filter, topped it off with 1 quart of fresh oil and good to go. Rear main seal looked good. He wasn't sure if it was the gasket or the seam where the can meets top. No charge and me and my son were on our way in about 30 minutes. Quality time with my boy too.

View attachment 230177 View attachment 230178
View attachment 230180

Filter either needed to be tightened or seal went bad on filter. Has happened to me. Those filters are hard to get right enough because of how they sit in relation to the oil pan

 

[Fosscore]

Filter either needed to be tightened or seal went bad on filter. Has happened to me. Those filters are hard to get right enough because of how they sit in relation to the oil pan

In relation to the minimal space that is actually there or not there. Lol

 

[adventurenali92]

That’s the one thing that really irritates me about having a GM product. I never had issues with changing oil and filters on my older dodges because the oil filter was at the front of the block and a had a super easy and convenient opening just below the bottom of the front bumper where skid plate met to get the filter in and out. It was awesome! But no.... gm had to put the oil filter right beside the oil pan and make it a PITA to get it on and off....

 

[eand28]

Oil filter wrenches are great but it’s also nice when you run the taller filter. Easier to get on and off

 

[Fosscore]

Ran the Porter Cable over the paint this morning and hit it with a coat of 845. Smooth and shiny now. Polished the chrome including the wheels.

The wife for some reason parked under a tree and the brown stains all over the paint took a little extra cleaning to get off then shifted pretty easy with the polisher. Looked good for a minute then she drove off...and it rained!! lol. But at least the paint is polished and shiny.

 

[Fosscore]

Put the Suburban back up on jack stands this morning. Removed the driver side sway bar bushing and gave it a good glob of grease. Went to remove the passengers side and one of the bolts will not budge. Rather it wants to round off. Tried a 6 point and 12 point deep socket and had a look at some vice grips. NOPE!! The sockets want to round off the head and the vice grip is not really going to work due to limited spacing.

Any further thoughts on getting that bolt to move without making the head into a marble??

As I was messing around on the passenger side, I think I found my clunking issue.

The passenger side stabilizer bar link bushing is gone! I guess I overlooked it in my hurry or maybe it finally just popped off.

Missing bushing under the sway bar.

Sway bar bushing bolt wanting to round off the head. 10mm.

Also removed and greased the rear sway bar bushings as well.

Here are the stabilizer bar link kits I am looking at. Moog Problem Solver which is what I put on the Tahoe.

Moog K700538 Stabilizer Bar Link Kit

https://www.amazon.com/Moog-K700538...2?keywords=K700538+moog&qid=1572793274&sr=8-2

Here is the Moog site link.
https://www.moogparts.com/find-my-part/find-my-part-results.html?parttype=SUSPENSION&apptype=AUTOMOTIVE&options=2013~Chevrolet~Suburban 1500&values=2013~Chevrolet~Suburban 1500