Fosscore's 2013 Suburban LTZ Build Thread

[HiHoeSilver]

We get half an hour installation $49.50 plus the price of the handle.

What's "the price of the handle?"

 

[Fosscore]

A customer wants me to try the same thing for an Explorer. They have similar issues, but with the door panel armrest. How exactly did you utilize the spreader? Also--maybe try some heat from a hair dryer on the area where the zip ties were holding. That might smooth the indents out a little bit more. Came out excellent. Good job .

@Tonyrodz

Looking at the picture, you can see where I peeled the two parts back to reveal the inside. You really only have the width of that piece of foam minus a bit. I did not take photo of the cut up pieces, but I measured the width and height and dry fit to make sure the lips would close properly. That was just my best attempt at making it a bit more stiff once adding the foam. Because that BS plastic piece is tragically thin and brittle.

I watched one video, where the guy took apart the shrapnel and epoxied it all back together. I gave up before he finished as it wasn't worth the time to put this stuff back together. Once it is broken, IMO, it needs another objective to fix it, like the one I tried seems to be the trick.

Good luck man!

 

[Tonyrodz]

@Tonyrodz

Looking at the picture, you can see where I peeled the two parts back to reveal the inside. You really only have the width of that piece of foam minus a bit. I did not take photo of the cut up pieces, but I measured the width and height and dry fit to make sure the lips would close properly. That was just my best attempt at making it a bit more stiff once adding the foam. Because that BS plastic piece is tragically thin and brittle.

I watched one video, where the guy took apart the shrapnel and epoxied it all back together. I gave up before he finished as it wasn't worth the time to put this stuff back together. Once it is broken, IMO, it needs another objective to fix it, like the one I tried seems to be the trick.

Good luck man!


View attachment 233884

Thx for the heads up. I'm gonna see how it goes with his.

 

[Fosscore]

The driver’s side exterior door handle has been replaced. I hate those damn plastic, crappy handles and the tight, blind, sharp edges and no visual to work with.

Managed to drop the bolts inside the door a couple of times, get the lock rod stuck on the inside of the door handle cable, only to realize once it was bolted up and had to disassemble, broke a piece of plastic near the interior door pull cable retaining ring and then and then and then....

grrr made an easy project into a challenge mainly from frustration. Grrr

It’s fixed for now, so taking the kids fishing tomorrow with some friends overnight in the Keys. Going to hit those Dock Demon rods off the docks.

Yeah a cold front is rolling through and it is going to be near 80 high and 70 low.. brrr might need a hoodie over my boardies tomorrow night with those north winds!

 

[Sam Harris]

The driver’s side exterior door handle has been replaced. I hate those damn plastic, crappy handles and the tight, blind, sharp edges and no visual to work with.

Managed to drop the bolts inside the door a couple of times, get the lock rod stuck on the inside of the door handle cable, only to realize once it was bolted up and had to disassemble, broke a piece of plastic near the interior door pull cable retaining ring and then and then and then....

grrr made an easy project into a challenge mainly from frustration. Grrr

It’s fixed for now, so taking the kids fishing tomorrow with some friends overnight in the Keys. Going to hit those Dock Demon rods off the docks.

Yeah a cold front is rolling through and it is going to be near 80 high and 70 low.. brrr might need a hoodie over my boardies tomorrow night with those north winds!

Definitely understand the frustration when a fix / project goes that way. Sometimes I just walk away from it for the day (if I can) so I don’t destroy anything in anger, or idiocy. Lol. Glad you got it done!

 

[Fosscore]

Definitely understand the frustration when a fix / project goes that way. Sometimes I just walk away from it for the day (if I can) so I don’t destroy anything in anger, or idiocy. Lol. Glad you got it done!

Thx man. I did both - anger and idiocy lol. And I had no choice as the old handle insert had popped out so the new handle had to work. Especially with short road trip tomorrow.

Job is completed, but breaking the small bit of plastic pissed me off!!

Fuzzy because dum dum got frustrated and didn’t release the cable in the first place and then hunting for the dropped screw and pushed the panel too far then pop... the little bit broke off.

So I drilled a tiny hole and used a zip tie to hold that black spring clip tight so that the cable with the metal bit on the end wouldn’t jump out of where it slots in, thus making the interior door handle useless if it did.

I could just hear the wife calling me to say the door handle broke and she couldn’t open the door. Lol grrr

 

[07Burb]

14 zip ties. I know someone is going to count them to double check anyways!!
View attachment 233846

A little bit of foam seepage that was shaved pretty damn clean and smooth after cutting the zip ties off.
View attachment 233850


Some light indents in the handle from the zip ties while holding the two parts of the handle together while the foam cured. Hopefully it holds up under heavy use.
View attachment 233848

have never seen this before LOL

 

[swathdiver]

There's a body man on youtube, Vehcor, and he has some videos rebuilding damaged GMT900s. Anyhow, he gets those handles off by applying a little heat first, not too much to melt the plastic, just enough to free up the "loc-tite".

 

[Fosscore]

have never seen this before LOL

Yeah bad week of the typical NNBS failures.

Interior handle, exterior handle and found another dash crack.

Butttt, the ultimate road trip truck was perfect for the overnight run to the Keys to fish with the kids.

So comfortable and smooth. Near 20mpg.

Gave it a good wash this morning along with the NBS and busted out the pressure washer on the tire blooms again. Looks a bit better , but not perfect.

So 2 clean trucks... for now! Lol

 

[Fosscore]

There's a body man on youtube, Vehcor, and he has some videos rebuilding damaged GMT900s. Anyhow, he gets those handles off by applying a little heat first, not too much to melt the plastic, just enough to free up the "loc-tite".

Cool. Will have to look up.

 

[07Burb]

Yeah bad week of the typical NNBS failures.

Interior handle, exterior handle and found another dash crack.

Butttt, the ultimate road trip truck was perfect for the overnight run to the Keys to fish with the kids.

So comfortable and smooth. Near 20mpg.

Gave it a good wash this morning along with the NBS and busted out the pressure washer on the tire blooms again. Looks a bit better , but not perfect.

So 2 clean trucks... for now! Lol

So the interior door handle thing is common??? Literally the first I've heard of it and never experienced with mine which has a million more miles than yours LOL


.....and you get 20 mpg from your burb??? I'm over here excited to get 15.5 mpg on road trips I assume a big difference in mine is the 4 speed trans and mine is 4wd so maybe that's why mine gets a lot worse MPG and my turn is not for fuel efficiency.

 

[Fosscore]

So the interior door handle thing is common??? Literally the first I've heard of it and never experienced with mine which has a million more miles than yours LOL


.....and you get 20 mpg from your burb??? I'm over here excited to get 15.5 mpg on road trips I assume a big difference in mine is the 4 speed trans and mine is 4wd so maybe that's why mine gets a lot worse MPG and my turn is not for fuel efficiency.

Have seen the interior handle on TYF and numerous videos online.

I did have 20mpg on the motorway, but must have lost some around town at the end. 17.3mpg I just confirmed.

 

[07Burb]

Have seen the interior handle on TYF and numerous videos online.

i must live under a rock

I did have 20mpg on the motorway, but must have lost some around town at the end. 17.3mpg I just confirmed.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

i must live under a rock

Nah. Just Missouri.

Note: I will trade up-to-date internetable information for bbq ribs.

 

[07Burb]

Nah. Just Missouri.

Note: I will trade up-to-date internetable information for bbq ribs.

come on buy and we'll get ya some ribs, man

 

[Fosscore]

i must live under a rock

@07Burb

Yes daily!!

 

[Fosscore]

i must live under a rock

https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/door-grab-handle-repair.109197/

 

[07Burb]

https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/door-grab-handle-repair.109197/

well, huh I'm still super surprised that this has not happened to me yet considering how many miles I have on her and she's 13 years old and all. I didn't even know it was a thing LOL Look at me getting all learned up today

 

[Fosscore]

well, huh I'm still super surprised that this has not happened to me yet considering how many miles I have on her and she's 13 years old and all. I didn't even know it was a thing LOL Look at me getting all learned up today

Yes shocking that at just under 40k I am having some of the cheapie fails.

Maybe your 07 still had some of that NBS in her. My 06 handles and the way they are made don’t seem to allow this issues. As well on the exterior door handles.

This guy had a clever fix.

And here too.
https://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/188174-ltz-arm-rest-broken-replacement-ideas/

 

[kbuskill]

I think those arm rest/grab handles break when short people drive.

I say that because mine are fine and the truck has 240K+ miles on it.

However I do have a "soft" spot behind the grab handle on top of the arm rest where my elbow sometimes sits... not noticeable unless you feel for it.

My theory is that short people have their seat slid forward and their elbow sits on the grab handle instead of on the arm rest.

I don't know, just my theory.