Joined the tahoe gang

[bigb805]

Whats up yall, I purchased a new to me 2003 chevy tahoe with 165000 miles recently after I was T ***** in my camry. I had been wanting to trade in for a truck of some sort for quite some time now but I was hesitant to pull the trigger since the camry had been so reliable for me. I guess luckily for me the decision was made for me when the car was concluded to be a total loss. I had originally intended to go with a silverado since I wanted to utility of the bed but I was having a hard time finding a good used one that hadnt been run through the ground already. I got lucky and came across the tahoe listing within an hour of being posted and I ran down to see it the next morning. The tahoe was in pretty amazing shape for the year and mileage on it and the dude really cared about his vehicles. The tahoe had been his wifes kid hauler for school but he upgraded to a burb since he had 3 kids and 3 dogs.

There was a check engine light for the knock sensors so that was the first thing I changed when I brought it home. I also changed the wire harness for the knocks just to be safe since they were kind of old and brittle. I also changed the intake mani gasket and throttle body gasket as well as cleaned out the throttle body. Im now replacing all the hoses and belts as well as an oil change and fresh coolant. the owner had changed all the spar plugs and wires recently as well as a new alternator.

The guy I bought it off of said the transmission failed on him within 10000 miles after buying it from the original owner so he had to have it rebuilt at approx 135000 miles. I have new rubber on order from wally world that will be here late this week as well as an alignment. Im trying to be a thorough as possible before putting this thing on the road and make sure all bases have been covered before moving onto the more fun stuff like performance enhancers. Im going to drive it for the first oil change to get a feel for the vehicle then perform a seafoam treatment on the second oil change.

What else would you guys check/replace before placing the hoe on the road? I apreciate any feedback from the informed hoe community .

 

[Miami-Dade]

Welcome from Miami Brian.

Nice looking Tahoe!! Glad you were not hurt in the accident!!

 

[Kenny D]

Welcome

 

[Shaggy]

to the forum!

 

[MadDogDelpho]

nice rig brother! Depending on the suspension package, Some of the OEM shocks start to go out around the 150k mark, so that's probably something to check. There are floor and cargo mats available everywhere for these trucks, so if you want to hall stuff in the back you easily still can without messing up the carpet or anything else.

 

[05Single]

Welcome . Sounds like you got it covered . Plugs, oil, gaskets are what I usually check out.
Now just drive it and enjoy it! When I first get a vehicle I usually don't even turn on the radio for the first week to hear for noises and such.

Glad to hear you made it out alive and well from the crash and here with us now.

Another win for the nbs crew!

 

[eohat]

Welcome, that’s a nice ride you have there. It looks like you’re already getting things done.

 

[bigb805]

Thanks fellas I was pretty smitten when I saw it . I cant wait to get her to the sierras for some fishing/camping... maybe some beer too .

What is everyones preference for shocks on these things? Is the stock 4x4 decently offroad capable with a good set of rubber or is it too low?

 

[MadDogDelpho]

It's pretty capable, but if you want to do a lot you can lift it a little, and very easily.

 

[Casper1213]

Welcome

 

[bigb805]

Do these lift an level kits help offroad at all or are they mostly just for looks?

 

[jarydM]

Thanks fellas I was pretty smitten when I saw it . I cant wait to get her to the sierras for some fishing/camping... maybe some beer too .

What is everyones preference for shocks on these things? Is the stock 4x4 decently offroad capable with a good set of rubber or is it too low?

Bilstein 5100's. Worth Every Penny.

 

[Fosscore]

Welcome to NBS crowd. Lots of good info around here.

Here is a good thread even though you already bought the truck, it will give you some insight about what to further look for.

Thinking of Buying a 00-06 NBS Tahoe/Suburban? Look Here
http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/thre...g-a-00-06-nbs-tahoe-suburban-look-here.61834/

 

[MadDogDelpho]

Do these lift an level kits help offroad at all or are they mostly just for looks?

Usually people get new shocks to go along with the lift, and it provides more suspension travel and more ground clearance for improved off-roading. But you can do mild-to-moderate wheeling in a stock rig with good tires. A lift gives you a much better, more versatile experience.

 

[bigb805]

So after reading more into these trucks im kind of confused. I read that only the z71 package came with fender flares/ roof rack skid plate etc but mine is an lt and has all these features. I do know mine is the 4.10 geared tow package so I dont know if that version also included the z71 features or were they added to the truck by the first owner?

Checked the RPO codes and there wasnt a Z71 designation in there.

 

[MadDogDelpho]

It's not that they are the only trucks to have those features, it's that they're slightly different on those trucks. Most of the 4X4s have skid plates and flares, but the Z71s have extra cladding, different steps, different roof racks, color matched bumpers, and a different air dam.
For reference, here's a regular LT Tahoe (with flares):

Vs a Z71 Tahoe:

 

[bigb805]

Ah I see...thanks for clearing that up! I will most likely get some ford keys with z71 springs and new bilsteins soon it sounds like... most of my "offroading" will be washboard dirt roads an such not sand dune smashing or anything too serious.