New guy. Refreshing an '06 Border Patrol Tahoe.

[War_Pig]

Howdy, y'all.

I'm almost done refreshing my 190k 2006 Tahoe. It has a fairly colorful history and is enjoying retirement as a good daily. It will double as an overland camping vehicle. Pics in bio.

The '06 vintage for Border Patrol I think simply had a Z71 suspension and 4.10 gears. I'll be sure to pull the code list from the glovebox. It needs a few last minute parts and I was hoping you folks could help. There are spots on the inside where the interior was a little rushed, and I think there's bondo bullet holes in a few doors.

Mods:
3in puck and shackle lift.
Road One 31in off road tires.
Bilstein 5100s.
New Z71 rear springs.
Removed thicker anti-sway bars (35mm?)
All new front end suspension
All new rear end, 4.10 w/ posi
New rear main seal
Self-tune in HPTuners. Richened low end and massaged shift points for easier driving. It doesn't shift as much and has plenty of torque going uphill at part throttle. The stock shift pattern danced around too much. It drives very well like an old Chevy and I'm just letting it be a "truck truck truck" instead of an "ESSYEWWVEEE".
New o2 sensors
New coils, wires, and plugs.
K&N air filter
Magnaflow muffler
New front axles

Soon to be completed:
- Long Tube Headers (Mean! Cheap! Wow!)
- Engine mounts (Does it perilously need OEM, or can I use cheaper replacements?)
- Z71 front torsion bars
- Oil pan gasket.
- Knock sensors and harness
- Clean up a little wiring that seemed to be an afterthought when they decommissioned the vehicle.
- Finish outfitting it for some camping!
- That oil galley vent tube thingy that these are known to go through.

Dream mods:
- 4L65 transmission upgrade
- Chopacobra/Truck Norris cam + valvetrain
- New injectors
- ITB kit for about 450 hp. Yeah, you can do it with a cam and 1 throttlebody but these look like more fun!

I love looking under my truck and seeing it completely DRY, firstly . Second, it has excellent soft road manners for my aging bee-hind. A couple (ok, several) small details are getting it to be reliable and comfortable with minimal compromises.

The most pressing needs to finish the expensive work are:
- Engine + trans mounts
- Z71 front torsion bars

With the above parts, I can finish the lift and drive more normally with good mounts. What do you all suggest for these?

I was emphatically told OEM mounts but have no first hand experience. AZ has them in a package for $150ish. All 3 OEM mounts will probably go past $400.

Z71 front torsion bars look recently discontinued. Are they stiffer or the same part as the base Hoe? The driver side indeed sags after nearly 20 years. It was probably lifted with keys before. All the parts underneath looked different shades of dusy brown, like they had lived different lives. That leads me to believe it was made as stock as possible when they decommissioned it or the second owner did some work under there.

$500ish to throw these in and I'll be a happy camper.

 

[Doubeleive]

post pictures

 

[Sparksalot]

 

[Bigburb3500]

Pictures or it doesn’t exist…

 

[War_Pig]

 

[War_Pig]

New Tires.

 

[War_Pig]

There. Now quit whining

It's not much to look at, which is the whole idea. No squat BS. It's mostly quiet. I'll likely get some 33s after these tires are done but that's a ways off. (Yes, we fixed the loose drain fitting on the caliper.)

There is just enough room in the back to fit me for camping.

I did 3d print some gizmos. The tray fits in the little glovebox. The hook for the cup holder that still holds a soda can. The door prop is a modified chip clip just velcro'd into place. I'm making a lightweight and removable gizmo set instead of overloading it with overpriced camping gear. Space is tight, but it needs to be usable.

 

[OR VietVet]

Welcome to the forum from Oregon.

Let it be known, I like pics too, but I never ever whine about anything. Most members don't even know I am here, I am soooo quiet.

 

[Hoesgottaeat2]

Welcome from NY!

 

[Miami-Dade]

Welcome from Miami&NYC!

 

[Bigburb3500]

Welcome to the forum from Oregon.

Let it be known, I like pics too, but I never ever whine about anything. Most members don't even know I am here, I am soooo quiet.

Yup. This is fact checked.

 

[Bigburb3500]

There. Now quit whining

It's not much to look at, which is the whole idea. No squat BS. It's mostly quiet. I'll likely get some 33s after these tires are done but that's a ways off. (Yes, we fixed the loose drain fitting on the caliper.)

There is just enough room in the back to fit me for camping.

I did 3d print some gizmos. The tray fits in the little glovebox. The hook for the cup holder that still holds a soda can. The door prop is a modified chip clip just velcro'd into place. I'm making a lightweight and removable gizmo set instead of overloading it with overpriced camping gear. Space is tight, but it needs to be usable.

This is real nice looking! What type of trails do you run or are they just dirt roads where clearance and traction are sometimes needed?

Do you know any good stories your truck was involved in prior to its pampered life with you?

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

 

[War_Pig]

This is real nice looking! What type of trails do you run or are they just dirt roads where clearance and traction are sometimes needed?

Do you know any good stories your truck was involved in prior to its pampered life with you?

They're just fire roads that cross some creeks here and there. This should get me over rutted roads comfortably and not beat me up too much. I don't quite trust a tent with bears, coyotes, mountain lions, and wild hogs in the southeast. The Georgia Traverse looks interesting and there's a lot of spots for overnight or weekend camping that I can reach after work.

Where to put deer is a bit of a conundrum. I don't want to slap a carcass where I'd be sleeping eventually.

 

[Bigburb3500]

They're just fire roads that cross some creeks here and there. This should get me over rutted roads comfortably and not beat me up too much. I don't quite trust a tent with bears, coyotes, mountain lions, and wild hogs in the southeast. The Georgia Traverse looks interesting and there's a lot of spots for overnight or weekend camping that I can reach after work.

Where to put deer is a bit of a conundrum. I don't want to slap a carcass where I'd be sleeping eventually.

What about modifying one of those hitch mount cargo carriers? Most are rated up to 500lbs but a few are up to 700lbs. Should be plenty for a nice deer. Or just do as the backwoods folk do and strap it to the hood. Half will be cooked by the time you get it home and can be snacked on while camping.

 

[War_Pig]

Now there's an idea! I do have a tow hitch installed. Deer when dressed are about 75-125lbs depending.

Found this, too.

Hitch-Mounted Deer / Game Hoist & Carrier | 600 lb. Capacity

Save time and space in your truck bed with the Kill Shot Hitch-Mounted Deer / Game Hoist and Carrier from Discount Ramps.

www.discountramps.com

 

[RAMurphy]

Welcome to this great forum.

 

[War_Pig]

Ok. The rest of the parts are ready, waiting for a slot to open up at the shop. This will get the engine/transmission mounts in and the rest of the front end lift kit.

 

[War_Pig]

Just checking in. A few miles and she's bedded in quite nicely. It rides better with a load. The shocks are really stiff in the cold, like the shock oil is actually lard. lol. Outside of that, I love my shitbox.

The anti-swaybars are off. It wanders a little, but the police interceptor bars were too stiff. This is a dream to just whip offroad in a rutted trail and it just floats over the roughness.

An intake woke things up with a tune in HP Tuners. I richened the mixture and loosened the traction control governors a little. These things are so detuned from the factory, but I get it. Bad gas, soccer mom drivers, bald tires, heavy loads, etc. I didn't go nuts with the throttle or torque control. I'll throw in a Vette shift solenoid.

https://www.amazon.com/Shift-Rite-Transmissions-replacement-PERFORMANCE/dp/B08N5G2ZYK

I'm looking at headers, too. 1 7/8 ID is my sticking point for a cam install later. I'm thinking I'll just buy the headers and pay the shop to build a catted section when they do the install.

One of these 3 looks good. I want American made parts.

Flashark
Speed engineering
JT-performance

 

[War_Pig]

I'm getting things cleaned up for the header installation. The grounds all look good! I'll grab some new O2s and HPtuners software is standing by.

This wire looks cut by the driver's side frame rail. I'm not sure if it was from service or emergency lights in it or old factory fog lights. Chasing the wire, it looks to travel up to the firewall. There are some patched wires under the center cup holders but I didn't test them for continuity just yet.

There are no fog lights installed, so there's nothing to reconnect.

The only other thing I didn't like was this. That cable has a mount there on the outside of the frame rail. I didn't like that it protrudes into the fenderwell. Road debris could do a number on it at an inopportune time.

The suspension looks good, otherise. The front axles are actually holding up, this time. I still think pulling the stiff anti-sway bars is a bit more forgiving on the rest of the chassis and suspension. It may corner unnaturally well with those big bars on it, but I think the rest of the chassis and driveline pay a certain dear price for those faster cornering speeds. This is still very forgiving on our pot-hold and rutted dirt roads.