The War Pig. Restoring a 2006 Tahoe US Border Patrol Vehicle to a Sh!tbox Fresh state.

[Doubeleive]

I do not have the autel myself others do, I have the a regular 5160 innova, tech2 clone, MDI clone and a hacked vcx nano with gds2/tech2 win on a windows tablet, various bluetooth units, the blackbear unit and some other obd units, lol basically a bunch of crap but no autel (yet), when I find one cheap.....

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Cool. Thank you. HP Tuners doesn't have any stored codes. Google-fu says it can see the TCM and BCM.

Yes, both the Tech 2 and Autel scanners can see the ECM, the TCM, as well as most other controllers and devices on the truck. It truly is the only way to go, if you want to stay on top of your truck's control systems.

 

[Fless]

If you work on cars other than the earlier GMs, a Tech 2 might not be your best choice. I had a Tech 2 until my son and I picked up an Autel MaxiPro MP808S-TS that does just about everything a Tech 2 does (but not module programming), as well as initialize TPMS sensors and works on most cars. YMMV

 

[Tonyrodz]

Very cool. Maybe you can tag @915_Tahoe. He's the GM specialist. He could run your vin and maybe give you a better idea of how it was equipped originally.
If you want a stock rear swaybar I have one from my 03 you can have just for the ride.

 

[War_Pig]

Very cool. Maybe you can tag @915_Tahoe. He's the GM specialist. He could run your vin and maybe give you a better idea of how it was equipped originally.
If you want a stock rear swaybar I have one from my 03 you can have just for the ride.

It's ok. I still have the bars if I want to put them back on. I'm hesitant to just run a rear bar because it stresses the frame to twist without a front. A 150mi shakedown today with gravel and mud felt good. The ride smooths out a lot in 4WD even if you don't technically need it for just a gravel road. 20-30mph and a few good puddles to splash were quite nice. Now to spray off all the fun. lol.

My only issue was that it was hesitant to come out of 4WD at the end of the gravel section. That made me nervous. It eventually relented a little ways down the road when I pulled over on the pavement. It still throws all kinds of messages on the status bar about servicing stability, 4WD, etc.

 

[Roilux]

I am trying to figure out why the cruise control quit working. It worked until I did the steering shafts. Everything is plugged in and there's a new brake switch, bulbs, and 3rd brake light.

Did you replace the rear bulbs and 3rd brake light with LED units? If yes, adding a resistor should restore your cruise control. If not, *pats pockets* I got nuthin but did get a hoot out of the "happy cow" remark. I shall use it going forward.

 

[War_Pig]

Did you replace the rear bulbs and 3rd brake light with LED units? If yes, adding a resistor should restore your cruise control. If not, *pats pockets* I got nuthin but did get a hoot out of the "happy cow" remark. I shall use it going forward.

The bulbs are stock. The headlights needed to be replaced, but the rear was fine. The fronts were drilled for flashing lights and then left open. They looked like those old water puzzles from the 80s.

I don't know if the 3rd brake light is LED or not. It was like $35 from O'Reillys.

 

[War_Pig]

The pig's first puddle .

 

[NELLY1947]

Behold! My 4WD shitbox! This has been an adventure with a vehicle that has seen some adventures, complete with patched bullet holes. The US Border Patrol service history was obscured juuuust enough to sucker an unwitting buyer on a used car lot. That sucker would be me after 27 surgeries and a stroke needing a comfortable daily in 2016.

What to know, if you find one of these, is that it's an LT or LS body with Z71 underpinnings and likely a police interceptor anti-swaybar package. It handles tight on road tires, but is all wrong with a lift and offroad tires. I'll highlight the chassis tuning adventures here, too.

Far too much money has been spent. That's the price you pay without a house or a lift when someone else does the work. They did a good job. I have no complaints about the work or the parts. This was more of a rebuild than a "bUiLd". Tuning it correctly took some effort and I hope to highlight some of those efforts here. I wanted something comfy and reliable for long trips that can do camping duty. It has good bones but needed a lot of TLC and attention to details. Some patina and battle scars

Work to date:

Suspension:
New 2.5in Torch lift Kit
New Z71 rear springs 81069 Moog
New upper and lower front control arms.
Stock Replacement front torsion bars with keys for levelling (any model is fine).
New Bilstein 5100 extended shocks.
No anti-sway bars.
New Road one stock size tires (Cheap and prone to cupping. Beware. Likes lower pressure settings, below 40psi).
New upper + lower steering shafts

Driveline:
New 4wd motor + actuator
New 4.10 posi rear end
New rotors + pads all around
New Engine + transmission mounts
New front axles
All new fluids
Bonus round! Already had a factory transmission cooler.

Body:
New Amazon grill (better airflow)
New Head lights (properly adjusted)
New 3rd brake light
New brake switch
New door + rear latch handles
New rear window struts
Repaired rear defroster.

Engine:
5lbs of partially chewed walnuts removed from a neurotic squirrel. Improved airflow.
New rear main seal
New oil pan gasket
New high output alternator
HP Tuners "chair massage" tune (Fans, shift points, traction control, timing, fuel, etc)
Moosun Chinesium intake
Magnaflow Muffler (stock mufflers do go bad and kill power.)
8 new coil packs
New plugs
New Wires
New Oil pressure sensor

Interior:
New 4wd switch
New headlamp switch



Planned:
Corvette shift servo
4L65 update
Speed Engineering headers + re-engineered cat section.
Catch can
Chopacobra cam

Is the a possibility the dealer misled you??
At least go after them in small claims court
Get something out of them. and if you can find out tge speedo was spun????? then nail them....

 

[War_Pig]

Is the a possibility the dealer misled you??
At least go after them in small claims court
Get something out of them. and if you can find out tge speedo was spun????? then nail them....

I'm the 3rd owner and not that vindictive about it. I'm not entirely sure they knew, either. Who's to say it wasn't bought at auction and restored to a driveable condition?

The CEL doesn't work. We think the bulb was pulled. There was definitely some chicanery but there's no proof the dealer did it especially 10 years later.