Project Yukon HD (1996 Yukon c1500)

[dcp1992]

Next I reinstalled the headlights now with the added halos.

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I also forgot to show it but I had to clearance the radiator support for the projector side of the headlight. (Didn't have to do it that much but I just wanted to make sure I had plenty of room.)

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I also cut out one catalytic converter and gutted the other one and of course I got a check engine light. So I did the spark plug foul spacer trick. It's been working for 11 months with no problem.

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On to cab light install. (clearance lights) (And this is now back to after the lift.)
First off, I don't care what anyone says... The rubber well nuts that everyone says to use to install cab lights in the cab light thread don't work that well. When I installed cab lights on my Jeep years ago I used the rubber well nuts mentioned from this forum. At first they did okay, didn't have any problems... But when we had all that freezing weather back last year the ice/snow started to pull the lights off the roof and you could also the how much the rubber well nuts had deteriorated... So I knew then when I put the lights on this truck I was going to do it right the first time and use some zinc coated steel nutserts and have been very happy with them. I was also able to use them in my Jeep even with the holes drilled out more for the rubber well nuts.

So, I went up to one of my local Fastenal and picked up a bag of 25 that were 10-24 thread. (lucky for me, since they are usually a non stock item, someone ordered 5 or so bags and never picked them up... in fact I just checked and they still have them so I might pick up the other bags just to have... They are only $12.33 a bag)

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This is the tool I picked up at Northern Tools for roughly $22, the Surebonder 8510, it worked great for just doing my Jeep and Yukon. Yes, it's not really designed to do them this big in steel but it held up okay, just a little bit of deformation. Don't know how many more it could do, but I think I can actually weld the part that's separating and keep using it.

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This is the deformation. The barrel is being pushed back. But like I said, I could probably weld the front of the barrel so at least it won't push all the way through. The metal will stay bent but it won't actually some appart.

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Clean the roof off.

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Taped out and used the cab light install thread to get the measurements to where I needed to drill.

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Mockup of the lights.

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[dcp1992]

More mock up. You can also see the print out of the picture I got from the can light install thread.

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And, and after measuring once, twice... 20 times. Drill the holes.

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Install the nutserts and wires. I put some RTV around the nutserts just to keep rust away and keep any water that might get to it out.

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Clearance lights mounted and wired in. The only thing I would change is not to get the black bolts, get the chrome ones because the black just rusts. That's one thing I still need to change, hope the zinc coated nutserts keep the bolts from rusting.

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Then I went to Pull-A-Part and picked up a set of OEM running boards (since this thing used to have them I already had all the mounts on the body), a trailer brake controller, and a GMT800 rearview mirror with double row compass and temperature.

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Took the running boards apart and bedlined the frame and the plastic cover then installed.

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Old compass only mirror.

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Then I installed the rearview mirror.

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Temperature sensor.

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[88GMCtruck]

Nice timeline, like seeing how things progress. Looks like you have some more stuff to add!

First off, I don't care what anyone says... The rubber well nuts that everyone says to use to install cab lights in the cab light thread don't work that well. When I installed cab lights on my Jeep years ago I used the rubber well nuts mentioned from this forum. At first they did okay, didn't have any problems... But when we had all that freezing weather back last year the ice/snow started to pull the lights off the roof and you could also the how much the rubber well nuts had deteriorated... So I knew then when I put the lights on this truck I was going to do it right the first time and use some zinc coated steel nutserts and have been very happy with them. I was also able to use them in my Jeep even with the holes drilled out more for the rubber well nuts.

Suck you had issues with them. Mine have been on my truck since I originally installed them and made the install thread back in like 2008. Not sure what type of lights you put on your jeep but if water is getting under freezing and pushing them up that likely means the light bases really aren't sealing as they should. When I pull my lights/gaskets off (even when it's raining) I've not found water under them.

Not that there is anything wrong with nut inserts either. Keep the updates coming.

 

[dcp1992]

Nice timeline, like seeing how things progress. Looks like you have some more stuff to add!


Suck you had issues with them. Mine have been on my truck since I originally installed them and made the install thread back in like 2008. Not sure what type of lights you put on your jeep but if water is getting under freezing and pushing them up that likely means the light bases really aren't sealing as they should. When I pull my lights/gaskets off (even when it's raining) I've not found water under them.

Not that there is anything wrong with nut inserts either. Keep the updates coming.

Thanks, and yes, I definitely have more to add! Alslo thanks for that install thread, all the measurements helped out and I know it's helped a lot more people.

Yeah, I have nothing against the rubber well nuts, I'ved used them for lot's of different things. Like I said, I'd had them on the Jeep for probably 2 years or so before I started to have problems. Most the reason is because they are supposed to fit our trucks, but they actually fit quite well and when I first installed them I had no problems and they were sealing against the roof like they were supposed to. But I guess over the 2 years they were on, and taking them apart a couple times to replace the LEDs in them, reusing the same well nuts probably wasn't the best idea. I know after taking them apart multiple times they did start to create a gap in some places and I couldn't get the bolts tight enough to pull the gasket back flush with the roof without pulling the well nut out of the hole. I will say I did have some extra well nuts and when the front of the two lights pulled up in the front I replaced with some fresh well nuts and it worked and sealed back until I got the nutserts.

So yeah, the well nuts can seal great, especially if you don't mess with them much. Or at least use the lights on what they are made for. I know there are probably a lot of people that use the well nuts and don't have any problems, and I didn't have any for about 2 years, guess that one bad experience kinda affected my post on them.

 

[dcp1992]

Then I got a A/C compressor kit that came with the compressor, accumulator, o-rings, orifice tube, and oil. The A/C compressor had been locked up since I'd gotten the truck.

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Replaced.

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Then I got and installed the 2" coil spacers. Now earlier in the thread I responded to someone about how it road with the G3500 leaf springs, well, now that I think about it. Some of that can be contributed to these spacers too. I went with the spacers because they were cheap and I also heard the lift coils made the ride super rough, but I'm wondering if lift coils might be better than what I have now. I don't know, whenever I build the front bumper and get a winch in this thing it should mellow out and I might also get some 3" coils depending on how much the front drops.

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One spacer in... It was a SUPER pain in the but, just like everyone says. I had to unbolt the lower control arm and jack the arm up with the spacer in place and bolt everything back together. While the truck was lifting off the jackstands, I honestly think putting a full coil in would be easier.

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Both spacers in and you can see how much camber it has, I even tried to tweak the alignment myself to try to at least get the wheels un-cambered, I got the driver side close but the passenger side I couldn't get close.

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Here it is with the 4" RCX spindles and 2" spacers in the front netting to 6" and the G3500 ******* pack leaf spring with a 2" RCX block in the back netting to about 5"-5.5". Like I said earlier, I'd love to either have them match or have the back a little higher than the front, but my driveshaft is limiting me.

Also don't skip leg day.

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I'll definitely say be careful messing with the front spring on these trucks or any springs for that matter. I had the spring jump out of the bottom cup and smack my finger against the threads of the ball joint... that new, sharp, ball joint. This was about 2 weeks later. I'm lucky that a ball joint has some give to it and it moved when my thumb hit it... I'm lucky I didn't lose my thumb.

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[dcp1992]

At the same time I got the 2" spacers I also bought a ID bar for the back. It has the standard 3 red LEDs but it also acts as a reverse light/AUX light.

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I tied the ID bar into the factory trailer wiring, while I was at it I fixed the butchered wiring that was on there also.

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Running lights.

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running lights & reverse lights.

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Then I double diode isolated the reverse light on it so I could add a switch on the dash so it also acts like a bed light on the trucks.

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Then I decided that I needed to go ahead a fix the crazy negative camber problem in the front end. I ordered some Canuck Motorsports upper control arms for lifted 2wd GMT400 trucks... They got back to me two days later saying there suppliers don't make them anymore and had to give me a refund. Soooo, I thought I was pretty much screwed. Until I found Crown Suspension and ordered from them and luckily they still had some left. But they have since delisted them both from there eBay and there main website. So I think the days of putting coils/spacers on a GMT400 2wd seems to be coming to an end, sadly.

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Getting ready to put them on.

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Comparing the lift control arms to the OEM control arms.

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Driver side installed.

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Passenger side installed.

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Before I got the alignment I did swap the ball joint under the arm since that was how all the pictures were. (after alignment)

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[dcp1992]

Here it is on the ground after control arms were installed. So much better. (Before the alignment)

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Then I finally got some HIDs. They are 55w 8000k, the kit I got came with a relay kit, which for our trucks is a good thing since I know my buddies 95 Z71 really needed one since he always had misfires.

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The relay kit.

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Love the 55W HIDs, I don't really even need my bright lights with them... Though the bright lights kinda suck in these projector lights.

Then I went ahead a ripped the carpet out from the back of the front seats all the way out the back. I did this because the rear hatch leaks and has been since before I got it so all the rear carpet was soaked and mildewed and the truck smelled lovely in the heat. Surprisingly not too much rust, mainly only surface rust. I will eventually be bedlining the floors. And yes, that is a 15" Memphis subwoofer. I want to get rid of it and get two 12" sub's. The 15" dosen't hit right.

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And here are some worn out 35x12.50r15 tires I got for $100 and I drove all the way to Tupelo Mississippi for. About a 2 hour drive one way, probably not the best decision I made but I couldn't pass them up for $100.

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Here's me messing around at the end of my street. You can also see the billet grille I got, it has some driving light mounts made into the grille and it came with some lights I put 100w bulbs in. They light up pretty the road pretty good.

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Here are just some extra pictures of the 35s

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It looks like it's squatting more that it is, mostly because the rear tires are almost bald, but I still don't like squatting. Personal opinion of course.

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That's where I'm ending it tonight. I'm over halfway through now and I might be able to get up to speed in about another 2-3 sittings of posting.

'Til next time!

 

[dcp1992]

Here's a couple more pictures of the grille. It came chrome and then I painted it black along with the chrome around the original grille.

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Then I decided I was going to change the tailshaft bushing and seal since It was leaking... It kinda helped but now Transmission fluid leaks out of the hole in the middle of the driveshaft yoke. But only when parked on an incline, sooo, I guess I'll chalk that up as part of my short driveshaft issue.

Old bushing.

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New bushing installed.

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New seal and installed

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I also found that the casting on the transmission has some stress cracks in it. Don't know how I feel about that.

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I also added some speakers in the rear roof.

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Then I ordered some GMC emblem inserts from Lightwerkz off-road (@prezywerkz on Instagram). They are RGB and I got bluetooth module with it. (I got some free Rockford Fosgate stuff with it also)

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Then I ordered a 2015 GMC emblem since that's the size of emblem the inserts go in.

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Then I drilled out all the tabs and took the red inserts out.

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[dcp1992]

Then I broke the tabs on the back that were used to mount them in the large 07-15 grille (the Denali style grille)

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Then (even though they were already coated) I got and sprayed them with some clear electronics sealer that makes them water resistant. While I was at it I also did the bluetooth module and LED driver.

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The driver. (voltage regulator)

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Bluetooth module

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Then I drilled and tapped the plastic to 5/16" I believe in 6 places for mounting.

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Then I taped over the diodes and painted green.

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Then I mocked up the letter and installed them.

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Also installed some quick disconnects to the wiring.

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Here you can see the all thread I used to mount them and what I put in the holes I drilled and tapped. I epoxied them in.

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Done installing the letter in the emblem.

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Then I started to install the emblem. (I am eventually getting the grille that doesn't have the lights in it and I am moving the GMC emblem to the middle of the grille.)

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The driver box installed.

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The bluetooth module I put in a plastic bag and zip tied it up just to try and keep the rain out of the screw connectors where the wires go in.

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[dcp1992]

Grille back installed and GMC emblem lit up. The GMC emblem is RGB so I can change it to any color and is also has multiple modes with the bluetooth module.

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Here is the rear bumper that I'm working on at the moment and can hopefully get it installed over the summer. I will be adding a swing out tire carrier to it. I was going to build the rear bumper like I'll eventually do the front, but I found this for cheap and after factoring in the cost of steel it wasn't much more to just buy this. So I did. Pleased with the construction too. It's by the same company I got my Jeep front bumper from.

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Here are some of the mods I've done so far.

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Cut out one of the side plates and put a bracket for the newer style 7 & 4 pin trailer connectors.

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I added a plate across the top of the license plate to add an LED strip for light (got them to put flat plate on the sides where the license plate mounts instead of having the plate cut for the stock plate lights that go on the OEM bumper.)

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Then I picked up a 60/40 bench seat with console at Pull-A-Part for $40. Lot better then everyone trying to upsell them for $400-$1000, sometimes not even in that great of shape.

While I was installing them I went ahead and ripped the rest of the carpet out. (still going to eventually bedline the floor, at the very least the cargo area)

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Also, look, the old timey car phone connector.

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