McLaughlin006's 98 2-door Tahoo Build

[mclaughlin006]

First post here, but I've finally decided to fix this beast back up. I bought it back in 2002, and the thing was IMMACULATE. Had 35k miles on it, and was owned by en elderly gentleman who used it to pull his boat on the weekends to go fishing. He got rid of it when it became difficult for him to get in and out of it.

Unfortunately, it was in the clutches of my ex-wife, and the soulless woman beat my baby half to death. Broken covers on the vanity mirrors/sun visors, so I had to pull those wires. Cigarette burn in the headliner, broken ash trays in the rear, missing rear headrests, door dings and a dent in the back as well! The worst was when she decided to keep driving it with a cracked water pump, too stupid to realize what it was doing. (this is while we were going through the divorce). When I got it back, the damage had been done and the engine was toast. After the cost of the divorce and all, I was only able to put in a really crappy used engine with high miles.

It was then used as a work truck while I worked with a contractor, so the carpet paid the price for that... stains galore. I then let a family friend use it to pull a trailer to do deliveries for her store and it got some additional headliner damage and stains. That's when I decided that I wanted her back, and soon after, the old replacement engine blew a head gasket and was a goner. Replaced it with a Jasper rebuilt engine and the thing runs as smooth and strong as it ever has, so I decided to just keep going. I plan on keeping it till I croak, even if it's not my primary transportation.

Here are the initial pictures:

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She still looks pretty good, considering what she's been through. Mechanically, everything runs great, so this is all cosmetic stuff.

Here is the list of things I want, in order, as it stands now:

1. Interior: new carpet and having the leather redone on all of seats. I think there was someone here that did what I want: going with black carpet and doing grey leather seats with black leather inserts. Also adding a new center console, like everyone else, from a 99-00 Escalade. The leather for the top of that will be black, as well. For the dash, I was looking at those dash covers that stick down. I've heard great things and bad things on those, are they worth getting? If not those, what would be a good fix for that crack? It looks like the Grand Canyon to me...

2. Body: To the body shop to have the dents and door dings pulled out and some fresh paint. Should I keep with the 2 tone that it currently has or go solid black? I can't seem to make up my mind, but I'm leaning toward solid black.

3.Exterior: Several things here, HID head lights, LED tails, a new grille with the red outline Chevy symbol that it had when stock. Also looking at different winch bumpers, and was looking at several different ones (buckstop.com, bluelakeoffroad.com and ARB). I've seen some side mirrors with turn signals built in on the front side that looked pretty sharp, so I'd be interested in those.

4.Audio: Nothing fancy here, I'm not a big stereo guy. Some better sounding speakers would be nice, and I'd love to do that double din install, and have a new head unit and maybe a GPS that could go in that spot. I'm completely ignorant on this type of thing, so suggestions are appreciated.

5.Misc: Would love to do a snorkel intake, roof rack for the spare tire and a light bar. Rear bumper, some better exhaust and perhaps some different rims as well. I just had the factory rims sent off and refinished, so they look brand new (just need some new center caps)

Big list, but I can't wait to get started. I was about to order the carpet from www.stockinteriors.com, but I've heard some people having bad experiences. Opinions on them? If bad, what are some other options?

Just so everyone knows, this is something that is not going to be regularly off road, it's more for a look I've always wanted. In the next few years, My Girl and I want to move down to the Outer Banks, so there'd be some driving down beaches and night fishing, camping, and light off roading and hill climbing, but nothing serious. I'm really going for clean lines, nothing super aggressive or bulky. I'm open to ANY AND ALL suggestions for my build!

Thanks for having a look. As soon as I decide on the place to get the carpet, it begins.

Mike

 

[mclaughlin006]

That 4th picture was to show that black smudge on plastic. I don't know what the hell that stuff is, it originated from the spare tire, it's on that rim, and inside the cover. Let me tell you, that stuff is invincible! If it gets on clothing, it's toast, it doesn't come out. It got on several spots on the carpet as well, but that's all being replaced.

My question is, what do do there? Sand and paint it back to the original grey?

 

[96-1500]

Nice project! Glad you're saving it.

Those rims are sexy btw.

 

[K15 Blazer]

looks nice! =)

here is what I would suggest, after learning lessons the hard way on mine...
- buy some add-a-leafs for the rear and turn up the front keys to stiffen up the suspension for a more responsive drive, and for when you load up for camping trips.
- add on a steering stabilizer from rancho to make highway speeds a breeze
- good shocks (also suggest rancho. lifetime replacement. that's amazing)
- probably change the rag joint too
- upgrade the ignition coil. helped the MPG
- and try to find an external spare tire carrier juuuust in case. with good all terrain tires and AAA you almost don't need one anymore... but yeah

other than that... yeah, they're awesome trucks!!

I suggest you try and save the original carpet for its shape... I took the seats out of mine and went at it with a scrubber brush and a 50-50 mixture of simple green and purple power de-greasier... it looked amazing!

if its REALLY bad... I pull them out, rip off the insolation, and powerwash the whole thing... competly dry, get new (free) insolation from a carpet place. re install.

good luck!!

 

[mclaughlin006]

These are the Headlights and Tail lights I am looking at:

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I've heard stories about since these headlights aren't sealed, that they have a tendency to get water and/or condensation in them. Are there ways to prevent this? Are there particular brands that are more likely to have this happen?

 

[jtlichty]

These are the Headlights and Tail lights I am looking at:

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I've heard stories about since these headlights aren't sealed, that they have a tendency to get water and/or condensation in them. Are there ways to prevent this? Are there particular brands that are more likely to have this happen?

I would suggest sealing any unsealed area with caulk before mounting them to prevent it. Shouldn't be hard to do and shouldn't take long.

Also, I like the Tahoe! Good luck restoring her to her former glory!

 

[mclaughlin006]

http://www.stockinteriors.com/DashCaps.asp?Itemid=20450&MakeId=31&ModelId=595

Anyone have any experience with this type of dash cover? Do they stick down and stay down? Any warping, fading or cracking?

Thanks!

 

[twomanymontes]

Nice looking truck!

 

[mclaughlin006]

Got my carpet in from StockInteriors and it looks great! Looking great and fitting great are two different things, so I'll put more on that, later. Leather has been ordered, and I've located a center console from a 99-00 Escalade.

Has anyone put in a head unit with bluetooth and GPS capabilities? Really would like to have this, but I don't know the first thing about car stereos.

 

[sewlow]

Welcome! Good for you for saving/reviving the 'hoe!

Ex-wives=Grrrrr!!! I can totally relate!

Carpets? 'ACC' (Auto Craft Carpets) & nothing else! They are the best. Did you get some extra for the bottoms of the doors?
Like the plan for the interior! Couple suggestions for you.
- ALL black console. You can dye the hard plastic while using leather on the soft parts. Dye = 'Landau Black', by 'SEM'. This will make the seats 'pop' more when you open the door.
- Use some of the smaller pieces of the leather left over from the seats for the door inserts.
- Dash cover? Blechhh!. To me, a Band-Aid fix, & not a very good one at that! Not too hard to swap in a dash that's in better shape. The components are all plug & play. I've read somewhere here on the forum about members that have done the swap in a day. Figure on a couple of hours at the wreckers to pull a good one.
- You can do the headliner yourself! But...in that H/L material selection, there is about 10 variances in grey alone. You could get a color that matches the new leather, or match the grey of the plastic trim, as original. Remember, the darker that you go with the H/L material will bring the ceiling of the truck down, visually, making it feel more & more cave-like. This is why Reg. cabs have a white H/L. (& orig. VW Beetles, too!) Makes the interior feel less confining.

Like the tail lights, & the bumper lights. Not a fan of the headlights. Really don't like the output, the cut-off & the general appearance of them. The brackets/adjustments are poop! (See my sig. Lol! Gonna change them out to the smoked TYC style, with matching LED bumper lights.)
So...if the 'hoe came with the red outlined bow-tie in the grill, IIRC, that would make it a 'Sport'. Those bow-ties are kinda hard to find! Good luck in the search for that. If I find one...I'm keeping it for me! Lol!

Cheers & chuckles!