My SoCal 2002 Chevy Tahoe Build

[GSuelzle]

I am new to the community and love all the builds that I have reviewed over the last year. I want to share my 2002 Chevy Tahoe build as it progresses.
Several years ago I added a 3" body lift and run 315/75-16 tires. I recently got inspired and had a friend fabricate a new front bumper. The rear bumper fabrication will start this week.

 

[GSuelzle]

More pictures

Here are a few more pictures of the front bumper. I will post more pictures a the build comes together. Any comments or questions are very welcome.

 

[Jelorian]

Another GMT800! Welcome to the forums! I have the same exact color as yours. That bumper looks fantastic! Looks like your friend does some real quality work. I really like how he integrated a front hitch. I also like how little it protrudes from the front. Very low key and doesn't stick out too far. Is there room behind the front plate mount for a winch? Care to share if he would do other bumpers and how much? Feel free to PM me if needed. I was looking at an ARB, but I'm always on the lookout for other options.

Love to see any pics of how the bumper mounts. Also, was the bumper powdercoated or is that spray on bed liner? Looks real good.

Looking forward to the rear bumper as well. I'm sure it will be just as good looking. Will you be doing a swing out? Dual swings?

Why don't we have good fabricators like this in the SF Bay Area? Maybe I'm not looking hard enough.

Again, welcome and looking forward to the progress on your rig.

Cheers!

 

[GSuelzle]

The bumper does have room behind it to for a winch. I had it designed with the front hitch so I can use my cradled winch on the front or rear depending on need. The bumper was powder coated 4 times so the seams would disappear. By the way, we used 3/16" plate steel for durability and the mounts were custom made to fit the truck. As for the rear, I am going to have a swing out tire rack with space for a lift jack/shovel; not sure if I need a gas can swing out.

The next phase will include rock sliders, an aluminum center console, and a polyurea coating (LineX or Rhino Lining) for the entire vehicle.

This is my mates first bumper, he designed it in a 3D model before cutting it on his CNC machine. He has not come up with an expense yet but I will post his information when it is ready.

 

[ckupq]

IMHO that looks better than most of the aftermarket bumpers on the market.

 

[GSuelzle]

 

[rayra]

IMHO that looks better than most of the aftermarket bumpers on the market.

yeah, it goes with the body contours, rather than looking like a cattle grate was grafted on. OP tell your friend he does nice looking work.

 

[chilliwak]

Impresive looking bumper! Me like! Cheers, Chilli..

 

[rayra]

Will there be any provision for bracing of the outer ends? All I see on the inside pic are brackets for the frame ends. Something that LOOKS that tough ought to BE that tough.
Likewise the hitch receiver ought to be tied to the frame ends in some way, or any heavy load will just pull the center of the bumper right out.

It's got a great and close-fitting appearance, but it has to have some strength in the design, beyond that in thin plate steel. It's a bumper / hitch, not just a cosmetic body panel, it has to have some structural strength.

 

[Martinjmpr]

IMHO that looks better than most of the aftermarket bumpers on the market.

.
:iagree: Clean looking bumper, I like it. Depending on the cost he could probably sell them to other GMT-800 owners.
.
I swore I wasn't going to get another custom bumper after my last two vehicles (both 4runners) had them but a bumper like that could tempt me, depending on the cost.

 

[Jelorian]

The bumper does have room behind it to for a winch. I had it designed with the front hitch so I can use my cradled winch on the front or rear depending on need. The bumper was powder coated 4 times so the seams would disappear. By the way, we used 3/16" plate steel for durability and the mounts were custom made to fit the truck. As for the rear, I am going to have a swing out tire rack with space for a lift jack/shovel; not sure if I need a gas can swing out.

The next phase will include rock sliders, an aluminum center console, and a polyurea coating (LineX or Rhino Lining) for the entire vehicle.

This is my mates first bumper, he designed it in a 3D model before cutting it on his CNC machine. He has not come up with an expense yet but I will post his information when it is ready.

Your friend does some really nice work. The welds look top notch. Access to CAD software and a CNC puts this into another class of fabrication.

View attachment 369670

Thanks for this pic! It shows what's going on behind the bumper.

Will there be any provision for bracing of the outer ends? All I see on the inside pic are brackets for the frame ends. Something that LOOKS that tough ought to BE that tough.
Likewise the hitch receiver ought to be tied to the frame ends in some way, or any heavy load will just pull the center of the bumper right out.

It's got a great and close-fitting appearance, but it has to have some strength in the design, beyond that in thin plate steel. It's a bumper / hitch, not just a cosmetic body panel, it has to have some structural strength.

I agree with rayra, you should have some additional bracing on the outer ends so that the bumper could actually take the weight of the truck. A couple of hi-lift pockets on either side of your fogs would be nice.

Also, like rayra mentioned, the front hitch should have some additional tie-ins to the frame for added strength when you actually do a heavy pull.

Again, great looking bumper and top notched work! Looking forward to the rear bumper as well.

Cheers!

 

[GSuelzle]

Bracketing

The brackets behind the bumper were phase one; sorry I don't have a picture of the rest. There is bracketing all along the bumper and the mounting brackets tie the front receiver to the frame. I will get pictures of the rear loaded next week once it is completed.

We are planning the rock sliders next.

Has anyone done an LS6 swap into a Tahoe? I found one at an unbelievable price.[/QUOTE]

 

[Jelorian]

The brackets behind the bumper were phase one; sorry I don't have a picture of the rest. There is bracketing all along the bumper and the mounting brackets tie the front receiver to the frame. I will get pictures of the rear loaded next week once it is completed.

We are planning the rock sliders next.

Has anyone done an LS6 swap into a Tahoe? I found one at an unbelievable price.

Looking forward to the updated pics of the back of the front bumper as well as the new rear bumper. If I may suggest, it would be cool if you somehow were able to lock the swing outs (if you are going to have any) in various positions. I've seen some where people incorporated old locking hubs so you could basically open your swing out to any angle and lock it in place. Helps when you need to keep it open on an off camber road/slope.

As for your LS6 question, I know it's been done, but no direct experience. 450+HP in a Tahoe would be wicked. Just make sure you beef up the trans and rear axle.

 

[Jelorian]

GSuelzle, any updates to your front and rear bumper install? Would love to see more pics.

 

[Stryder106]

Hmmmmmmmmmm - advertisement? Noticed the company name prominently displayed on the bumper in the pics. Really nice looking bumper, but agreed - it's not very functional without a lot more support brackets.