arveetek
Adventurer
Well, I figured it was high time I finally start a build thread on my 1995 Chevy Tahoe 2-door diesel that I've now owned for over 11 years!!
Here is how she sits today (fall of 2016); this picture was taken at Black Mesa, Oklahoma, July 2016:
I didn't intend for this vehicle to become an off-road rig; in fact, I originally bought her for my wife!
In the fall of 2005, my father and I were making our own home-brewed biodiesel. I was driving a 1981 Chevy C20 that I had converted to a 6.2L turbo diesel. I convinced my wife that she needed a diesel vehicle as well. Lo and behold, one Sunday after church, I spotted this 1995 K1500 Tahoe sitting on a dealer's lot. I pulled in so quick my wife thought something was wrong! I had spotted the twin holes in the front bumper (usually indicative of a diesel engine, if stock), and wanted to take a closer look. It showed 106K miles on the clock, but a quick Carfax showed that wasn't accurate. It had at least 150K. Running the VIN at the local dealer showed it had recently been in for some service at 170K. This info allowed me to negotiate a lower price with the dealer, who had simply purchased it at auction without knowing the odometer had been tampered with.
The Carfax did show that the vehicle had been essentially a one-owner until traded-in not long before I bought her. I think she floated around a few dealer's lots until landing on this one in particular.
I wasn't scared of the 170K plus miles... I had lots of experience with the GM diesels, and knew what to look for. With a factory 6.5L turbo diesel V8, a heavy-duty 4L80E transmission, a floor-shifted transfer case, and factory Eaton locker in the rear diff, this truck had some seriously good bones to work with.
She was definitely more of a soccer-mom vehicle than a serious 4x4, though:
Here were my two diesel daily drivers:
The factory running boards definitely made it more of a city vehicle.
Right away she needed the usual GM diesel upgrades: New remote-mounted PMD/FSD and oil pressure switch relay harness, a new starter, and then she was good as gold for many miles.
Well, flash forward a few years.... we started a family, and then we needed more of a family vehicle. So we sold my '94 Jeep YJ I had at the time, and bought a minivan! However, that meant I got to keep the Tahoe and my pickup for me. I started using the Tahoe as my daily driver, and that's when the mods started happening.
First things first: ditch the factory wheels and install some cheap aluminums I got from a friend:
Then I ditched the factory running boards and then added a Westin brush guard I found on Craigslist:
Slowly, she was starting to turn from a soccer-mom vehicle to an actual 4x4!
Stay tuned for more updates!
Casey
Here is how she sits today (fall of 2016); this picture was taken at Black Mesa, Oklahoma, July 2016:
I didn't intend for this vehicle to become an off-road rig; in fact, I originally bought her for my wife!
In the fall of 2005, my father and I were making our own home-brewed biodiesel. I was driving a 1981 Chevy C20 that I had converted to a 6.2L turbo diesel. I convinced my wife that she needed a diesel vehicle as well. Lo and behold, one Sunday after church, I spotted this 1995 K1500 Tahoe sitting on a dealer's lot. I pulled in so quick my wife thought something was wrong! I had spotted the twin holes in the front bumper (usually indicative of a diesel engine, if stock), and wanted to take a closer look. It showed 106K miles on the clock, but a quick Carfax showed that wasn't accurate. It had at least 150K. Running the VIN at the local dealer showed it had recently been in for some service at 170K. This info allowed me to negotiate a lower price with the dealer, who had simply purchased it at auction without knowing the odometer had been tampered with.
The Carfax did show that the vehicle had been essentially a one-owner until traded-in not long before I bought her. I think she floated around a few dealer's lots until landing on this one in particular.
I wasn't scared of the 170K plus miles... I had lots of experience with the GM diesels, and knew what to look for. With a factory 6.5L turbo diesel V8, a heavy-duty 4L80E transmission, a floor-shifted transfer case, and factory Eaton locker in the rear diff, this truck had some seriously good bones to work with.
She was definitely more of a soccer-mom vehicle than a serious 4x4, though:
Here were my two diesel daily drivers:
The factory running boards definitely made it more of a city vehicle.
Right away she needed the usual GM diesel upgrades: New remote-mounted PMD/FSD and oil pressure switch relay harness, a new starter, and then she was good as gold for many miles.
Well, flash forward a few years.... we started a family, and then we needed more of a family vehicle. So we sold my '94 Jeep YJ I had at the time, and bought a minivan! However, that meant I got to keep the Tahoe and my pickup for me. I started using the Tahoe as my daily driver, and that's when the mods started happening.
First things first: ditch the factory wheels and install some cheap aluminums I got from a friend:
Then I ditched the factory running boards and then added a Westin brush guard I found on Craigslist:
Slowly, she was starting to turn from a soccer-mom vehicle to an actual 4x4!
Stay tuned for more updates!
Casey
