1999 GMC Yukon Build

[HotrodSmurf]

I'm just here admiring your rig, just to find out you're only about an hour from me! Sweet truck, your plan for it sounds exactly like what I'm wanting.

 

[noJeepshere]

The build has started! just in case you thought this thread had died, it hasn't, I'm still here. I started pulling parts off and am now to the point where I'm going to be cutting and grinding for about 3 days to clean up the frame rails enough to look good and be ready for the installation of the swap brackets.

Goodbye 10 bolt

There was a little hitch however...

Explains my fishtailing problem I've had for months, I'm glad it wasn't worse.

And as of tonight

cent frum a smaert fone

 

[justcuz]

Your front axle looks to be a six lug GM front axle. Do you plan on swapping the t-case? I would look for an early Ford HP Dana 44 out of a 3/4 ton truck and swap your 6 lug knuckles,spindles, hubs and brake parts. Do you still plan on running the 14 bolt semi float and keeping it 6 lug?
I have thought about this a lot and realized the GM 14 bolt semi float is harder to find than the 14 bolt full float and the Ford front axles are all 8 lug. In the interest of saving time I may just stick to 8 lug stuff if and when I convert my vehicle.
Either way keep posting, your vehicle is well kept and will look nice converted. Your right about your wheels, the off set and hub centers will not work with the new axles. GM put some nice looking Alcoa type aluminum wheels on Blazers that may look nice, unless your still looking to keep the black steel wheels. If so, I would look for some GM steel rallye wheels (silver) and paint them black. They are an 8" wide wheel I believe and will clear the hubs. Chevy made chrome center caps for them too so your look would remain very close to what you had.
My 1993 Suburban has 264,000 miles on it. I told my wife it will get rebuilt at 300,000 miles whether it needs it or not! That is when I am contemplating my SAS conversion.
Keep posting your progress, I am very interested in your results!

 

[noJeepshere]

I guess I should mention that my plans have changed a bit since my last post, I have a 14 bolt full float for the rear and a dana 60 for the front, with 4.56 gears. It all happened because my friend offered me the 60 at a price I couldn't say no to. So it's all 8 lug now and 1 tons.

cent frum a smaert fone

 

[justcuz]

Very strong running gear. You should never have trouble with that in the Tahoe. Is the front 60 a GM passenger drop? What t-case will you be running? I wonder if you could use your stock IFS shock tower and Ford F-250 TTB U bolt plates to mount your shocks, I was going to try it if the angles were close. If you are still thinking about tall skinny tires see if you can find some early F-350 aluminum wheels. They are made by Alcoa and are forged aluminum I believe, very strong. Rumor has it BFG is going to produce a 35x10.50/16 tire soon (after July) that may suit your needs. Also in Utah you may be able to source a 9.00x16 grip spur tire at the local co-op or farm supply store.
In an earlier post it sounds like the guy with the blue pickup may have gotten ORU and ORD mixed up.
Stephen from ORD is a very stand up guy. Henrik from ORU Is a different vendor.
Looking forward to more posts on your progress!

 

[noJeepshere]

Ok so now that I have a little more time to put out a more detailed update, here it is:

I was going to go with the spring under Dana 44 I found in the junkyard and do a 14bsf swap in the rear, but since my friend (that is letting me use his driveway for the swap) offered me a Ford kingpin Dana 60 for cheap, I went that route. I found a very nice 14bff with factory discs and a locker with 4.56 gears for $250 for the rear. The Dana 60 needs brakes and gears but is otherwise good to go. I went with the swap kit from ORD and a shackle flip kit from ORD for the rear. I'm using Tuff-Country 2" EZRide springs and ORD crossover steering. The rear leafs (leaf, one is broken) are staying stock and I might need to reuse my 1.5" lift blocks to sit more or less level. I'm swapping out the autotrac t-case for a good ol' lever (NP241C) case with a slip yoke eliminator kit. Ford shock towers up front, and a custom crossmember for the rear shocks to maximize travel. BFG came out with a 34x10.50/17 all terrain (their new one) on some aluminum Ram wheels. I got in a wreck in December and have a new grille and bumper, but I found a guy with a TJM bull bar that I'm going to try to sweet talk him out of. I also ended up needing to redo my exhaust (salt) so add that to the list. Plus driveshafts and a master cylinder and brake lines and...

 

[noJeepshere]

The Dana 60:



I realized I don't have a pic of the 14 bolt, I will change that soon.

 

[justcuz]

Nice axle plan! 4.56 in Overdrive will be 3.20 gears. Can you reuse the Ford steering if you clearance the front suspension crossmember? Looking forward to this build, it's going to be nice. The 6 lug setup would have been nice, this is going to be even stronger. I'd be shocked if you ever broke any drivetrain on this conversion. Will be well worth it from a durability standpoint.
Did that spring under Dana 44 front axle come out of a Jeep vehicle?

 

[noJeepshere]

I'm cutting out the front crossmember and two others will take its job, one at the very front and one under the engine under the "high" part of the oil pan. The D44 came from a J20 wide body pickup, it is 65" from flange to flange, hence why I picked it, it was only 2" narrower than my stock track.

cent frum a smaert fone

 

[noJeepshere]

Today I took this:

And made it look like this:

Almost ready to wire wheel the frame and weld a plate to the frame to attach the shock towers and front suspension brackets.

Also got a replacement spring for the rear:

cent frum a smaert fone

 

[noJeepshere]

Got the frame ready for the brackets to go on, then realized I needed some drill bits, and since I have to get up at 230 for work tomorrow, that it is for today.

cent frum a smaert fone

 

[noJeepshere]

Haven't done much this week due to a sudden surge of overtime, but I got the chance to head up to Keith's today and take measurements for steel and also picked up some wheels for after the swap is done.

cent frum a smaert fone

 

[chilliwak]

Nice looking upgrades Jeep!:drool:

 

[rabbiporkchop]

Hi all, my name is Riley, new to the forum and already finding too many ways to spend money (and save it) on my truck.

Quick rundown of the truck:

1999 GMC Yukon, 5.7L V8, 4L60e Transmission, auto-trac transfer case, stock front end and rear axle (G80 equipped)

Grandpa bought this truck brand new back in October 98 from the factory with 0.3 mile on it, mom inherited it when he passed away in 2003. They couldn't afford to keep it (mom and dad) at the time so my brother bought it and "blinged" it In 2007, I saved it from a life of mall-crawling soccer mom duty for a good life on the road and in the woods. I bought it at 110k miles and in the 4-1/2 years since have put 80k on it.

Current mods:

K&N airfilter, Flowmaster 50 series 2-in-2-out muffler, torsion crank in front, 1.5" blocks in back, 265-70/17 Toyo a/t's on nbs Police Interceptor 17x8's, in dash 2din DVD nav system (almost...) KC off road lights, slotted and cross-drilled rotors with severe duty pads, and a few other minor things.

Future mods:
Rebuild engine with racing components (durability)
BlackBear tune
Rebuild tranny with racing components
Swap auto-crap t-case for manual shift (allows slip-yoke eliminator)
Snorkel
Custom front bumper with bull bar, winch, light mounts etc.
Custom rear bumper with dual swing out tire carrier and jerrycan holder and hi-lift mount with integrated receiver hitch.
On board air
Solid axle swap with crossover steering and a locker
Rear 14bsf with ARB and disc brakes
Hydro-boost brake conversion
Roof top tent
Awning
On board fresh water storage
Heat exchange shower kit
2-dr Tahoe gas tank where the spare is now
CB radio
HAM radio in place of the jack storage
Remove all carpet and Rhino-line
HID headlights and off road lights
Green dash lights
More as I think of them...

This thread is worthless without pics, right?

When I bought her

New wheels and tires and lift

Exploring the Dalton highway to Prudhoe Bay, AK

Not quite in dash nav system (the radio is nav ready, but I don't have the $250 part to make it work)

Here is an idea for your dash.

Here is an idea for under the hood.

Center console idea for cb radio.

 

[Bushcoat]

I'm liking the under hood idea!