2003 Silverado Z71 solid axle build

[justcuz]

Why not do a Suburban?
The wheelbase is roughly a foot shorter than the truck.
I have not been to Texas in a while, but the last time I was, Suburbans outnumbered Tahoes by about 2-1.
(better vehicle selection)
The Suburban is a better tow vehicle than a Tahoe, 116" vs. 130" wheelbase.
The boys will continue to grow and the space for gear and the boys friends are better in the Suburban.
My 2 cents worth of advice.
Either way I'm sure it will turn out nicely given the results of the truck.
Good luck with the sale!

 

[Bojak]

I always thought the suburban was more gain for less give than the Tahoe. If it's about the wheelbase, Tahoe is a mobile home on trails anyway. Just offering an opinion u didn't know u wanted.

 

[noJeepshere]

I'll add my 2 cents as well, since I daily drive a Yukon (Tahoe)

The ONLY advantage a Tahoe has over the suburban is maneuverability off-road. There is less cargo space, fewer seats and the shorter wheelbase makes it less stable towing. The only real reason I have a Yukon and not a suburban is I simply don't need one, being a single guy and all. Fuel economy is no better in my Yukon vs. a suburban doing the same thing.

Save yourself time and money and get a suburban. Or a crew cab.

sent from a slablet

 

[justcuz]

One other reason for a Suburban is the availability of the 3/4 ton with leaf springs. He can do a simple rear shackle flip and concentrate on building his front SAS components.
This is all based on the assumption that he wants to stay with an LS based engine GMT800 platform.
If a GMT400 is in the cards then they all have rear leaves so that's off the table.
A Tahoe has the same wheelbase as a new JKU 4 door Jeep Wrangler, but a bigger body.
Since he is used to his truck at 141" WB a Suburban is going to feel a bit smaller.
I commented in a couple other threads about my ownership of 4wd vehicles over my lifetime and how much money I spent on vehicles and modifications.
Had I gone with my original plan (a Travelall) I would have been money ahead.
Some people enjoy building vehicles, it is fun and a great hobby.
At 64 years old, I just want to use and maintain/repair my vehicles.
My building days are not over, but I am less enthusiastic about the work than I used to be.

 

[rayra]

If the OP is going with so much lift in the future, the added overhang of the Sub won't matter much. IIRC the Sub is 22" longer than the Tahoe, and about 70% of that added length is all in the cargo area, which is cavernous. With the 2nd and 3rd rows folded, I often fit 4'x8' sheet products wholly inside the back of my Sub. On the ground, my Sub is within an inch or so in wheelbase and overall length of my '85 C-10 standard cab longbed pickup.
And even with the 3rd row seats in, the Sub still has 32" of cargo room in the rear, 32cu'. Fully twice that behind the 2nd row, with the 3rd row out.
Our Tahoe has been great for four on road trips with moderate luggage. Will haul 6 on a day trip, but the cargo space is minimal. A medium ice chest and some daypacks at best.
The Sub, haul six and a big pile of gear.
Prices used are almost the same. Our MPG has been the same, near enough. We're averaging 15, mixed driving in L.A. commuting.

The only difference is how hard you intend to wheel it.

Talk to geron, he's got a 6" lift and coil-overs on his Sub, And there's several other 'Burbs here conquering Moab obstacles and the like. It can be done.


/Suburban Mafia

 

[mccustomize]

I'm going for the shortest wheelbase possible, while having 4 full size doors. I don't tow anything crazy, just my little off road trailer and maybe a 16ft farm trailer in a blue moon, but I have a 2 wheel drive crew cab for that. I just don't think I would be gaining much ground in the realm of overall length and wheelbase with a suburban. I am gaining very significant ground with a tahoe/yukon. The trails I have run killed me not because of the general width, but because of the long wheelbase not being able to turn. I have considered 3/4 ton suburbans however, and I would love retaining the leaf springs in the rear and not having any guesswork with rear coils and a costly link setup. I should just bob the suburban, yea right.

 

[justcuz]

Bobbing a Suburban has been done!
So are you looking for a GMT400 leaf sprung Tahoe to build or convert a GMT800 to rear leaf springs.
Personally I think a GMT800 converted to 63" rear leafs with a coilover front should give you plenty of flex.

 

[mccustomize]

Bobbing a Suburban has been done!
So are you looking for a GMT400 leaf sprung Tahoe to build or convert a GMT800 to rear leaf springs.
Personally I think a GMT800 converted to 63" rear leafs with a coilover front should give you plenty of flex.

GMT 800 all the way, the thought had never really crossed my mind about converting a tahoe to leaf springs in the rear, but I will honestly probably just stay linked with coil overs if I go that route,

 

[rayra]

There's a mid-series split in the GMT800s, 2000-2002 and 2003-2006. The latter has separate ventilation zones and digital air controls, a double-din stereo capacity, and a lot of steering wheel buttons for driver information and hands-on-wheel controls. They also have a fully computer-controlled throttle body. The 2000-2002 models have a direct cable from the gas pedal, more rudimentary dash controls and a din-and-a-half stereo capacity (which I recently overcame to install a double din head unit with touch screen and DVD).
The later half of the series might cost $1000 more. I bought my '02 Sub Z71 for $6000 20mos ago, in very good condition. Our '05 Tahoe was bought new and is still much like new 11yrs and 165k mi later. And it certainly does have a much sharper turn radius than the Sub.

Hell, buy both combined for 1/5th the price of a new Raptor.

 

[mccustomize]

There's a mid-series split in the GMT800s, 2000-2002 and 2003-2006. The latter has separate ventilation zones and digital air controls, a double-din stereo capacity, and a lot of steering wheel buttons for driver information and hands-on-wheel controls. They also have a fully computer-controlled throttle body. The 2000-2002 models have a direct cable from the gas pedal, more rudimentary dash controls and a din-and-a-half stereo capacity (which I recently overcame to install a double din head unit with touch screen and DVD).
The later half of the series might cost $1000 more. I bought my '02 Sub Z71 for $6000 20mos ago, in very good condition. Our '05 Tahoe was bought new and is still much like new 11yrs and 165k mi later. And it certainly does have a much sharper turn radius than the Sub.

Hell, buy both combined for 1/5th the price of a new Raptor.

Yes, I'm aware of all the differences, I'm on my 10th GM fullsize currently. 03-04 is my specific target and I like the steering wheel and double din capability most of all, I never cared for the steering wheel feel of the 99-02. I've found several 03-04 Tahoe/Yukon/escalades for less than $4500 so that is what I'm aiming for. I have found a few 3/4 ton suburbans in my price range, a couple of those being 2002s but I'm not ruling out that possibility. Having leaf spring rear and the 6.0/4L80 would save me from swapping those items. I need to find a suburban to park my truck next to and figure out exactly how much shorter it is for me to really consider it.

 

[justcuz]

Looking forward to whatever you build. Especially if you link and do coilovers in the back of a 1/2 ton.

I have a GMT400 Suburban and extra cab pickup 130" and 141" WB and for most dirt road stuff it is a negligible difference. Driving through washes, over rocks and over rises is where you notice the difference. Granted mine are not much higher than stock and I only run 285 tires, so a lifted, big tire, straight axle vehicle will be an entirely different ball game.
IMO having owned older high boy type straight axle trucks the length is less of an issue with a lifted vehicle than it is with lower vehicles. One exception is the old style low hanging transfer cases on the 50's, 60's and early 70's 4x4's.
I think that's why those old transfer cases were so big and stout, they frequently had to support the weight of the vehicle, or plow the top off the hill you were breaking over!

I just removed a 4" lift and 36" tires from one of my rigs and went with 2" and 33's. Plenty for most of what I do these days and way easier for this fat ole guy to get in and out of!

 

[rayra]

Those Subs have a wheelbase of 130", an overall length of 219". Your truck's original spec was 143" WB and OAL of 227". So the Sub's wheelbase is a foot shorter, and 8" shorter overall.

The Tahoes are 116 WB and 199" OAL. 14" shorter wheelbase than the Sub, 20" shorter OAL than the Sub.


/all GMT800 numbers

 

[mccustomize]

Those Subs have a wheelbase of 130", an overall length of 219". Your truck's original spec was 143" WB and OAL of 227". So the Sub's wheelbase is a foot shorter, and 8" shorter overall.

The Tahoes are 116 WB and 199" OAL. 14" shorter wheelbase than the Sub, 20" shorter OAL than the Sub.


/all GMT800 numbers

That's great info, since I will be taking the body off the frame for this build I think I will try and stick with a Tahoe/Yukon platform. I really think the shorter wheelbase is going to make a big difference. I also won't need third row so I'll be able to use that space, which is a lot more than my current truck has. This way I would be able to swap to leaf springs in the rear and keep the shortest vehicle possible. I would also be able to work on the chassis and suspension inside my garage, which would make a big difference in Texas. I'm still working on my truck before I sell it, I have a few items I want to take care of before I get rid of it but they are very minor things. If I find a 2 wheel drive I can run a divorced Atlas case and get my 4:1 ratio as well.

 

[justcuz]

The 2wd and 4wd frames on GMT800's are very similar up front and use the same suspension. No spring buckets in the 2wd frame, much easier to work with. 63" leaf springs would make a good choice for the rear and spring mounts from a square body 4wd Chevy would be an easy way to mount them inexpensively.

As short as the wheelbase is going to be, I would also consider dual 241 transfer cases. The reason is the intermediate shaft between the trans and transfer case will be pretty short, if your trying for equal length driveshafts front and rear. Also the rear driveshaft angle will be a bit steeper with a divorced transfer case.

The divorced transfer cases in early Chevys were all behind shorter manual transmissions, even then, the intermediate shaft was pretty short. The old Chevy Rockwell transfer cases also had a lower output for the rear than modern straight through transfer cases that kept the rear driveline angle reasonable, but low.

My personal choice would be a 241 with Rubicon 4/1 reduction gears and some kind of selectibility in the starting gear of the transmission. With the new electronically shifted transmissions, I can see that as a doable option.

 

[mccustomize]

The 2wd and 4wd frames on GMT800's are very similar up front and use the same suspension. No spring buckets in the 2wd frame, much easier to work with. 63" leaf springs would make a good choice for the rear and spring mounts from a square body 4wd Chevy would be an easy way to mount them inexpensively.

As short as the wheelbase is going to be, I would also consider dual 241 transfer cases. The reason is the intermediate shaft between the trans and transfer case will be pretty short, if your trying for equal length driveshafts front and rear. Also the rear driveshaft angle will be a bit steeper with a divorced transfer case.

The divorced transfer cases in early Chevys were all behind shorter manual transmissions, even then, the intermediate shaft was pretty short. The old Chevy Rockwell transfer cases also had a lower output for the rear than modern straight through transfer cases that kept the rear driveline angle reasonable, but low.

My personal choice would be a 241 with Rubicon 4/1 reduction gears and some kind of selectibility in the starting gear of the transmission. With the new electronically shifted transmissions, I can see that as a doable option.

The 2wd truck frame does have spring buckets. Some used leftover parts from GMs bin and had torsion bars on a 2wd but most were coils all the way around on a 2wd. SUVs all had torsion bars so it doesn't really matter where I start from. However the rails are nearly the same and everything will be stripped from the frame regardless and plated. I wouldn't try to bastardize dual cases if I want the reduction I will just put an atlas in it. NWF also makes a black box reduction box that is priced very right. The rubicon 241 case is completely different than the 241C thus a 4:1 in the 241C is not going to happen without very expensive machining and one off parts.