2005 Suburban Expedition Vehicle.

[kojackJKU]

Well after sizing everything up, I have a game plan for the suburban and its role in the family of vehicles. For taking the family on extended trip to fun places.

here is a breakdown of what it is. a 2005 burb z71 with 122,000kms on it. been used for plowing snow for the past 3 years. thats it. It has sat all summers etc. I figure that being used is better than sitting all the time so i am bring it back to life with some good ole TLC, and then it will be a reliable.

Parts going on.

Exterior:

17" Level 8 bronze zx wheels with goodyear territory 285's
2" lift with stiffer torsions and H2 rear springs and rancho 9000 xl's
ARB front bumper from a series 100 toyota with piaa yellow fogs in bumper and mounted on the bumper
A rear bumper of some sort since the original is starting to rust good
Roof rack for carrying extra stuff, mounting lighting, awning and highlift. Lighting will be a combo of piaa ATP and Driving beam with 55w hid kits installed.
replace the factory lighting housing with new crystal versions with 35w hid kits installed and using a 4 beam setup.
Sno Pro Plow with upgraded lighting on the rack. Removable for summer and using the stock bumper for the winter.

Interior:

Padholdr tablet and phone mount for nav duties
Android stereo unit plus upgraded speakers, amps and a subwoofer mounted in the factory space.
keep the DVD system for family entertainment
CB and HAM radios
General Cleanup with new floor mats
Etxra power connections and inverters
Cargo baracade and some sort of removable rear cargo storage system for the rear.

I will post photos of the rig as she sits now, as soon as i get the camera out.

 

[kojackJKU]

Can anyone direct me to a good roof rack for my z71.

 

[02TahoeMD]

Can anyone direct me to a good roof rack for my z71.

I have a Defender rack, it is expensive but well made. Pics in my build thread linked in my sig. I got one that matched the dimensions of the factory roof rack itself, instead of the one recommended by Defender for my truck which I think was 4' x 8'. The one I bought was made for a Jeep if memory serves correct. Gobi also makes what looks to be nice roof racks but I have never seen one in person.

Happy shopping and don't get too caught up in the mod bug if you can. You may find you want to stick with one bumper or the other - either ARB or the plow setup. It would take a fair amount of time to switch them out as the seasons change, and life has a way of interfering with vehicle plans & maintenance. (sigh)

 

[kojackJKU]

Yeah I know. Thing is the company that installed my plow, took a sawsall to my factory bumper. Maybe I can mod the arb to accept the plow mount. or something like that. I don't mind swapping out the bumpers if I have the setup good. I will checkout the defender. I think gobi's are full size. I am adding one of those to my JKU!

 

[kojackJKU]

Its been awhile, no progress on the burb yet. After plow season. Well some progress.....a new transmission.

Going under the knife again soon for all new suspension bits, wheel bearings and front shafts. Toss in an alignment as well. After that on to the rest.

 

[kojackJKU]

Well, update after 2 years....ha ha! I parked it this spring after loosing brakes. I got at er today, and found she's leaking around the mater cyl/power steering pump somewhere. I believe this rig can become reliable again, I am getting it put on the ramp, anything that looks either bit bad, its going to be replaced. It had new front end, brakes, shocks, etc already. So, Get this thing back on the road and use. I have to find a used air conditioning pump for it as well. Cannot be without that.

Stay tuned now, back on track with suburban expo!

 

[02TahoeMD]

Welcome back. I would seriously consider replacing all the brake lines if you lost the brakes already. I have been there, done that. Classic Tube makes an entire replacement stainless steel brake line set for our trucks that is worth the money. If you have access to a lift and can get the body a few inches off the frame, the job will go much faster, but it CAN be done without the lift. Just takes a lot of time.

 

[kojackJKU]

thanks...she's a tad rusty around the motor parts etc. nothing serious...just well used. I am putting it in, and getting my mechanic to replace the lines. Some were done not long ago, so I will replace the rest. I noticed that on the coil packs there are a bunch of plates like fins together around the outsides, some of these are "delaminating". Is this an issue? If so, I will have to replace them. But I am going to do the plugs and wires first.

 

[kojackJKU]

Since i have my welder and plasma cutter now, I am going to do the arb series 100 bumper but i am going to cut out the area to fit the plow bracket and fix up something cool there. Maybe even able to still work a winch in there.!

 

[Martinjmpr]

Since i have my welder and plasma cutter now, I am going to do the arb series 100 bumper but i am going to cut out the area to fit the plow bracket and fix up something cool there. Maybe even able to still work a winch in there.!

.
Is there a writeup or a youtube on the 100-series bumper modified to fit a GMT-800?

 

[02TahoeMD]

.
Is there a writeup or a youtube on the 100-series bumper modified to fit a GMT-800?

Yes Martin, there is. I posted up a writeup here on Expo when I did mine, and also over at Z71T-S. I can not find the one here at the moment, but CLICK ME for the one I posted over at Tahoe-Suburban.

And also, here is a build thread for someone who has followed my writeup successfully for his own 2001 Tahoe.

 

[kojackJKU]

I think, since looking at yours tahoe, I can just make a small cut where the winch would go, and the plow bracket would go there, all powder coated back to good, I think it would actually work really well. The bracket comes to the bottom of the metal bumper now. So only the valance was cut.