Avahoe = Avalanche + Tahoe

[Kingsize24]

Kingsize24,

Coils in the back so can't re-pin the rear leafs. Didn't think about moving the front A arm bushings. Would imagine it to really mess with suspension geometry. I definitely see cutting and folding front and rear fenders in the near future.

You can move the axle however by extending the length of the arm by buying adjustable ones, or using the ones you have, cutting the rectangle tubing and extending everything 1-1.5" then move either the lower, or probably easier, extending the upper coil bracket back some. As far as the front, we used to do this alot before kit's were available. As long as you offset both fore and aft equally on both sides, it works as new. Then you only need to trim minimally on the forward section of the front fender instead of into the cab, and same with the rear, no hacking into the doors. And, only taking from the rear where it's just sheetmetal.

 

[Avahoe]

Bigger front brakes and coil over suspension!

Busy week, lots of things done to the truck!

Found larger front calipers, rotors and caliper mounting brackets at the junk yard. I did put new pads on. Swapped out the front brakes and realized that front left wheel bearing is on it's way out. Going to replace both front wheel bearings when I order new front rotors.

Continued playing with the front end and installed a coil over conversion kit. Wanted to have everything incognito black but this week red parts were much cheaper, so red coils and upper control arms until i get around to spray painting them black.

This kit was relatively easy to install. Fishing the nuts on drivers side was a little tricky but not too bad. Drove around 500 miles with this setup. Slight improvement on the street and it's night and day on the trails.

Rear coil spacers and new shocks are in too, forgot to take pictures during the install.

 

[little1er]

Bigger front brakes and coil over suspension!

Busy week, lots of things done to the truck!

Found larger front calipers, rotors and caliper mounting brackets at the junk yard. I did put new pads on. Swapped out the front brakes and realized that front left wheel bearing is on it's way out. Going to replace both front wheel bearings when I order new front rotors.

Continued playing with the front end and installed a coil over conversion kit. Wanted to have everything incognito black but this week red parts were much cheaper, so red coils and upper control arms until i get around to spray painting them black.

This kit was relatively easy to install. Fishing the nuts on drivers side was a little tricky but not too bad. Drove around 500 miles with this setup. Slight improvement on the street and it's night and day on the trails.

Rear coil spacers and new shocks are in too, forgot to take pictures during the install.

Careful with the QA1's. I've had 2 snap on me, one in the body and the other with the shaft. After talking with the guys at QA1, they're not strong enough for a heavy 1500.

 

[Avahoe]

Careful with the QA1's. I've had 2 snap on me, one in the body and the other with the shaft. After talking with the guys at QA1, they're not strong enough for a heavy 1500.

little1er,

That's unfortunate to hear. Hopefully I will have better luck with them, if not I'll just have to go to Vikings when the time comes.

 

[Avahoe]

New instrument cluster with transmission temperature!

Standard instrument cluster has an empty spot in bottom left which is occupied by a transmission temperature gauge in 2500 trucks and Denalis. Wouldn't it be nice to have that in the Tahoe?

Factory cluster with a blank spot below the message center.

Instrument cluster from a 2500 Silverado which has a transmission temperature gauge.

Installing it was relatively simple, pop the dash bezel out, unscrew four 7mm bolts holding the instrument cluster in. Pop the clip at the top of the cluster to disconnect. Installing new one was quick also.

Steering wheel was pulled off because I accidentally snapped the clock spring and had to replace it.

 

[Avahoe]

Building a sleeping platform and spare tire storage.

I am building this Tahoe to serve two purposes: overland adventure rig and a stealth winter camping ski mobile. In either case I need to have comfortable sleeping quarters, something resembling a cooking area/galley/kitchen, ski and snowboard storage, inside spare tire storage and tool/spare parts storage. Even though this is a full size truck it took a while to figure out how I am going to manage all that especially with the ski season right around the corner.

First attempt: removed third row seats, folded the second row and re-purposed a couch cushion which perfectly fit into the space. It worked but the couch cushion was way too soft and not long enough, I need at least another 4" to comfortably stretch out in the back.

This time I decided to build a bed for real. Unbolted and removed middle seats. Got my snowboard, couple pairs of skis and storage totes out for some real world hands on designing. I can not visualize my idea doodling on paper or in CAD, I have to do it hands on. This is the minimum storage space I need under the bed.

Height of the bed was the biggest decision. I want the bed to be as low to the floor as possible so I am limited by the height of the skis turned on their side. My daily driver all around skis are 130mm or 5.1"at their widest. Powder skis are closer to 6". Storage compartment needs to be at least 6" high. After much deliberation I decided to go with 1"x8"x6ft pine form main bed support.

1"x8" pine boards were tied together with one 1"x2" pine boards in the rear, middle and front of truck. Rear plank is the only one that is raised off the truck floor. Middle and front reinforcement planks are flush mounted with the bottom of pine support boards. 1/4" plywood on top serves as both sleeping platform and structural tie of the vertical pine boards.

Used a 6" futon mattress on top of the sleeping platform. This mattress is firm enough to distribute pressure across the 1/4" thin plywood and insulates really well. I will start with this setup and always have a tempurpedic mattress topper or a thinner futon mattress to fall back on if this does not work as needed.

Not too many options on what to do with a full size 37" spare tire. Custom built rear spare tire carrier is not an option for me. I wanted to keep the spare in the passenger compartment. Only practical place was behind the front passenger seat. I came up with an elaborate Baja style spare tire bracket made out of 1.5" round tubing, got my welder out, dusted off the tube bender, and in the midst of all that, propped up the spare in position with a couple 2x4s. All of a sudden I had a Keep It Simple Stupid moment! Two hurricane ties and a couple lag bolts later a half day project turned into couple minute project.

Using the existing seat attachment studs, medium duty ratchet strap was secured with a washer to the existing studs. Once again, so simple and effective.

Spare tires is in place. Rear of tire is supported by the truck floor. Second row floor is approximately 8" lower than the third row floor. Front of the tire is supported by the 2x4. Tire is cradled in this simple and effective mount. Finally I secured the tire with a medium duty ratchet strap.

37" spare in it's new home. Inside, out of the elements, between front and rear axles for better weight distribution. There is plenty of storage space in front and behind the tire as well as tool storage space under.

This is what what the back now looks like with sleeping platform, ski and snowboard storage and spare tire tucked away inside.

 

[Avahoe]

Avalanche front end.

New front end is on the Tahoe. Along with fender flares and new bumpers. Been busy working on the truck, will update with all new goodies and more pictures soon.

 

[Avahoe]

Walk around



Quick walk around after body lift, coilovers, Avalanche front end swap and fender flares.

 

[Avahoe]

Diesel Heater install: part 1

With winter already here and snow on the ground I realized that it will be really cold sleeping in the Avahoe this winter without a proper heat source. In the past I have used a Mr. Heater Buddy however the radiant heat was not consistent and the condensation was borderline unbearable. And then I heard about portable diesel heaters for big rigs and RVs.

They come is two sizes: small 2kW and large 5/8kW. At just under $100 shipped I opted for a smaller 2kW heater.

It came with everything you need to install it. Heater, 10L fuel tank, fuel line, fuel filter, fuel pump. Intake and exhaust tubing. Hot air duct tubing, T-splitter for air duct, wiring harness, controller, remote control and all hose clamps and mounting screws.

With my bed position and rear HVAC modules on the passenger side, drivers sire rear area where the sub-woofer resides seems to be the most logical place to mount it.

Wishful thinking got the best of me, it would have just been way too easy to mount it inside the breadbox.

I bypassed the sub-woofer and rear tweeters from the front amp when I installed the new head unit. Surprisingly this sub-woofer has not been blown out and rubber is not deteriorated. Almost feel bad removing it however it's not hooked up and mounting the heater is more important.

Mocked it up in place. This is about where I want to mount it. The volume of the plastic fender cover trim piece should be large enough to dissipate the heat generated by the heater. I also cut out the inside of the bread box in case I need to create more ventilation later on.

Used two L brackets to mount the mounting plate to sheet metal. Heater is secured to the mounting plate. Right side of the heater is inside air intake. Left side of heater is the hot cabin air. Air ducts are not hooked up to vents in this picture. Beige pipe coming from underside of heater is the combustion exhaust pipe. Black pipe is the outside air intake. Fuel line is also coming in from below next to the outside air intake duct. Fuel pump on the right as well as the wiring harness which I wrapped in corrugated plastic for a cleaner and neater look.

Exhaust pipe on the left is wrapped with exhaust wrap to keep the temperature down. Large diameter black hose is the outside air duct. Small black hose is the fuel line coming from the fuel pump. I wrapped it in corrugated plastic for protection. L brackets are positioned one over and one under due to space constraints.

Pipes are routed along the wheel well and out of the vehicle.

Both pipes are sealed with generous portion of high temp RTV silicone both inside and outside the cab. Exhaust pipe is also secured above and below with hose clamps to prevent unnecessary movement.

Finally fuel pump is secured to the sheet metal with a self tapping screw as well as the rubber holder provided. Pump needs to be at 15-30 degree angle with the plug facing up for air relief valve to function properly. All wires and hoses are wrapped in corrugated plastic for further protection.

Installing the heater was relatively straight forward however mounting it in a hidden or out of the way location was challenging. Waiting on a longer exhaust pipe, more air duct tubing and larger capacity fuel tank to show up so I can do a final fit and finish.

 

[Overlandtowater]

That looks great! Keep up the shenanigans ?

 

[AggieOE]

Looks like it's moving right along! Any worries of CO poisoning by having the unit in the vehicle? Something like a small leak may be hard to detect.

 

[Avahoe]

Looks like it's moving right along! Any worries of CO poisoning by having the unit in the vehicle? Something like a small leak may be hard to detect.

AggieOE,

Great question, that was my biggest concern too. Even though the exhaust is properly plumbed outside and passenger compartment is sealed from the exhaust, there can always be a chance that the cheap Chinese exhaust pipe developing a leak and some CO could leak into the passenger compartment.

I installed a CO monitor/alarm that displays the actual PPM in the vehicle. Tested it overnight in low 20s and it read 0 after 12 hours of continuous running with truck windows closed.

Best I can do is unwrap and inspect the exhaust system every couple months and keep the CO monitor in the vehicle.

Used it for the last 4 nights in the Rockies through two blizzards and it worked extremely well.

 

[Overlandtowater]

AggieOE,

Great question, that was my biggest concern too. Even though the exhaust is properly plumbed outside and passenger compartment is sealed from the exhaust, there can always be a chance that the cheap Chinese exhaust pipe developing a leak and some CO could leak into the passenger compartment.

I installed a CO monitor/alarm that displays the actual PPM in the vehicle. Tested it overnight in low 20s and it read 0 after 12 hours of continuous running with truck windows closed.

Best I can do is unwrap and inspect the exhaust system every couple months and keep the CO monitor in the vehicle.

Used it for the last 4 nights in the Rockies through two blizzards and it worked extremely well.

Looks like I found something I have to do now.

 

[Avahoe]

First winter adventure

With the heater installed and back yard tested I am ready for it's first real overnight adventure. I drove several hours north to Sugarloaf Ski Resort in Maine.

Maine back roads are gorgeous. Avahoe made the journey without any issues. I found a quiet rest area about 30 minutes from the ski resort and parked for the night.

0 degrees F in middle of the night when I checked outside temperature. Diesel heater has two program modes: temperature or fuel pump cycle rate. I chose the fuel pump cycle rate to have the most consistent control over the heater. I set it at 2.5Hz or two and a half pumps per second. Fan speed was automatically adjusted by the unit.

Back of Avahoe got really hot. I was in a t-shirt burning up laying on top of my sleeping bag. Indoor thermometer read 28C or 82F. No wonder I was too hot. I turned down fuel pump cycle rate to 1.5Hz where the inside temperature evened out to 19C or 66F. Much more comfortable to sleep in. In the morning CO monitor read 0ppm with a peak night reading of 0ppm also.

Sugarloaf was gorgeous in the morning. Light wind, cold as you would expect from New England and a beautiful bluebird day. Diesel heater worked much better than I expected. No condensation inside. All the windows were crystal clear inside and out, and the truck was warm inside. What a remarkable difference between diesel dry heat and a propane heater. Total game changer for winter car camping.

 

[Avahoe]

Ski trip adventure

Now that the heater has been tested for real it's time to hit the road and head out west. Gently rolling Colorado foothills.

Spent a night around Rabbit Ears Pass near Steamboat Springs Colorado. Woke up to this beautiful view just around the corner from my camp area.

Steamboat did not disappoint. Bluebird day and the crowds were not too bad. Saw this statue: "Bull Mountain! Don't go changing!" rang through my head.

Meandered my way over to Jackson Hole next. Another gorgeous bluebird day.

Tram heading back down from the summit.

Unfortunately Corbet's was closed, looks like I'll have to come back later this season...

Continued up the road past Yellowstone National Park.

Definitely not a sign you see every day. Fortunately I did not see any wild bison on the roadway.

Big Sky Montana was a lot of fun despite a cloudy day and 2-4" of fresh snow during the day.

Drove through a couple clouds on the way to Sun Valley Idaho, ice rime on the CB antenna in the morning. And the entire front end of the truck.

My view from the rest area I spent the night at. The truck was toasty inside but outside felt a little nippy.

-11 degrees F outside at 8am. I don't think I want to know how cold it got at night, however the heater worked like a champ and kept a consistent 68F in the Avahoe.

Sun Valley Idaho was fun but a little chilly.

Last stop on this adventure was at Snowbasin Utah. Sun did not come out, powder was consistent knee deep, deeper on steeper aspects. After several epic world class resorts I came back home to my favorite snow on earth, Wasatch powder.

This is the bathroom at Snowbasin main lodge, the stalls were even more impressive.

After a little over a week of meandering among the best ski resorts in the country, Avahoe did exactly what it was built to do. I spent over 500 miles in 4x4 i a couple blizzards. Many nights of way below freezing camping and many days of fantastic skiing. Time to take a short break before the next adventure.