I started on this truck in January of 2025. I've been catching up on the progress and build of my LB7 on DF Forum and thought it might be cool to start this one and do a more as it goes version. This will keep me from having to try and remember 10 years worth of details.

Backstory. Dad bought this truck new in 01. It was my first truck. It sat around as a spare truck in storage for a few years after I got my single cab. I'd always eventually planned to do something fun with it. Dad started driving it again after he traded his 09 2500HD in on a Duramax Colorado for my mom. In 2022 my parents got a divorce, right before my dad retired. He drove this truck until last fall when he bought himself his own 2.8L Canyon. He's always wanted something cool of his own, but he's done everything he can for my brother and I over the years to make sure we had what we needed to succeed in life. He wanted something fun to play with and we had this truck full of memories parked and still in amazing shape other than the typical GM rocker panel rust.

Doing this together is the best way I could think to give back to him was to give him something he would never have done for himself on his own.

Here are a few photos from it's hay day.

 

Truck Details - 2001 GMC Sierra 1500HD 4x4 LQ4/4L80 SLE1 Package

I had already done long tube headers in 2012 or 13. It had dual 3" exhaust on it until about 5 or 6 years ago. The only non-stainless part of the exhaust (the mufflers) rotted out and I just cut it all up and put a factory exhaust off of my LB7 on it. The truck also had electric fans added in, as well as a single 340lph in-tank pump. Justin @ Blackbear tuned it in 2011.

BEFORE PHOTOS

 

Teardown........
The frame was in really good shape minus the normal rusty spots in the rear fuel tank crossmember and spare tire holder.

 

 

 

We drug the frame out from under the truck and a good friend of mine came over and we cut all the crossmembers out and replaced them with new ones. I'm like a surgeon with a sawzall and a plasma cutter. I was able to cut the factory welds off the tubes and pull the old pipes thru the frame. We slipped the new ones in and didn't have to use the large fill plates the kit came with. It looks factory. I also took the time to cut the center support out of the frame for the 2 piece rear driveshaft.

 

The cab mounts were in really good shape. We had 2 of them that were just starting to loose their locating flats. Dad didn't want to mess with it so he ordered all of them and Jay and I replaced all the cab mounts. This was the most nerve wracking part of the job for me. Thankfully with a little bit of a game plan, lots of patience, and measuring everything meticulously, we got it all together.

The frame then went to Pro-Strip in Indianapolis and came back. It got 3 coats of Eastwoods Versa-Liner coating on all the exterior services. We sprayed several coats of Eastwoods internal frame coating on everything else. The versa-liner is an awesome low gloss coating with a slight texture. I've had it on my LB7's frame for 10+ years and it holds up super well and is easy to touch up if needed.

While all this was going on everything else was off getting stripped and powdercoated at English Offroad. It' a small business owned by some friends of mine and Trey does awesome work. Everything went; Leaf springs, rear diff, the complete front suspension, and any new parts I got for all of it. It all needed to be the same color. Low Gloss Black.

 

If it didn't get powder it was sprayed with Steel-It coatings black, or replaced.

I bought two cheap rock tumblers and cutting media and cleaned every last piece of hardware before coating it with Steel-It. I replaced a lot of the hardware as well, it to got sprayed with Steel-It for a layer of protection against the elements.

The ball joints are Kryptonite Products. All the suspension bushings for the front and rear as well as the front differential bushings are from Energy Suspension.

The leaf springs have new bushings, isolators, and pads. The plastic isolators on the spring tips of the main leaf pack weren't available so my friend 3D printed me a set. The overload pads are from GM

The front diff got a fresh coat of Dupli-color GM low gloss black and fresh seals.

 

All the brake components are new, not refurbished. Powerstop calipers, rotors, and police/fleet pads were fitting front and rear. The diff got all new seals, and a Yukon Duragrip, with an upgraded 1410 yoke. The 1500HDs had a 9.5 semi floater. I'd considered updating to the 10.5 but I talked to Brian at GotTorque and he said the 9.5 would be fine for our goals with the truck. The c-clip axles do still scare me a little.

The soft brake lines are from DMaxStore, they come with OEM brackets which makes it really nice to mount them. The hard lines are a stainless line kit as well. I ended up cutting the fittings off the rear axle lines and making my own. I didn't like how the reproduction ones fit, I also put stainless brake line sleeve over the lines to help protect them from rubbing in the clamps.

The truck got a new ABS Module and we bled everything with DOT4 Lucas brake fluid.

 

Front suspension and steering

Cognito UCAs
Kryptonite ball joints
New Raybestos Calipers
Powerstop Pads/Rotors
SKF wheel bearings
Diesel Addiction Steering Box (upgraded unit)
DMax Store Tie rods
Cognito Sway Bar and all new bushings/links
Cognito PISK
SuperSteer Idler Support
LML hydro-boost brake booster
New GM Power steering lines and cooler
PSC power steering pump
.
The torsion bars and keys are coated in Steel-It. The crossmember got new bushings and fresh powder coat.