Replicate my build
5.3L all stock other than 209/217 .550 cam and summit racing LS6 springs For you I would leave stock cam and then just get LS6 springs. Very easy on valvetrain.
Stock 4l80e tq converter, transmission is built. handles it just fine. I just try not to get too carried away with power and the stock converter clutch.
GM1261312 50lb injectors these are at about 90% duty cycle at 7psi and ethanol, 5700rpm. You might want slightly bigger. I like to stay with OEM injectors when I can. I think for uses 48lb injectors on the gt500 but they are rated at a lower base pressure so you could likely get away with those.
single genuine TI automotive 450lph e85 compatible pump in the stock bucket
inline ethanol sensor on feed side
stock p59 ecu with segment swap for 80e and flex
I have a 67/65 .96AR turbo, you may want slightly larger because you're a 6.0. Keep backpressure and EGT reasonable.
Huron speed turbo kit. Run thru factory muffler and I added a catalytic converter, but have a dump valve in front of cat and muffler for when its party time.
The power is fantastic. Turbo lights nearly off idle, and with 7psi boost and ethanol this thing rips!!!
Towing a 6000lb enclosed trailer uphill we can gain speed in overdrive. It has big block torque and its only a 5.3

 

Home stretch with winter prep. Removed the fender flares and wheel liners, started spraying woolwax. Easy to apply with the supplied gun in the kit, just messy and a little uncomfortable laying on my back.





Painted the tow hooks front and rear to modernize things a bit. Stripped the grille down to repaint it body color as well.



Painting didn't go well. I need to do a better job cleaning parts before beginning.

 

Rolled around town for almost a month with no grille looking terrible. Lots of snow in WNY also. Surprisingly the truck handles it well in 2WD.





More painting frustration. Learning to do a better job of cleaning and timing my subsequent coats so that there are no reactions. Lots and lots of sanding after this...





Many hours later...



Caution, GMT800 Propaganda ahead










All that's left to install on the exterior is a chrome Z71 roof rack I pulled off an '06 LTZ in the fall.

I'm also thinking it needs a 2" spacer on the rear to give it more of a bulldog stance and fill out the flares.

 

Man, that looks awesome! Great job!

In my experience the SUVs generally do better than trucks in 2wd because there's more weight back there. 2wd pick up lose traction SO easy, even on damp pavement.

Did you figure out the wrinkling paint issue? I want to say it's usually because the previous coat is applied too heavy and the temperature is too low, and when you apply more paint on the second coat it will wrinkle. What paint/products were you using?

 

I think it was a combination of all those. I tend to lay on paint too quickly/too heavy, and was only waiting a day or so before the prior parts store high build primer dried.

 

Funny how as you get older your priorities change. I have been more interested in working on this truck lately to better suit my family's needs, while my turbo LS Jag sits dusty in the garage needing a bunch of little things.

My wife and I bought tickets to a Bills game and we like to go all out with tailgating, so I dug through my scrap pile and rigged up a mount for my flattop griddle. It attaches using 2 hitch pins for easy removal.











The 1-1/4" square tube is also used as a bike rack I made a few years ago



The 4WD system was freaking out and finally started to affect driveability with some weird shifting issues.



I finally got around to installing the new transfer case motor, and cleaned out the electrical connector which was full of green corrosion. Just need to install the new front driveshaft and I'll have working 4WD again.

Glamour shots while getting cleaned up

 

I have been chasing a wicked loud whistle from the motor for a few weeks now. Since the whistle sounded so much like an air leak, part of my troubleshooting was to remove the intake and do intake manifold gaskets/valley gasket; while I was in there I also did the cam position sensor, oil pressure sending unit, and knock sensors and harness.

I also pulled the PCV hoses and inspected/cleaned them, and pulled the driver's valve cover to clean out any sludge in the drain back holes (there was not much). The motor looks pretty good for 200K miles.































































The result? Still whistled. I removed the oil cap with the engine running after a cold start and still whistled. Definitely not a PCV or intake leak at this point.

After doing some homework on Youtube, I saw a lot of guys complaining about their A/C tensioner causing a noise like this. It didn't sound like a belt squeal or bearing noise, and I had replaced the A/C tensioner just a few months ago with a Gates 38159, but at this point I had tried everything else with no results, so I said screw it...

One new GM Genuine tensioner later (PN 12580196, $48 shipped on Amazon) and it's silent again! Hope this helps someone down the road. For what it's worth, the GM part looked identical to the Gates part, except that it didn't have the GM PN stamped on the tensioner arm. We'll see if this one lasts, but for now I'm so happy to have a quiet truck again.

Note: this didn't end up fixing the issue...

 

Whistling solved. A/C tensioner removed altogether and GMT900 stretch belt installed. Video coming once I edit the voiceover.

Stock rear wheel width:











Wow, I haven't seen these things in a long time...certainly never on a car I've personally owned before.





2" wheel spacers installed. Finally got the stance I'm looking for, just right.











Picked up a Z71 Suburban rack at the junkyard back in the fall off a one year only 2006 LTZ, with the chrome rails. Removing the stock rack:











Stock mounting hardware for the feet included sealant, so I put antiseize on some new fasteners and sealed the rack feet with RTV to prevent water intrusion.











Rear Z71 cross bar has an additional mounting hole than the non Z71 roof, no big deal just leave out the fastener.







Somehow this is the only photo I have of it installed. Check out that sweet park job. I am standing on the street in this photo.









Blackstone grill continues to be a fun new hobby. I'm making brown sugar pork sausage. Bulk meal prep is the way to go.





Saw this guy running around. "GMT800s with threatening/broken frame auras"







Bought a camper and brought it home. Hoping for many fun adventures with my 3 and 4.75 year old

 

Exterior needed freshening up, 20 years had taken its toll.

D pillar covers before:



After:



Rear taillights before with odd clear coat peeling:





I thought briefly about sanding and polishing the originals but new ones are so cheap that it's not worth the effort.







Relocated the 7 pin connector to the bumper.



Spent 3 nights camping in the back of the truck at Watkins Glen for an HPDE with BMW CCA.



Milestone:



And now, a collection of random hosses spotted locally for your threatening viewing pleasure.

 

A while back I installed the LTZ roof rack with multiple Z71 bars. In the back of the truck I carry a piece of plywood so I can throw it up there and have a good observation deck if I'm at the racetrack or planespotting.



Took our first ever camping trip about 2 hours away. Everything worked out great, the truck definitely had to work hard on some of the long grades near the NY/PA line.



Trans stayed nice and cool around 160*F with the TruCool40K. This was a temporary installation...






...Because I'm installing a dedicated external oil cooler. The idea is to increase oil cooling capacity by doing the following:

-Bypassing the oil to water heat exchanger inside the radiator end tank, which will remove some thermal load from the radiator since it only has to cool water rather than water and hot oil
-Making use of the vast surface area available in front of the condenser by installing the biggest air to oil heat exchanger that will fit
-Using an Improved Racing thermostat/distribution block. This will remain shut until the oil reaches 180F, allowing the oil to heat up normally. Once 180F is reached, it begins to open and send oil to the gigantic 30 Row cooler through -10AN lines.



I really need to blow out/hose down the radiator and condenser fins since there is some debris in there. Worst case temps after climbing a long grade were 235F coolant and 240F oil temp, so that's the baseline to improve on. The 40K trans cooler will get relocated slightly lower behind the bumper cutouts.