1999 Chevy Tahoe

[SilveradoTX]

And so it begins...

But first, a short-ish story.

This is my first 4x4 vehicle. I traded my motorcycle because I started thinking a little more long-term (maintaining the bike was going to get more interesting since it's no longer supported by a manufacturer), and I started thinking about things that my wife and I would like to do.

One thing we are looking to do is more camping (we generally do about 3 trips per year) and be more adventurous in general. Adding to that, we work with high school students and really want to implement, and introduce some of them to, camping trips and adventures while we have an influence.

My wife and I were pretty excited the night we drove home with our new (to us) camping vehicle. Suddenly some things seemed more attainable and within the realm of possibility. We were looking forward to putting the Tahoe to use.

So, here it is. This was our first camping trip using our new adventure rig.

It's nothing fancy -no bells and whistles- but it is definitely doing the job.

We've already discovered that we have plenty of room (a cave) for our gear. And we also found out that there's room for an air mattress as well.

I have some other more technical stuff, but I'll get to that later.
Feel free to follow along on Instagram: @tahoverland

So here it is, a quick intro and the start to my build thread...

 

[Knitron]

Sweet that makes at least 2 of us. I started over landing a year ago, with my tahoe...well GMC Yukon...nothing fancy, but some great family trips. Ready to do it again this year!

Nice thing about these rigs are, they are everywhere and parts are cheap! Luckily, haven't had to deal with that yet. Happy adventures!


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[PandaMonium 428]

Working on some rear drawers for my 08 'hoe. Not much overland support for these beasts like there is for my fj80! Lol

 

[boss324]

Cool GMT400 Tahoe!

 

[LostConcept]

That's an awesome adventure rig. My wife and I had a similar idea of how can we get out together more and see new things.

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[Overland-Indiana]

Cool build, keep us updated!

 

[BillS]

My wife and I both started out camping as well. Then we got this 2002 Tahoe and built a removable bed/storage unit for camping and road trips. Still a work in progress but much more roomier than throwing everything in the back on the floor.




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[SilveradoTX]

Nice thing about these rigs are, they are everywhere and parts are cheap!

Exactly. Even with all the issues I could see that I'd need to address (and some I didn't see coming) that's what was in the back of my head. It's not heavily supported as an overland rig... but there are tons of replacement parts out there. They're still pretty easy to work on, and almost any shop (at least in North America, I'd assume) can probably work on it.

 

[SilveradoTX]

My wife and I both started out camping as well. Then we got this 2002 Tahoe and built a removable bed/storage unit for camping and road trips. Still a work in progress but much more roomier than throwing everything in the back on the floor.

Thanks for sharing. I've had some ideas floating around in my head for a storage/sleep platform.

Our next trip will be in April... so that's time enough to build and test... hmmm...

 

[SilveradoTX]

Backing up in the story, here's some pre-trip work and fun...

This first photo is from the night that we traded my bike and drove our new camping vehicle home. This is also when I knew there was some work coming my way. The adventure rig would become an adventure in and of itself before it ever saw any use.

After all the paperwork and stuff was done, the next thing on the list was figuring out why it couldn't pass inspection. This was also the moment that I began to really wonder about the history of our newly acquired Tahoe...

Discovered that the CEL wasn't coming on (hadn't paid attention to it initially). So out the cluster came. Lo and behold, the bulb was burnt. Oh joy! So what was wrong that kept the CEL on enough to blow the bulb?

Took the Tahoe to a mechanic friend and found that there was a coolant leak. And this is when I found out that I would be replacing the intake manifold gaskets. I was also able to borrow a scanner from a friend and found that three of the four O2 sensors were throwing codes.

So, off with its head! Well, the intake manifold, at least. Found where the coolant was leaking over into cylinder #2. Cleaned it all up as best I could before putting it all back together.

Now, let's pause at this point and talk about how important it is that your gaskets seat properly and everything gets torqued correctly so when you go to flush your radiator you don't flood your engine with water... On second thought, let's just move forward.

Here's a comparison of one of the old O2 sensors with a new one.

So, CEL bulb replacement, new intake manifold gaskets, new O2 sensors, oh, and a new spark plug (one had fowled)... and no time to really go through the drive cycle and get the inspection done before its first trip. So off we went.

I did get it inspected post-trip and it did pass inspection... in case you were wondering. And overall has been running well since.

And that gets us to the camping trip mentioned in the first post and back to the present time.

 

[SilveradoTX]

Small update: Fuel pump died on me. Thankfully, it was in the driveway. And the funny part is that it happened not more than a few hours after I just finished talking with someone about the possibility of it getting ready to quit.

There were some frustrating moments, however, this is why I like doing work on the vehicle myself (or with a little help) as much as possible. The increased knowledge of the vehicle and knowing you can do certain things is priceless, and a bit inspiring.

This was also just in time. My wife and I will be heading out on our anniversary camping trip at the end of the month.

 

[Knitron]

Looks like you had fun with that project. In the driveway is the best place to break down if you have to. What size tires you running on your rig?

OB# 3805

 

[4wdAdventures]

Nice acquisition. I have often thought of the hoe as a platform to build because of the size and parts availability but just got a crazy deal on a Jeep Cherokee so had to jump on it. A little more off road oriented but sacrificing some room. Looking forward to your build!


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[SilveradoTX]

Looks like you had fun with that project. In the driveway is the best place to break down if you have to. What size tires you running on your rig?

OB# 3805

Fun is one way to put it. Swapping the pump and installing the tank was a breeze. What took the most effort was getting the lines disconnected from the pump.

Tires are 265/75/16.

 

[SilveradoTX]

Nice acquisition. I have often thought of the hoe as a platform to build because of the size and parts availability but just got a crazy deal on a Jeep Cherokee so had to jump on it. A little more off road oriented but sacrificing some room. Looking forward to your build!

Thanks. It's definitely not as off-road oriented as other vehicles but the size, parts availability, and (relative) ease of work... and significantly lower cost of entry... were factors in the decision.

 

[03TAHOEZ]

Nice man! Good to see a fellow hoe owner on here! Followed!!!

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[Radmachine]

I see you live in Wylie. I work in Wylie and also am on that hoe life.

 

[SilveradoTX]

I see you live in Wylie. I work in Wylie and also am on that hoe life.

And my world just keeps getting smaller. Haha.

 

[SilveradoTX]

More miles logged and another camping trip in the books... and a (small) creek crossing found. Here are a few shots from our anniversary camping trip.

Found this on the way. I'd decided to take a more adventurous route. I'd say it paid off.

Home sweet home, away from home.

Our usual first morning breakfast spot.

Evidence of a little fun on the return trip. And probably my new favorite route.

 

[TGF]

Nice pics. Looks like you're having fun with it and that's the plan.