Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Welcome to the area...Im just south of you in North Alabama.....I pass through there a lot headed to destinations north using I-65.....my next project Im leaning towards is a 2wd Tahoe/Jimmy......Im liking your take on that platform.......

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Thanks man! I responded in the regional thread, but I'll send you a PM to ask some other stuff a bit later.

Thanks! I'm originally from Corinth, MS. What part of North Alabama are you in?

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Huntsville AL...............

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Small world. My sister lives there. I grew up in giles county tn

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

I ordered a Gates kit (belt, tensioner, & idler pulley). Gonna see if it does anything for my chirp/squeal issue. If not, I'm resorting to it being a pulley.



Also, for anybody who has replaced their factory taillights, I'm looking to get an OEM equivalent pair to replace my tinted ones. Just wondering what brands anybody would recommend. I've always heard pretty good things about TYC lights, but there are some others on Amazon that have positive reviews. I just want something that fits good. I don't plan to keep them solid red, but this is what I'm leaning toward:

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5614/...8dd6f4d4_c.jpgtaillights 1 by likaroc13, on Flickr

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5572/...7d66d634_c.jpgtaillights 2 by likaroc13, on Flickr

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

I have had TYCs on mine for about 3 years. They have held up great. The only thing I didnt like were the light sockets that came with the lenses. I had one go out a year after installing them. Thankfully, I still my stock ones so I just swapped out the sockets then put the new lenses on.

I want to put red LED taillights on mine eventually. Unfortunately, my TYCs look like new so I hate to pull them. Haha!

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Thanks for the info. I plan to keep my tinted ones, so I could also use them for parts if necessary. I'd still like to keep them as a secondary pair to switch out from time to time. Not sure how lenient the law is around here, so I figured I'd get another set just in case. My el-cheapo LED light bar is beginning to look really ugly too, so I need to look into replacing that as well.





Btw, I got the Gates idler pulley, tensioner, & new belt installed. I ended up cleaning the grooves of the pulleys again, & I noticed a bit of a squeak when spinning the alternator pulley. I wonder if that was my culprit all along. I lubed it good with some silicone spray until it quit making noise. After I got everything installed, I'm happy to say it fired up with no more annoying chirp/squeal. Wish I knew exactly what fixed the problem, but I'm just glad I solved it.

I got the front bumper reinstalled with the help of my wife. Man, who knew that could be such a PITA! :m6: That's what tends to happen when you take things apart though.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Guess I spoke too soon! Monday afternoon I got ready to head to North MS to help with my dad. Well, I still didn't hear any noise. However, as I got closer to my hometown, slowing down in speed, I could hear a light chirp again. It progressively got more noticeable, but it's not quite as loud as it was in the past. I wonder if the lube on the alternator wore off, & maybe that is indeed my culprit.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

I'd bring the spray with you next time you go on a long drive. If you hear it again, spray it and see if it goes away.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Will be headed back to Spring Hill this afternoon, so that's the plan. Drove it to get dinner last night, & the chirping is still there. Gonna borrow some of dad's spray lube & see what happens before I hit the road. I guess if it ends up being the alternator, I'll just go ahead & upgrade to a 140 amp. I want to add electric fans eventually anyway.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Betting that's the problem. Upgrade to the 140 amp alternator would be an outstanding solution

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

I think that's the culprit. I lubed the alternator again yesterday before leaving my dad's. I cranked it shortly afterward & still got the chirping. So I sprayed again & waited a while longer as I inflated the front tires. Cranked it again, but it was still chirping. I turned the vehicle around to inflate the rear tires, so I sprayed it yet again. Once I was done, it cranked with no chirping. Well, after I drove probably 30 miles or so & had to slow down in a city along the way, the chirp had returned. I didn't spray anything other than the alternator, so that has to be the problem.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Sounds like time for an upgrade

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Do you know of anyone in the area that's good with rebuilding/upgrading alternators? I checked with a place that my dad mentioned in my old hometown, but I didn't have much luck. I was looking at possibly upgrading my existing alternator to 140amps, but he said it would cost more to do that than buying a rebuilt outright. He didn't have one on the shelf that would work for me though. I'd like to stick with the same style (CS130D) since I just bought a new serpentine belt. I think the CS144 style requires a different belt. I was looking at the Powermaster 48206, which is exactly like my stock Delphi except 165amp. Jeg's has them on sale, but I found it on Amazon as well. Would still like to compare upgrading my existing unit though.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Im pretty sure the 144 and 130 use the same belt. The pulley may be a different diameter and Im not sure if a stock Delco 144 will fit in place of your 130. When I get home tonight, Ill take a look. I have a stock LT1 144 on my 70 and I have a the stock alternator still in my tahoe.

A cool thing about the 144's is that they are very easy to rebuild. I rebuilt mine in my garage. A complete rebuild kit set me back maybe $50. I was able to polish out the case while doing the rebuild, too. I dont have a good pic or Id post one up.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

I sure don't man. Most of the old shops that did stuff like alternator/starter rebuilding and radiator routing I knew in Columbia are long gone. If it were me, I'd probably consider the powermaster as well.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Thanks. I appreciate your help!

Thanks, & I may just go that route. I might still try to do some checking around. It's hard to find good ole mechanical mom n' pop kinda places anymore.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

The pullies are the same diameter but the mounting ears on the 140 dont look like they'd fit in the Tahoe's accessory bracket.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

There used to be a lot of mom and pop places like that in Columbia, but I'm not sure how many are left. I don't really get down there much anymore, so I can't say for sure but most of the ones I knew personally are gone

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Thanks for the info!

I hear ya. I haven't been around long enough yet to do any research, so I'll have to figure out the reputable places to go. I still know of trustworthy sources back home, so if needed I have those options I can go to when I'm back helping with dad.


Btw, I checked gas mileage tonight. My calculations yielded approximately 17.5 mpg. That's mostly highway with fairly minimal city driving, & highway speeds never exceed 65. I drove pretty conservatively on that tanks as well. It'd be nice to get it up to around 20 mpg at least. Maybe I can achieve that in the future with a little tweaking.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

I stopped by Discount Tire in Spring Hill today, & they were super nice. The guy I spoke to said they'd match the pricing I found on Discount Tire Direct, which I assumed they would. For two 235/70/15 front & two 275/60/15 rear Cooper Cobra Radial GT tires mounted & balanced on my wheels with lifetime rotation & flat repair, the total was $532.xx I thought that was a really good deal, as I had priced the same tires for $571.xx in Charleston before we moved. He also told me about a guy he used in Lebanon who does powder coating, & he spoke highly of his work quality & pricing. I've been trying to decide whether to paint or powder coat the smoothie wheels. I just wasn't sure if you could get metallic colors in powder coating, as I'm leaning towards a gunmetal, charcoal, or silver type color.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Pretty sure you can get metallic in powder coat.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Got my alternator ordered Monday. Went with the Powermaster 48206 from Summit. Should arrive by tomorrow evening. I had them beat a cheaper price I found online, so I ended up saving about $42! :metal:

Yesterday while out roaming with my dad, we stopped by a local welding shop to have my threaded rods welded back onto the ends of the billet grille. I don't have pics, but it's really nothing worth looking at. I still need to get some paint on the bare areas.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Received my new alternator on Thursday. As previously mentioned, I went with the Powermaster 48206, which is a 165amp. It's the same style CS130D casing as my stock alternator, thus it should bolt right in. However, it was/is suggested that I upgrade the charge wire. I was told 4-gauge or larger to get the most potential out of the alternator. I'm not sure what gauge the factory charge wire is. Has anyone else done an alternator upgrade, & is there anything else I should consider doing at this time? Everything else is still stock for now, & it'll be a while before I install any power-suckers (E-fans, stereo system, etc.).

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Well, my dad's friend Mark helped us last night with the alternator. We rounded up a 4-gauge cable & end links yesterday to make a new charge wire. Got everything installed and wired & fired it up. For about 2 -3 minutes it was quiet. Then that damn chirp came right back! :no: Mark sprayed the back side of the belt as I had done before, & the noise temporarily stopped. It was right back within a minute. So, I'm still chasing this rabbit. Mark did spin the old alternator pulley, & it squeaked just as it did before when I tried it. But it wasn't the culprit. At least I have my alternator upgrade for future purposes, but I'm bummed that the chirping wasn't cured.

I'll try to get some pics of the new alternator soon. It was a direct bolt on, which was nice. :metal:

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Gah! I hate chasing stuff like that, and it's insanely frustrating when you spend money thinking you got it fixed and nothing changes.

Sorry man. That alternator should be pretty sweet though

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

I hear ya. It's driving me nuts!

On a different note, my dad's friend bought a 2dr/2wd Tahoe as well a few months ago. He wanted to know if I'd sell mine, but that didn't happen! :lol: He found one on eBay that he drove up to Kentucky & brought back. He's taking it in for a repaint now. He wanted a set of 20's for it, but he knows I plan to sell my wheels. Since he was leaning towards the BOSS 338's anyway, he might be interested in mine. I just gotta figure out what they're worth. I have four good used ones with tires that have about 14k miles on them, along with a new matching spare with new tire. A forum vendor said he gets $169/ea for the wheels new. Selling mine would help offset the cost of tires & powder coating for my 15" smoothie wheels, but I just can't afford to give them away.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Your dad's friend is local or in MS? I'm curious how much is paint going to run him?

Man, I'm glad no one has offered to buy mine. I go back and forth between liking it and not.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

He lives in Corinth, MS. & has a friend that paints. When I was at Mark's shop the other night, he was finishing disassembly of the Tahoe. He removed anything he didn't want overspray on, because he said the guy probably wouldn't take time to do it himself. Like me, he wants his stuff to look clean. He's doing an overall job, including jambs. The Tahoe is gonna be all white, & he said he's doing it for $1200. They've been trying to talk me into getting this guy to paint my grille shell. I'm hesitant because I haven't seen his work though. Black paint will show any imperfections, & I want to make sure it comes out slick.

I love my Tahoe. Just gotta get that darn chirp figured out. Probably gonna need a rear end overhaul at some point down the road, but it's good for now. On the way to the shop the other night, dad was complimenting how good it rides to be lowered.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

My dad's friend referred me to another powder coat guy, & I have some Prismatic Powder color swatches on order. Hopefully I can check them out this week & make a decision.

A fellow forum member from a different forum said he bet it was the w/p pulley causing my chirping, as he had seen it happen before. He said it either gets a good glaze on it from the belt, or it gets grooved where it's wearing from the belt. He said you can take a brown roloc pad or green sanding disc on a die grinder and clean the glaze off where the belt rides and see if that helps. You can use emery cloth as well but takes longer if you don't have a die grinder. However, he said if it's grooved or has any kind of lip where the belt rides, then I should change the pulley. He's not the first to suggest the pulley, but I had failed to cross that road until now. Being under the hood inspecting the pulleys before, I knew there was definitely a bit of a lip where the belt rides. So, I bought a new water pump pulley last week while visiting my hometown in North MS. Just so happened the local GM dealer had one in stock. Cost me just under $20 with tax included.

I wasn't exactly sure how to go about getting that big nut off that holds the fan/clutch onto the water pump. You have to remove it first in order to remove the pulley itself. After a bit of research, I discovered there's a special tool made for holding the pulley bolts to keep it from spinning while removing the big nut. Since I didn't have a big enough wrench for the nut, I also had to figure out what to do about that. I ended up using O'reilly Auto loaner tools. They had the correct wrench set & pulley bolt holding tool. I put them to use earlier today. After buttoning everything back up, I crossed my fingers & fired it up. No chirping to report so far, & I hope it stays that way!

Btw, if anybody needs one, the water pump pulley part # is 12550053.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Well, the chirping came back a day after I changed the water pump pulley. I heard it one other day while driving as well. That said, the last few times I have driven, there has been no chirping whatsoever. I guess time will tell if it's cured or not.

I dropped the smoothie wheels off today for powder coat. Glad I had him order the swatches, because I actually ended up using one of those colors. The color I decided to go with is Mega Grey. It is the best of both worlds while offering a nice contrast to the black body color without being too dark or light, & it will still allow for the shiny chrome center caps (& trim rings if I run them) to stand out a bit as well. He will have to order the powder, but it should be there by next week. Maybe I'll have the wheels ready by the end of next week.

Here's a link to the color:
http://www.prismaticpowders.com/colo...831/MEGA-GREY/


I also ran into an issue with my bullet center caps. When I bought them at the swap meet last year, I got them with intentions of being used on my old Vette-style rally wheels. Hence, they're not made for the smoothie wheels. If you weren't aware that there's a difference, well there is! I was made aware of this when I bought them, but over time I forgot. Gonna have to see if I can swap them for the correct ones. Hopefully they'll let me do that since they're still new in the boxes & I have a receipt for proof of purchase.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Can't wait to see how that turns out

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Got the wheels back from the powder coat guy this past Friday. I'm really happy with the color. The coater pointed out ahead of time that there were spots around each valve stem hole that rubbed off a bit due to the bolt they were hanging from. I don't think it'll be that noticeable with the stems in place, but I may look for some touch-up paint in a similar shade just to dab on the spots. On one wheel, I noticed a lack of powder in the crevice where the center of the wheel meets the hoop. It's only noticeable if you're up really close & staring at it though. Considering he didn't have to blast or prime the wheels, I got a nice discount. He only charged me $100 for the whole job, & dad picked up the tab for me in return for helping him out lately. It would've cost 3x that much using the other coater I spoke with. For a set of wheels that'll eventually serve mostly as Fall/Winter rollers, I can't complain.

I got the new tires ordered earlier last week, & they're on the way. I was hoping to have them installed early this week, but it looks like the crazy weather will force me to wait. I'm shipping the old bullet caps back in exchange for the correct ones. It'll be at least a couple more weeks before I have the new centers.

I snapped a couple pics yesterday:

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Today I installed my new custom grille, & I had some ice fade graphics done as well....

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

I like that grille, were could I get one for my 86?

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Some lady named Mother Nature dropped it off. Believe it or not, it was a freebie! I haven't seen another one like it. True, one-off custom. ;)

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

Mine hasn't been out of the garage since the weekend because of this crazy assed ice weather.

As I was typing that just now, I saw a lady on ice skates pushing a jogging stroller up the street. I've lived in TN a long time and have never seen anyone ice skating in the street.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

:lol:....just neighbors riding around on ATV's, fish-tailing through the parking lot of the apartment complex here...I cringe watching them, thinking you better not hit my vehicles. Sadly mine have to live outside for now, but I'm highly looking forward to being able to store them indoors when we get a house with a garage.


Here are some more pics from today. My Tahoe is first obviously, but the rest are my wife's RAV4:

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

I put mine up on mautofied today. I became a premium member here, but it won't let me put up a classified ad for some reason.

Re: '97 Chevy Tahoe (2dr/2wd) mild custom
 

That's weird, but there have been some issues with the forum lately. Not sure if you noticed about the search feature being gone for a while. Maybe the for sale section got messed up temporarily. Good luck with the sale! Wish I knew of somebody looking for one.