Aug 13 2023

It’s in the garage so why not do some fixing !

Cleaning is first on the to do list..  The motor and under the hood was very dirty.  So much easier to see what you’re doing without the dirt.

trust me this is way better then what it was. I forgot to take a “before” photo. Not much to do under here. The leak in the power steering reservoir , a new belt and could use an oil change.

OOPS !   we had a little mishap.  As part of the cleaning Ben and I took the hardtop off..  And it was heavier than we thought it would be. and … we dropped it on the tail gate and broke the rear window..  Darn.. One more thing for the auto wrecker list.

I removed the passenger door so I could do the repairs.  AND clean the caulking off the vent window.

WHY ?  Was it leaking ?  What a pain.. I did get it all off and the window works again.  I’m going to take the door completely apart, and rebuild it..  And  I have some new parts for the doors coming.  I like the full doors so we will fix them up like new.  Let’s see now, doors off, top off and now the seats are out too.  Time for a bath on the inside.

And boy is it needed !   Years of mud and dirt.   It will look different tomorrow.

Much better !  Now we can see what’s under the dirt .   Also…  A topless jeep is kinda cool..

I’m trying a product I bought years ago for turning rust into primer. Can’t remember what project it was..  But it works.  I’ve soaked a few of the rusty bolts and screws in it and wow do they look different.

These were very rusty seat bolts, and the screws that hold the mirrors on.  So I used it on the front bumper, let it dry and painted it semi gloss black.

Now it’s time for some new tires. The ones I chose are multi use , trail , snow, mud and the good old road.  So I had them mounted up and now I need to freshen up the semi gloss black on the rims.  These are not the big fat tires that were on the jeep, but a much more reasonable size.  In fact close to the factory size.  There was some rust on the rims …  I treated it and repainted them .

Looking good where the rubber meets the road.  Next I’m painting the seat frames, and they will go back in so we can drive the jeep.

And here we are with the new tires on.  Some nice new center caps to fancy things up a bit. Today my new windshield frame came.  The old one is rusted through and dented up top..

This will make it so a new window can be installed without worry.  Putting the seats back in today.  Ordered a new steering wheel too.  In a few days the Jeep is going to a shop to have some work done.  They will install new tail pipe, a new belt and fix the leak in the power steering.  Also we will see what needs to be done to pass the safety inspection.  While in the shop I’ll rebuild the doors and paint the window frame to ready it for new glass.   We’ll start a new page for that work..

Page 3  Doors & Stuff:

 

Aug 11 2023

Another Toy !

I took some of the proceeds from selling my ATV and bought this Jeep.  More suited to Alberta adventures than a quad..  And in my long standing tradition of rescuing sad things..   This definitely fits that .

It has a tow bar that I used to bring it home.. 2 hours away in Red Deer.  No Problems..  The price was good and allows me to spend a bit of money, mostly on new tires..  but there is a  few things that need attention.  OK a lot of things.  The power steering tank has a leak, parking brake needs work. Exhaust is leaking.  Door hinges are worn.  One door latch is broken.. I’ve ordered a whole new set.   235,000 kms in 28 years… not bad. The motor runs great and so does the 5 speed trans. ( Not )

Good brakes too.  A lot of the work is cosmetic.  Like the paint , the drivers door panel is missing, and I need to clean up some wiring.  He had a winch that plugged into the front and back hitches… and then power plugs too…  All wired to two batteries and control switches for charging..  NOPE.. That’s coming out..instead I’ll put a winch on the front and wire it to the battery under the hood.

OK  That’s thoughtful.  and it is needed if you are going to have two batteries… He was winching himself or his buddies out of a lot of mud holes..  I won’t go into any mud holes .  So I can take this away AND ..

This mess as well.  WOW wires everywhere..  I get the switch for control over where the power goes..  Just don’t need that.  Do need the light bar switch.. Don’t need the siren switch …. Yes there is a siren under the hood.  No It’s not staying there.

Yes the light bar works ! And it’s staying..   That’s a nice tow bar .. I’ll keep it but the wiring for the lights is a mess and needs gone..  If I need to tow I’ll use my tow lights.

Well with Ben’s help we got to the job of cleaning up the wiring mess.  And fixing the loud exhaust.  Found a wire off the output housing. Sure enough the speedometer was unplugged.. HMMM One has to wonder for how long ?  It was ripped off by something… Therefore broken, so a new one is ordered.  Work is started on the jeep now to get it “road worthy’ Let’s start another page for that..

Page 2 Fixin Stuff:

Feb 7 2022

Fix’n Time :

Getting warm out so lets see what we can do.  First off I wasn’t happy with some of the work the detail guy did..  Carpets are good and the headliner too.  But he dropped the ball on the seats..  So I gave them another go..  !

Just got to scrub a little harder..  Then I used some leather conditioner / protector.  Nice…  I then used the decal kit for the HVAC controls..

Again… Nicer..  Once I get all the bits for the stereo install I can get that done.

I did find the passenger side running board at a wrecking yard in Calgary.  It’s a good thing Albert-in’s crash a lot.

Also grabbed a good driver’s side tail light.  The other one on the vehicle is cracked.  These won’t be changed till the painting is done. And speaking of that…. I’m getting quotes from small body shops. We will see how that goes..

Update: May 2022

I now have a guy who will do all the body work and painting .  Local too.  He’s got the parts I bought..and soon the Avalanche too.

Future Me :  None of that worked out I drove the Avalanche till March 2024 As is ..  Then got tired of the repairs and sold it..

Jan 25 2022

Hunting & Gathering :

Scored some parts !

Referring to the body of coarse…  after having a close look and assessing whats needed and what could be fixed. I need to replace both rear doors, both front fenders..  and maybe the front bumper. Also I need a right side running board.  These are where the most damage is.  Found a body shop in Strathmore that was selling the body parts off of a 2008 Avalanche.  $100 bucks each for the doors and fenders.  Wow my quote from the wreckers was $400 ea for doors.

I also got a white front bumper and the bottom air dam that finishes it.  That will fix the worst goober on the right front corner.

This !  Wonder what they hit..  ?  The right side fender and the front bumper cover will fix this…

The left fender will make this disappear.  Unfortunately I can’t get the same color parts..  So some painting will be needed.

You know I don’t really need the pearl paint.. It’s very expensive. If I just settle for a nice off white  one step paint I could save a lot and do the whole truck.  For now I’m stopping the rust, and sealing it.  And for now it’s too cold for any body work.   SOOO I’m concentrating on the interior.  As I said I’m having the inside professionally cleaned.  That is happening today and tomorrow we will see how that turned out.  I have ordered the bit and pieces to repair the few things not right inside the avalanche.  Starting with the dash..  Wouldn’t you know it one of the cool things you can get is a new dash cover.

Glues right over the old one.  easy fix!  The other cool thing I found was a kit for fixing the heater controls.  The typical scratched off  finish on the most used buttons.

would ya look at that.. even if you found a Hvac control at a wrecker it would still look like mine and cost more than the twenty bucks for these.

Back from the detailing shop..

Well… it’s better .. he did a good job on the carpets..  But could have got the seats cleaner.

At least it smells nice.. More bits and pieces are arriving soon. The console lid, the dash cover.  And a new stereo system.. that will give me the backup camera.  I found out what the 12v plug in the console was for.. it powers up the two DVD players in the head rests..  Hmmm don’t need those so I left it unplugged.

The new stereo arrived today..

This is a media player.  It uses the Android operating system.  It does a lot of things, basically anything my phone does.  All I need still is the dash install kit and the GM interface module.  And some warmer weather.  This will bring the tech in this 13 year old truck up to date. And the “Loaded” term will apply.  Also had an inspection done and only found two small things to fix.  That will be done next week with a service.  I’m not worrying about the ride control anytime soon..  The Avalanche rides nice and the nagging message is not happening any more.  The weather is warming up….SOOO  let’s start a new page.

Page 3  Fixing Things:

Jan 23 2022

Got it for a great price..  But you’ll see why.

Number six for me…

It’s the one on the right..  Yes I have three.  Yes the oldest one has the least Kms.  But those two will be gone soon.  So time for an upgrade for me. A bit newer and a whole lot more fancier.  Like one grill away from being a Cadillac, but without the expensive parts ! Now for some Avalanche history..  The last year Chev made Avalanche’s was 2013.  This one is a 2009, and there is only a few changes in those last years.  New this one would have sold for big bucks… on the plus side of 50 thousand.  The LTZ model is top of the line, and the only two things missing from this one is Nav and the rear camera.  So it’s definitely what you call “loaded”.  ( I’m adding those)

Hard to tell but this is the pearl white paint.  Which is classier than just white.   From the factory it would have 20 inch chrome wheels , But these are new after market 20 ” “Worx” rims and new Michelin winter tires.  That’s a bonus for me, and so was the new windshield.

It’s nice to see a bumper that is not bent, ya some paint chip and scratches but not bent.. The parking sensors work !  and the trailer plug too. The rest… well nobody ever cleaned the interior.  And something very heavy was put on the dash and cracked it.  But no other damage inside.  Lets have a look , and consider these the “before ” pictures.

Light grey leather seats.  Dirty but still in good condition.  These are heated and cooled ! The driver’s seat is the one that takes a lickin… And there is some cracks on the side, but not on the seat.  They are comfy too.

You can see the cracks… but they are not bad.  These seats are 8 way power..both sides.

The rear seats have probably seen some kid activity, but survived nicely.  I tumbled the seats and opened the mid-gate, it’s all good.  The Avalanche has a date with the auto detail shop this week.. Should see a big difference.  I’m going to interrupt here and say that this Avalanche drives very nice.  Brakes are great …lots of power and good on gas too.  It was a two hour drive back from Calgary yesterday and cruising at 106 kph I got 10.6 liters / 100 km.  Not too bad! Plus it goes down the road straight.  It’s a pleasure to drive.  AND it has 285,000 km on the old odo.  Alberta is like that..  everything has high kms.

Yes two DVD players !  Crazy eh..   They will most likely never get used.

So lets talk about the elephant in the room…the reason I paid six grand for a Ten thousand dollar truck..  THE BODY ! yes That’s where the work will be. Oh and I want to say don’t waste your money on one of those electronic rust inhibitor’s. There’s one installed on this Avalanche from new I presume …I found it.

They don’t work and this truck proves it..  RUSTY  you bet.  Ya it’s Alberta and they use lots of salt on the roads…but if you wash it ..keep wax on it should last longer than 13 years.

This is the drivers side rear fender.  The other side is bad, and bottom of the doors and other places.  So that’s a bit of work..  Then there’s other body stuff…

Like dents and scratches…  Lots.  So I’ll have to figure out what to do. The Avalanche is worth making nice.  As far as the mechanical end of things all I’m aware of are the air ride system not working.  And the two functions on the shift leaver are not working..They are: tow/haul mode and the manual shift button. Could be a bad wire.  As for the air ride…  After 13 years and 285,000 kms one should not expect that to work.. They were prone to failure.  The fix is to change over to regular shocks and remove the compressor and install the delete kit on the wiring so the warning goes away.  I’ll be surprised if there is other problem. Here’s a video.

Let’s start a new page called.. “Hunting & Gathering”

Page 2

March  7  2021

This will be about the start of work on BOB..  But first :

Update:   BOB got to visit the Linde shop to use the hoist for an oil change and a good look underneath.  Found a few things… some of which won’t matter with a chassis swap.  Those are : the steering problem is caused by excessive play in the drag- link.  Front wheel bearings are a tad loose ..but not concerning.  Things that will need addressing are:  Drivers side rocker has a rust hole.  Some seals on the motor are leaking. Those seals will be replaced when the motor is pulled for the swap.  So really no bad stuff.  While in the air I swapped out the spare for the proper rim on the front..  Now I can clean and paint the spare rim and mount a tire .. ( which I found in Peter’s pile of old tires ).  Plus I’m constantly adding to my stash of stuff.  The latest add is two boxes that are a perfect fit..

Aluminum too !  I will need to change the latch, and add a gasket.  When I turn it the way I’ll mount it the box is 30″ long 13″ tall and 10″ deep.

April 2020:

The donor truck has been stripped down to the chassis.

The motor and trans will be removed and the chassis cleaned…  painted and get some new parts .  New shocks, calibers and torsion bar ends.  The steering on this chassis is tight so no more loosey goosey .  Bob gets that plus nice wheels , bigger fuel tank, better and complete exhaust system, nice heavy duty rear bumper with hitch.

Here’s the cab and deck sitting on my trailer.  I’m wanting to help more but all the moving and packing up is taking most of my time.  So things over at Harold’s shop are progressing nicely..  Bob’s motor & cab are back on the new chassis and running great.

Mid May :  This is where we are now..  body work is done…  new doors installed.  Ready for a shiny white paint job.  I helped a bit getting Bob into the paint booth.  No worries about that bit of cancer on the left fender… I have plastic flairs that cover that.  The rockers are new, and those all the bottom of the doors with get rock guard.  This next week I will help re-assembling .

Here we go..  Nice new shiny white paint job.  We are installing all the bits that were removed.  Bob’s looking like new..  Sadly there was no way to take Bob with us to Alberta. The “out of province” inspection would be the problem.  I sold Bob to someone who was keen on finishing what we started.  Here are the last photos I have ..

I parked Bob over at Peter’s and advertised him for sale.

 

The interior was looking a bit better but still needed some work.

Bye Bye Bob 🙁

Feb  22 2021

It’s a project…  Let’s make some plans !

Those tractor lights gota go !

And the spare back under the frame.. Those are just a few of the things that will change.  There’s lots..  Now that I’ve had the truck for a month and dug around to see what’s good … what’s bad… and what’s ugly.  And found the things that don’t work.. So here’s a list of improvements,  repairs and  pimping.  I know I’ll forget something ..so I’ll add it later.

#1  Extending the frame and the flat deck:

This is a big one..  The most likely scenario will be to use the 1996 4×4 frame we have and move BOB’s body and power train over.  This means I can move the deck back approximately 20 ”  giving me a 9 ft deck !  wow.  The plus side to all this work is being able to clean and paint all the parts… not just the ones you can see.  New body mounts , new brake lines.. A better steering box. and any other repairs.  Also the exhaust on that truck is in good condition.  The nice wheels I want are on the truck.  And interestingly the 96 has 4 plus 1 leafs in the rear springs.

And the truck appears to be lifted..  But we can’t find the lift. So could be the extra leaf in the spring ? We will no more when we remove the body and just have the frame.

#2 Changing the look of the back of the deck:

This will need a trim..  to make room for the new bumper and hitch.  These lights will be changed out for LEDs, and the license plate will move to the middle so the camera can see the hitch.  Plus a rail at the top for hooking the ramps to.

These are the lights I like.  Installed them on the Surf Side..  rubber grommets, flush mount..   perfect.

#3 Stake pockets:

I’m not changing my mind on this.. the rail is going bye bye and stake pockets along the sides, with a rub rail !  Great place to hook tie downs too.

#4  LED work lights and a winch:

The cheap tractor lights are going too..  I don’t even want the ones facing the front !  what’s their point ?  I have new 6 inch LED bar lights for here.  Tuck them under the top bar..  Proper wiring ! not bare wires hanging across the window.. Hillbilly wiring . The head ache rack will be removed to extend the deck. And this is where approximately 20″ will be added.  The wood deck will be moved back and good heavy gauge of metal deck added. There  I plan to mount a 1200 lb winch.

#5 Under deck storage:

I need to find or make some boxes that fit this space.  Handy for straps and I would like the have a second battery here too.. with a inverter and to power the winches.

That’s the work on the deck..  There will also be a bit of body work.  The clear coat is peeling off.  The doors will be replaced, and a new white paint job.    Continuing on the outside …

#6 New towing mirrors:

Yup.. I got em .. Those old ones will go.  This will be a working truck so car mirrors are no good..

#7 Headlights:

And let’s add the turn / park lights to that.  I have upgraded lights from a newer truck.  BOB will get to see in the dark with halogen bulbs..  and they could even be changed to LEDs too.  As for the park lights .. new bulbs and a mod to include running lights.

Now to the interior…

#8 Seats:

Oh ya..  Why just put a cover on this old bench when you can have nice buckets.  Exactly ! Who wouldn’t do that ?  And as a bonus I get a storage console and cup holders !  Not a hard decision at all.

#9 Head liner:

This will never do..  I have a hard one from one of the parts trucks. I’ll paint it … or glue this red stuff on..  We’ll see … but it won’t look like this.

#10 Stereo:

I’ve ordered a new RED bezel.. Only because I’m a bit fussy on this brown one.  Hey stuff’s gota match !  Also if I decide that the Sony sucks, I have a Kenwood waiting to replace it.  Interestingly the speakers look newer and they sound good..  One less thing.  Either way there is tunes !

#11 Back up camera and keyless locks:

I have a small 4 inch monitor that will fit this cubby.  So we will have the convenience of seeing what’s back there.  BOB’s getting some tech for sure..   One more thing these older trucks never had was keyless locking.   BOB will..  I’ve got the system to install.  No more door keys needed.

#12 Switches:

This is a replaced dash bezel.  the one that was in the truck was full of holes for the switches for the work lights.  I will have just one that fits this hole for the work lights on the Head rack.  And it lights up to let you know they are on..  Maybe a second switch if I install more lights.  There’s room !

#13 Drivers door panel :

Broken handle… broken trim…  wrong power lock switch..  I have the trim panel and the lock switch.  But the pull handle is hard to find cause they always break.  So either I do find one or I make one.  We’ll see .. but we will fix.

#14  Oil gauge:

This was mounted under the dash.  Didn’t seam to do anything.  Found out why… the tube supplying the oil pressure was broken.  I want the gauge in the cluster to be the one working so I’ll get a new oil sending unit and hook that back up.  Bye bye to this one.

#15 A Clock:

Yes you can get a clock…  Sadly the Chinese have a thing for 24 hr time…  Maybe has something to do with it also having the date ?  Don’t like that so I ordered a better one.

That’s it for now … a lot of stuff.   AND none of this happened because we moved and could not take Bob with us.  But we will have a quick look at the work that was done.

Jan  23  2021

Once again you can call me CRAZY ! But we are calling the Chevy  ” BOB “

This time I do not have a glamorous photo of this truck from the web of what it should look like.. That doesn’t exist.  YET!  It will when I’m done, but for now it’s all in my head.  This truck is …well unique. Yes it’s old and in need of some fixing up, mostly cosmetic ..  And certainly a flat deck truck is not rare… there is lots of them..  But they are mostly different from each other.  This one was home built on a half ton 4×4 long box single cab.  Most are one ton trucks.  SO do we have a hillbilly one.. Almost!  The deck is quite nice.. And the frame is very strong and seems professionally made.  BUT.. they bobbed off the rear of the truck (hence the name) and made it too short for my liking.  So My plan is to extend it.  But I’ll still call it BOB.

Ahh you gotta love the eighties..  Put your hand up it you had a car or truck from then that had a red interior… and I mean totally red ! My hand is up..  Red 1985 Dodge Caravan..  I’ll get used to it…again.  Good thing cause changing that would be a lot of work… and not necessary… So I’ll embrace the redness..

Just like the Surf side trailer if you start out not paying much.. or anything , then you have more to spend on making it right.  Quite often you could spend more to buy a nicer truck and still end up spending money.  Bottom line is I don’t expect much in a cheap truck.  So I feel lucky that it made the 2 hour trip back home and has BC registration.  And add to that… It runs good.. shifts good.. stops good. The important stuff works.  That’s the “Pros”  what about the “Cons”.  Well here’s what we know so far.  Motor needs an oil change. (should do that anyway).  Steering needs work (loosey goosey). The gauge cluster will be changed out (other gauges work fine).  The muffler is supposedly new but the tail pipe is missing, and it’s a bit loud for me.   Driver’s door is hard to close.  AC needs a re-charge.  Needs better tires and a new rim so the spare can return to the back.  At first we thought a leaf was missing from the rear springs.. Nope..  The ride is very nice.  However if you want to carry weight you need all the spring leaf’s there.  I’ll replace the doors and new pins and maybe the left fender cause they are rusty and easy to source.  There are a few bits inside that need fixing or replacing as well.  But let’s talk about the one thing I really want… The rear deck.  I was looking at trucks that I would have to remove the box and build a deck from scratch.  Totally could do that..  But here we have most of the work done for me..  For less money ! However needs a bit of “alterations”.  And paint !

What we have is ..  6 ft wide.  Perfect !  But only 7 ft 4 inches long.  I would like a minimum 8 ft long.. but lets add to that..  Let’s add a foot to make it 8 ft 4 inches.  And add that to the front so as to keep the back end shape. My RZR will fit very nicely.. The headache rack is perfect too.. Couldn’t have done it better.  Those rails will be removed and stake pockets added with a rub rail.  Also missing is a receiver hitch and the wiring for that.  All of this means I keep the nice new decking.  The extra foot would be plate steel with a strong winch mount against the head board.  There I want at least a 10,000 lb winch.  I love making plans..  So let’s make more..  I have thought about the way I would like things to be.. Useful , Adaptable,  come to mind.  More Ideas..

On this ..the drivers side I wanted the spare tire holder.  But I’m thinking it won’t fit .. so a storage box. ?

And on this side (passenger) I want a lock box for a second battery, storage and some other goodies I have in mind.  This battery would have an isolation solenoid and power the winches and a 1000 watt inverter.  That way I’ll always have the truck battery fully charged, and power for other stuff.  So far that’s my plans… could change !

For now The truck will have to wait it’s turn..  BUT while it waits I’m collecting some parts..  Newer headlights with bulbs to replace the old school sealed beams.  The cubby that replaces the old factory stereo heat unit.  A new instrument cluster with the same kms on the ODO.  BUT most of all a nice set of bucket seats with a center console to replace the bench seat.  Many more bits and pieces. If it’s cracked or broken I’m replacing it. PLUS I have on order: A remote keyless system.  A back up camera and monitor.  New door switches. New mirrors for towing.

BOB got buckets !

And a console !  With cup holders !  Good condition for being old.  Don’t  want three people in the truck.. so this suits me just fine.

BOB got new doors !

Well nothing for an old truck is really new,  but these are WAY better condition.  Bob will get a new white paint job, so color won’t matter for these.  I also found a fourth rim to match the others.  Now I have four nice rims and one spare rim.  Got quite the stash going on. And now added to the stash is a 1200 watt inverter, and some fancy chrome rims much like the ones on my Avalanche..

Sweet!  But wait… there’s more.  My friend bought another parts truck and won’t use the frame ..so there’s the missing part of my frame OR swap frames.  Ether way I get a very nice rear bumper. Here’s Some of the parts that will be an upgrade.

These are headlights from a newer truck that have halogen bulbs. The gauge cluster pictured has working ODO..  I’ve ordered new LED’s for gauges.  The headlights will get a polish and be like new, with much improvement.

Update :

Today we went and picked up a 1996 extra cab 4×4 with a bad transmission.  Local truck so we trailered  it home.  This is the truck that has the wheels I’m getting.  Harold bought the truck very cheap for the body panels..  box , doors , fenders and hood.  And the interior too.  That’s all he wants.  He does not like the 5.7 vortec motor.. and it would not start in the cold anyway.  I pitched in some of the money so the rest is mine.

So… this was a dark green truck at one time..  and all the white stuff was from another truck.  Great condition. He’s going use those body parts to build another regular cab short box 2 wheel drive truck.. His favorite kind. Today we also removed the motor from the frame he will use.  Now … once the truck above gets stripped of all it’s parts ..that leaves a good rolling frame..  a long 4×4 frame.  I’m considering moving all Bob’s body over to this frame. Because it’s not “bobed” off.  And it has this awesome rear bumper.

With a good hitch !  The wheels and this bumper are worth what we paid for the whole truck ! Someone did a great job fabricating this bumper.  By making a swap like this BOB can be more than a painted truck..  It will be like new.  Finally after a month I made a video…

I also fixed a few things on the dash.  Using some re-conditioned parts.

The dash pocket, gauge cluster and the dash bezel are from a donor truck .   The stereo and mount were in the truck but not installed properly.  Since I knew what I was doing I took this much of the dash apart, and removed some messy wiring ,  Plus redo the stereo harness.  It wasn’t soldered ! and some of the wires were pulled apart.  Then I put it all back with better parts.  Now the glove box opens and closes without falling on the floor!  And the stereo is in the dash all the way instead of hanging out…  all speakers work.  This is how things will stay for now.  After the Surf Side trailer is finished then it’s truck time. !  and I’ll start a new page..

Working on BOB  page 2

Sept  14  2019

My Two Cents…

I believe anyone who is into vehicles has favorites… or maybe one model / make that they liked so much that they buy them again and again.  For me it’s an Avalanche…  Not a new one but the years 2002 to 2006.   The best years…  now GM has long since stopped production of these hybrid trucks.. In 2013 the last of them were made.  I mistake I think…  But GM has made many of those.  Diehard trucks folks thought them to be (not a truck) I disagree !  Today  1/2 ton trucks are mostly crew cabs with short boxes.  Wow.. that’s what an Avalanche is too !  BUT  with a very big difference..  I can drop the back wall (midgate) in seconds and I now have a long box truck..   Recently I carried home some 20 ft pieces of steel…   I can easily carry 16 ft lumber..  Try those things in your short box truck !  Here’s some other things for my argument …   Box covers are an option for most trucks…  Avalanche comes with them…  three piece hard and lockable.  Handling …  Because the Avalanche is built on the Suburban chassis it handles like a SUV..  smoother.. turns sharper.  But they share so much in common with a regular Chevy 1/2 ton..

Now let’s talk about my history with these (trucks).  It was my good friend Dave ( diehard GM guy) that started tooting the Avalanche horn… saying how they are great and that he was thinking of one…and that I should too.  Later he did..  a 2006..  and he had it for longer than I had… well anything.  But I was first.. In 2005 I bought a 2003 Avy

#1  2003 Avalanche base:

With the cladding..   Loved it like I loved them all.  Yep I pimped it a bit..  This was the very base model..   So not much fanciness.

No Bose sound or climate control..   But I added a back up camera.. and a new stereo… This is the Avy that towed our Award trailer..

And packed Kayaks on a rack I made… ( and still have)  .

Yes I kept that rack… good thing !   However when I was lossing my job at the mill we had to down size and the 2003 Avy was one of the things to go..  I sold it in 2008.

#2  2005 Avalanche  LT :

It wasn’t long before I bought another one… I got a new job… making good money so I couldn’t resist when this one showed up at the lot..

Loved the color..  it changed in the sunlight..  This was the first deluxe Avy..  leather seats,  Bose sound with center console.  No cladding.  Sunroof too !  And yes I pimped it out..

 

Added a Pioneer stereo and burl wood trim..  classy !.   I had this Avy the longest..  4 years..   I sold it in 2012.

#3 2002 Avalanche :

I missed the 2005 Avy..  so I was actively looking for a replacement..   I was working at the car lot where I had bought the other two..  and I saw one next door having some repairs done..

I asked if it was for sale and yup it was..  So I bought it. 8 months after selling the 2005.  Came with a second set of wheels..  This is the first gen Avy..  and the interior is slightly different..  Not fond of black..  But that could change.

So I had the darn cladding again and it needed some good cleaning .. and I installed the new wheels…  Looked good after that.

The black paint was not good.. The Avy had spent some time in Trail.. and the acid rain had pitted the paint..  In Feb 2014 a new body shop opened and they gave me a great deal on a paint job..  So i changed the color to a dark red…  Nice !

I was flipping vehicles that year.. And I never considered this Avy a keeper… So I sold it in the Spring of 2014..  I still see it driving around by the same fella..   When I retired from the lot in 2015 I had a 2004 Rare Chevy 2400HD  Rv hauler..  And I drove that till this spring 2019…  It was a great truck but not so good on fuel… so didn’t drive it much.. That’s when the newest Avy came along..

#4  2003 Avalanche  LSC special edition:

I was back working at the lot..  when this one came in on trade..   WOW..  blingged out !

Chrome everything …  4:10 towing grears..  air bags . Bose sound ..  In fantastic condition !   But I still found a few things to add.

Like factory roof racks..   and a killer Pioneer stereo ..  with blue tooth, back up camera and satellite radio…

And yes even had climate control , power folding mirrors and power adjusting pedals.  Love it…  So much we used the Avy on our trip out to Alberta this August…  got great fuel mileage and a very comfy ride.. And I want to keep this one..

# 5 A second 2005

I thought this (centre) would be the one for my daughter -in law.  But then I found the 2009…

#6 2009 Avalanche

But let’s keep in mind that the 4 th  2003 Avalanche did the moving to Alberta.  4 trips..  It’s now going to stay in the family.. Dee loves it.. and it will serve them well.  As for the 2009.. A little beat up, but I will return it to it’s former glory.  I already love it like the others..  Use the link above to follow that process.

I did keep this for over two years, and it served me well.  The bodywork never got done. I was starting to cost money in repairs. So in the late spring of 2024 I sold it.  Got the 1993 truck and drove that for the summer. Then the motor went boom.  Now in the early fall 2024 I bought

Avalanche number Seven !

A 2006 white Z71 LT.  Nicest one I could find with the lowest kms.

It too needs a few repairs but the price was right, the kms a good and the body is also good.

May  12  2017

I saw this for sale cheap…  and I was only sorta interested..  sorta !

 

So I threw it out there on the family page.   I did so because many of them were looking at smaller RV’s.  And this is the same size as a long pickup.  but it has a lot of RV stuff in there.  Including two full beds.  So what to do !  I went and had a good look..  the motor runs but knocks so bad you don’t really want to drive it.  The roof leaked at some time and damaged the ceiling panels..  But that’s not a big deal in this RV cause the frame is all steel.  The rest is in good condition for it’s age.  I paid the few hundred bucks and had it towed to Peter’s shop..  The plan is to explore the motor fix later this summer.  Here’s a video ..

These Motor homes have an endearing following:  Love / Hate kinda

And it’s easy to see why.  The four cylinder motor gets very good gas mileage ..  but is under powered for this size vehicle.  It’s front wheel drive , therefor it’s low to the ground… No steps !  In fact it’s the lowest entry of any RV.  The layout inside works very well.. and makes good use of the space.   Here’s a new video that better shows that..

I made the forward bed down just to see how that went..  great bed.  Also I wanted to see how much of a job the ceiling would be..  and it doesn’t look like that big of a deal.   Looks like the factory ceiling was paneling covered with fuzzy headliner stuff..   Ok .. I get that..  but that headliner did not do well with the constant rubbing of peoples heads on it..   Plus it was glued to the paneling..  30 years of rubbing , heat… cold.. nope . did not do good..  I’m thinking just smooth white finish is best.

Aug 2017:

I found a complete drive train for the LS..  running motor … not working transmission..  33,000 miles on it  AND  it’s here in BC .  just a 7 hr drive away..

Update: Aug 2017

After I sold the Empress motor home ,  I had the money to buy the motor from the fella down at the coast..  And how lucky I was that he was coming to Grand Forks to buy a car..  So he delivered the motor ( complete with transmission and front drive).  What a great deal..  Even though there is a few years difference the motors are identical.

Also as a bit of bonus..  he discovered that the reason for his transmission not working was a broken wire connector.  So I have a spare transmission too.  I will also have both spare ECU’s for the trans & motor.  I could just do a quick swap of the motors.. but I would like to clean up the new motor and replace some of the gaskets..  check the seals and set the valves..  All easier while outside the LS and in the shop.

Aug 10 2017:  The LS is now in my driveway facing the shop door..

Today in the cool morning I have removed the front fascia and bumper..  and sizing things up..   wow there is a lot of hoses to keep track of..  Going to have to lift the front quiet a bit to get under there..  I have the new motor apart from the transmission now…  sure don’t like the right side motor mount..  not enough room to swing a wrench.   Seems every bolt holding the two together is a different length !  curse the French.   And speaking of bolts !  are they metric.. or SAE..  seems a combination of both ?

 

I was using a 5/8 socket on the motor bolts ..  so I’m confused a bit.  So now to mount the motor to the stand and park the transaxle outside out of the way.

Sept 25 2017:      I had lost the use of the motor hoist for a few weeks and while waiting I got some other things done..  Also needed the new gaskets for the good motor so got them ordered and here.  This week is time to get R done.  The goal was always to get the LaSharo running good before winter sets in.. and then I’ll park it till spring to work on the interior.

My nephew is a mechanic and he will come help with the swap..  He’s done many motor swaps.  My next step is to pull the existing motor out ..  get the two side by side and change over the best parts..   Then I want to power wash the motor compartment.

So after much cursing and sweat..  the motor is out and I washed the whole thing down.  Nicer to work without all the yuck.   Now the good motor needs a bit of work and then in it goes.

The old motor is probably re-buildable …or at least some of the bits are useable..  Need to get it on the motor stand and see…

Here’s the new motor in..  Took 4 hrs and lots of patience.  And that’s just bolting it to the transmission !  now I need to hook up what seams like a hundred things.  It better run… cause this is not an easy in / out sorta thing.

Oct 10 2017:  Thanksgiving !

And I’m thankful that things are moving along with the re- hooking up of motor stuff..  I took a little break and went camping / quading with friends..  But this weekend I’m back at it scratching my head over the hose and wire puzzle.  Got some great help from my Facebook  LeSharo friends..

RUNS !

Yup .. it fired right up..  it’s now the 15 th of Oct.. and I have it all together and the coolant in there too..  I drove it next door and parked it for the winter..  SO will continue with renewed vigor in the spring..   Will start a new page for that..   And now I’ll focus my attention on the boler..

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