DIY Tahoe/Yukon SS? How would you do it?

So I know there is a Trailblazer SS (I owned one, horrible mpg but sounded great!) and a Silverado SS, but they never really made a Tahoe/Yukon SS in the last couple generations.

It seems like it wouldn't be too hard, with the plethora of aftermarket for these, to build one yourself on the cheap. So, I guess I am curious how you would spec out the donor SUV and then what mods would you do to SuperSport-it-up.

Ideally you would start with the lightest 2WD, 6.0 with a 4L80E, but I'm not sure that existed. I believe the Denali got the 6.0 and all others had the 5.3? But the Denali was full time 4WD? So you may be forced to start with a 2WD, 5.3 with the 4L60E?

Also, once you have the donor, I would probably lower it 2/4, upgrade the wheels/tires with a fancier GM factory option (Escalade perhaps), thicker sway bars, then beef up the motor (either a simple intake/exhaust/headers/tune or maybe a bigger heads/cam swap).

I'm curious how others might approach this, and what the end result would be. Something that looks clean, sounds mean and gets up and goes pretty quickly in comfort while knocking down decent mpg? Seems pretty doable for $10-15k.

You could start with the Tahoe PPV/SSV package, that would get you the heavy duty bits and slightly lowered police-spec suspension.  I think you still are stuck with the 5.3, and the interior is decontented and set up for police work/utility.  Here's the spec sheet for the 2018 model 2018 Tahoe PPV

I would start with a Denali.  6.2 all aluminum 400hp stock and the 4l80 transmission.  Lower it a little, add some thicker sways, maybe a cam and some long tubes...

Most if not all Denalis/Escalades come as awd models when you put the 6.2 up front.

Lowering is either 2-3” front and 2-4” in the rear. 3/4 is a ton of drop in these plus the panhard bar is non adjustable.

I’ve been wanting this for a while now. 2005 Yukon XL Denali with the 6.0 and awd.

i think if you started there, dropping weight would be a big help and it’s free.

3” lower with lighter wheels and better tires and bigger swaybars would be next. 

Mid want to maximize the handling before I added to the 335-345 hp

I assume you want something 2wd short wheelbase? a 6.2 dropout goes for about 4-5k which is why I opted for the 8.1 in my truck when the 6.0 went out.

find an old cop tahoe or a 07.5+ to grab the 6 speed 2wd for cheap and go from there.

Before buying my Jeep I thought I'd want a Tahoe if anything ever happened to my e36. Big step, I know.

I have an acquaintance with an police Tahoe. Perfect starting point. He's got a mild upgrades to the engine, cam, springs etc and a slight bottom mount turbo. Makes ~700whp on e85. That's a bit much for me. I like the concept but lets step back to ~500whp. Give me a proper transmission, NV5600 bolts up and fits. I'd rather a ZF6 but they require a body lift or a completely reworked tunnel. Everybody wants to go super low, nah, it's an SUV. Give it a 2/4 drop to keep some ground clearance.

Big, comfy, fast, carries  lot of stuff, ability to tow and sleepy.

I had a post typed about about a stock appearing but quick Tahoe, then I just remembered I'd rather do what this guy did.

I'd probably run a stock truck bumper if possible.

In reply to Daylan C :

The YouTube rabbit hole led me to this beast. That thing is no joke. I wouldn't want to go that far, but it seems like there is a lot of potential in these as a do-it-all vehicle.

I would like the option of smokey burnouts, so would prefer 2WD, which I guess only came in 5.3L flavor. It looks like they revised the design in 2007 like noted above, but also sounds like there was a new trans for that generation? I definitely like the interior of the 2007+ over the previous!

In reply to CobraSpdRH :

2007 and up got the 6L80. The post I had typed up was a 2007+ 5.3 2wd with an LSA supercharger, DOD delete, cam, long tube headers, lots of tire and a 3/5 drop. 

Reviving this as it appears I will be in the market for one of these sooner than I thought.

I definitely want the GMT900, as the interior and exterior updates make it miles ahead of the GMT800 IMO. I prefer the looks of the Tahoe, but would still consider a Yukon if the price/miles/condition was right. Escalade looks great in GMT900 guise but might be out of my budget,

Thinking max budget is about $15k with a loan from PenFed, and would prefer dealer as I need to trade in an old 4Runner (no time to list privately). I know I will get hosed on the trade-in here, but worth it to keep this transaction simple (we have a 4-month old, so no time for the usual tactics).

So, can I get a 2WD Tahoe/Yukon with the 6.2? It seems the 6.2 only came in Denali/Escalade/LTZ trims, which were overwhelmingly (if not entirely) AWD.

If not, I'd be fine with the 5.3, but seems like I would want the 6L80 over the 4L65-E, right? Which means I need to be looking at 2009 and up for Tahoes.

Also, what is the best way to tell if a SUV is equipped with the 6.2? Any easy giveaways? Autotrader and the like only let you filter by 6-cylinder vs. 8-cylinder.

Finally, what to look out for? I see a lot about DoD but not much else. I like to keep my electronics simple, so would probably be fine with an LS-type trim without all the fancy stuff that can break (as long as it has aux port).

DIY, I'd roll with the GMT800 2wd PPV. Crate engine 6.2, 3.73/posi and a built 4L70E. 2WD 800's got R&P and coil spring front ends like the trucks but with the 4-link rear.  H&R springs, Belltech sway bars and some Bilstein shocks at all 4 corners. As much as it pains me to say it, I'd probably roll with the 5-spoke 20's from GM because they look good there. 

You can use an online GM VIN decoder to determine what engine a vehicle has. The 8th digit is the one to look at.

Seems like an old 4 runner would be an easy sell. Post it here first; there are lots of flexible people to work out timing with.

I would do a Tahoe PPV and probably be happy with the stock performance until it's paid off. You can get them for less than $10k. In Ohio they get rid of them around 100k-150k miles; I don't know if that's too many for you or not. They sure look cool with the slight drop and the fat speed rated tires. They're "de-contented" but it's still a Tahoe so you do have line in on the stereo and On-Star and what not. I think they're a 5.3 and 2wd. The Tahoe SSV is 4wd but not pursuit rated due to the higher center of gravity.

As mentioned above you should look for a police tahoe and base your project on that. This is exactly what Chevy did with the 94 to 96 Impala ss and mercury did with the marauder take the normal cop with which has better suspension and performance bits and make a civilian version. The nice thing about the trucks is you can dump just about any engine in them and make it work. Heck if you have the budget time and ability you could put a duramax and Allison transmission in it.

While the idea of the PPV sounds nice mine will need to be more civilized for trips with the wife and little man.

I believe the PPV's didn't even come with rear seats?

Thanks for the tip on the 4Runner, will offer it up here and see if anyone could benefit.

CobraSpdRH said:

While the idea of the PPV sounds nice mine will need to be more civilized for trips with the wife and little man.

I believe the PPV's didn't even come with rear seats?

Thanks for the tip on the 4Runner, will offer it up here and see if anyone could benefit.

I’m sure you could find a nice interior and seating from a junkyard but a quick google search most ppv that appears seem to have a back seat

The PPV does usually come with a back seat - most of them I've seen have them. I'm sure some don't but that might be a K9 unit car or something. It does usually have vinyl floors rather than carpet.