X-Factor
TYF Newbie
First post. Long winded - don't TLDR me please lol.
As a kid I grew up with Suburbans - learned to drive on an 89 GMC Suburban that my dad bought new - only new car I think he ever owned, a 99 Chevy Sub shortly after (we needed both - big family!). Since then I've personally owned a 97 (?) Tahoe, 99 Chevy suburban, and in 2018 I picked up a strangely low mileage (comparatively) '06 XL Denali with every option available at the time - still have the window sticker too. Every time I've NOT had one of these trucks, I've regretted it. So, I will be holding onto this one until the wheels fall off...
I've driven it all over the east coast at this point, she's sitting at around 150k miles - truck has been flawless aside from those pesky 20" stock wheels leaking like a sieve. Annoyingly frequent cleaning job is required on them to hold air. Aside from that....she's been a joy. Paint is heat damaged, changer hasn't worked since I bought it but I've been too lazy to fix it (yes, I still use CDs). Wife has since crunched the driver side mirror which is cosmetic but annoying damage.
Also since I was a kid, I dreamed of shoving a big block into a Suburban and making it a sleeper truck. The 454 seemed like the pinnacle of power to me in the late 90s, so while that motor isn't on my radar anymore, this beast of a 6.0 seems like a good alternative. While it won't be a "fast" truck for these days, it could be enough fun for my midlife crisis. I had to replace my muffler a few weeks ago and it woke up the old me lol. I have a vision for this truck, and since I don't have fast cars anymore this itch might need to be scratched. I'm no mechanic, nor will I pretend to be one. Here is my plan, as I start to sketch out the path:
Power:
compression/sonic checks first
Intake
Headers
full exhaust
fuel system?
Tune - what is the move here?
I was told (and have seen here) to not open the block until its really necessary so no intentions there. Probably need to understand the upgrade path there as well.
Transmission:
Upgrade the 4L65E to 4L80E - no shifting issues but she's a little sluggish and I don't think will like more power.
Rear diff?
Not sure what all is needed here that makes sense....who is the best in this realm? I had reached out to Monster Transmissions but haven't connected yet.
Interior:
replace changer
slow project to turn interior into a sleeper cabin - long term project.
Exterior:
Swap the 20" wheels with 17/18s - anyone know the stock 20" wheel weight? Haven't been able to figure this out, would like to know so i can make sure I'm maximizing rolling resistance reduction.
Tint front windows
Bull bar
Probably respray the whole truck either the stock silver or a matte gray. Not sure.
Thanks for reading - she's an older beast now but man I love this truck...
![20240706_161914[1].jpg](https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/data/attachments/426/426206-188c832537afa5785541ad99287c3c02.jpg "20240706_161914[1].jpg")
As a kid I grew up with Suburbans - learned to drive on an 89 GMC Suburban that my dad bought new - only new car I think he ever owned, a 99 Chevy Sub shortly after (we needed both - big family!). Since then I've personally owned a 97 (?) Tahoe, 99 Chevy suburban, and in 2018 I picked up a strangely low mileage (comparatively) '06 XL Denali with every option available at the time - still have the window sticker too. Every time I've NOT had one of these trucks, I've regretted it. So, I will be holding onto this one until the wheels fall off...
I've driven it all over the east coast at this point, she's sitting at around 150k miles - truck has been flawless aside from those pesky 20" stock wheels leaking like a sieve. Annoyingly frequent cleaning job is required on them to hold air. Aside from that....she's been a joy. Paint is heat damaged, changer hasn't worked since I bought it but I've been too lazy to fix it (yes, I still use CDs). Wife has since crunched the driver side mirror which is cosmetic but annoying damage.
Also since I was a kid, I dreamed of shoving a big block into a Suburban and making it a sleeper truck. The 454 seemed like the pinnacle of power to me in the late 90s, so while that motor isn't on my radar anymore, this beast of a 6.0 seems like a good alternative. While it won't be a "fast" truck for these days, it could be enough fun for my midlife crisis. I had to replace my muffler a few weeks ago and it woke up the old me lol. I have a vision for this truck, and since I don't have fast cars anymore this itch might need to be scratched. I'm no mechanic, nor will I pretend to be one. Here is my plan, as I start to sketch out the path:
Power:
compression/sonic checks first
Intake
Headers
full exhaust
fuel system?
Tune - what is the move here?
I was told (and have seen here) to not open the block until its really necessary so no intentions there. Probably need to understand the upgrade path there as well.
Transmission:
Upgrade the 4L65E to 4L80E - no shifting issues but she's a little sluggish and I don't think will like more power.
Rear diff?
Not sure what all is needed here that makes sense....who is the best in this realm? I had reached out to Monster Transmissions but haven't connected yet.
Interior:
replace changer
slow project to turn interior into a sleeper cabin - long term project.
Exterior:
Swap the 20" wheels with 17/18s - anyone know the stock 20" wheel weight? Haven't been able to figure this out, would like to know so i can make sure I'm maximizing rolling resistance reduction.
Tint front windows
Bull bar
Probably respray the whole truck either the stock silver or a matte gray. Not sure.
Thanks for reading - she's an older beast now but man I love this truck...
