06 Silverado Crew Cab Build

OK, I got the first mod tune file installed last night. I installed the NP149 driveshaft over lunch break, since the 246 driveshaft is about an inch too long to fit. I pulled the actuator and installed a 3/4" long piece of PVC to lock the front axle and no fear of the actuator backing out...... if it ever would. I drove it around the neighborhood and all seems good to go. I'll get it out on a better drive later on and get a data log to send back to Blackbear. Maybe take a cruise down Woodward, because this truck is such an attention grabber haha!!!

drdave81 said:

OK, I got the first mod tune file installed last night. I installed the NP149 driveshaft over lunch break, since the 246 driveshaft is about an inch too long to fit. I pulled the actuator and installed a 3/4" long piece of PVC to lock the front axle and no fear of the actuator backing out...... if it ever would. I drove it around the neighborhood and all seems good to go. I'll get it out on a better drive later on and get a data log to send back to Blackbear. Maybe take a cruise down Woodward, because this truck is such an attention grabber haha!!!

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Good to hear it’s rolling! Always puts a smile on when ya can see the progress lol

I pulled the switch and the TCCM out, with the battery disconnected, reconnected everything and no more "Service 4WD" message anymore. Got the initial tune file from Blackbear, data logged it. They got back to me, I was running it on 87 Octane, they want a log of it on 91+ octane since it's a higher compression engine (LQ9 is 10:1). So once I run this tank down, I'll refill and log it again.

Small updates.....
The NP149 I swapped in has a leak around the front seal on the transfer case, which is actually more of a bushing I guess. I talked to a couple places and it sounds like if that goes bad, there's more issues going on inside than just a worn out seal. So, I got lucky and found a guy who just swapped his Denali over to 2wd (and a bad ass turbo setup!!!). I was able to pick up the whole AWD setup off him for a few hundred bucks. The t case was already rebuilt, less than 40k miles on it. Has the pump rub kit installed and everything. So now I'll swap that one in, next year probably swap the right side axle tube so I have a 1 piece axle tube instead of the 2 piece with the locked actuator currently in the truck. I also got both CV axles which is nice because I have one with a torn boot on this truck and one with a torn boot on my Yukon. Both of them are pretty new yet as well, way newer than what I've got.

I also had to do the front brakes, so I did the 07+ brake upgrade. I was reading some and it sounds like this truck may have already had those brakes on it, since it was an 06 with rear drum brakes. Either way, at 275k miles, it got new calipers and hoses anyway.

I also got all the chrome BS off finally. Once it started pulling paint off one panel, I got a little careless in removal of the rest since I decided......... now it'll need paint. I decided for a 2 tone look since it would be really hard to match the paint that's already on there since GM had so many variants of the same color. I remember working at the dealer back when these trucks were still new. You could have 2 with matching paint codes parked next to each other and they would be different shades. So I found a darker gray to go with, since I don't like the black, it always looks like those trucks when someone just tapes it off and spray paints over rust. I sanded everything out, prepped, primed, painted and cleared.
It turns out...... I am NOT a painter lmao. It's definitely good enough for this truck, since the whole rest of the body is a bit rough, but it will never be seen in any car shows any time soon (that's why I didn't fix dents, I'd be there forever with all of them). I had something off with the settings on the gun, plus weather that day, etc, but man the amount of orange peel in the paint, I make OEM paint jobs look good hahaha!!!

drdave81 said:

I also got all the chrome BS off finally. Once it started pulling paint off one panel, I got a little careless in removal of the rest since I decided......... now it'll need paint. I decided for a 2 tone look since it would be really hard to match the paint that's already on there since GM had so many variants of the same color. I remember working at the dealer back when these trucks were still new. You could have 2 with matching paint codes parked next to each other and they would be different shades. So I found a darker gray to go with, since I don't like the black, it always looks like those trucks when someone just tapes it off and spray paints over rust. I sanded everything out, prepped, primed, painted and cleared.
It turns out...... I am NOT a painter lmao. It's definitely good enough for this truck, since the whole rest of the body is a bit rough, but it will never be seen in any car shows any time soon (that's why I didn't fix dents, I'd be there forever with all of them). I had something off with the settings on the gun, plus weather that day, etc, but man the amount of orange peel in the paint, I make OEM paint jobs look good hahaha!!!

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2 tone is definitely a nice way to avoid a ton of headache.. since 2 tone was a common option it looks pretty natural. Looks good

crazy how the same paint codes can be different shades. When I lived with my youth pastor from growing up and his family, his wife had a 2004 xl Denali, in silver birch metallic just like my 2006 truck. Hers and mine big had the same paint code. And then the older brother who I lived up above, had a 2005 ESV in quicksilver metallic, with the same paint code as our denalis. There was one day where all three trucks were parked in our driveway next to each other, and all three paints were different shades as you said. I found it so odd and yet kinda fascinating.