05Single's virgin build thread. 03 tahoe

[05Single]

To apologize to my baby for not treating her right with the brakes I bought her the original California duster. Pollen is crazy this year

 

[ScottyBoy]

I've heard TONS of professional auto detailers say those things are the devil! Lol Supposedly they cause scratches and swirl marks. Especially when you use it over and over again and get dust caught up all in the fibers. You are basically just dragging dirt across your paint. I'm sure just using it 2-3 times to get pollen off of a clean car would not make hardly any scratches or swirl marks. But using one regularly in between washes will definitely be dragging dirt across the paint. I know you have spent a lot of time polishing your paint, so I'm just saying be careful with that thing and don't use it when you should really be washing it or using some detail spray and clean microfiber towels.

Also, on your brake calipers, did you use Loctite on the caliper bracket bolts? If not, I HIGHLY suggest that you go back and apply some to the bolt threads. I know GM uses Loctite from the factory, and ever since my experience with my caliper coming off, I use Loctite religiously now. I've seen repair manuals state that you should apply thread lock compound as well. In my foolish wisdom I always thought that you didn't need Loctite as long as you got the the bolts tight enough. I know damn good and well I had my caliper brackets tight as hell with a breaker bar, yet about a year or two later the caliper bracket bolt ended up backing itself out and caused all that damage on my truck. It's not something that will happen overnight, it took mine at least a year or two to work itself loose, but it did. And I don't want shit coming loose even 5 or 10 years later, so I definitely use Loctite now.

 

[05Single]

I've heard TONS of professional auto detailers say those things are the devil! Lol Supposedly they cause scratches and swirl marks. Especially when you use it over and over again and get dust caught up all in the fibers. You are basically just dragging dirt across your paint. I'm sure just using it 2-3 times to get pollen off of a clean car would not make hardly any scratches or swirl marks. But using one regularly in between washes will definitely be dragging dirt across the paint. I know you have spent a lot of time polishing your paint, so I'm just saying be careful with that thing and don't use it when you should really be washing it or using some detail spray and clean microfiber towels.

Also, on your brake calipers, did you use Loctite on the caliper bracket bolts? If not, I HIGHLY suggest that you go back and apply some to the bolt threads. I know GM uses Loctite from the factory, and ever since my experience with my caliper coming off, I use Loctite religiously now. I've seen repair manuals state that you should apply thread lock compound as well. In my foolish wisdom I always thought that you didn't need Loctite as long as you got the the bolts tight enough. I know damn good and well I had my caliper brackets tight as hell with a breaker bar, yet about a year or two later the caliper bracket bolt ended up backing itself out and caused all that damage on my truck. It's not something that will happen overnight, it took mine at least a year or two to work itself loose, but it did. And I don't want shit coming loose even 5 or 10 years later, so I definitely use Loctite now.

Yea for the duster if you know how to use it properly it it’s fine. I will only use it with light dust and pollen of course.

And I thought about using loctite on the calipers but figure it’s just a little caliper and it won’t be an issue , well I was wrong . But I’ll be sure to add some this soon. Right now I’m not driving it. When I replace the pitman arm, tie rod and stuff I’ll do it all this summer.

 

[Tonyrodz]

I've heard TONS of professional auto detailers say those things are the devil! Lol Supposedly they cause scratches and swirl marks. Especially when you use it over and over again and get dust caught up all in the fibers. You are basically just dragging dirt across your paint. I'm sure just using it 2-3 times to get pollen off of a clean car would not make hardly any scratches or swirl marks. But using one regularly in between washes will definitely be dragging dirt across the paint. I know you have spent a lot of time polishing your paint, so I'm just saying be careful with that thing and don't use it when you should really be washing it or using some detail spray and clean microfiber towels.

Also, on your brake calipers, did you use Loctite on the caliper bracket bolts? If not, I HIGHLY suggest that you go back and apply some to the bolt threads. I know GM uses Loctite from the factory, and ever since my experience with my caliper coming off, I use Loctite religiously now. I've seen repair manuals state that you should apply thread lock compound as well. In my foolish wisdom I always thought that you didn't need Loctite as long as you got the the bolts tight enough. I know damn good and well I had my caliper brackets tight as hell with a breaker bar, yet about a year or two later the caliper bracket bolt ended up backing itself out and caused all that damage on my truck. It's not something that will happen overnight, it took mine at least a year or two to work itself loose, but it did. And I don't want shit coming loose even 5 or 10 years later, so I definitely use Loctite now.

Red or blue loctite?

 

[HiHoeSilver]

Red or blue loctite?

I wondered this too. I feel like the factory uses yellow on those. I would think blue is fine. Red gonna be a PITA later.

 

[PG01]

Yea for the duster if you know how to use it properly it it’s fine. I will only use it with light dust and pollen of course.

And I thought about using loctite on the calipers but figure it’s just a little caliper and it won’t be an issue , well I was wrong . But I’ll be sure to add some this soon. Right now I’m not driving it. When I replace the pitman arm, tie rod and stuff I’ll do it all this summer.

Red or blue loctite?

I wondered this too. I feel like the factory uses yellow on those. I would think blue is fine. Red gonna be a PITA later.

@05Single not on caliper bolts only on caliper BRACKET bolts.

I just use blue guys, with the yellow thats left over I personally feel it reactivates the yellow... imo

 

[05Single]

@05Single not on caliper bolts only on caliper BRACKET bolts.

I just use blue guys, with the yellow thats left over I personally feel it reactivates the yellow... imo

Yes yes you are correct , the bracket bolts only, thanks. So nobody reading this later gets confused and throws loctite on the caliper bolts . That would suck lol

 

[ScottyBoy]

I use red Loctite, but that's just my personal preference. I'm sure the blue one would be sufficient.

 

[ArcticYukon]

I wondered this too. I feel like the factory uses yellow on those. I would think blue is fine. Red gonna be a PITA later.

I thought you had to use HEAT to remove bolts with Yellow loctite.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

I thought you had to use HEAT to remove bolts with Yellow loctite.

"had to" are such strong words.