2008 SSV..Help empty my wallet!

[OR VietVet]

Ah, @PNW VietVet I have the scars on my bank account from that sort of thing in the past.
I have a Jeep in the yard I refuse to disclose the amount of money spent on restoration and mods. I plead the fifth.
But a project keeps me sane. All I plan to leave as an inheritance is a bunch of toys and bills.
The reward for me is twofold; I enjoy wrenching on vehicles at home and I enjoy taking them to remote places to explore and off-road away from the crowds.

Here's an illustration of what I'm building for. Mild to moderate wheeling and in these photos camping along the Dalton highway in AK. Reliability for me is first, second, and third priority in builds now. There's no cell phone service and no tow trucks to call. Will the Hoe be trustworthy enough to go that far? Time will tell. I used to build for high performance but that was when I recreated close to home and with a crowd of buddies to drag the dead and wounded home again. Solo exploration has changed my approach.

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Yea, plenty of off road places here in Oregon and when I was wheelin' I was with friends. My rig was basically bullet proof and was nicknamed "Brutus". If someone was stuck, no matter where, I was called on to get them out or up a hill.

If by yourself and off roading, then spare parts and the means to weld and jack up and sometimes air supply is needed. I had all that.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Solo exploration would plant a hitch-mounted winch at the top of my list, as well as a front bumper or the stock one modded with a front receiver so you can winch in either direction.

After that would be a simple yet effective lift. Some tubular uppers and a decent Coilover upfront and good shocks and springs out back with a beefy Panhard bar.

Then maintenance would be third

 

[Miami-Dade]

Hello, all, I've rejoined the GM clan with my latest project, a retired SSV, 2008. This will not be my daily, but something to take hunting and trail riding when I think pinstriping or paint damage may ensue. Being a retired border patrol truck, it's had plenty of experience with that already. Picked it up for a reasonable price with low miles and no rust on the body which is important to me. Some surface rust on the chassis but nothing I can't stop with some Fluid Film. Sorry for the crappy photo, I can't get a better one right now because it's in the shop getting the A/C tuned up.

A bit about me, I'm retired and have a lifelong obsession with 4WD vehicles, so this sort of thing is an indulgence or a hobby if you will. I do wheel my trucks in remote places all over north America, so when I build one it's got to be reliable. Most of the work I'll do myself, but some specialties like paintwork or aircon I farm out. Right now I'm loving the SSV with the utilitarian interior and plain exterior. I don't know why I never caught onto these before. My most recent GM truck was a Colorado ZR2 which I traded off because of a (ahem) bent frame.

Right now I'll be working through any reliability issues with the truck before I take up mods. It's got some things going on with ABS, stabilitrac and airbags, so I'll be working on exorcising those electronic demons before getting into mods. That's when I'll appreciate some suggestions on best practices and vendors for some mods, lifts especially. This will be my first time lifting a GM IFS so I know I've got some things to learn.

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge!
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Welcome from Miami Beach Bill!

Nice SSV! Looks to be in overall very good condition. Check out the 2007-2014 PPV-SSV section for any questions or concerns you have.

Retired myself now and eventually would like to make a drive to Alaska from either Miami or New York. Spoke to someone recently who drove from Fairbanks Alaska to Miami Beach. He said it took him 82 hours.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Good question, I just assumed it's the standard issue from that generation. There were several in the lot all sporting the same wheels; just plain steelies with oval holes. I'm pretty sure someone at the dealership had painted them all fresh black because they look to be original but the paint on the outer surface looks too good. I think they're silver inside the barrel. Mine's not at home right now so I can't do any further investigation immediately.

Those look to be from a newer-ish Silverado maybe. If I'm not mistaken your rims/generation should look like this--
Round holes.

 

[Bill 1960]

@Tonyrodz mine are the same wheels in your photo, except the center plastic caps differ. I’d place no bets on whether any of that is original to the truck. The place I bought it from was clearly in the business of moving parts off donor vehicles to make whole ones. It has three different tire sizes and treads on it, one being a low profile, probably from a PPV? I’m pretty sure the Feds didn’t run it that way. In any case I expected to replace all that. I chose this one for the good body and low mileage powertrain. Time will tell if I chose wisely or poorly.

New temporary tires are waiting in the back of my pickup now. Temporary because after I lift it they’ll be too small.

 

[Sparksalot]

Nice rig, and welcome.

be sure to check out the PPV/SSV forum as well.

https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forums/police-package-specialty-service-discussion.141/

 

[Bill 1960]

Good news on the electromechanical front, after getting four new (and identical sized) tires on her the stability, ABS, and traction control warning lights went off. Who’d have thought I’d be that lucky?

Took Blanca out for an inaugural off road jaunt today to check out all the 4x4 functions.

 

[Sparksalot]

Good news on the electromechanical front, after getting four new (and identical sized) tires on her the stability, ABS, and traction control warning lights went off. Who’d have thought I’d be that lucky?

Took Blanca out for an inaugural off road jaunt today to check out all the 4x4 functions.

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It’s fun getting them out and about!

 

[Miami-Dade]

Good news on the electromechanical front, after getting four new (and identical sized) tires on her the stability, ABS, and traction control warning lights went off. Who’d have thought I’d be that lucky?

Took Blanca out for an inaugural off road jaunt today to check out all the 4x4 functions.

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Seems to me your were in South Miami somewhere near Homestead.

 

[Rocket Man]

Here's an illustration of what I'm building for. Mild to moderate wheeling and in these photos camping along the Dalton highway in AK. Reliability for me is first, second, and third priority in builds now. There's no cell phone service and no tow trucks to call. Will the Hoe be trustworthy enough to go that far? Time will tell. I used to build for high performance but that was when I recreated close to home and with a crowd of buddies to drag the dead and wounded home again. Solo exploration has changed my approach.

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How’d you bend the frame on that Colorado? Oh, and welcome from Oregon!