46and2008Denali - Build Thread

[46and2008Denali]

So, I have owned my beloved 2008 Denali since 2010 when I purchased it with ~20k miles on it. It has had 3 audio systems in it and a few minor aesthetic mods over the years and is up to about 130k miles now. I shipped it to the Cayman Islands from Texas when I moved here in 2016. I got to a point where I either needed to put some money into it or sell it and get something else. Option A was actually a Sierra AT4 but after looking into what it was going to take to get one here and the fact that I don't have a garage to put it in currently I chose to fix up the Denali. I love this car so it wasn't really that tough of a decision and I've been wanting to mod this thing up and down forever, so now was my opportunity.

I have taken really good care of her, so she's really in pretty good shape for the most part, especially on the inside, so I was stoked to give her some new life.

It has had 3 different audio systems in it, currently has a Singer 270A alt, Pioneer AVH-4100NEX head unit, some kicker components in the kick panels, a couple kicker amps and a pair of JL12W7s. Subs/speakers/amps all getting replaced, going bigger this time (about 7k watts in total...gear is on the way) but first things first....

She needed:

New batteries
New paint
new headlights
wheels/tires
rotors machined
ball joints
outer tie rod ends
rear shocks
air filter
door handles (to be replaced for the second time - black ones this time)

Now here in the Cayman Islands parts and labor can be outrageously expensive (for example, replacing the rear shocks was going to be $1600 USD out the door). I'm a capable DIYer and had most of the required tools already so just decided to take it all on... and of course while we're at it, it's gotta get lowered. I have lifted a truck before (2002 2500HD), but was a long time ago and had quite a bit of help. I knew I was taking on a significant task, but was looking forward to it. Primary problem is not having easy access to Amazon/US retailers so I had to do ALLLL the research and get it all ordered at once, and have it consolidated by a freight forwarder (can't just amazon prime a control arm bolt or something) and the parts and tools available here are either less than ideal or less than ideal and 2x the price.

I did tons of research on this forum to get myself comfortable with the processes and parts required as well as some other fun stuff. So I ordered all the parts and waited the obligatory 6-8 weeks for the shipping/freight forwarding/customs process.

I ordered:

Wheels/Tires
XS Power batteries
Moog UCAs/LCAs/Tie Rod Ends
AC Delco OEM rear shocks
Belltech 2509 Spindles
Belltech 34324 Pro kit
Headlights (Amerilite from Amazon - couldn't talk myself into BlackFlame Customs, don't like the factory look enough, but really pleased with how they turned out and think they're really functional too)
Airraid MIT
Magnaflow 12909
black dual slant tips
Weathertech mud flaps (bc I didn't want to immediately ruin new paint on rear quarter panels - turns out I like the look in the end)
Black door handles 1Aauto

Deaf Bonce Apocalypse AAK 6000.1D
(2) Fi NEO 3.7 15s
(2) Fi N.7 midrange
wire and stuff from SHCA
a buncha Noico deadener
all the other little things you need for a big audio install (hopefully I thought of everything)
Deaf Bonce door speakers/tweeters and amps (yet to be ordered - but there's a dealer on island)

Here's some before pics:




Every single panel had some paint damage:




Interior in good shape though, except for the cracked dash (of course - dashcap has worked out great though) and the elbow wear on the already once replaced center console leather




I'll upload some more progress pics in the next couple of days...

 

[46and2008Denali]

So, I sent her to get painted while I waited for everything to start arriving. While she was out for paint I retrieved the badges and grill/trim pieces from the shop so that I could sand down the chrome grill and plasti dip the badges. I sanded the grill and the hood trim pieces for hours it seemed like, then went with adhesion promoter and primer. I plasti dipped the badges, they turned out alright, may have to do something about them, but good enough for now.






Paint turned out great! Especially for the price, and I think the front clip looks 1000000 times better black instead of chrome





New paint doesn't show quite as well with the hideous headlights, but looked so much better. I mean its not a straight from the factory brand new paint job, but made a huge difference.

 

[46and2008Denali]

I also had them paint the calipers black while they were at it and he had a "dye" (what he called it) that he put on all the plastic trim pieces (running boards, wiper arms, etc etc). That was a gamechanger to freshening up the look.

 

[46and2008Denali]

Dining room table full of car parts - wifey's favorite thing!



Knocked out the easy headlights first - although after I installed them I immediately went and bought the whitest H1 and H7 bulbs available on island since they came with some that were pretty yellow, still not quite the xenon look I was hoping for but will do. Honestly I can't believe how much MORE functional they are over my China special "factory" black housings with LED bulbs in them. Yes, I have read the headlight threads on here and knew the LED bulbs needed to go, these new halogen lights have a LED bar around them that makes it look kinda like the newer model years (more squared off looking). They have a really sharp cutoff and made the whole truck look new.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH, USA.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Great work, so far!!

You should start a new Build Thread on this Forum to document and communicate your planned mods and their installations. I'm very much looking forward to seeing your update posts.

Having been to Grand Cayman many times, way back in the day when I was an active diver, I am jealous of you being there fulltime.

Remembering the roads in Grand Cayman, your truck must really look like a true beast on those small and narrow roads. And, it must be even more interesting, driving that beast in the 'wrong' side of the roads.

 

[46and2008Denali]

Welcome to the Forum from NH, USA.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Great work, so far!!

You should start a new Build Thread on this Forum to document and communicate your planned mods and their installations. I'm very much looking forward to seeing your update posts.

Having been to Grand Cayman many times, way back in the day when I was an active diver, I am jealous of you being there fulltime.

Remembering the roads in Grand Cayman, your truck must really look like a true beast on those small and narrow roads. And, it must be even more interesting, driving that beast in the 'wrong' side of the roads.

Thanks for the welcome - I have been reading for years really, glad to finally participate.

At risk of looking dumb, I was intending for this to be the build thread. Did I put it in the wrong place?

And yes, its a beautiful place to live and I do enjoy having this truck here. My friends call it a "monster truck", until I show them pictures of my previous lifted 2500HD.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

I have not personally created a build thread, so I'll leave it to others on this Forum to guide you in this area. IMO, this thread location probably works, though you may want to edit the thread title to include the words 'Build Thread', so that it will be more recognizable by folks. Other folks will chime in.

 

[01FormulaTA]

awesome thread so far, the paint and headlights turned out great, hard to believe it's the same truck!

What wheel and tire combo are you going with?

 

[46and2008Denali]

awesome thread so far, the paint and headlights turned out great, hard to believe it's the same truck!

What wheel and tire combo are you going with?

I know! I was so happy with it, it was making me sad watching her exterior deteriorate day by day

As for wheels and tires... gotta keep something a secret... I'll be uploading some more pics later today!

 

[Tiki]

Cayman cruiser for sure