New from Ohio

[thefrey]

I’ve been lurking around here for the past couple weeks so I figured I should do a formal intro. My name is Josh. Here’s the Yukon:



2013 Yukon XL Denali AWD with the 6.2. Metallic black paint. I picked it up in January with 197k miles for 4k (which I feel like was a pretty solid deal) but oh boy she needed (and still needs) some TLC. It’s in decent shape for a 12 year old car in my opinion considering its past and the interior is in pretty good shape. Countless trips to the junkyard have helped me fix lots of cosmetic issues and made it much more functional




Here’s some before / after photos of the interior detail. They didn’t use any floormats so a deep clean with an extractor (and covering them with weather mats) did wonders

Other things I’ve done so far is:
- Install, rewire & repaint 3rd brake light/rear spoiler (didn’t have one)
- Rewire headlight clip
- Install gas struts for rear window
- Install new rear window button
- fixed broken rear window defroster tab
- Re-installed random missing trim pieces in cab
- New license plate, brake, parking, headlight and other bulbs
- Took off passenger side running board. They were the automatic ones and one of them was broken off and the passenger side was stuck down
- New tires
- Fixed rear windshield wiper
- Oil pressure switch
- Fixed broken windshield washer lines
- Programmed 2 new key fobs. Didn’t come with any

Things I need to do:
- fix oil cooler line leak
- fix 3 of 4 door handles (broken or missing)
- possibly engine mounts
- chase flickering lights
- chase valve train tick
- fix some rust and body damage
- new rims as the OEM chrome is peeling / leaking

Overall, yes it is a decent project, and outside of oil changes and changing brakes I do not have a crazy amount of experience working with cars, but I enjoy it and am very comfortable turning a wrench and working with my hands and I’m not afraid to do something I haven’t done before. This will be a great learning experience for me in the end and I hope to get the Yukon to 275k miles at least.

Thank you everyone already for the advice I have received and thank you for any future input, I hope to be able to give back as much as I can

 

[thefrey]

Here’s a photo of the slight body damage and rust, I also have a little rust spot above the wheel well. Passenger side is starting to bubble in the same spot. But both rockers are solid.

Hey, it might not be the most sightly thing right now but I’ve always wanted to learn how to do body work and paint at some point so it’s a solid learning opportunity

 

[Miami-Dade]

Welcome from Miami&NYC Josh!

Your doing excellent work on your Yukon!!

 

[Fless]

Looks good, big improvements! Welcome from Colorado!

 

[Hoesgottaeat2]

A little love goes a long way as you clearly demonstrated with that rig.
You're off to a great start!
Greetings, and welcome from NY.

 

[CMoore711]

Welcome from fellow Ohian; I'm located in the Dayton area. You definitely put in the work on that carpet and it looks 100 times better!

Junkyard finds will be your best bet on odds and ends. Unfortunately, GM likes to discontinue a lot of model specific parts on vehicles as they age. Some parts that are shared between models are still offered to purchase as new, but obviously more expensive. Keep in mind there are a few common interior trim pieces that are shared with the same model year (or generation) Suburban that you may be able to use also.

For the fix 3 of 4 door handles (broken or missing)

Are you referring to the interior door handles or the exterior chrome ones? The reason I ask is I have an set of OEM Chrome exterior door handles I removed from my '13 Escalade ESV that I no longer need that are just in my garage. DM me if you're interested.

 

[OR VietVet]

Welcome to the forum from Oregon.

 

[BlackBearPerf]

Welcome to the forum from Idaho! Nice work on the Yukon!

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

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.

You've got a great project truck.