What did you do to your NNBS GMT900 Tahoe/Yukon Today?

[Ilikemtb999]

I don’t see a problem with it mounted like that. Steel is stronger than you think. My issue is I already have 2” drop spindles and I’m looking for like 1-1.5” more drop but hate the idea of belltech struts after reading reviews. I’d rather stick to bilsteins.

I may actually try mounting them like that to see how much lower it gets me (sans spacer). Quick and easy to swap back and forth

 

[Ilikemtb999]

Replaced my driver's side motor mount today (no more take off clunk). FYI for those replacing this themselves, it's not too bad of a job. My truck is a 2007 Chevy Tahoe 5.3. Thanks to this forum I used the Hummer H3 passenger side mount which is the same as the Police PPV mount GM Part number 25847739. I got it on Amazon for $85. This was the second time I replaced my mount since owning the truck, so opted for the more heavy duty this time around. I was able to access the bolts on the block much easier from underneath the truck than trying to fight them from up top.

Just the drivers side? Does the passenger side seem like it’s full height still?

 

[Blue Rock]

Just the drivers side? Does the passenger side seem like it’s full height still?

The passenger is still good to go. It was replaced the last time I replaced the driver's mount. I was expecting to have to change it too though.

 

[kbuskill]

I don’t see a problem with it mounted like that. Steel is stronger than you think. My issue is I already have 2” drop spindles and I’m looking for like 1-1.5” more drop but hate the idea of belltech struts after reading reviews. I’d rather stick to bilsteins.

I may actually try mounting them like that to see how much lower it gets me (sans spacer). Quick and easy to swap back and forth

That is my plan as well... no spacer.

I currently have 2" Belltech drop spindles and the Belltech drop struts. I am hoping for a total of 3.5" without the spacer.

Don't get me wrong, the Belltech struts ride fine if you want it to ride like stock. I just want it to have a firmer more "sporty" feel to it.

I chose the 9 way adjustable Ranchos so I can tune it to my liking. I almost went with the KYB monomax struts. They are supposed to be 40% stiffer than stock.

The Ranchos claim a 400% difference in firmness from setting 1 (soft) to setting 9 (firm).

Hopefully I like them.

 

[iamdub]

Or you could buy lower control arms that are drop arms.

Yeah... but arms cost $$$ when you could achieve the same for under $15 as well as avoid the potential for inducing bumpsteer and/or whatever other odd characteristics people report after installing lowering arms.

I doubt very seriously that there would be enough room for the off set T-bar between the strut and the arm.

Here...
View attachment 212257
Unless it was a lot more shallow.

I see. Back to the drawing board!

I felt the same way at first about bolting these up like this BUT a couple things sway my decision.

1st off... Rough Country is a pretty big company with a well known name and a lot on the line to loose if something should fail. I am certain they did their homework on the shear strength of the bolts in this configuration before allowing them to go to market. My guess is grade 8 was probably sufficient and they said "let's include L9 hardware just as a CYA". I am certain they don't want to be liable for any injuries... or worse.

2nd... @07Burb has been running his like this for a while (20k+ miles) with no ill effects and, I'm not knocking him or his truck, I don't even think that the shop that installed his this way even used the "grade 9" bolts. From the pic I saw it appears that they may have just reused the factory bolts. I base this off of the fact that all of the L9 hardware I have seen has that gold (yellow zinc) color to it and his don't appear to be that way. Although I may be mistaken.

I just don't see it being a problem for normal everyday driving.

Now if you were jumping ramps with your truck I could see the potential for failure but even then I would just about bet on breaking ball joints before breaking two 180,000 psi minimum tensile strength rated bolts.

I believe I will order 3.5" bolts because the factory bolts are 3" long and I would like a little extra length so that I can install a second nut to act as a lock nut on top of my actual lock nut on top of the blue lock tite I intend to use... definitely don't want them backing out.

The guy that mentioned the castle nut and cotter pin has a good idea but I don't know about drilling an L9 bolt... that may prove to be a chore plus it might possibly weaken it some how.

I think the lock tite + lock nut + secondary nut will be just fine.

I must agree. But I still wouldn't feel completely at rest without some sort of backup. A simple C-shaped bracket made of high-strength steel that wraps around the bottom of the bar pin (T-bar) and over the top of the mount on the arm would put me at ease.

 

[the_tool_man]

...But I still wouldn't feel completely at rest without some sort of backup. A simple C-shaped bracket made of high-strength steel that wraps around the bottom of the bar pin (T-bar) and over the top of the mount on the arm would put me at ease.

^^^THIS^^^
The Grade 9 bolts are definitely strong enough to do the job. My issue is there is no mechanical redundancy in the extremely unlikely case that one fails. Failure can come from a defective bolt or nut, or from one working loose. My advice:

1. Buy bolts from a reputable source, like ARP or one of the aircraft fastener supply houses. Don't use an intermediary, like eBay. You might get an imported, substandard bolt. It's not worth the risk to save a few bucks.
2. Use a thread locking compound, or other means to prevent it from working loose under the cyclic load the suspension will see daily. To me the best option is to buy a pre-drilled bolt the correct length, and use a heavy castle nut and cotter pin. That's what OEM does. You can drill your own hole. But you'll need a TiN coated or TiCN coated HSS drill bit, a drill press, and ideally a fixture to center the hole. If done properly, the hole is outside of the high-stress zone of the bolt, and doesn't weaken the connection. The second-best option is to get a mechanically deformed nut that requires high torque to rotate. This can be combined with thread locking compound or lock washer if it makes you feel better. If you don't use threadlocker, use a small amount of oil or anti-seize on the bolt so you get an accurate torque value when you tighten it.
3. If it were me, I'd take iamdub's advice, and work out a "mechanical backup" bracket to support the end of the strut. This would prevent catastrophic failure in the event the bolts failed, but would let you know they had failed so you could fix it.

 

[calif phil]

I went to the body shop for an estimate

I was stopped about a block from the high school that just let out. A teenage girl slammed into my Tahoe. She got out and said my brakes went out. I wish the police would have asked to look at her phone.
Her Grand Prix didn’t fare so well


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[jroyer87]

I went to the body shop for an estimate

I was stopped about a block from the high school that just let out. A teenage girl slammed into my Tahoe. She got out and said my brakes went out. I wish the police would have asked to look at her phone.
Her Grand Prix didn’t fare so well


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At that time it’s probably Snapchat and Instagram. I see that far too many times lately.


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[calif phil]

Yeah it made me mad that she lied. The highway patrolman said she did the exact same thing last year.


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[CHOO CHOO]

Yet somehow, men still pay more for insurance......