Arnoldthepig

Just to be clear, I did not start this thread or post the picture to exploit this families tragedy. I only posted it because I couldnt wrap my head around a full sized truck folding in half as it did. If the mods wish to delete this thread they are more than welcome (I cant) but the photo is apparently on numerous sites on the internet. I just wanted to share the pic with you guys and gals since most of us here drive a k2xx truck. Now that I know this pic is real along with the backstory, prayers to all of the familes involved! Stay safe out there!!

I found this pic on instagram and figured I would share it. I dont know if its real but if it is, all I can say is holy Sh!t

How about the antenna wire? It passes through the firewall almost directly above the passenger side kick panel. If I remember correctly you can see where the wire passes through the firewall but you need to remove the glove box, top dash piece up against the windshield or the panel that is outboard of the glovebox. I think I can remember seeing it when I had mine apart, whether or not you can physically get to it easily is another question....

I just installed an undercover flex, got it from Autocustoms.com for $725.00. I have to say I am not at all impressed with the fit and finish of the cover. After slicing myself several times during the install, I finally stopped and removed all the aluminum burrs from every place where sheetmetal screws were used. There is also a lot of black sealant coming out from where the fiberglass panels meet the aluminum frame on the top side of the cover. The red handled locking mechanism on the third panel is very flimsy and held in place by 2 "U" shaped plastic pieces on the driver and passenger side. After opening and closing the cover twice, the plastic u shaped piece pulled through the screw leaving the screw still inside the cover. I was able to fix it but come on... The seal that runs along the top bed rail on the passenger side separated from the seal that runs across the top of the front bed bulkhead, so that will need to be re-glued. The plastic drain tube piece that slides into the front of the aluminum side rail came out on the driver side and will not stay in place. The foam protectors on the bottom of the cover that protect the cover from itself when folded both ripped in half and fell off. I guess I will be re-gluing those as well. And to top it off, after the install was complete, the cover leaks very badly, especially along the front bulkhead. I will be contacting both Undercover and Autocustoms.com in the morning. For what its worth I am putting this on with an under the rail plastic bedliner that goes over the front of the bed. Im not sure if there is supposed to be another seal that I did not get in the kit to seal up where the cover meets the front bulkhead. If anyone has installed this cover with a plastic bedliner let me know how you sealed up the front bulkhead.

NICE FIND!! I think your definitely on to something!! I just checked mine, that thing is very flimsy...that would explain the vibrations that happen only sometimes...and literally depending on which way the wind blows....i have to say my ride, especially at high speed has smoothed out with the Michelins but sometimes there is an unexplained vibration that comes and goes, its much more pronounced on windy days...its def not tire related I can tell you that...

Just so you guys know, I had my stock Goodyears replaced with Michelins. When I got the truck back from Elkins Chevy, it still had a horrible vibration above 65mph after 2 failed attempts on a traditional balancer, with 2 different brands of tires. I found that they kept adding weights to the existing weights that were already on the wheel. You guys need to be sure that ALL weights are removed from your wheels before the dealer adds additional weights to balance. I found a different dealership with a road force balancer and the truck is now smooth as glass with the Michelins and fixed in under 2 hours. It took 4 different balances, 4 trips to different dealers, 3 different balancing machines and 2 sets of tires before my vibes were taken care of. Not that you should have to but you could also take it to a tire shop that has a road force machine. Point being: Just because your tires are swapped out, dont give your dealer too much credit and assume that they did their job properly and balanced your wheels correctly. BTW if anyone is in NJ, the guy who runs the road force machine at Turnersville Chevrolet really does know what hes doing. He also took pride in his work, removed all my old wheels weights and even the glue. If your in the surrounding area and need a good balance it may be worth the trip to go see this guy.

Heres mine with the ionic 5" steps and the front windows tinted. I just added the weathertech flaps. Not a huge fan of flaps but my doors and rockers were taking a beating.

I know it came up in this thread that there were possibly a batch of bad wheels or driveshafts. I forgot to mention that I did check the runout on the driveshaft and wheels and they were all spinning true. Obviously I wasn't able to check the balance on the driveshaft at home, but since my tires have been replaced all is well! I got a chance to get out the past few days and put some miles on the truck with the new tires and rebalance....its still good no vibrations!

I too have that rythmic vibration, but I think thats because its spinning at such a low RPM as the truck is being pushed along. I would describe it as more of an audible not physical vibration. If I put mine in M5 it seems to go away. I can live with that, just turn up the radio lol! It reminds me of riding on an airplane once it reaches altitude and they throttle it back...you just have a constant rythmic drone if that makes sense... My issue before was that I couldn't put my head on my headrest without my eyes bouncing around...

Believe me I am too quickvert1! If anyone wants the name and number to my GM rep I will provide it to you. If everyone uses the the same rep it could possibly expedite the process. The key is to not let these dealers / parts changers tell you its in your head because its not. If something is vibrating there is a reason!

First Step: Back to dealership where the truck was purchased to rebalance the GY LS-2's on standard balancer. They left the old wheel weights on and added more weights but still vibrated. Second Step: Went to a local tire shop for Road Force balance still vibrated. All weights were removed and all new installed, still vibrated. Third Step: Back again to the dealership where the truck was purchased, had GY LS-2's replaced with Michelins. They again left the existing weights on the wheels, respun on a standard balancer and added more weights, still vibrated. (I won't even talk about the attitude and disrespect I had to deal with or the condition of the truck when I got it back.) I dropped the truck there on (2) different days for 8+ hours each time. Fourth Step: Found a new dealer with a RF balancer. Waited in the waiting room, (2) hours later no more vibrations! Smooth as glass all they way up to well over 75 MPH!!! The second dealer was VERY professional and explained exactly what they found on the RF machine. The right front wheel being the worst had 35lbs of road force. The other wheels had 8lbs, 18lbs and 19lbs of road force. So I guess in the end the Goodyears were no good and unable to be properly balanced with a RF machine. The Michelins, though not balanced properly from the first dealer were able to be balanced by a properly trained tech. As it stands I am extremely happy with my truck now!!

Update: MY TRUCK IS FINALLY FIXED!!! Am I allowed to say what each dealer did and can I mention them by name on this forum? Not that I want to turn this into a dealer bash session but at this point I gotta vent!

Update: The Goodyear LS-2s were taken off and swapped for Michelins yesterday...I had time to run the truck today up on the highway. What a difference!! The truck runs nice, smooth and quiet....until you take it over 70MPH!!!! ITS STILL SHAKING ........I talked to the dealer and let them know the vibrations are still present...in a weird way I actually feel bad for the dealer in that GM left them holding a leaky bag with SOME of these trucks. The dealer told me they did a traditional balance because they do not have the road force balancer. Based upon my latest vibration test, I am convinced its something related to wheel speed however not necessarily the tires. (See the red spike on the attached pic in the 800 RPM range at 75mph.) That spike is on the X-Axis meaning it is a shake from left to right, (driver side to passenger side). I may pop the wheels off and check the runout on the hubs and rotors with a dial indicator. Can anyone think of anything else that spins at wheel speed that I could easily check while I have it apart? I am open for suggestions!!

Svtkidd...by the looks of that graph you were taking a measurement while getting the truck up to 65mph. The key for vibration analysis is to hold a constant speed and then take the reading. I see on the graph you have a lot going on in the 3500-5000 rpm range...someone correct me if i'm wrong but the only thing on the truck spinning that fast would be the motor...unless u were doing somewhere around 160 mph then maybe a driveshaft...

Im not going to get too excited about the tire swap yet, but it seems that the dealer has found the same thing that I found in regard to the actual RPM where this truck is vibrating. I didn't have time to type all this earlier in my previous update... I used to work for a major yacht builder that used meters for vibration analysis so I got to thinking... A quick internet search and I found an Iphone App called "vibration". The app did cost me $4.99 but at this point I think its worth it. I started the app, ran the truck to 75MPH and took a 40 second reading while holding the speed constant at 75MPH with cruise control. (I did this prior to taking the truck into the dealer today.) The app will output in HZ or RPM whichever you choose. I found the highest spike at around 800 RPM at 75 MPH as you can see in the photo. There are (2) other high spikes in the photo, (1) around 1600 RPM (Engine) another around 2400 RPM (Driveshaft) After some quick math I determined that the 800 RPM vibration is wheel / tire / axle speed related and the most pronounced. I was skeptical at first, however after using this app, I found out that it is actually VERY sensitive to even the smallest vibration. And no, this isn't an infommercial for the vibration app. It is just something that I found, used and passed along in hopes of helping others in the group as I know first hand how frustrating this issue is...I am supposed to pick up the truck tomorrow with the michelins...we shall see if its fixed...if anyone does download the app and can't figure it out pm me...its more intimidating than it looks....my only advice would be to take the longest data reading of 40 seconds as its easier on the eyes to read. Also hold your speed at a constant once you get your vehicle up to the speed where the vibration is felt, then start your data recording... If nothing else this bit of information may be able to point you in the right direction...