rayhawk

Well, I got some 18" trailboss rims with stock 275/65/18 tires, they fit fine, seem to have plenty of room.

Got the cat replaced, no more rattling. I just rebuilt the whole front suspension, brakes, new shocks, etc. My next project is to upgrade the wheels and tires, I'm trying to figure out what will fit best. I'm looking at some factory 18's or maybe 20's off of the newer trucks, they are readily available. My truck came from the factory with 265/75/16's, with 16x7" ET 50mm rims. Newer 18's come with 265/65/18s, the rims are 8.5x18 ET 26. The height works out about the same, and from what I can tell, the additional rim width pushes mostly to the outside. https://www.wheel-size.com/calc/?wheel1=265-75-16X7ET50&wheel2=265-65-18X8.5ET26&fcl=1in&wcl=1.25in&scl=2in&sr=0in Are there any issues with this setup? Could I get away with any larger tire than the factory width/height if I go with the 18's?

Ok, good point, I can just cut out the whole flange and re-connect the other pipe.

One of my catalytic converters started rattling, any suggestions on replacements? I see there are some cheap ones on amazon, anybody have experience with them? Also, how hard will it be to replace the rear one that is right up against the flange? I believe the forward one is making the noise, but I would just assume replace them both.

Ok, just to finish the story here, I finished up the rear end. The pinion bearings were both bad. I ended up buying the True Trac, Amazon had a decent deal on a "used" one, which is just one where the box was all beaten up. I bought the USA standard gear diff overhaul kit, they make one that comes with the larger carrier bearings needed for the True Trac. I will say that I had to put in about .005" less shims on each side. I think most of the difference was due to the different bearings, so make sure you get a kit with a selection of carrier shims. Now I just hear funny noises from the front end...

I looked into the Napa door handle, but they didn't seem to have the right color. Got the OEM, looks and works perfect. I noticed some noise coming from the rear end, so I pulled the cover off, it looks like one of the bearings is on it's way out. I guess that's my next job. I checked the backlash, its at .008", so I don't think the R&P has seen much wear. There seems to be a lot of options for rebuild kits from Rock Auto, should I pull out the bearings to see what brand they are before I order a rebuild kit? Or are all OEM bearings Timken? Also, I have the gov lock differential in there, it seems ok but I know they have a bad reputation. Should I replace it with a true trac? Or should I just leave it alone? I would rather not spend the extra money right now if I don't have to, but I don't want to risk a failure here either.

Ok, we'll see what happens. Hopefully it isn't leaking. On another topic, I'm replacing the interior door handles, I bought both sides from 1A Auto, the TRQ parts. I did the passenger side one first (which wasn't broken), and found that the manual lock doesn't work right. Even worse, it forces you to use the power unlock every time you want to get out, since the travel isn't sufficient, and prevents the door from opening, inside or out, unless you use the power unlock to force it. I compared the travel on the OEM and TRQ part, and found the OEM has a travel of about 7/8", whereas the TRQ is about 11/16" or so. I'm probably just going to order an OEM, just wondering if the Dorman is any better? Dorman is $13, OEM is $65.

I just noticed the a/c line is messed up going into the firewall. Is this part of the evaporator, or is there an intermediate hard line that needs to be replaced?

I got my Haynes manual, but it is not great. Where can I find an OEM type service manual, or at least something better than the Haynes book? Electronic copy is fine.

Ok, I bought the 97 2 door I was looking at. Needs a ton of odds and ends fixed, just trying to figure out how to address some of them. The A/C gets cold, but most of the air seems to be misdirected, as very little comes out of the vents. I ordered a manual, but just curious if anybody has any suggestions on what to look at. Blower motor seems to be working ok and hitting all the speeds. Both seats are kind of messed up. The driver seat motor works, but only if you don't sit in it. I'm going to take it apart and clean it up well and re-lubricate, hopefully that resolves it. The passenger seat rocks back and forth like 2 inches, again, I'm hoping it is just a sticky mechanism that isn't seating right or a busted spring. After that, I'm on to stereo, some repairs on the doors, and some cleaning.

I'm looking at 96-99 2 door Tahoes, and I noticed some have the 4WD manual shifter, but most have the electronic shift. Is this a trim option? The one I'm looking at has power windows and door locks, but still has the manual shifter. I don't really care much either way, I'm just wondering if there are any other features tied to the manual vs. electronic transfer case control.