Please forgive the very original nickname but that's all anyone ever calls it around here. No plans for a new nickname.
Bought this in 2013 with the intention of driving it for a few years and then moving on. It came by way of a car-flipping family member who bought it as a salvage vehicle after a hard hit above the front frame rails. That may have ended up being a blessing in disguise as many of the more corrosion-prone areas (core support, front fenders, etc) were replaced at that time. It has morphed into a vehicle that I plan on keeping indefinitely. So long as SE Michigan is home, it's strictly an April-October rig. Last road salt encounter was in late 2019.
It's currently at 176k and 98% bone stock. Like many of us, I'd eventually like to do a V8 swap and other serious mods but for now it's just a few minor upgrades.
After the "salt no more" decree, I paid a local body shop to weld in a solid junkyard dogleg behind the sliding door. I did the finishing work myself and was 63% happy with it. There are long-term tentative plans to re-address the weld seam. In the mean time, it's a 15 footer (significant improvement over the "before" state visible at nearly any distance).
![Tire Wheel Car Vehicle Automotive tire]()
![Tire Wheel Vehicle Automotive tire Hood]()
Over the past Winter, I decided to make the efan upgrade that has been documented in various pieces around the forum. Went with a j-yard dual fan setup from a 00' Camaro. The radiator coverage area is close to 100%. I wanted to attempt a factory style mounting and made a few brackets that attach to the original shroud mounts.
![Wheel Automotive tire Motor vehicle Alloy wheel Bicycle part]()
I went the easy route and purchased a Dual Fan/Two Speed relay kit from BP Automotive with the LT1-style fan connectors. Had I done a bit more research, I'd probably have gone with a j-yard 05-06 Silverado relay setup (@stent went this route) that appears to be more-or-less the same animal as the BP automotive kit (just used and $100 cheaper).
![Hood Automotive tire Motor vehicle Automotive exterior Electrical wiring]()
Using @WinnieVan's excellent writeup I added a 40A Maxi fused lead for the fans and upgraded the + supply from the battery to 4 awg.
Going into new territory for me, I cracked open the PCM connectors and added leads to the previously unused efan terminals (Low Speed - Con 1 - Pin 42)/(High Speed - Con 2 - Pin 33). Thank you to @AstroWill @CopperFiremist and others for doing the research on this possibility for the 411 PCM. I was able to program the PCM with 2002 Silverado efan parameters using PCM Hammer and TunerPro (both freeware). There really isn't a single how-to source for this process but it's relatively simple albeit a bit nerve wracking for the newbie.
![Automotive tire Motor vehicle Gas Personal protective equipment Auto part]()
Looking forward to a bit better freeway mileage (80% of what this rig sees), quieter take-offs and ease of access to the front engine area. Hoping to keep up with this "build" as time and $$ allow.
Bought this in 2013 with the intention of driving it for a few years and then moving on. It came by way of a car-flipping family member who bought it as a salvage vehicle after a hard hit above the front frame rails. That may have ended up being a blessing in disguise as many of the more corrosion-prone areas (core support, front fenders, etc) were replaced at that time. It has morphed into a vehicle that I plan on keeping indefinitely. So long as SE Michigan is home, it's strictly an April-October rig. Last road salt encounter was in late 2019.
It's currently at 176k and 98% bone stock. Like many of us, I'd eventually like to do a V8 swap and other serious mods but for now it's just a few minor upgrades.
After the "salt no more" decree, I paid a local body shop to weld in a solid junkyard dogleg behind the sliding door. I did the finishing work myself and was 63% happy with it. There are long-term tentative plans to re-address the weld seam. In the mean time, it's a 15 footer (significant improvement over the "before" state visible at nearly any distance).
Over the past Winter, I decided to make the efan upgrade that has been documented in various pieces around the forum. Went with a j-yard dual fan setup from a 00' Camaro. The radiator coverage area is close to 100%. I wanted to attempt a factory style mounting and made a few brackets that attach to the original shroud mounts.
I went the easy route and purchased a Dual Fan/Two Speed relay kit from BP Automotive with the LT1-style fan connectors. Had I done a bit more research, I'd probably have gone with a j-yard 05-06 Silverado relay setup (@stent went this route) that appears to be more-or-less the same animal as the BP automotive kit (just used and $100 cheaper).
Using @WinnieVan's excellent writeup I added a 40A Maxi fused lead for the fans and upgraded the + supply from the battery to 4 awg.
Going into new territory for me, I cracked open the PCM connectors and added leads to the previously unused efan terminals (Low Speed - Con 1 - Pin 42)/(High Speed - Con 2 - Pin 33). Thank you to @AstroWill @CopperFiremist and others for doing the research on this possibility for the 411 PCM. I was able to program the PCM with 2002 Silverado efan parameters using PCM Hammer and TunerPro (both freeware). There really isn't a single how-to source for this process but it's relatively simple albeit a bit nerve wracking for the newbie.
Looking forward to a bit better freeway mileage (80% of what this rig sees), quieter take-offs and ease of access to the front engine area. Hoping to keep up with this "build" as time and $$ allow.
. The Plasti Dip looks like it will need continous recoating (no big deal) due to rock chips etc. Reasonably happy with the outcome. Not too many shots of the original grill setup but managed to find a 3/4 image taken in Arches NP back in 2020 (also before previously mentioned rust mitigation).
