2013 Chevy Tahoe SSV Build

[FFDGoss20]

I will begin the upfitting of my 2013 Chevy Tahoe SSV very soon. I wanted to create a thread that I can update, so here it is.

I am the fire police captain at my fire department, as well as an active firefighter. This vehicle will be used to respond to the fire station, as well as directly to incidents.

To begin, I bought this vehicle used off a dealer in Chicago. It had about 61,000 miles on it, and was formerly owned by the federal government. It did have warning lights and 1 NMO mount antenna installed at some point, but all of that equipment was removed before it was sold to me. Since all of the panels, headliner, etc. Have been removed at least twice already, I will not be starting the build until I have ALL of the equipment I intend to install in my possession. I have put a list of equipment below. Anything that has a "*" at the end of it means that it is filling holes that were made when the previous equipment was installed. All emergency lighting will be RED in color except for the amber traffic advisor.

ROOF:
Whelen Liberty 48" with high intensity takedowns (removed from my former vehicle)*
Low band NMO antenna (will be replaced when our county 911 converts to UHF sometime next year)
NMO scanner antenna
NMO mount sirius/xm radio antenna*

FRONT:
Go Rhino 5160 light ready push bumper with two Whelen Ions
Whelen Vertex in DRL*
Whelen driving/warning light mounted in fog light area
2 Feniex Triton speakers on fabricated brackets similar to Whelen SAK24
Whelen ULF44 flasher

SIDES:
Whelen Ions behind rear glass*
Unknown Whelen light on running boards (2 per side)
Whelen ULF44 flasher

REAR:
Whelen TAD8 Traffic Advisor
Whelen Vertex in upper portion of taillights*
Whelen Ions on license plate bracket*
Whelen ULF44 flasher

CONSOLE:
Havis 24" console with Tahoe specific mounting base
Motorola CDM1250 low band radio
Uniden BCD996P2 digital scanner
Uniden 980SSB CB radio
Feniex 4200
Havis dual cupholder
Havis 6" lockbox

UNDER REAR SEATS:
Blue Sea dual circuit battery switch
Blue Sea fuse block
Havis Charge Guard
Feniex Storm Pro 200 watt

Since this is the Special Services package, the vehicle came from the factory with a headlight/taillight wig/wag system, a unity spotlight on the drivers side, and various upfitter wiring harnesses.

If you noticed, their will be three Whelen ULF44 flashers. This is so I can sync all of the emergency lighting a little easier, dim them at night, and make them 2 mode lights. While responding, the lights will have a faster flash pattern. When parked, the flashers and Liberty lightbar will go into "mode 2" which will be a much slower wig/wag type pattern. Shifting the vehicle into park will also shut off ANY white flashing lights on the vehicle.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and concerns, and ask any questions you may have. I thank everyone in advance for any advice or help with the project.

 

[firebuff17]

Sounds like a good plan. Can't wait to see it when it's all done.

 

[Rusted413]

Great plan. I'd give some thought as to whether you want the vertex's in the taillights in addition to the TLF. If it was my vehicle, i'd remove the TLF and just go with the vertex's but your call. Nice to see the flash pattern change/slow down when in park - that is not done nearly enough in my opinion. All in all looks great.

 

[FFDGoss20]

Here is pictures of the siren brackets and steel plate I had made up by a friend of mine that owns a weld shop. This is all 1/8" plate, with two coats of rustoleum primer and two coats of rustoleum flat black paint. I realized after taking the picture that I mounted the Triton speaker upside down on the bracket (oops). I have flipped it so that it is correctly mounted with the wire exiting the bottom of the speaker. The rectangular plate with all the equipment on it will be mounted underneath the rear seats. I have not mounted any of the pictured equipment to it yet, it is just sitting on the plate in the photo to get a rough idea of where things will go. Their is also some equipment that I do not have in my possession yet that will be going on the plate as well.

 

[FFDGoss20]

Great plan. I'd give some thought as to whether you want the vertex's in the taillights in addition to the TLF. If it was my vehicle, i'd remove the TLF and just go with the vertex's but your call. Nice to see the flash pattern change/slow down when in park - that is not done nearly enough in my opinion. All in all looks great.

I am just going to keep the headlight/taillight flasher hooked up since it is already there. I look at it basically as "bonus" lighting. It will be on it's own button on the Feniex 4200 so that it can be shut off if needed. It will also automatically turn off as soon as the vehicle is shifted into park.

 

[801]

Sounds like a very solid plan. My agency just turned in for sale a 2010 and 2011 SVV Chev Tahoe. The SVV package is pretty solid in my opinion. Glad to see your slowing down the flash pattern and disabling front white when in park. I don't think enough agencies/volunteers' do that.

 

[pdk9]

Sounds like a good plan, but I would substitute the vertexes with feniex cannons. They're much brighter and they have more programming functionality (i.e. In the DRLs, set Clear Steadyburn for normal DRL functions and flash red for warning)

 

[FFDGoss20]

Sounds like a good plan, but I would substitute the vertexes with feniex cannons. They're much brighter and they have more programming functionality (i.e. In the DRLs, set Clear Steadyburn for normal DRL functions and flash red for warning)

I agree the Feniex Cannons are better, but I have heard that the Cannons do not like external flashers, and it is extremely important that as much as possible is synchronized on the vehicle.

 

[TACKLEBERRY]

Correct, Cannons won't play well with the ULF44s.

Also, just saving you money, but I wouldn't use (3) ULF44s on this intall. You will be fine with (2). One for rear and side warning, and one for front. Why would you waste one just for side lighting? It's not like you'll ever need to program and use a switch for only activating the side lights.

The only other change I would make is ION DUO red/white in the front of the pushbars. And tie the white in with the white in the Whelen driving/warming fog lights, in conjunction with the takedown lights for a forward flood mode and to momentarily come on with the air horn.

 

[FFDGoss20]

Correct, Cannons won't play well with the ULF44s.

Also, just saving you money, but I wouldn't use (3) ULF44s on this intall. You will be fine with (2). One for rear and side warning, and one for front. Why would you waste one just for side lighting? It's not like you'll ever need to program and use a switch for only activating the side lights.

The only other change I would make is ION DUO red/white in the front of the pushbars. And tie the white in with the white in the Whelen driving/warming fog lights, in conjunction with the takedown lights for a forward flood mode and to momentarily come on with the air horn.

Thanks for your input. You do have a good point about only needing two ULF44 flashers. And as far as using DUO heads, keep in mind that this will have a headlight wig/wag as well as a set of high intensity takedowns flashing to the the front. I don't want to have too much white lighting to the front...

 

[TACKLEBERRY]

Keep in mind that this will have a headlight wig/wag as well as a set of high intensity takedowns flashing to the the front. I don't want to have too much white lighting to the front...

I wasn't suggesting flashing the white in the ION DUOs. Set both colors to steady burn; red flashes with the ULF44 and white is wired into your takedown/flood button along with the white in the Whelen PAR driving/warning lights.

 

[FFDGoss20]

I wasn't suggesting flashing the white in the ION DUOs. Set both colors to steady burn; red flashes with the ULF44 and white is wired into your takedown/flood button along with the white in the Whelen PAR driving/warning lights.

Sorry for the confusion. I may just consider doing that.

 

[HCSO K-9]

Slightly off topic, but did you purchase from Chicago Motors or Asia Motors (both are in the Chicago area)? Also, what was the buying experience like? I have been looking at some Tahoes from both and am curious to hear about the how they are to work with and if the vehicles look the same in person as the pics?

Thanks in advance.

Also, good call on the ULF-44s. I did the same on my 2016 PIU and it has worked well. Trying to talk the department in doing all our cars that way now.

 

[FFDGoss20]

Slightly off topic, but did you purchase from Chicago Motors or Asia Motors (both are in the Chicago area)? Also, what was the buying experience like? I have been looking at some Tahoes from both and am curious to hear about the how they are to work with and if the vehicles look the same in person as the pics?

I will post a separate thread sometime this weekend when I am free regarding the purchase of this vehicle. I did buy it from Asia motors, and literally have 5+ paragraphs worth of info about the buying process. Basically to quickly answer your question though, I would rate them at 4 out of 10. They do use selective photography, my Tahoe had various scratches, dents, dings, and holes drilled (that weren't plugged either) that were not shown in the pictures. They absolutely insisted I give a nonrefundable deposit of $1000 to hold the vehicle, which I found completely ridiculous. Like I said I will create a thread when I have some free time with some more of the smaller details.

 

[FFDGoss20]

Unfortunately, I was not able to get many pictures during the process, but the build is almost done. Here is a look underneath the rear seats. This is the "brains" of the entire setup. I mounted everything to a piece of 1/8" steel plate, which I then fastened to the rear seat brackets. This means no holes into the floor of the vehicle, and I was able to pre-wire some of the equipment before putting it into the vehicle. Equipment is listed below, from left to right.

Blue sea dual circuit battery switch
Horn ring relay
Feniex Storm Pro 200 watt
Accessory kill relay
Blue sea 6 circuit fuse box
Havis chargegaurd
Blue sea ground post
Feniex 4200 data link
(2) Whelen ULF44 flashers
Feniex 4200 Bluetooth module

Please keep in mind this is not complete. Some wiring still needs ran and some of it needs cleaned up. Once this area is 100 percent complete, I will post additional pictures. I will also take and share some pictures of the exterior warning lights and equipment when I have a chance.

 

[GranPrix]

Any updates?

 

[FFDGoss20]

Any updates?

Sorry, none at this time, things have been pretty busy for me and I am actually planning out the upfitting of a 2011 Chevy Impala 9C3 soon.

 

[hitman38367]

PM sent.

 

[FFDGoss20]

UPDATE:

I am working on removing all of the interior components basically down to bare sheet metal (Minus the dash) due to water infiltration on the drivers side floor board. This has encouraged me to change some of the emergency lights, install Dynamat/Dynaliner, and possibly even remove the Feniex 4200/ Storm Pro 200W system and replace it with the new Whelen Cencom Core system.

I suspect water is entering around the Unity spotlight or the windshield. I want to strip the interior completely, so I can have a friend blow water out of a pressure washer as I sit in the cab and watch for leaks.

Upon inspection, I have determined that the Unity spotlight was not installed at the factory. Whoever installed the light drilled the hole through the a-pillar, slapped the shaft of the spotlight in the hole, and called it a day. Absolutely nothing to seal around the hole. This probably explains why I could hear a whistling noise at 60+ MPH. I have applied RTV silicone between the shaft and a-pillar, And I think that should take care of any water/air in the future. I thought it was also funny that the installer used red 14 gauge THHN wire (what is typically used in buildings) to splice into the power wire for the spotlight. The wire was then routed through the firewall to the engine compartment, where a plain (non-weather tight) butt splice was used to join an in-line fuse holder, and then connected directly to the battery. All of this work when they could simply crimp a one pin metripack connector on the power wire and plug it into the power point already ran by GM specifically for a spotlight. Of course, I ripped all of this crap out, crimped the proper connector, and when re-installed, the spotlight will be PROPERLY installed.

Since water has been laying in the drivers floor board, It has caused rust. I have vigorously cleaned and removed all of the surface rust. The bare metal was then painted with rustoleum primer to prevent any future rust. It was also discovered upon removal of the rubber floor/fabric underlayment that 8 different holes were drilled directly through the floor of the vehicle, and never sealed when the vehicle was decommissioned. These holes were all cleaned up, once again sprayed with primer to prevent future rust, and filled with RTV silicone.

I know somebody is cringing at the thought of using spray paint and RTV silicone on a vehicle that is just 7 years old. The truth of the matter is that the vehicle now has 107,000 miles and is going to be covered with Dynamat. Nobody will ever be able to see the very slight difference in color between the original paint and the areas touched up with rustoleum.

As all of the interior parts are removed, I am bringing them into my house and thoroughly cleaning them as well as applying Armorall. The interior will be nice and clean once it is all reinstalled. I plan on ordering a new foam base/cloth cover for the drivers seat as they are currently worn out. I am also going to order a new drivers side door panel, as the pull handle has become brittle and broke. I am also swapping the factory incandescent dome light bulbs for Sylvania LED replacements. Some odds and ends interior pieces with broken clips will be replaced as well.

On the rear exterior of the vehicle, I want to the remove the receiver hitch and have it sandblasted/repainted. It is starting to get pretty rusty. I am replacing the license plate bulbs once again with LED's, and I would like to remove the Whelen Ions on the license plate bracket and replace them with TION Duos that are red/amber and surface mounted directly beside the license plate.

I am currently out of work which gives me plenty of time to work on this, But at the same time I am being very careful with how I am budgeting my money. Unfortunately, this project is eventually going to be delayed because I am waiting for parts/materials simply because the money will not be there to order them. Because of this, I am focusing on the front of the vehicle first so that it can be reassembled first and allow me to safely drive the vehicle. The rear interior, headliner, etc. can be done at a later time when parts can be ordered and installed. I rarely have passengers in the backseat, so driving around without them installed should not be an issue.

Stay tuned for more progress of this project. I am hoping to get more photos this go around as well as posting updates more often through out the project.

 

[RyanZ71]

grrrr. Nothing more infuriating then cheap install work. But their opinion is that the vehicle is only going to be in service for 100,000 miles or so and then they are done with it and most vehicles will easily make it to 100,000 miles.

 

[FFDGoss20]

grrrr. Nothing more infuriating then cheap install work. But their opinion is that the vehicle is only going to be in service for 100,000 miles or so and then they are done with it and most vehicles will easily make it to 100,000 miles.

I certainly agree. My motto is if your going to do a job, do it right the first time. I am planning on running the vehicle until it has about 160,000 miles on it, Which should last me about another 3 to 4 years.

 

[Nolines]

I certainly agree. My motto is if your going to do a job, do it right the first time. I am planning on running the vehicle until it has about 160,000 miles on it, Which should last me about another 3 to 4 years.

I concur with that comment, but other then body rust issues that require extensive repair/replacement, holding on to something till 160 is kinda like a waste if the vehicle is running and looking good and you spend good money replacing/upgrading items that slowly wear out. My 04 interceptor came to me at 45000 miles and other then rear axle replacement served me till a jerk tried killing me in it at 200000 miles plus( such a waste, that car was good for another 200000 if I could keep up regular maintenance and such, the replacement 05 unfortunately had issues from the get go from the department I bought it from at 120-140000 miles that cost a bit to repair and time but she's now at 215000 and doing ok repainted from paint year issues when they removed the decals and holes in the roof from lights and antennas but has that stupid rear fender factory radio antenna with surface rust reappearing... Can't afford to replace, would have to upgrade to a truck cause I want a front to back frame for safety.

 

[StEaLtH2]

That is awful that your issue was caused by morons!! You don’t suspect the dealership installed the spotlight do you? I’d tend to think it was at initial upfit. I shudder to think how careful one needs to be when purchasing a vehicle sometimes.

 

[FFDGoss20]

That is awful that your issue was caused by morons!! You don’t suspect the dealership installed the spotlight do you? I’d tend to think it was at initial upfit. I shudder to think how careful one needs to be when purchasing a vehicle sometimes.

I'm not sure when it was installed, but I would agree that it was probably during the inital upfit. I highly doubt the dealer did it, as the vehicle needed an oil change, as well as a DRL and high beam bulb replaced when I purchased it, So I'm doubtful they would pay for the components and install it.

 

[FFDGoss20]

Here is some pictures to update you all. As you can see, about the only thing left in the interior is door panels and the dash.

The first photo gives an overview of the cab looking in from the rear.
The second photo shows the areas that were touched up with spray paint and sealed with silicone.
The third photo is the drivers side floorboard that was soaked with water initially and had some pretty bad surface rust. It has all been dried out, cleaned up, and primered.

I just simply do not have the room in my house to store anymore parts, so the door panels as well as the trim around the rear hatch will remain in place until they need removed.

I am going to wait a few more days to spray water and check for leaks. This should give the silicone I applied around the spotlight/windshield enough time to fully cure.

In the mean time, I still need to vacuum the rear portion of the vehicle and very thoroughly clean the sheet metal to prepare it for Dynamat.

I am hoping by next week I can have the water infiltration resolved. Once I determine the vehicle is dry and water is no longer an issue, I will get some Dynamat ordered and start installing it. This will be the first step of getting the vehicle reassembled.

 

[RyanZ71]

I'm dealing with developing rust issues on my 08 Silverado Duramax. Apparently the previous owner had some body work done on it and didn't tell me. That cheap body work is now failing and rusting. Not fun.