2008 Chevy Tahoe 5.3 LT Flex Project/Rust Issues

Dustyn93 · June 28, 2020

Hello, I am a new member and my name is Dustyn. I recently came to an arrangement with my boss that had an 08 Tahoe lying around that he no longer needed, nor wanted. It has 160ish k miles on it and I know she needed some work, which is fine with me, I’ve been working on vehicle for about ten years now, as a hobby. I am 27 years old as of yesterday, and pulled the Tahoe out today, it needs (in my opinion) the rear end rebuilt, which I believe I am capable of. I have already purchased a Yukon Gear and Axle Master Rebuild kit, and a Yukon Gear and Axle Posi unit for it. I have also ordered a new set of wheels and a new diff cover. The A/C gave me the three flashes and I replaced the outdoor ambient air temp sensor, no avail. Tried charging the ac with 134 and I hear a hissing sound. Above passenger rear tire right inside the mount on the high pressure line was a hole. I am ordering a splice kit to fix that issue. So to my main question. The front half of the vehicles frame looks decent for being a vehicle from Mass. but behind those rear tires is very very questionable and I am asking you guys if you think I need to do any modifications or to just send it. I will attach pictures. I got this vehicle as a work truck/beater, Daily to work driver. I bought it for 3k, my boss let me give him 100/wk for 30 wks. Am I looking at a load of trouble or could I actually make this thing road ready and reliable? I scraped about a coffee cans worth of rust off the rear crossmember that is supposed to support the spare tire. It is in bad shape, some spots I was able to take chunks of metal away just by pressing them. What are your thoughts on what I should do with this? I really want to continue to fix it up and get my worth out of it. I will attach pics of the vehicle and the underbody so you can see what I am talking about. Thank you!!!

Dustyn93 · June 28, 2020

Sorry the website won’t let me upload more than 9 or 10 mb of picture size total. I’m not sure why. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Edited June 28, 2020 by Dustyn93

Dustyn93 · June 28, 2020

Also this is after I cleaned it up a bit with an angle grinder with a brush attachment and a regular steel wire brush and putting some rust primer on there. There was chunks of metal”rust” coming off.

Dustyn93 · June 28, 2020

Dustyn93 · June 28, 2020

Hopefully I’ll get some replies, how can i upload more photos?

PPK · June 29, 2020

Frames are thinner and thinner each year. The integrity of the frame is key to safety.. while i can't vouch for the posted picture being dangerous, i would say ten years of Mass long winters might be plenty for a corroded thin lightweight frame... be careful. Get it inspected with a shop who can put it on a lift and look for cracks. That will tell you a lot of what you need to do...

Dustyn93 · June 29, 2020

Thanks for your advice, I’m hoping to have this rear end rebuilt within the month and have it road ready. But was just worried if this is a catastrophe waiting to happen with that rear tire holder/crossmember falling apart like that. I wish I could upload more photos to show in detail my issue. Other than that, though, everything seem to be mechanically sound on the vehicle. Just waiting for new wheels. Can’t wait to dive into this rear end rebuild. If anyone has any advice or tips, I’d appreciate it. Never done one, but went to automotive school and was “taught” how to. Lol. Thank you for your reply!