groundshock 02 Victory Red LS Build Thread

[groundshock]

Since I've been asked a few times about my truck, I figured I'd start a build thread as well. I'm not nearly as far along as some others but we all have to start somewhere, right?

Day it was bought:

First thing: Painting the bowtie and crossbar, and pulling off the rack cross rails. Didn't care for the rails, and I HATE chrome:

I also debadged the rear hatch lid, removed the glass handle, and did the cabin filter install as described on the site(not pictured).

After that, I painted the mirror covers, added a color matched homemade intake pipe, added a set of my fog light hole grilles, plastidipped the interior a-panels and door emblems, and switched the crappy 16's for some LTZ 17's that were painted black and had rim stripes added.

 

[groundshock]

So, here it sits today with a nice coat of Wisconsin winter salt.

Next plans were tough. Street it out, lower it and put it on some 22's, or jack it high and turn it into an off road rig. I've decided that 'up it goes'. Will be starting the lift hopefully soon. Plans are to clone a cretain proven truck from offroadtb.com and see how it goes from there.

Any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

 

[TexazReece]

Props on your truck bro

 

[groundshock]

Thanks brah. Gotta change that Jags logo in your sig, homey.

 

[TexazReece]

Lol nah I'm going to stick with the old logo because the new one looks like a high school team logo

 

[groundshock]

Haha, Gotcha. Hopefully the change = wins.

 

[jonbo2002]

nice work so far can't wait to see more of your work. p.s. gotta remove those running boards I bottomed mine out a few times before I removed them

 

[groundshock]

Trust me, the running boards have been a thought process for a long time. But the fact that it's an 02, that's lived in WI it's whole life, with 155K, and NO rust... Makes me thing they are saving the body pretty well over the years.

I'm planning on painting them black or bed-liner-ing them when I get color-matched rockers, and maybe beefing up the brackets underneath for off-road use, but I just can't bring myself to get rid of em.

 

[yodaddy4200]

Had to get rid of my boards hated em. Your truck looks sick man!! I really dig the wheels/grille!! Ill be keepin watch of the build i was gonna get some of those brackets from ya if possible but... i decided to get hid fogs instead.

 

[groundshock]

They're not ready to go anyway, I need to wait for some fogs to get here. Thanks for the kind words.

I'll hopefully wash the big pig tomorrow and post some more pics.

I REALLY want to find a black interior for it someday.

 

[DDonnie]

Any interior shots? I'd like to see the dipped pillars.

 

[DDonnie]

I REALLY want to find a black interior for it someday.

Why not take it apart and paint it? I think a black base with red accent pieces would look sick on your truck.

 

[groundshock]

Why not take it apart and paint it? I think a black base with red accent pieces would look sick on your truck.

I just don't trust that it would be an OEM look and quality.

 

[NinjuhhNutz]

I love the color of your truck. lol Can't get over how good it looks! and props on the chrome removal, I hate chrome on anything but rims, but everyone has their own tastes. Looks good man. and I hear ya on the interior, I've been considering paiting the entire interior of mine black, but I'm hesitant

 

[Porkins]

What do you use on the black plastic parts to make them so clean?

 

[groundshock]

Which parts?

 

[Porkins]

Deleted post.

 

[groundshock]

Nothing. Factory stock, kept clean.

 

[Canary2323]

I painted my interior black, came out great imo. Needs touch ups here and there but mostly just where my kids kick the doors. Even got approved by my wife and she's a tough sell on my car mods haha. After she saw she let me do some touch ups in her cars interior.

 

[NinjuhhNutz]

I painted my interior black, came out great imo. Needs touch ups here and there but mostly just where my kids kick the doors. Even got approved by my wife and she's a tough sell on my car mods haha. After she saw she let me do some touch ups in her cars interior.

Do tell what you used...and any insight you may have picked up during the process
I've wanted an all black interior since I sat inside my buddy's RSX S-Type (holy roller coaster on tires) and would like it to be the TB

 

[jimmyjam]

Do tell what you used...and any insight you may have picked up during the process

I recommend SEM Classic Coat I've used it on my impala, its very good.

 

[NinjuhhNutz]

I recommend SEM Classic Coat I've used it on my impala, its very good.

Hi 5 for that
Any idea (ball park, of course) how many cans it might take for the tb? 05 ls to be exact...

 

[jimmyjam]

erm 2 cans did my entire dash, a pillars, i forget what else. 6 cans come in a case so i'd start with a case and go from there. i'd guess around 10 cans

 

[NinjuhhNutz]

erm 2 cans did my entire dash, a pillars, i forget what else. 6 cans come in a case so i'd start with a case and go from there. i'd guess around 10 cans

sounds like a plan

Thank you, sir..the gf and I are going to work on it together (still not sure if that's a good idea or not, but she was excited about helping me build my custom sub enclosure...so either way, she's a keeper )
will deff update when I get started on it

 

[groundshock]

Little update today. Got the first hand wash of the year today to bust the salt off and took a couple pics for y'all.

For those of you wondering about the Plasti-dipped A-pillar covers. Best interior thingy I've done. No glare, can't see them from the outside. Drove me nuts with those BIG FAT GREY pillars sticking out when you were looking at the truck from the outside. Now, no ugly.

Here's a stupid one, but with a purpose. I want to swap out my airbag for one of the new ones with the circle chevy logo in it so that I can have a custom domed emblem made for it. Any of you newer model guys want to trade for this one with the embossed bowtie?

 

[groundshock]

Oh yeah, did the trashcan delete mod today too. Don't know why I didn't do it sooner. Just enough rumble and looks a thousand times better. Didnt get pics yet, gotta weld on the tip.

 

[TexazReece]

Props on the cleaned truck. I don't see many victory red trailblazers out here looks good

 

[jason43080]

Groundshock, your truck looks great man, I really like that custom intake too, very nice!

 

[groundshock]

Thanks for all the support boys.

I'm really stuck now on what to do next. For the last couple weeks I've really been thinking that the off-road way is what I want to do, but once you wash the thing and see how clean it is bodywise and underneath, I just can't bring myself to risk damaging it.

I'm thinking it's just going to stay a street truck, get lowered, and put on some nice clean wheels.

I dunno. Opinions on where to go next are appreciated.

 

[jimmyjam]

paint all the gray shit black

 

[groundshock]

I need those wheels. I'm pretty set on color matching the door handles and trying to find some LT painted rocker covers to paint those too.

 

[jimmyjam]

I need those wheels.

good luck. within a year of getting them, one of them started peeling clearcoat. they were discontinued in our bolt pattern and AR couldn't locate a single wheel in the country. had to get it refinished myself. and that was idk 7 years ago probably

 

[groundshock]

I just want a black center wheel like that, then I'm going to have the polished lip painted to match the truck.

Shouldn't be hard to find a ratted out set, but up here it's like pulling teeth. Keep an eye out for me. 22's preferably. LMK if you come across anything at a filthy cheap price.

 

[bbarker89]

What did you end up doing Groundshock?

 

[TexazReece]

He has not posted in awhile. I hope he is doing okay

 

[dmanns67]

He has not posted in awhile. I hope he is doing okay

Looks like he has not logged in since 29 April 2013.

 

[blazinlow89]

Looks like he has not logged in since 29 April 2013.

I think the whole thing with the fog lights and brackets may have had something to do with it That was one of his last posts and then nothing.

 

[dmanns67]

I think the whole thing with the fog lights and brackets may have had something to do with it That was one of his last posts and then nothing.

Yeah I think you are right. I remember reading through that thread and it got a little heated.

 

[Darkrider_LS]

I remember that as well, Didnt he get screwed out of the prototype parts or something along those lines?

 

[dmanns67]

I remember that as well, Didnt he get screwed out of the prototype parts or something along those lines?

Apparently, the kid that he sent the parts to vanished for around a year and no one heard from him. After calling him out in the thread, the kid finally surfaced. After a couple petty posts, it appears they settled their differences and the kid was supposed to send him back the brackets. Who nows if he ever sent them back.

If he had planned on going forward with the project, he should have found someone local or hit up a junk yard. Now you guys can just pick up some sealed projectors and HIDs from EBay that come WITH a bracket and mount them for fogs. Projectors would definitely be better than the OE fogs since the OEs just scatter light everywhere.