Rizzo's '08 Envoy Denali

rizzo20

Original poster
Member
z.jpg

OK, here's the build for my Denali.

The Truck:
2008 GMC Envoy Denali 4x4
5.3 V8
3.42 Gear
98K miles (when purchased)

Current Mods:
Airaid 200-206-1 Intake System
Spintech Sport Truck SUV Muffler
Exhaust resonator delete
PCMofNC Tune (93 Octane, AFM/DOD turned off)
275/45/20 Cooper Zeon LTZ Tires
20" x 8" Chrome TBSS Replica wheels
NORCAL SS's Modified UCA
NORCAL SS's Belltech TBSS Stock Height Kit with Moog TBSS front springs

LED Low/Hi Beams & Fogs (S7)
iJDMTOY 30W White/Amber Switchbacks
Clear Headlight Mod (amber delete)
Spyder Smoked OE Style Tail lights
Sony XAV-AX100 head unit
Esky EC170-11 Back-up Cam

Pillar vinyl removed
Rear Glass Handle Delete
20% Tint Front Side Windows
Wood Grain Interior Delete (SLE Black Carbon Fiber Swap)
White body matched rear window trim (D pillar)
Demolded & debadged (except "Denali" badge)
Roof Rack Delete



Here she is when I bought her from a private seller:
20170329_181048[1].jpg20170329_181118[1].jpg

Here's a pic of removing the vinyl coated pillars:
20170402_151202.jpg

I plant to use an razor knife to trim the molding thats circled:

20170402_152911.jpg

Here I have the "D" pillars removed to be painted (Duplicolor)
20170402_154423.jpg

Here you can see the roof rack has been deleted along with the front plate holder, pillar covers, rain guards (ventvisors) and bug-shield.
20170402_182024.jpg

Notice my SLE looking all "minivan-esque" with the black pillars. :biggrin:
 
Last edited:

dna59

Member
Nov 20, 2015
327
Belize
Keep the mods and updates coming. I'm intrigued to see how the D pillars look painted. I've been on the fence about it maybe being "too much" white.
 
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rizzo20

Original poster
Member
Keep the mods and updates coming. I'm intrigued to see how the D pillars look painted. I've been on the fence about it maybe being "too much" white.

It crossed my mind about being too much white....if I don't like it I will swap for the black ones on my SLE before i sell it.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
What did you do with the screw holes for the rack?
 

rizzo20

Original poster
Member
I painted my "D" pillars and threw them on today.......any thoughts? Im not sure I like it. I will say it looks better than the big blob of black that forms with the stock black "D" pillar and a dark tinted tailight like you see in the pic on my last post on my SLE sitting next to the Denali. I didn't match the top piece above the rear glass yet just in case I didn't like this look.
20170403_161713.jpg 20170403_161707.jpg 20170403_161651.jpg
 

SnowBlazer

Member
Jun 9, 2014
5,775
Colorado Springs
I dig it. Looks good, I'm not a fan of the panoramic black look like some guys do by blacking out all the pillars. I'm a fan of breaking it up a bit.
 
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rizzo20

Original poster
Member
Thanks SnowBlazer! I've been inspired by the ride of MikeyNice. I love what he did to his Envoy and I've done a lot of the same things he did. With the pillars color matched and suspension leveled out (maybe dropped a tad) they resemble the Trailblazer SS I think.
 
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SnowBlazer

Member
Jun 9, 2014
5,775
Colorado Springs
Thanks SnowBlazer! I've been inspired by the ride of MikeyNice. I love what he did to his Envoy and I've done a lot of the same things he did. With the pillars color matched and suspension leveled out (maybe dropped a tad) they resemble the Trailblazer SS I think.
If you're looking to drop it, hit up the SS owners forum. NorcalSS sells leveling drop kits that look great on our platform!
 
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rizzo20

Original poster
Member
If you're looking to drop it, hit up the SS owners forum. NorcalSS sells leveling drop kits that look great on our platform!

As a matter of fact that is in the works. I have Tony's Belltech SS Stock height kit sitting here that I was going to put on my SLE. Last night I got the struts made up and ready to put in this weekend. I'm going to try to keep the air ride in the rear (use Tonys custom rear shocks and trimmed bump stop). I do have the Belltech rear springs from the kit to put in when the air ride fails. 20170404_075227.jpg
 
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SnowBlazer

Member
Jun 9, 2014
5,775
Colorado Springs
As a matter of fact that is in the works. I have Tony's Belltech SS Stock height kit sitting here that I was going to put on my SLE. Last night I got the struts made up and ready to put in this weekend. I'm going to try to keep the air ride in the rear (use Tonys custom rear shocks and trimmed bump stop). I do have the Belltech rear springs from the kit to put in when the air ride fails. View attachment 80534
I'll be watching your build, man. Looking at all this has gotten my interest. :smile:
 
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Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
I really love these trucks in white even though all of mine have been black and now, soon to be mine, battleship grey.
 
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Tiggerr

Member
Jun 6, 2013
1,324
Perrysburg, OH
I really love these trucks in white even though all of mine have been black and now, soon to be mine, battleship grey.

I'd love to find a white 07 Rainier myself... mine is black as well..
PITA to keep clean but looks good when you get it there...

Thought about changing color when I get around to painting it but that's just too much crap..expensive too, to do it properly..
 
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tsmith1156

Member
Jul 9, 2013
803
Lebanon, Ohio
I painted my "D" pillars and threw them on today.......any thoughts? Im not sure I like it. I will say it looks better than the big blob of black that forms with the stock black "D" pillar and a dark tinted tailight like you see in the pic on my last post on my SLE sitting next to the Denali. I didn't match the top piece above the rear glass yet just in case I didn't like this look.
View attachment 80524 View attachment 80525 View attachment 80526

Good looking ride man
 
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rizzo20

Original poster
Member
I got a lot accomplished this weekend.


Drop struts from NORCAL SS(using two 16 mm rings) Moog TBSS front springs (#81116) , Moog strut bellow & bump stop (# K160285), Moog front lower spring isolator (#K160112), Monroe upper strut mount kit (#904968) *notice that I trimmed about 1" from new bumpstop*
20170404_161747.jpg

Old strut out ready for the new assembly to go in.
20170408_143450.jpg
Outer tie rod end was sloppy. Replaced both side with Moog (#ES3675 & ES3676)
20170408_153739.jpg

Here's the new strut installed along with the outer tie rods, new stabilizer bushing (ACDelco #45G1557) , new stabilizer bar end links (ACDelco #45G0009)
20170408_161244.jpg
In the rear time to yank the air springs, bump stops, shocks, and resonator.
20170408_102042.jpg

I really wanted to give the air ride a chance but I noticed that the right rear was sagging and the compressor would run quite a bit. With the rear coil spring conversion parts already in my possession( planned to use on my SLE) I figured why not. While removing the passenger side the bag easily came apart near the top....I'm guessing this was where it was leaking.
20170408_105259.jpg

The old shock is out and the new rear springs, 1" spacer, Belltech bumpstop (trimmed 1") and top isolators from my SLE. (my understanding is these are not mandatory but I wanted to be sure I wasn't going to get any noise from the metal on metal where the spring and body meet)
20170408_102108.jpg

The new bumpstops, shocks, springs and Cooper Zeon LTZ's all in place :smile:
20170408_111812.jpg

Resonator is chopped off20170408_111659.jpg

Saved the hanger and Prepped the tailpipe for the new tip later this week. I don't plan to drive it until this is complete. It can be dangerous to not have the exhaust fully exit the vehicle. Many people run it like this but I don't have to take any chances since I have another Envoy to use.20170408_183446.jpg

Here's a few shots of the Envoy on blocks while we take a beer break.

20170408_123959.jpg
20170408_124016.jpg
I wasn't sure what to do with the holes left in the front bumper cover from removing the license plate bracket. I got some push pins from AutoZone (#464340) and gave them some Duplicolor lovin' (prep spray--> adhesion promoter --> base color--> clear coat) and popped them in.
Untitled.jpg
20170409_162556.jpg
20170409_160643.jpg
After removing the side moldings & rear badges, trimming the C pillar moldings, touchup paint paint on some chips and foaming at the mouth....here she is:
20170409_161255.jpg
20170409_161312.jpg
20170409_161326.jpg

I expect the suspension to settle a tad more once I get a few miles on it but I love the new look! In those pics I have all the tools I used still loaded in the rear, it measures about 32" on all four corners. I have an appointment lined up for an alignment tomorrow morning. I can't wait to hit the streets!
 

Tiggerr

Member
Jun 6, 2013
1,324
Perrysburg, OH
Looks great! Curious though... you used 2 16mm spacers on the belltech struts and sit that low? Tony told me with the kit I have (supposed to be 31.5") to use no spacers to be level....
 
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dna59

Member
Nov 20, 2015
327
Belize
Nice updates. I like what you did with the pillars, especially how you modded the rear window moulding. Looks much better that way.
 

rizzo20

Original poster
Member
Looks great! Curious though... you used 2 16mm spacers on the belltech struts and sit that low? Tony told me with the kit I have (supposed to be 31.5") to use no spacers to be level....

I'm using TBSS front springs, that's why I used two 16 mm spacers. If I was using stock Envoy springs I think one 16 mm is needed to achieve 31.5" - 32" height but Im not exactly sure. You may want to talk to Tony again and double check.

Nice updates. I like what you did with the pillars, especially how you modded the rear window moulding. Looks much better that way.

Thanks! I left the top rear window molding black in hopes to paint it white later on but I think I like it this way. It blends into the rear window well.
 

Snailblazin'

Member
Dec 9, 2011
164
That's a nice whip right there.
 
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rizzo20

Original poster
Member
Looking good. Is this an Android unit? Also does it allow you to play music from your phone? And lastly does it retain the chimes etc..

Yes it uses Android Auto or CarPlay if you have an iPhone. So far I've used Spotify and Pandora via the AA app and it works really well. The coolest thing is Google maps transfers from your phone over to the head unit via AA and you use that as GPS as the head unit doesn't have its own navigation.

I would rather use Google Maps anyday over most built in nav units. Supposedly the "Waze" app will be compatible soon with AA.

I used a GMOS-4 interface to retain the factory chimes and use of the factory Bose amp and an Axxexx ASWC-1 to retain the steering wheel controls. I'm very pleased with how it turned out.
 

xavierny25

Member
Mar 16, 2014
6,323
Staten Island, N.Y
Hey Rizzo, I have the Sony xav602bt and I could never get this sob to work well with my phone. I think I be picking your brain about this at a later time. 20150922_212441.jpg
 
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rizzo20

Original poster
Member
Hey Rizzo, I have the Sony xav602bt and I could never get this sob to work well with my phone. I think I be picking your brain about this at a later time. View attachment 80972

I'm no expert but maybe I can help. If we're still meeting up next week, maybe I can have a look-see. Don't suppose you have room on your camping trip for that 4" & 7" d.a. ? hah j/k.
 

xavierny25

Member
Mar 16, 2014
6,323
Staten Island, N.Y
Cool.... yes meeting up with you is still very much in the plan for my trip.... there just cheapies from harbor freight nothing special about them just the guy who uses them and the technic used to get done right. :thumbsup:

:undecided:My brother has my porter cable d.a's held hostage. I've got to get them back someday I hope.:deadhorse:
 
Mar 30, 2016
1,465
KSA
Yes it uses Android Auto or CarPlay if you have an iPhone. So far I've used Spotify and Pandora via the AA app and it works really well. The coolest thing is Google maps transfers from your phone over to the head unit via AA and you use that as GPS as the head unit doesn't have its own navigation.

I would rather use Google Maps anyday over most built in nav units. Supposedly the "Waze" app will be compatible soon with AA.

I used a GMOS-4 interface to retain the factory chimes and use of the factory Bose amp and an Axxexx ASWC-1 to retain the steering wheel controls. I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

Going to have to look into the GMOS-4 interface. I don't plan on installing an Android HU, or Apple Carplay one, but something different. Its going to be another top secret project :biggrin:
 

xavierny25

Member
Mar 16, 2014
6,323
Staten Island, N.Y
I haven't been online in awhile but I still tinker with the Denali. Here's a pic after swapping the headlight assemblies for a blacked out version and losing those ugly ass caliper covers. (what was I thinking?)View attachment 82775

That's a nice Denali .....:salivate:
 
Mar 30, 2016
1,465
KSA
I haven't been online in awhile but I still tinker with the Denali. Here's a pic after swapping the headlight assemblies for a blacked out version and losing those ugly ass caliper covers. (what was I thinking?)View attachment 82775

PAINT THEM!!! PAINT THEM!!!! 😂
 

rizzo20

Original poster
Member
I jumped a drainage ditch this morning.... A few days ago I took my 20s off and put my factory wheels with semi bald tires back on.

They dont turn well in the snow.
20180321_061215.jpg20180321_062223.jpg
 

xavierny25

Member
Mar 16, 2014
6,323
Staten Island, N.Y
Oh damn.... That sucks!!! Hey I still have that bumper you sold me (of course I have it painted in my body color now). I never put in on my Voy and I'm not planning too honestly. The Voy is my wife's daily and she doesn't really like the bulky look of the denali bumper. If your interested I'd sell it back to you for half of what you sold it to me for. This way you win my wife wins and I get it out of my line of sight. Lol
 

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