2004 Chevy Tahoe Performance and Accessory Upgrades

Extreme Takeover
Episode IV: Tahoe on the Town
Written by Jeremy Cook

Page 1 of 4

The Truck: 2004 Chevy Tahoe

Why: Because as far as high-end luxury goes, these Tahoes were seriously lacking. Even the Limiteds don't hold a candle to the Denalis and Escalades.

The Victim: Lisa Pirosanto, 28

Why: Lisa works in Newport Beach as a professional matchmaker, and this grocery-getter was just too boring in a sea of Range Rovers and Benzes

The Plan:

Make the boring SUV as high-end looking as possible-without breaking the bank and without getting all "bling". What started out as a simple makeover quickly became our most ambitious effort to date.

The Parts:

Weld Evo wheels, Nitto tires, DJM Cal Max lowering kit, Baer brake rotors, Street Scene bumpers and grille, Grippin door handles, Nu Image gauge cluster, and Elite accessories.

The Players:

Billet Superstore, Auto-B-Craft, Charly Henley, the StreetTrucks Staff, & friends.

Starting this month, all of our victims will now receive an arsenal of supplies from Meguiar's! The kit includes the complete NXT Generation line, Gold Class cleaning supplies, Hot Rims cleaner, and clay bar kit. No more excuses for dirty Takeover projects!

First priority: Rolling stock. We went with the super sleek (and super strong) BC-009 new from Weld Evo. They measure 22 x 9.5 inches and were wrapped with the always cool 285/45/22 NT 420s from Nitto.

These wheels show a lot of brake, so we decided to check out the new DecelaRotors from Baer Brakes. They employ a reverse slot and drill pattern and are finished in silver zinc plating.

There's nothing that bugs us more than the fender gap left on most SUVs after they bolt on big wheels. We solved that problem with a Cal Max 2/3 drop from DJM Suspension. The rear uses coils, shocks and relocation parts, while the front simply uses torsion keys.

Chrome and black bumpers just won't cut it, so we opted for bumper covers from Street Scene. We chose the front bumper design that most closely resembles the factory Denali bumper.

Street Scene also supplied their chromed Speed Grille inserts, bow tie and chrome antenna.

We decided to dress up the gauges with a stainless steel gauge dial and chrome bezel from Nu Image. This kit features blue night vision and silver needles.

Luckily, the door handles on this particular Tahoe were already color matched, but we decided to one up all those Escalades with a billet handle set from Grippin. These happen to match the grooves on the wheel spokes perfectly.

Bringing up the rear, we picked up a chrome license plate frame and custom hitch cover from Elite Auto Accessories. It's all in the details!

Since we were still awaiting most of the parts, but we did have the grille, we started by installing it and also removing all of the items that would not be returning to the vehicle. We removed the top cover and the bolts before popping the stock grille assembly out.

Once we ditched the stock gold bow tie, the Speed Grille insert simply lays over top of the stock grate.

Then the shell is turned over and the inserts are clipped in place with the many provided clips.

Next the chrome bow tie is bolted up using the provided hardware.

The grille was reinstalled onto the truck. We spent the rest of the day doing demo work. The first items to go were the front tow hooks.

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