Got a new tow vehicle

[BlkGS]

And I'm stoked. I had been looking at a lot of newer stuff, but had a hard time justifying the price, or justifying the price on used stuff. On a whim, found this thing, and the stars kinda magically lined up.. It was close (ish, 3 hours away) , 56k miles, AWD, and of course has plenty of power. Ended up getting it for a great price, and it was a vehicle I had wanted ever since I was in college.

I ended up with this 2009 Trailblazer SS, AWD with the 3ss package. I am loving this thing. It needs a few modern touches, going to do a bi LED retrofit in the headlights and swap to a 10.1" android head unit, but it does pretty much everything else great already.

 

[octavio3311]

Very nice. I always liked this SS’s.

 

[JOAN ROJAS]

And I'm stoked. I had been looking at a lot of newer stuff, but had a hard time justifying the price, or justifying the price on used stuff. On a whim, found this thing, and the stars kinda magically lined up.. It was close (ish, 3 hours away) , 56k miles, AWD, and of course has plenty of power. Ended up getting it for a great price, and it was a vehicle I had wanted ever since I was in college.

I ended up with this 2009 Trailblazer SS, AWD with the 3ss package. I am loving this thing. It needs a few modern touches, going to do a bi LED retrofit in the headlights and swap to a 10.1" android head unit, but it does pretty much everything else great already.

That’s awesome and los miles. I’ve always loved those SS s too bad is a 4 speed

 

[BlkGS]

I figure if the 4 speed ever goes out, a 6l80 swap isn't terribly expensive or hard.

 

[2kwik4u]

@BlkGS Nice looking truck. I had an '06 3SS AWD TBSS as well. It's what I used to drag the AR190 home. Always thought it looked really cool to have a lowered sport truck doing the "heavy lifting" of a tow vehicle.



Bought in mine out of Winnipeg (I'm in Louisville, KY) in mid 2016. Flew up, paid, and drove it straight home. Only had it about a year. Previous owner grenaded a motor from launching too often and not keeping the oil filled properly. Sat for a few years in a warehouse. Had 36k and a new motor when I bought it for $10k. There was a reason it was so cheap. I replaced every single hose/gasket/rubber line/bushing on that truck in the first 6mo. Also replaced damn near every major part of the electrical system alternator/starter/battery/cables, and underhood fuse panel. There was rust everywhere. Previous owner was a service tech for the Winnipeg Public Works department and thought he was gods gift to mechanics. Sadly, he was not, and I had to redo a good portion of the work he did during the engine replacement. Found things like 3 different styles of bolts holting the exhaust piping to the manifold. Found missing bolts, and unplugged connections all over the engine bay. it was a hot mess, and took a few months to really sort out and feel comfortable driving. I'm somewhat amazed it made the trip from Winnipeg to Louisville without incident. I finally traded it away when I started a new position that required a lot of driving, and had higher pay. I was |....| that far from buying a new 427 short block from Texas Speed and Marine because the rear main and head gasket were leaking. With a new baby on the way, it complicated things just enough to ditch it.

A few words of advice. Keep the oil FULL. Some of the AWD guys run a quart over full. When you launch the truck from a stop, the oil sloshes AWAY from the pump pickup and will starve the front two rod bearings. Quick was to grenade the motor.........Keep the engine cool. it's super easy to overheat these things if you don't have the cooling system in top shape. Replace the coolant, make certain the water pump isn't leaking, and consider electric fans and a low temp thermostat......Put a trans cooler on it now. I ran one that was mounted in the drivers side break duct opening. Dropped trans temps by 20-25deg in daily driving, and removed all the spikes when towing uphill. Well worth the money......The 4L65E that is in there HATES to be overheated. Converting to a 6L80E isn't a trivial task. It can be done, but from what I remember requires significant wiring changes, as well as a front/rear diff change since the 4.10's from the factory doesn't play well with the revised ratios in the 6L80E compared to the 65E. Pretty certain that it requires a new transfer case as well. I've seen it done though. I would be VERY tempted to run a 4L80E if the 65E craps out on you. Much easier swap, although you don't get the benefit of the two extra gears. Honestly, aside from the fuel economy, the 65E is a decent trans, and should serve you well with a good tune in it.

I loved the vehicle overall. It handled pretty decently after I lowered it. Had TONS of power, and would accumulate speed quite effortlessly. I thought it looked GREAT considering it was already 10years old when I got ahold of it. The styling really held up well IMO. It was comfy to ride in, fun to drive, and towed our 190 exceptionally well. I often tell my friends I miss that truck, however I'm not sure I'll ever own another one. Maybe one day. In 99% stock form I managed to get it to run a 14.01@99.4mph. I went to the track that day looking for a 13.99 or 100mph (or better), just couldn't quite get it there.

Like I said, I really really liked the styling. Buddy called it "subtle fast". No overdone graphics, or body panels, or other shenanigans, just a nice low/muscular look to it, albiet a little "soft edged".


I have a phone mount I fabricated sitting around that you are welcome to if you want it. Uses a RAM ball, and clips into where the emblem on the dash is. I can't find a picture of it now, but it's yours if you want it. It's literally been sitting in a box for 3 years. I think I have a set of floor mats, a rear cargo cover/shade thing, and maybe an engine cover sitting around as well. All yours if you want it, just shoot me a PM with your address and I'll send all the stuff I have to you free of charge.

Anywho, that's a long post of a "congrats on the new ride!"

 

[BlkGS]

Thanks,

I've had it about a week now, and have to say I am really thinking I made the right choice. Yes, the interior is very of the period. But along with that comes durability - there's not soft touch fake leather everywhere to get messed up.

I've been getting 12.5ish mpg in the city, driving it overall sane. I suspect that the dealership filled it with regular and I haven't burned all of that off yet, though I did fill it halfway with premium, so we'll see if mileage improves any as it gets full of premium for sure. I did take it on the highway and can see why it gets terrible highway mileage... The 4.10s means it's spinning well over 2500rpm at highway speeds... So an efficient long commuter it is not.

I've decided before I do any towing, a trans cooler will be necessary
. Haven't decided on a brake duct mount or a trucool 40k yet. Seems like efans and an upgraded radiator will be in order as well at some point.

I ordered a big android radio, 10" screen, so modern electronics are coming. Waiting on my rear view camera to come in to install it.

 

[PEARCE]

I ordered a big android radio, 10" screen

Can you please explain what this is in detail? I'm an android phone user so I'm intrigued.

 

[BlkGS]

I bought a Joying 10.1 android HU. It's basically a radio where the display is actually an android tablet. It runs android natively like a tablet, but still has Bluetooth, and all the normal head unit stuff. Honestly they're pretty slick, I had an android HU from a cheaper brand in my truck before this and WAs overall pleased. It was from a smaller brand that wasn't as responsive as joying, and had a few bugs that never got worked out. The joying units are a huge step up in quality from the one I had, so I'm looking forward to it.

 

[2kwik4u]

Thanks,

I've had it about a week now, and have to say I am really thinking I made the right choice. Yes, the interior is very of the period. But along with that comes durability - there's not soft touch fake leather everywhere to get messed up.

I've been getting 12.5ish mpg in the city, driving it overall sane. I suspect that the dealership filled it with regular and I haven't burned all of that off yet, though I did fill it halfway with premium, so we'll see if mileage improves any as it gets full of premium for sure. I did take it on the highway and can see why it gets terrible highway mileage... The 4.10s means it's spinning well over 2500rpm at highway speeds... So an efficient long commuter it is not.

I've decided before I do any towing, a trans cooler will be necessary
. Haven't decided on a brake duct mount or a trucool 40k yet. Seems like efans and an upgraded radiator will be in order as well at some point.

I ordered a big android radio, 10" screen, so modern electronics are coming. Waiting on my rear view camera to come in to install it.

I got my best mileage with the truck 100% stock and driving home from Winnipeg with the cruise set on 75 for an entire tank of fuel. Like I filled up, merged on the interstate, set the cruise, then 3hrs later existed the interstate and filled up again. Couldn't have been a better scenario. 14.5mpg I used to joke with my wife that it would pass anything but a gas station You won't see a mileage bump from running premium, just less knocking noises when you stand on the loud pedal heavily.

I forgot to mention another Achilles heel of the truck. DO NOT.....and I mean DO NOT let it downshift from 4th to 2nd. The internals of the transmission dictate that to make that shift happen it has to grab two shafts and release another. The shift timing has to be perfect or hard parts can get damaged. The 4L65E has decent tuning and torque management from the factory, but that 4-2 shift is a killer. ALWAYS, pull it down to 3rd before you hammer down. This will keep the 4- shift from happening, and get 1/2 of that shift pattern completed before you apply power. It's a simple step, and can add years to the life of the transmission, depending on how much you beat on it.

I went with the brake duct cooler to keep the heat load OUT of the radiator. I caught the fluid before it went into the radiator and took a little heat out of if, then sent it along to the radiator, then back to the trans. The idea was that any heat I could get out of the radiator was a win (I was chasing cooling issues). When I sold the truck I was amassing the parts to put an oil cooler in the passenger side brake duct for the same reason. I was looking for ways to get heat OUT of the motor WITHOUT adding to the heat load in the radiator. Lots of guys have great luck with a front mounted tru-cool 40k, so I can't argue with results there. Just giving some insight into what I picked.

I'll also take a second and go back to "man I really loved the styling on these things", but this time talk about the interior. There were NO screens, just some buttons and easily dimmable LCD displays for the radio and HVAC controls. Traditional white faced gages, with large readable numbers. It was VERY "90's GM) feeling in there with all the somewhat creaky plastic, and big swoopy curves on everything, but it made sense and fit will with the personality of the rest of the truck. The main draw was the drive and the experience. No extra frills or buttons or doo-dads to make this that or the other thing work. No endless screens of settings to futz with, just some basic controls to get you around town. Mine had Stabili-Trrak and ABS. No collision warning, no self driving, none of that. You had to be present while driving, and pay attention.........Such a cool truck. I really miss mine!

 

[BlkGS]

You could always get another one!

I think my plans are starting to take shape a bit more. The speed at which the coolant reaches nominal temperature tells me that this thing makes a lot of heat. I think step 1 and 2 will be the trucool 40k, and a CCR high capacity radiator. I believe that will also delete the factory trans cooler, eliminating the mix possibility. I'd like to do the e fans at this time, but will have to see, as that will require me to update the tune, which means I may as well add some other stuff at the time, which isn't as huge a priority.

The other priority is the oil baffle, because effectively anytime I go up a hill (or ramp) I could oil starve it some. It's probably less of an issue at lower rpms, but makes me worried. Unfortunately dropping the pan on my AWD is going to be... Involved. Like pull a lot of the front suspension involved. So it's an ideal time to add drop struts up front, and lower the rear. I think I'm going to use the 50 dollar oil pan baffle as opposed to the 300 dollar pcm of NC kit, because frankly it seems like that kit is just over engineered where that baffle works well.

I get the comments about the interior. It's very period, and not exactly plush, but everything is easy to use, where it should be, and seems durable. Wanna cha ge the temperature? Spin a knob and it tells you what you set it to. Heated seats are a simple button setup and boy do they heat. The only thing I'd say is a little kitschy is the controls for the radio and ac in the back... But that's likely going to get replaced with a pocket or something. The radio works well overall, but it's pretty outdated and small by today's standards, but because it's just a double din, it's no big deal to swap.

It's comfortable, but the speeds it picks up are sort of, unexpected. You don't realize how much speed you've put on until you actually look. Where a lot of stuff feels quick off the line, the TBSS feels unphazed by out running them. I drove a new ram with a 3.92 and hemi the week before I bought it, it felt strong from 0 to 35, but then felt lie you were waiting for anything else to happen. The TBSS feels like it's gonna go fast but it's not worried about it or even tough for it to do. It's got surprisingly good steering feel too for a large vehicle, you can tell what it's doing.

I'm loving it though.

 

[2kwik4u]

Man you are spot on all the way around.

I think I used the PCM of NC brake duct cooler. They seem like nice people to work with. I totally get ditching the trans cooler in teh radiator, but keep an eye on those temps when towing and being aggressive on the throttle. the 60/65 trans LOVE to heat up. The 80 series trans seem to take the abuse without the heat buildup as bad.

Definitely get the baffles. They SUCK to install, but it's worth it to save the motor. Mine was on it's second before 40k miles because the original owner didn't know (or likely care).

A note on the coilovers......I don't think I would buy the Beltechs again. They weren't damped quite right for the weight of the truck. Felt a little overly harsh on sharp edged bumps and a little "wallow-y" on flowing undulations. Also the adjustability was only by way of remove-take apart, change a shim and put back in. I would definitely look for something that is adjustable dampening with a threaded body for the front. Same for the rear in terms of shocks. I lowered the rear on mine with a set of adjustable links for the ride height sensors. Basically just tricked the BCM into lowering itself by shortening the link between the chassis and the ride height sensor. Was super cheap ($50-ish), and worked great. Just threw some new shorter shocks in there (also Beltechs) and away I went.

I also totally get the accumulation of speed. It just....keeps....pulling. Even at 80-90mph there was no lack of reserves to pass someone on the interstate if you wanted to. Likewise, when towing our 190, a quick drop to 3rd, and you could blast around someone on a 2-lane road that was doodling along at 40mph in a 55 zone. Those short 4.10 gears and big displacement made for REALLY easy passing. The engine is really interesting in how "low tech" it is. It's just an all aluminum 6.0L. No displacement on demand, no variable vale timing or lift. Just LOTS of cubic inches, and heads that flow a TON of air. Makes plenty of torque down low, and breathes well enough to not run out of steam on the top end.

And don't let my wife hear about me thinking about another one. She liked the truck, and liked that I enjoyed it, but HATED how much time and effort I put into mine in the short time I had it (bought July 3rd 2016, sold Oct 4th 2017). I don't think that was the platforms fault, I just got bad specimen. If I thought she would drive one I would get another for her

 

[nikkoUM]

Being from Chicago we have some decent distances to cover for good boating and overnight trips. Convinced the wife we needed a good, comfortable new vehicle. Went with the new Ram 1500 Limited. The interior is insane with a lot of room and storage all over the place. Rides great. Was never a pickup guy or a Ram guy but color me impressed.