2006 Duramax Build thread

[Spoolin]

Well, I PIAA'd myself!!



Been getting some of the smaller stuff done to the Van that I've been Neglecting. Yesterday I gapped the front bumper because it was rubbing on the fender, also got some big washers and straightened the rear bumper because it was slightly off. Also re-wired the trailer brake wiring harness so now it runs inside the frame rail, bought a new ball mount rated for 16,000lbs, got some isolators for my tow shackles, reconfigured the front Fog lamps, also adjusted the positioning of my headlights and fog lamps so they aren't as blinding and bought and wired up my rear bumper lights.





As far as the rear bumper lights, you guys think I should wire them in with the reverse lights or have them on a switch? If I do the switch it will most likely be a local switch back in the rear inside the van. I think the reverse light would be practical but maybe having it on a local switch might be better, more control?


Here are the Fog's lined up, they appear directional but still do a decent job of lighting up the surrounding area's outside the focus point.



Not as blinding now when in front and lower as if I was in a Honda Civic or something.



And then here's where I adjusted the HID's from(passenger side) and to(drivers side), those suckers were blindingly high, kinda feel bad for having them like that for a week but looking forward to getting those projectors installed in a few days. Just waiting on the mail man to bring me a new set of headlights in case I ruin one set I still have another handy.

[BroncoHauler]

Originally Posted by Spoolin

Well, I PIAA'd myself!!

Originally Posted by Spoolin

As far as the rear bumper lights, you guys think I should wire them in with the reverse lights or have them on a switch? If I do the switch it will most likely be a local switch back in the rear inside the van. I think the reverse light would be practical but maybe having it on a local switch might be better, more control?

My SMB was set up in the best of both worlds IMO. Default was that the rear bumper backup lights would come on with the transmission shifting into reverse, but there was also a dashboard switch to manually turn them on at any time.


Herb

[Spoolin]

Originally Posted by BroncoHauler

My SMB was set up in the best of both worlds IMO. Default was that the rear bumper backup lights would come on with the transmission shifting into reverse, but there was also a dashboard switch to manually turn them on at any time.
Herb

OOOohhhh, good idea!! I think I'll do both!!

[Gnarvan]

I'fn I were you I'd put the back up lights on a 3 way switch mounted on the dash somewhere. Always off/on when reverse is selected/manual on. Best of 3 worlds. That's how I have all the lights on my van wired.

[geoffff]

Wow, those lights' protective cages with their huge "PIAA" letters look like they would block upwards of 20% of the light!

-- Geoff

[Spoolin]

Thanks guys, I'm slowly starting to figure out how I'm gonna wire up the switches. Little more involved than I thought I was gonna get!!

Anywho...

Smoke'em if you got 'em!!

[Spoolin]

So I got some information to share for all the fuel economy guys!

I've been doing my best to keep track of my fuel records since I bought my van 10 months ago. Records so far include the date, miles, gallons and mpg for each fill up. I haven't cross references them with my mods yet but you can see they are pretty steady and consistent regardless of mods which is why I'm a bit perplexed/annoyed. I know some of the mods I've done have had negative impacts on fuel consumption but I was hoping that I was making enough gains to not only offset those losses but still see an increase in mpg's.

Here are all my records since I bought the van concerning fuel consuption:














So far the mods I've done to improve mpg's are...
1) Downpipe
2) EGR Delete
3) Economy tune (100 + hp)
4) Muffler and kitty Delete
5) Lighter wheels and tires
6) Replaced all filters (Both Fuel, oil, and air filters)
7) Run Standadyne with every tank of gas
8) Swapped to smaller antenna (Minimal but I thought I'd add it anyways! : )


Mods that hamper better mpg's are...
1) Weight of Interior improvements (Bed, shelves, insulation/walls, tools)
2) Weight of front and rear bumpers (400 lbs)
3) More aggressive tread pattern



I think that's all the mods I've done unless I'm missing something. There are a couple more things I can do such as a Kennedy lift pump and make a custom intake but after that I think I'm all out of fuel economy mods unless I really start messing with Aero and stance.

[Spoolin]

Originally Posted by Gnarvan

I'fn I were you I'd put the back up lights on a 3 way switch mounted on the dash somewhere. Always off/on when reverse is selected/manual on. Best of 3 worlds. That's how I have all the lights on my van wired.

I'm looking into that right now actually.

[Spoolin]

Originally Posted by shenrie

EDIT: talked to this guy and he said he uses VHT nightshade off the shelf stuff. three light coats and then a few layers of dupli-color clear coat. photo of finished product.

Thanks for the tip! That's what I went out and bought and it did a decent job of it. I think I went a little too heavy on the coats but not so bad that I can't live with it or like how it came out.
But thanks for the heads up!

[Energizer]

Great build!! I really like the versatility and focus on efficiency for gas mileage. I am looking to do something similar on my 2002 Astro.

Those wheels turned out very nice. Can you share the make and model?