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Project Caddy - 03 Escalade Build
- Thread starter Russell
- Start date
I've been busy working hard on the Caddy the last little while. I received all the HVAC actuators and got them installed along with a replacement evaporator core and heater core. I was then able to re-install the dash. I did a few minor updates, such a new ebony Escalade Platinum edition steering wheel to replace the worn out and gray colored base model wheel this truck came with new. I also installed new steering wheel control buttons, a new clock spring and steering wheel position sensor. With the dash installed and the I/P harness hooked up, I turned the key on and everything seems to be working less the addition of an air bag light now. The radio still doesn't work (that's all the wiring hanging out the side of the dash).
This morning I spotted an NNBS center console for sale on our local classifieds site and picked it up tonight after work. It's in mint condition and I got it dirt cheap at $120 CAD. Most of the time they sell for $500+.
Next I removed the front seats so I can cut the holes in the floor for the new shifters and start working on the body wiring harness. I need to run wires for the radio amp and the rear HVAC controller which were both relocated to the rear fender well, re-route the wires for the rear seat heaters and remove the wiring for the vehicle suspension controller. I've got a 3 day weekend coming up shortly which will give me the time to disassemble the parts Yukon to steal all the body wiring from so I have all the wire and connectors I need to re-route everything. I'm guessing I should more or less be able to finish the wiring and get the interior re-assembled for the last time that weekend.
Today I ordered up some engine mount adapter plates which are designed to allow the older chevy clamshells to be used on the newer engine. My plan is to take the engine mounts off the 6.0L and bolt them back into the frame, then drop the d-max on top of them with the adapter plates then just weld them together in the right place. I'll still need to build a transmission crossmember, build the fuel system and swap to the 3 channel Yukon ABS unit to delete stabilitrak before I can swap the body onto the new chassis.
I'm looking to book the Caddy in to a fabricator to get the bumpers fitted, build an exhaust system, build a proper trans crossmember and re-align the rock rails to the body after I've put the progressive body lift in towards the end of September. Might have it back by the end of November or December when all is said and done. Just in time for the winter wheeling season!
This morning I spotted an NNBS center console for sale on our local classifieds site and picked it up tonight after work. It's in mint condition and I got it dirt cheap at $120 CAD. Most of the time they sell for $500+.
Next I removed the front seats so I can cut the holes in the floor for the new shifters and start working on the body wiring harness. I need to run wires for the radio amp and the rear HVAC controller which were both relocated to the rear fender well, re-route the wires for the rear seat heaters and remove the wiring for the vehicle suspension controller. I've got a 3 day weekend coming up shortly which will give me the time to disassemble the parts Yukon to steal all the body wiring from so I have all the wire and connectors I need to re-route everything. I'm guessing I should more or less be able to finish the wiring and get the interior re-assembled for the last time that weekend.
Today I ordered up some engine mount adapter plates which are designed to allow the older chevy clamshells to be used on the newer engine. My plan is to take the engine mounts off the 6.0L and bolt them back into the frame, then drop the d-max on top of them with the adapter plates then just weld them together in the right place. I'll still need to build a transmission crossmember, build the fuel system and swap to the 3 channel Yukon ABS unit to delete stabilitrak before I can swap the body onto the new chassis.
I'm looking to book the Caddy in to a fabricator to get the bumpers fitted, build an exhaust system, build a proper trans crossmember and re-align the rock rails to the body after I've put the progressive body lift in towards the end of September. Might have it back by the end of November or December when all is said and done. Just in time for the winter wheeling season!
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Caddy with a 3rd pedal!
Looking good!
Looking good!
With the dash completed, it was time to start on the body harness to re-route all those Bose wires and also the aux hvac controller and the two rear heated seat switches.
I got the harness all stripped apart and removed the un-needed wiring for the active suspension stuff. When I removed the center console, I hadn't removed the front seats and used a grinder to cut out the bose amp mounting bracket from the floor. There was a spot that I went a little bit too deep and cut through the carpet. Which happened to be directly where the body harness crosses under the carpet, d'oh!! Explains the airbag light being on when I turned the ignition on, at least! I had to splice 4 wires, the others were removed or re-routed and shortened enough that the cuts didn't matter.
I've still got a good bit of wiring to run, but I'm more or less done with the speakers. Next up is to install a new 48 slot connector in place of the existing 22 slot connector behind the kick-panel and to add all the new wires that will be run though there. I'll have a good bit of time this coming Friday to work on it, so maybe with a little luck I'll get it all buttoned up. Then all that is left is to cut the hole in the floor for the two shifters and to re-install the interior.
I am currently considering installing the ZF-6 behind the 6.0L and running the gas power plant for the next year. It would speed my build up substantially and simplify things a fair bit as well. The wiring changes I've made would be compatible with the gas engine with a manual transmission just the same as the diesel with the only real change being the addition of the wait to start lamp.
I can install the LLY next year after I've got my shop put together.
![59AA7F47-5A4B-4CD4-82AA-16671E6771AC[1].jpg](https://ck5.com/forums/data/attachments/218/218355-c9ed0e663c8c9d9c9f9c8cb330c55e76.jpg "59AA7F47-5A4B-4CD4-82AA-16671E6771AC[1].jpg")
I got the harness all stripped apart and removed the un-needed wiring for the active suspension stuff. When I removed the center console, I hadn't removed the front seats and used a grinder to cut out the bose amp mounting bracket from the floor. There was a spot that I went a little bit too deep and cut through the carpet. Which happened to be directly where the body harness crosses under the carpet, d'oh!! Explains the airbag light being on when I turned the ignition on, at least! I had to splice 4 wires, the others were removed or re-routed and shortened enough that the cuts didn't matter.
I've still got a good bit of wiring to run, but I'm more or less done with the speakers. Next up is to install a new 48 slot connector in place of the existing 22 slot connector behind the kick-panel and to add all the new wires that will be run though there. I'll have a good bit of time this coming Friday to work on it, so maybe with a little luck I'll get it all buttoned up. Then all that is left is to cut the hole in the floor for the two shifters and to re-install the interior.
I am currently considering installing the ZF-6 behind the 6.0L and running the gas power plant for the next year. It would speed my build up substantially and simplify things a fair bit as well. The wiring changes I've made would be compatible with the gas engine with a manual transmission just the same as the diesel with the only real change being the addition of the wait to start lamp.
I can install the LLY next year after I've got my shop put together.
I like that idea lets you work out bugs before getting the new power plant.
Wiring on this level makes my head spin but you make it look easy.
You sir are very dedicated and one excellent tech from the work I've seen. Only top notch work and keeping everything factory.
Make sure you are using scotch locks !
Know how much you love them..
Know how much you love them..
More progress!
The wiring is more or less finished. I still need to add a connector under the hood for the wiper motor and also figure out what I am going to do with the bose sub. I may just see how it sounds without the sub and run without it.
I also cut in the holes for the shifters, then cut the holes out in the carpet and the jute padding. I managed to get it exactly right by keeping the flooring from the donor truck which gave me a pattern to follow for size and location.
After the flooring was done, I got the NNBS center jump seat / console installed and put in the two front seats. I still need to run a couple wires for the 12V outlet in the center console which I forgot about (I'll just tap into the passenger seat power supply) and install a flip out cup holder into the back of the jump seat. This seat came from a regular cab truck which didn't get the rear cup holders like the crew / extended cab trucks with the same seat got.
I'm gunning to get most of the interior re-installed and do a systems check over the next couple of evenings. The next project once the interior is back in will be to remove the body from the old frame and drop it into place on the new one.
Since I've already missed the window for any fall wheeling, I'm going to proceed with the Duramax swap and will sell the caddy powertrain.
The wiring is more or less finished. I still need to add a connector under the hood for the wiper motor and also figure out what I am going to do with the bose sub. I may just see how it sounds without the sub and run without it.
I also cut in the holes for the shifters, then cut the holes out in the carpet and the jute padding. I managed to get it exactly right by keeping the flooring from the donor truck which gave me a pattern to follow for size and location.
After the flooring was done, I got the NNBS center jump seat / console installed and put in the two front seats. I still need to run a couple wires for the 12V outlet in the center console which I forgot about (I'll just tap into the passenger seat power supply) and install a flip out cup holder into the back of the jump seat. This seat came from a regular cab truck which didn't get the rear cup holders like the crew / extended cab trucks with the same seat got.
I'm gunning to get most of the interior re-installed and do a systems check over the next couple of evenings. The next project once the interior is back in will be to remove the body from the old frame and drop it into place on the new one.
Since I've already missed the window for any fall wheeling, I'm going to proceed with the Duramax swap and will sell the caddy powertrain.
Great, so you're going to make it heavier for the body swap, way to treat your friends there.
This past weekend I got the wiring finished up. I decided to run without the subwoofer to see how things sound. I put the rest of the interior back together and turned the key. The instrument cluster and PCM fired up, but none of the body controls, radio or most of the other modules were communicating. Crap. Did some troubleshooting and thought I was gonna be pulling the entire dash again when I discovered that I didn't do a very good job of seating the splice pack connector into place. Plugged it in and suddenly the rest of the vehicle powered up and started operating. Whew!!
I've got a dead front pass side speaker that needs to be replaced (not my wiring, yay!) and a failed rear hvac control module. I grabbed replacements from the parts Yukon this weekend and will install them later this week when I have some time to work on it again. The sound system sure takes a serious hit to sound quality without that subwoofer. I'm definitely going to be looking into getting something working there at some point, but not right now.
With the steering column being changed out I had to go through the 30 minute anti theft re-learn routine to get it running again. With the interior all finished for now, I moved it out of the way. I purchased some plate steel for the duramax engine mounts and also snagged a new engine hoist with a leveler while Riley was up here, so now I can start making some progress getting the powertrain installed into the chassis. I also ordered up the start of the new fuel system which will be all custom -AN hoses and fittings. Finding 1/2" GM quick disconnect to -8AN adapters was not easy! I wound up finding a set which I had to order out of Australia of all places! Hopefully they work out for me. The return line is a -6AN and 3/8" GM quick disconnect which is much more common and was easy to find.
Maybe we will get this body swapped on and the Escalade running / driving before the snow flies?
I've got a dead front pass side speaker that needs to be replaced (not my wiring, yay!) and a failed rear hvac control module. I grabbed replacements from the parts Yukon this weekend and will install them later this week when I have some time to work on it again. The sound system sure takes a serious hit to sound quality without that subwoofer. I'm definitely going to be looking into getting something working there at some point, but not right now.
With the steering column being changed out I had to go through the 30 minute anti theft re-learn routine to get it running again. With the interior all finished for now, I moved it out of the way. I purchased some plate steel for the duramax engine mounts and also snagged a new engine hoist with a leveler while Riley was up here, so now I can start making some progress getting the powertrain installed into the chassis. I also ordered up the start of the new fuel system which will be all custom -AN hoses and fittings. Finding 1/2" GM quick disconnect to -8AN adapters was not easy! I wound up finding a set which I had to order out of Australia of all places! Hopefully they work out for me. The return line is a -6AN and 3/8" GM quick disconnect which is much more common and was easy to find.
Maybe we will get this body swapped on and the Escalade running / driving before the snow flies?
I hope you ordered extra of those fittings Incase you break one
I guess I should update this! I've got started on fitting the engine into the frame. I had to remove the stock LS engine mounts so I can get something figured out for the Duramax mounts. Right now the plan is to use the stock Duramax mounts on the engine, a pair of passenger side frame side mounts, a stock pass side frame tower on the driver's side and a shortened up version on the passenger side. I also put together a small extension on the transmission mount to accommodate for the longer ZF6 transmission.
My goal is to get the engine and transmission fully mounted by the end of this coming weekend. I also need to figure something out for my fuel pickup, as the truck pickup won't fit into the SUV tank. Once the powertrain is installed, I can put in the transfer case, driveshafts and start working on the exhaust. I doubt I'll get my tub swapped over before I leave for a 3 week vacation at the end of the month (Hello Australia and New Zealand!!)
My goal is to get the engine and transmission fully mounted by the end of this coming weekend. I also need to figure something out for my fuel pickup, as the truck pickup won't fit into the SUV tank. Once the powertrain is installed, I can put in the transfer case, driveshafts and start working on the exhaust. I doubt I'll get my tub swapped over before I leave for a 3 week vacation at the end of the month (Hello Australia and New Zealand!!)
Lots of progress this weekend! I got my engine mounts sorted out.
I installed the stock passenger side frame tower and frame side mount from the donor truck onto the driver's side of the new chassis. It was an inch or so taller than the frame rail is when it was in position, so I made a backing plate made out of 1/4" plate to mount the tower to, then welded that to the frame. On the passenger side, I used another passenger side frame side mount and built my own frame tower out of 1/4" plate as well. While the height was okay, the original LS engine mount passed clear through the frame and left a large open square hole in the frame when it was removed. So I made another backing plate which would cover that large hole and give the engine mount a solid base to be mounted to.
With the engine in place, I installed the new clutch, flywheel and internal slave, put the transmission in, cut the holes for the transmission mount bolts and secured it into place as well. The natural next step was to install the NP241 transfer case and driveshafts. The front driveshaft is a perfect fit, but the rear will need to be extended. The rear shaft has a super long slip yoke which means it can be used as is, but I'm not a fan of the extra 6" of splines showing. There is another foot or two of spline left inside the shaft, so spline engagement is still good.
I also started mounting the cooler stack to see how I was going to have to modify the intercooler piping to clear the shock towers. Much to my delight, it was more or less like the previous owner designed everything to fit and the intercooler piping clears with half an inch to spare on both sides. The only thing that hits the shock tower (so far) is the fuel filter. It just barely touches, but is close enough that engine movement will most likely break it. The fuel filter is an aftermarket Napa Gold filter which I think are a little bit taller than the AC Delco filters are, so I may try switch to stock before I re-locate the filter housing.
Next up is to get the exhaust sorted next weekend. I also need to install the chassis wiring, swap to 3 channel ABS and bypass it with resistors to clear the ABS and traction control lights on the dash and get the fuel system installed before I can swap body onto the new chassis.
I installed the stock passenger side frame tower and frame side mount from the donor truck onto the driver's side of the new chassis. It was an inch or so taller than the frame rail is when it was in position, so I made a backing plate made out of 1/4" plate to mount the tower to, then welded that to the frame. On the passenger side, I used another passenger side frame side mount and built my own frame tower out of 1/4" plate as well. While the height was okay, the original LS engine mount passed clear through the frame and left a large open square hole in the frame when it was removed. So I made another backing plate which would cover that large hole and give the engine mount a solid base to be mounted to.
With the engine in place, I installed the new clutch, flywheel and internal slave, put the transmission in, cut the holes for the transmission mount bolts and secured it into place as well. The natural next step was to install the NP241 transfer case and driveshafts. The front driveshaft is a perfect fit, but the rear will need to be extended. The rear shaft has a super long slip yoke which means it can be used as is, but I'm not a fan of the extra 6" of splines showing. There is another foot or two of spline left inside the shaft, so spline engagement is still good.
I also started mounting the cooler stack to see how I was going to have to modify the intercooler piping to clear the shock towers. Much to my delight, it was more or less like the previous owner designed everything to fit and the intercooler piping clears with half an inch to spare on both sides. The only thing that hits the shock tower (so far) is the fuel filter. It just barely touches, but is close enough that engine movement will most likely break it. The fuel filter is an aftermarket Napa Gold filter which I think are a little bit taller than the AC Delco filters are, so I may try switch to stock before I re-locate the filter housing.
Next up is to get the exhaust sorted next weekend. I also need to install the chassis wiring, swap to 3 channel ABS and bypass it with resistors to clear the ABS and traction control lights on the dash and get the fuel system installed before I can swap body onto the new chassis.
Just a nice fall photo for ya'll! I'm going on vacation for 3 weeks, leaving tomorrow night so don't expect any real progress until November!
I have something of an update for all ya'll...
There will be updates forthcoming!
There will be updates forthcoming!
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Nice!!!
Yours started before mine, you win...
Looks awesome sir
