Hello guys! The name is Torbinator, but you can call me Torb. Still dont have a name for this Jimmy... Open to any names really, calling it a Jimmy is pretty lame.

Anyhow. This is my 2001 GMC Jimmy 2dr 4.3l v6 manual.

Mods:
2" rear lift shackles
1.5" wheel spacers

Future:
Spare tire carrier
??? Looking for ideas!



Bought this vehicle January 14th of 2020 (This year) just a few days before my 18th birthday. Bought it for $700. Drove home just fine. No issues at all! Of course it had fender damage and I
had no clue how to drive a manual but was a very fun experience learning how to drive a manual. Used to drive a Pontiac G6 automatic. (Rip G6) The car was dinged up on the fender, hazy
headlights, grass spots everywhere, but it ran fine and only had 114k miles. What a steal for $700?? At the time I thought being a RWD wasnt that bad... If only I knew... I get stuck on our
lawn whenever it rains so I have to get my friends 4x4 Sonoma to pull me out lol


First thing I had to do was update the stereo system. The only working speaker in the vehicle was the passenger door speaker. So we threw in some dash speakers and a
dual sub setup. Of course this was done after maintenance doing oil change, air filter, fuel filter, ect.


Dual Kenwood 12" subs powered by a 1,000 watt Pioneer amp. Shakes the mirrors and chairs a bit, nothing special.


Main reason i got this vehicle was for towing. We own a 2017 Jeep Cherokee that can only tow 2,000lbs. Jimmy pulled
2,400lb trailer like a champ. But I read in the manual it said to not use 5th gear? Doing 75 in 5th gear down the freeway...
with a 2,800lb trailer one day. May explain what happens very soon...


Finally got tired of the broken fender, went ahead and replaced it. Then about a week after doing that...


LIM/Head gasket leak... Yay!


Was a long week long of figuring out how to take apart the engine for the first time ever. But the job was eventually finished
and runs perfectly fine today. Maybe I'll listen and pull trailers in 4th and 65mph next time. I feel like I probably killed off the gasket.
Lesson learnt!



Next thing up was to do spacers. I was tired of looking at the wheels sticking way inward. Threw on some 1.5" ECCPP spacers.


Right after it was already looking better. I dont have a current picture but it seems to have settled more and sticks out slightly more.


Jimmy side by side with my friends Sonoma.
Also dont mind the black paint. Havent finished doing trim yet.
Was more of a paint fail that im trying to make sure I dont fail at again for the other side.

Mainly wanted to start this thread to hopefully make myself feel pushed to do more to the Jimmy and get others opinions on
my cheap ugly Jimmy

Its been a fun ride so far. Cant wait to see what awaits me next on my Jimmy Journey. This forum has been very very helpful.
Cant wait to do more mods to the Jimmy. Maybe someday get my dream 4x4 Blazer. The Jimmy front end looks pathetic

Also before I end this. Going on a trip to Florida on Friday. Need the vehicle ready for a 8 hour trip. Been getting lean engine code...
I believe its my brake booster lines since all 3 are pretty well shot and I hear air escaping in the engine bay. Gonna change them out
tomorrow and hope it isnt something expensive like a fuel pump. I still hear the buzz from the pump when it starts.

Thanks for reading my thread y'all!

 

Great little write up! Glad shes going good for you. They are great little rides when you take care of them. We picked up our 4 door blazer because we needed a bigger vehicle. Soon after buying it, we took her on a 1500 mile round trip into the states and back(I'm from lower ontario). She took us there and back without a problem, learned how to drive with Americans, and found my only issue was ball joints lol. But since then I've double the clock and just blew a bearing, but she will live again! Good luck naming her.

 

I'm just hoping it lasts the whole trip. 8 hour trip with no stops... Last time we did that my G6 threw a piston and had us driving a Buick down to Florida. I also believe I fixed my issue. Replaced the few vacuum lines near the brake booster and cleared the codes with a scanner. I drove around for about 15 minutes without them coming back up and it feels like it generally has more power again. Just going on blabbing here but I am tempted to throw on a CAI and see what it does. My friend has been telling me over and over again to do it saying it gains power. But doesnt the computer readjust to it and make it a $90+ decoration under your hood? Not that I dont like shiny things...

Hope you get your Blazer up and running real soon! Ive seen your Blazer thread and Ive gotta say it looks pretty dang sick!

 

Well today was a fun and eventful day! Got up late for work, made it to work 20 minutes late... I got new tires yesterday (29s, much better than my old bare 28s) so I thought I'd get an alignment, right? Well... my fuel gauge does not work at all so I never know how much fuel I have. So my vehicle ran out of gas in the middle of Fort Campbell, a 3 lane road with heavy traffic during lunch rush. Well I wasn't even thinking about that since I had fueled up not so long ago so I thought it was my alternator since its been way below the 14 mark on the gauge for awhile now. Well after waiting 20 minutes in the middle of a heavy traffic road with a cop behind me, my friend comes by with a tow strap and pulls me by my front axle since I don't have tow hooks... Im a RWD! We pulled it to gate 5 and left it on the grass of the military entrance since the cop said it was fine. Well we go and grab the alternator and come back after my wallet became $165 lighter, and not even 2 minutes after we started pulling out our tools we have another cop come up and say we aren't allowed on the property, its federal property. But luckily after we told them it'll only take 15 minutes they left us and said to get it done ASAP. 14 minutes later we have the alternator on, well... Still won't crank... Well... The tow strap he pulled me with is very flexible and my brakes are very stiff like a brick since the car is off... So he towed me while I rode my brakes every time we came to a stop missing his rear bumper by like 2 inches every time. We fuel it up, get the battery back up... And it starts... I feel very very stupid for letting that happen. But at least I know it wont be going bad any time soon! And it has lifetime warranty. Some duralast alternator since the clerk said carquest is garbage? Didn't care at the time... Just wanted to get my vehicle back up. Should've used my gopro to video the whole experience being towed across 3 lanes of traffic with basically non working brakes lol Not to mention I probably put some serious wear on my transmission since sometimes I popped the transmission into 3rd for an emergency stop to get the brakes working quickly! Fun day... Now to see what happens during my 8 hour Florida trip in 2 days! Went offroading with a friend later in the day, was very fun doing donuts and driving through mud! Still dreaming of a 4x4 one day so I can go through some more serious mud holes tho... But the new tires certainly helped! I can finally drive on grass without getting stuck lmao

Random pic I took...

 

Jimmy didnt make it to Florida. Brakes gave out on me the night before we left. Its now left in Clarksville til I'm back Monday. The brake pedal would go all the way to the floor and only reacted near the very end and it didnt brake hard like it normally does. Didnt want to risk the brakes giving out fully in the 8 hour trip. Missed out on so many dirt and sand roads I couldve "drifted" with my friend... Dunno whats up and why it gave out so suddenly... But guess I'll figure it out soon.

 

Sounds like you blew a brake line...

 

Bingo!


Bled the brakes, had an amazing feel for the first 5 pumps then fell to floor again. Walked out and saw a huge puddle under the car. Everytime you press the brake the fluid comes out from that red spot. Now to figure out who sells brake hoses same day... I can only find some brand named BrakeBest from o reillys? Well guess im gonna try it since im too impatient to wait for proper parts...

 

Sometimes if it's cheap enough, and if I'm in dier need to be on the road, I'll get the knock off while I'm waitting for the expensive parts to come in... its saved me a couple of times, especially when my caliper seized while I was in Florida on vacation(22hrs from home).

 

Oh and make sure you have good copper washers, they then to leak if reused often... atleast for me they have lol...

 

Brake hose fixed my problem! Ive got brakes again.

Problem is now when my car starts unless I give it gas it'll start then die. And when I give it gas it'll run but then idle at 200-300 rpms. Even if you stop at a stoplight 15 minutes later it'll still be doing that at idle. Even sometimes when youre cruising along in neutral to a stop it'll be at 200-300 before you even stop. But when you are on the gas it runs like it normally does.