Using my 2003 with outside sales

Hey guys new to the forum just looking for advice

I've got an 03 Z 71 with 146k on it that due to medical reasons will now be my primary vehicle for my outside sales job (gave up the company car and will be reimbursed by the company instead) I know it's not the ideal vehicle for outside sales probably 20-25k miles per year but it is what it is.  I've been reading through and it seems like people have great luck with that motors/trannys but does anyone suggest swapping/checking certain parts for PM purposes?  I need this truck to be reliable id rather change out some parts now rather than sit on the side of the highway.

Any info is appreciated

First welcome to the site!
Have you owned the AV since 2003 or did you buy it used? Do you know it's maintenance or accident record? If you don't know the history you may want to consider getting all fluids changed and check old fluids for metal shavings etc. to get an idea if things are wearing out inside of motor,transmission,or rear end..........You may want to check the function of your spare tire winch system and consider lubing the parts so it will work properly in case you get a flat. If the catch is original and frozen you may want to replace it with the newer revised spare tire locking part.
You may want to check the age of your battery too since they only last a few years and they don't slowly fail like batteries of many years ago. They tend to just fail without warning many times so you may want to replace it if more than 3 or 4 years old.
I don't know what type of sales job you have but if you plan to be putting in and out of the bed area a lot of sample cases or merchandise you may want to help your back and knees out by getting a Bedslide device so you don't have to lean over tailgate all the time to get stuff out of the bed.
http://www.bedslide.com/home?product_id=57&route=product%2Fproduct&truck_id=34&truck_make=Chevrolet&truck_year=2013

 Depending where you live/where the truck is from, you should check all the brake lines.  They're known to rust and blow out.  I have an '03 with 141,000 miles on it.  All of my lines blew out last year.  Keep an eye on your transfer case.  There is an issue called "pump rub" that can cause a hole in the transfer case.  There is a kit that can be added to prevent it.  Other than that, just take good care of it - change fluids regularly, etc. 

If you're on the original fuel pump you may want to think about replacing it before it either fails or develops a leak on the fittings.

I bought the truck used with 138k on it I'm the 3rd owner and had a mechanic buddy look it over right after I got it.  Overall she's in good shape.  I live up on lake onterio so with all the crap they put on the roads now a days rust around here is just a given but I'll scrape and paint the frame before winter.  I've probably drove the truck about 15 miles since November (had a company car and couldn't afford to pay for both) so the truck sat for about 9 months but I started it every week or so and took a couple laps around the neighborhood just to get the fluids moving and the engine warm. 

My sales doesn't involve me using the truck for "truck stuff", I sell a service, but for being on the road so much and a fair amount of it being highway, should I consider some new gears other than what is stock in a z71?

Thanks for all the feedback

As far as rust prevention checks you didn't mention whether you have a WBH (without body hardware- lower cladding) or cladded AV.......Those with older model fully cladded AVs are starting to find rusted metal under the plastic cladding so if you have that version you may want to remove the plastic and look behind it to catch the rust before it gets bigger. If you do that you will probably need to look at other threads that show how to do that and where to cheaply buy those plastic clips that hold the panels on too since they tend to break when you remove the panels. Another place where some members find rust in behind the rear wheel well, you can remove the tail light assembly to look down to see the mud and gravel accumulated in that area.
If I remember there was multiple gear ratios available to the Z71 AV back in 2003 so you may want to look at the glovebox RPO code sheet to see which ratio your Av came with before you make a change.
You have to realize that the AV is a 6,000 truck with the aerodynamics of a brick so it's not a gas economy vehicle.
The best things you can do to get it's best gas economy is to drive it like an old geezer and be very easy on the gas pedal and brakes, avoid stop and go driving as well as long periods of idling, don't add a lift kit (it gets it up into the airstream and makes more drag), and keep the tires properly inflated and don't get larger/wider tires. The best mileage will be on interstates if speeds are kept near the speed limit,above that you may start to loose mileage. You should expect around 13 miles per gallon in town and close to 20 miles per gallon maybe on the highway. It may vary at times due to your driving style and even outside temps and gas ratings/mixtures can have some effect. (how much ethanol content or winter gas vs. summer gas etc.)

Another thing you may want to consider is replacing the first generation AV front brakes to the second generation brakes. There is a thread covering the GMT 900 Brake swap in the brakes section that has photos and part numbers to get the improved brakes. If you had a stock AV the new brakes don't fit the 16 stock rims but with a Z71 you should have 17" rims so they should fit.
If you plan to put very little mileage on your AV and it will be sitting still for a long time you may want to consider installing an on board battery charger system like they put on boats so you can run an extension cord to keep your AV fully charged. You may also want to rethink your method of starting and having short drives in your AV. The latest thoughts on vehicle storage say if you can't drive it for half an hour or more to totally burn off all internal moisture then you just don't start a motor since the internal moisture will remain in short startups and create internal rusting and acids to form which will contaminate things.

The front brakes on my 03 Z-71 were very weak. If you have the Adjustable Gas & Brake pedal option, Allow of the fullest amount of travel as opposed to setting it closer to the Floor Board.

Z-71 for 03 were all 4x4 and it should have 3.73 or close to that in the rear end.

Cat Dancer said:

The front brakes on my 03 Z-71 were very weak. If you have the Adjustable Gas & Brake pedal option, Allow of the fullest amount of travel as opposed to setting it closer to the Floor Board.

Click to expand...

I never thought about it, more brake pedal travel was a good thing when my lines rusted thru and I lost fluid. I like to sit back and since I'm only 5'9"  so do my pedals. My rotors have rusted out twice too but I had mine undercoated new so removing the cladding to look for rust would be counterproductive even though I'm in salt central. Keep it clean under the wheel wells, right above the wheels is where I see the most rust on other AVs.

The 3.73 rear end had a check mark on the order forms, most dealers or customers factory ordering it didn't check a different gear ratio. If you wanted 4x4 the Z71 package was a value and added resale value so they checked that box.

Vaeagleav I appreciate all the info.  I know fuel economy isn't what she's built for and im OK with that but I'll probably be driving 20-25k miles so every little bit helps.  But i do drive like like a grandpa.  I had a buddy once tell me "never make an old man run a sprint" so I try to always keep it under 2500 rpm when i accelerate but I was doing some google searches and came across these chips.... They seem a little too good to be true.. Can anyone testify?  Here's the link. http://www.performancechipsdirect.com/Chevy/Avalanche/

Thanks for the heads up on the breaks I've been thinking for a while that they feel kind of "weak" and I've been worried to hit them hard for fear of blowing a line so I think just for peace of mind I'll replace the system.

Up to 60 more HP and increase your mileage 4-7, does that sound reasonable to you. 

Not to me.

Yeah I figured it was just a marketing scam.  Another question I just thought of.. When I make sales calls I'm usually in and out in under 2 minutes and it's all
Business to business so i generally park in a safe place.  When I had the company Altima I used to leave it running and lock the doors (those cars have the remote key fob) and i did so because I thought letting it idle for 2 minutes (5 max if the customer had questions that day) would be better than cranking on the started about 20 times per day 5 days a week... First off was my thought correct? And should I look into doing this with the Avalanche or just beef up the starter now and keep turning it on and off.. Keep in mind I would then avg 20 starts per day on the truck...

Mechanically I don't think you would hurt things by shutting off your AV for two minutes since the motor wouldn't have time to cool off or drain down the oil fully. Not sure about gas economy for idling vs. starting but bet that with fuel injectors starting is not the gas hog that old school carbs would create.
Where you might have legal issues in idling an unoccupied vehicle could depend on your state laws......(believe it or not many states haven't caught up with modern technology.) Those states who say it's illegal to let a vehicle run unoccupied don't allow for remote starting even if alarm system and door locks are working. They consider it an "attractive nuisance" for car thieves and curious children. Not only in those states could you get a ticket but if vehicle is stolen you may not get coverage for your loss and in the event the vehicle slipped into gear and a child is run over you could be held liable.

I would just get a good AGM battery.

I live up north and it's legal to have the remote start here because of the winters being so cold everyone lets the car run and warms it up but I know what you mean when my sister first moved to NC she got a ticket for her remote stater for that exact reason.  I was just worried about wearing out my starter by constantly cranking on it.  My AV isn't a HD model with a beefed up started for commercial use