Making A Tahoe Police Vehicle A Civilian Vehicle | Tahoe PPV OEM Console Swap

So you got a great deal on what's essentially a new-ish Tahoe with a great service record. That's awesome. Now's the part where you start to realize exactly what's going on that's not typical of a regular Tahoe. For instance, your rear windows don't work like they should. Your rear door handles have a similar issue. And the thing you'll probably notice the most on a daily basis: There's a gaping hole where your console should be.

For this blog, we will be focusing on filling up the hole where your console used to be. Additional information about fixing the locks and windows is at the bottom of this page. You essentially have two options if you want your vehicle to be as similar to a Civilian vehicle as possible.

OEM Center Console - Tahoe, Yukon, or a high trim level truck.

OEM Jump Seat

We have both options regularly available on our GM Consoles & Jump Seats Page.

 

So now that you've found what you want, how do you install it? After all, you purchased the PPV because it was well maintained at an excellent price. You're money-smart, and you knew a little tweaking would have to be done to save yourself some coin. Plus, there's the higher top speed, and the lowering kit. But all that aside, money is the key thing here. The good news is it's a very simple DIY job. All you'll need is some E-sockets from harbor freight, a ratchet, and around an hour of your time. A shop should be able to do this in about 30 minutes, so expect to pay $40-$80 if you want it done for you.

The Process:

  1. Slide your seats all the way backwards. Undo the two bolts up front. The outer bolt is covered up by a small black plastic piece, and the inner bolt may be covered up as well. The plastic pieces pop right off.
  2. Slide your seats all the way forwards. Locate the two rear bolts. They are similar in location to the fronts.
  3. Undo both rear bolts
  4. Lean the seat forward and undo the wiring harness.
  5. Remove the seat from the vehicle carefully, or just slide them backwards and lay them on top of the folded rear seat.
  6. Place in your replacement console or jump seat.
    1. If you have a center console, place the console over the transmission tunnel (the hump in the middle). Notice the legs are flexible. Start with the console farther back than it should be and then slide it forward until the holes are lined up with the original bolt-holes from the seat.
    2. If you have a jumpseat just place it down and make sure the holes line up with the original holes
  7. Carefully lay your seats on top of the legs of the console/jumpseat and plug your harness in.
  8. Start the rear bolts by hand and then tighten them almost all of the way. leave yourself a little slop until all bolts are in.
  9. Move the seats backwards.
  10. Put the front bolts in and tighten them completely down.
  11. Move the seat forwards.
  12. Tighten down the rear bolts.

 

Notes:

  • If you purchase a jumpseat, make sure it has a full seatbelt assembly. Jumpseats from certain regular cab trucks will not have the male end of the seatbelt, you'll need to pick it up from the dealer.
  • If you purchase a console, you need the "LTZ" console. The "LTZ" console has a rectangular gap at the very front of it on top, along with rear media & AC controls on the back. These rear controls will not be functional unless you get some custom wiring done.

 

 

More Reading

To find out more about the process of making your PPV more comfortable and functional, check out this forum post.

 

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