2003 GMC Sierra "Overlander" Build

BorntoVenture

Adventurer
Hello everyone, I thought I'd post my progress on building my GMC Sierra "Overlander" truck for small overlanding trips in the US. I'll be mirroring what I post on my blog at http://borntoventure.com in this thread. I know that my build-up or adventures won't be nearly as grand or amazing as most but hey, you have to start somewhere right? ;) I've already started work on the truck so these first few posts will be catching up to where I am now.

There will be loads more images than I post at my Flickr page if you'd like to see them. The link is in my signature below.

Thanks for reading!

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This is the first of many articles on the on-going build up of my 2003 GMC Sierra truck with it's intended purpose being Overland Travel. Most people think of multiple countries and tens of thousands of miles when they think Overland Expeditions but overlanding can be done on a smaller scale as well. With this truck I plan to travel the southeast US starting with my home area of north Alabama, north Georgia, and southern Tennessee. Later on and after countless bugs are worked out I hope to expand my travels into the northeast US, western US, and eventually an Overland Expedition from Alabama to Alaska. So here my journey begins with the build and prepping of my expedition truck.

The base platform is a stock 2003 GMC Sierra Z71:

  • 5.3L V8 Gasoline Engine
  • Mileage: 13 City / 17 Highway
  • 4 Speed Automatic 4L60E Transmission
  • Electronic 4wd
  • Z71 Option Skid Plates
  • Z71 Ride Control for better off-road handling
  • All available options including trailer brakes

While this isn't the most common vehicle for overland travel it fits my needs very well. There are pros and cons of using a fullsize vehicle like this:

Pro's:

  • Full-size comfort - Plenty of cab room and comfortable for extended periods of driving
  • V8 power - Can haul large loads when needed, pull mountains easily, and pull trailers
  • Good wiring - Wiring is not on the small end of allowed diameter like most import vehicles
  • Common Vehicle for the US - Parts for this truck can be found from coast to coast
  • Reliability - Very reliable vehicle even with the extra features
  • Truck bed - Allows endless uses and storage options, not restricted like an SUV

Con's:

  • Large vehicle - Tight trails will be difficult
  • Fuel Economy - Even at it's best most fully loaded import SUVs will see better mileage
  • Gasoline Engine - Only an issue in extreme cold and in other countries
  • Truck bed - The other side of having a truck bed, doesn't have as much storage out of the elements as an SUV

The truck stock minutes before receiving a small lift kit:

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Part 1: Lift Kit

I wanted to be able to run a 33" tire so a small lift kit was needed. I ended up going with a Truxxx 3" Front / 1" Rear Lift/Leveling Kit. This puts the truck only an inch higher than a level stance so the suspension geometry and ride quality remains the same. The kit consisted of new torsion bar keys, shock extensions, and rear replacement blocks. I plan to remove the shock extensions and replace them with new shocks that have the correct amount of travel at a later time. The lift was easy to install and granted the advertised amount of lift. I left the front slightly high for the added weight of a new bumper and winch. I'm still a little concerned about the 33's fitting without rubbing since the 285/70/17's that are on it now seem to be a perfect match for the truck's new height. I guess I'll find out in a day or so!

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BorntoVenture

Adventurer
A quick update on the build, I've installed the Hi-Lift jack. I ordered a [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00042JJWE"]Hi-Lift Jack HL-605 60" Hi-Lift Red All-Cast Jack[/ame], a [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F285EG"]Hi-Lift Jack HK-B Black Handle-Keeper[/ame], and the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CMHNY2"]Hi-Lift Jack 4X400 4XRAC Jack Mounting System[/ame]. I was originally going to mount this on one side of the bed under the bed-rail but I've decided on other plans for this area so I mounted it to the back of the toolbox. The only complaint I had is that the mount system didn't come with any flat washers for the mounting bolts. I added washers and will be adding backing plates on the inside of the toolbox to better support the weight of the jack.

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Loco-Nomad

Adventurer
Very nice truck, I love how you mounted the Hi-Lift to the tool box. Is the antenna for CB or Ham radio? What plans do you have for the bed and for the interior?
 

RU55ELL

Explorer
Why would having a gas motor be an issue in extreme cold? It easier to start than a diesel and they come with block heaters too. Also, what countries are you planning on taking this truck to that gasoline won't be readily available? I think you'll find that the mileage on your truck will be just as good as the V6 imports. My Tacoma hardly ever got better than 18mpg running empty with a tailwind. My 06 5.3 crew cab got just as good and I drove it like a maniac. I like where you are headed with this build. It will help others realize that IFS fullsize trucks are plenty for 98% of what everyone will encounter. I have thought about doing the same with another crew cab in order to have room for the wife and kids. I'm very interested to see how the build comes along.
 

morrisster

Adventurer
I am gonna watch this thread closely. I am building my 04 silverado into an overlanding/living space over the next 3 months and I'm already inspired by this thread. Also, I'm your neighbor to the "north east" - I live in Chattanooga.
 

BorntoVenture

Adventurer
Very nice truck, I love how you mounted the Hi-Lift to the tool box. Is the antenna for CB or Ham radio? What plans do you have for the bed and for the interior?

The antenna is for a CB. I'm planning to get into ham radio but just haven't put it in the budget yet and haven't made time to start studying.

I'm going to do a post soon about everything I plan to do but for now here's the answer to your question. In the cab I am planning to remove the rear seat and build a platform in it's place with storage underneath on both sides. On the passenger side will be my 44qt Coleman Fridge/Cooler. On the driver's side I'm planning to keep my everyday gear with numerous 12v and 120v outlets for charging all my gear. I'll probably mount a power inverter in this area since it's where 99% of it's use will be.

I haven't really finished plans for the bed yet but I do know on-board air is going in the passenger side of the toolbox, the 2nd battery will sit in the center of the toolbox, and I'm thinking of building a removable rack that will hold at least 4 gas jerry cans and 1-2 water jerry cans. I'm thinking of making it attach and span the bed across the wheel-wells. Eventually I plan to build a low roofrack type setup over the bed for a RTT but I will be using a ground tent for at least this year. I've also pondered building a large slideout in the bed but haven't really decided on anything yet.


RU55ELL said:
Why would having a gas motor be an issue in extreme cold? It easier to start than a diesel and they come with block heaters too. Also, what countries are you planning on taking this truck to that gasoline won't be readily available? I think you'll find that the mileage on your truck will be just as good as the V6 imports. My Tacoma hardly ever got better than 18mpg running empty with a tailwind. My 06 5.3 crew cab got just as good and I drove it like a maniac. I like where you are headed with this build. It will help others realize that IFS fullsize trucks are plenty for 98% of what everyone will encounter. I have thought about doing the same with another crew cab in order to have room for the wife and kids. I'm very interested to see how the build comes along.

You're right, a gasoline engine with an oil or water heater is just as good as a diesel with the same. As for countries that I'm planning on traveling the gas isn't an issue, I just brought it up as a general thought for overlanding since a some seem to prefer diesels that will run on just about anything. ;)

I agree about the IFS, if you keep the lift and tire size to a minimum the IFS front ends are really great. Great ride, very reliable, and somewhat easy to work on depending on the vehicle. I did run into many IFS gremlins with the 6" lift on my '98 Suburban but that was nothing like the small lift I did on this truck. For what I'll be using the truck for a SAS would just be wasting money. The only problem I've run into on mine so far is I haven't been able to find a locker for the IFS but I haven't spent a lot of time searching yet either.
 

BorntoVenture

Adventurer
I am gonna watch this thread closely. I am building my 04 silverado into an overlanding/living space over the next 3 months and I'm already inspired by this thread. Also, I'm your neighbor to the "north east" - I live in Chattanooga.

Hey that's awesome, I'm in Chattanooga all the time. I live 45 miles away but they know me by name at the Academy store! ;)
 

BorntoVenture

Adventurer
Made a little headway on the on-board air system this afternoon, got the compressor mounted and 90% plumbed. Shown in the picture below is the compressor mounted in the toolbox with a Viair 1/4" NPT Check Valve, Gauge, Quick Connect, and Hose going to the tank. The air compressor is a Q Industries MV50.

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I used 4 Rubber Vibration Mounts to mount the compressor to the toolbox.
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The tank will be mounted where the factory spare tire was under the bed. I didn't have a chance to get the tank mounted but I did get the air line ran to it. I used part of a 50' air hose bought at Home Depot. It will connect to a manifold on the tank which will also have a pressure switch, safety valve, and a port for future connection to an air locker. I checked the temperature after driving home today and the exhaust doesn't put out very much heat in this area so the hose should be fine and protected in the frame-rail.

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chasespeed

Explorer
The preference with diesels is more about ecoonomy, and longevity. They are much more suited to hauling the loads that come with LONG TRIPS. Mine avgs 20mpg w/ 35s all day, no matter what i have in the bed.....

Nice truck! Remeber......K.I.S.S....

Chase

Sent from my HTC Incredible
 

BorntoVenture

Adventurer
The last of the big upgrades were finished this weekend with the installation of the ARB Bumper and Smittybilt XRC10 Winch. The wheels and tires were installed last week but this is the first time I've taken any pictures of them. After these installs my build progress is going to slow down but it will give me a chance to focus on a lot of the smaller things I need to get done.

I didn't originally intend to use a big bumper like this again. I started off with the Warn Hidden Winch Mount but after receiving it and looking over the instructions I felt it would be a bad idea to use it. With the hidden mount the fairlead would have been much lower than I was happy with considering no protection from the factory plastic bumper so I sent the mount back and ordered the only other option I was able to find, the ARB bumper. The install was easy and took about two hours. Mounting the winch required longer bolts than what came with the bumper and a little creative solenoid mounting but other than that everything went smooth. While this setup will work for the time being I'm going to look into building a custom bumper later on which will be much smaller than the ARB. There's room to mount the winch between the frame-rails so with a little fabrication I'll be able to greatly reduce the overhang the ARB bumper has.

The only real issue I have with this bumper is the amount of light blocked by the bars. This wasn't the case with the ARB bumper on my '98 Suburban but this time there is definite issues. Right now my plan is to add a set of DOT legal driving lights to replace the ones that were removed with the factory bumper. I'm also looking into adding a set of sealed beam headlights to greatly increase the light output while being perfectly legal to run on the streets. The last resort is re-building the bars to clear the lights

The image below shows where the Warn Hidden Winch Mount would have put the fairlead:

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Pics of the completed install:

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JCMatthews

Tour Guide
I love the ARB Bull Bars, but it looks like they made that bumper a little big for your truck. The brush guard is taller than the hood. The bumper sure sticks out from the truck. I like it, and it should shield off any large mammals that get in your way, but I understand why 06TahoeMD altered the Cruiser 100 bumper to fit his Tahoe.
 

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