15' Silverado build

[Ds4x4]

Hi everyone,
new to the overland scene and well, the Chevy scene. I picked up a leftover 2015 silverado 1500 z71 double cab for a decent price after my 03' ram 2500 caught fire. I went with a 1500 this time thinking we wouldn't be pushing it like we did in the ram or towing tractors and horses anymore.....

Then came along the overland idea... and here we are.

I do have a few years of offroading and rock crawling in my 96 grand Cherokee I had. Some good times in the local South Jersey areas and then Rausch Creek was a blast too.


Apparently I cannot post any pictures from tapatalk yet.




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[Ds4x4]

(Disclaimer- I do apologize if my typing seems kattywompus at times, its quite hard to type with a broken hand in a cast)
There is a little bit of work to do, thats for sure. The plan is the same as everyone else... Make a capable truck that can tackle mild/intermediate offroad challenges and yet still be somewhat street friendly. Ill be looking to mostly stay off the big rocks and big time obstacles, this will be more of a offroad travel rig and see the country because we have so much to see here in our very own back yard.


The dealer tossed in some side steps that i immediatly had Line-X'd, these will be changed to Kickout rock sliders. Put in AVS in-channel Vents, they were awesome on my ram to keep down parked temps. Then i decided to look into a Cap for the bed. The original plan was just to be able to tote my RC Planes to and from the field without care for incoming weather and its just a little sketchy to ride the interstate with objects designed to fly in the open bed. The cap quickly changed once i realized the direction we would go with this truck. I went to my local A.R.E. Dealer since he has done an awesome job outfitting our EMS and Battalion trucks with caps for the fire Dept.

Since my wife and I made the decision to sell the camper and go to a rooftop tent i had to re-look into caps...
Just prior to ordering a X series cap ARE came out with the HD Series CX with internal Skeleton and roof racks. This was showcased at the SEMA show. the roof racks now have a payload just over 500lbs, i should not expect to see any bowing of the top or cracking that is the case in standard tops with heavy loads on them to include a RTT and awning. I also had the Windoors put on and dual LED strip lights.

From the SEMA Show



here you can see the internal frame


I am a little disappointed with the cap. im not sure if they made it the Friday before 4th of July or what but the QA department sure slacked on this one. I've talked to the place i bought it from but not ARE yet. I got the cap installed then left the next day for Atlanta then drove back to VA and then to NJ and back. so ive been a little busy but i've found some paint issues, rear taillight issue, the skeleton looks a little crooked and 1 of the cap that goes around the roof rack is different then the other 3. so to say i'm disapointed for the amount of money i spent is an understatement. the worst part is the Fire Departments vehicles look great. i was really looking forward to showing opff the cap at Overland Expo - East. we shall see what A.R.E. has to say about it

 

[Ds4x4]

kind of* getting the whole picture thing down.. Today we'll be heading out to the local 4wheelparts to discuss lift and tire combinations. im thinking somewhere in the 4" range for a lift and at least 33's on aftermarket rims is a good starting point. id love to have a little bigger tire to bring the axles off the ground a little more but i 1- dont need huge amounts of tire sticking out due to ridiculaous backspacing wide tires require to not rub, & 2- not looking to bust out a sawzall like i did with the jeep to get rid of the rubbing. we will also be discussing my wifes new purchase since she cant seem to resist repeating history when i got a vehicle last time. shes now running a 12' Wrangler unlimited on 35's.. i really dont think she could help herself.




Now that we got her JKU a little flexy in the ditch next door i decided to check out the stock z71's capabilities. it clearly proved what i already stated before this test that the mudflaps will probably have to go and that the tube steps will def. get replaced with sliders

 

[Ds4x4]

Chatted about lift options today and checked out a 2016 silverado with a 6" spacer lift and blocks on 35x12.50 tires
- what I would consider a budget boost. It did make the 35s look tiny.

Looking into an Icon 3" lift with front and rear coil overs and reservoir shocks. That would allow me to run 33x11.50 tires without anything more than a trim on the bumper, and that will be getting replaced with a winch bumper anyways. Not completely talked put of a 6" lift as the weight is going to drop the the actual inches gained.

More to come tomorrow

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[Ds4x4]

lurking around multiple sites checking out reviews here and there. im running into the issue that i grew up in the jeep world and lifting a pickup is plenty different than at least the older jeeps. around 10 years ago when i was doing my lift on my grand we considered the ICONs to be a level more than an actual lift, great for regaining the height lost from heavy bumpers and winches but not your sole lift. needless to say im still looking into them.

the 6" is getting further and further away from a possibility, im thinking the style of driving we are going to do is going to put some of the cross-member drops and torsion bar kits into harms way and create hang up point under the truck. not to mention the idea of switching out 35's every 35k miles or so isn't pleasing. 6" also puts driveline angles into question.. If im wrong on my assumptions feel free to school me.


I did pick up a nifty deflater yesterday made by ARB. Very convenient, works better then the other style i had. this one removed and holds the valve stem to let out a larger volume of air then just depressing the valve could handle. Id estimate it took about 20seconds or so to go from 38psi to 28psi on the wifes 35's.

 

[bknudtsen]

Have you looked at BDS? 4" lift seems like a happy medium.

http://bds-suspension.com/product?ma=5&mo=1&ty=1&yr=2014-2016&kid=712F

 

[Bushcoat]

Have you looked at BDS? 4" lift seems like a happy medium.

http://bds-suspension.com/product?ma=5&mo=1&ty=1&yr=2014-2016&kid=712F

probably the one im going to buy with the fox upgrade. don't want a 6", and dont want a glorified front and back "leveling kit". i have 265s im happy with, but id put the same tires in a 285 if i get the lift since I use the truck to tow a travel trailer occasionally.

 

[Ds4x4]

Have you looked at BDS? 4" lift seems like a happy medium.

http://bds-suspension.com/product?ma=5&mo=1&ty=1&yr=2014-2016&kid=712F

im going to look into it for sure. thanks for the link.

Ill be discussing some of the other modifications this week as well. unfortunately actual progress will be slow into august since this busted hand is keeping me from working any extra hours. Its actually preventing me from doing alot of things including wrenching. Then putting new tires on the wifes jeep is taking some cash out of the truck pile as well, dang those 35's aint cheap. hopefully ill get my hand back and get the camper sold in short time. Tomorrow should be interesting, i hope to have quite the conversation with A.R.E.

 

[wrmmt]

Interested to see how it takes shape, going for a similar style with my 2013 silverado. Currently sleeping in the shell, but may try a RTT set up in the distant future, depending on how the build goes... Too bad about your topper, I really like my ARE and preferred the build to that of the Leer, but I have just noticed the molding along the bottom of the shell is starting to peel in a few spots. Haven't talked to the shop yet, but hoping its an easy fix, had it for not quite a year and a half so well see what they say.
Heres mine:

 

[Ds4x4]

Interested to see how it takes shape, going for a similar style with my 2013 silverado. Currently sleeping in the shell, but may try a RTT set up in the distant future, depending on how the build goes... Too bad about your topper, I really like my ARE and preferred the build to that of the Leer, but I have just noticed the molding along the bottom of the shell is starting to peel in a few spots. Haven't talked to the shop yet, but hoping its an easy fix, had it for not quite a year and a half so well see what they say.
Heres mine:

The black on black is looking real good. What roof rack are you running? I'm new to the whole rtt thing. trying to find a roof rack for this new cap that will accept a tent and at least an awning is been a pita. I should be able to talk to a.r.e. Tomorrow and I'm sure they'll make things right.


I've sadly but, confidently decided to move the icon down the list a little and drop a 2.5" leveling kit on so I can get at least 285's with the proper backspacing to accept icon in the near future. This is going to allow me to get my rims/tires sooner, get my dual battery setup, comms, skid plates, inverter and possibly install an spod. Currently researching options for the bed to transport fuel/water and recovery equip. I'm also on the hunt for a RTT and a roof rack, hoping to narrow those down by overland expo at the latest.

I've been eyeballing a fab fours winch bumper and haven't decided on which 12k winch to go with. Hard to choke down that price tag though

I'm excited to say my brother [from another mother] and I, have decided to start a overland club and already have a few of our brothers and sisters in the fire dept interested. Hopefully be able to put together some good info on wilderness medicine (since we are all medics), trip reports, hiking and biking trail reports and some good product reviews to name a few. He's running a 2016 TRD pro 4runner and me in the chevy. We've got a few other assorted vehicles that will chock up some interesting reads as well.


All that aside for the night, Thursday for me means no more cast on my hand. To say I'm excited is an understatement, I'll be able to make some extra money and get this build on the straight and narrow.

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[wrmmt]

The black on black is looking real good. What roof rack are you running? I'm new to the whole rtt thing. trying to find a roof rack for this new cap that will accept a tent and at least an awning is been a pita. I should be able to talk to a.r.e. Tomorrow and I'm sure they'll make things right.

I'm running the Front Runner, haven't used it as much as I would like yet, but so far I am really happy with it. The guys at FR are great to work with and took care of a couple fitment issues I had even though they didn't need to. I went that direction since I wanted to keep it as low profile as possible. An awning and solar panel are hopefully in the near future as soon as I get my job situation figured out... Interested to see what you do with your equipment setup, I ended up doing a home-made set up on either side of the bed, kind of funky but has been working great so far.

 

[Ds4x4]

Been a busy week for sure. Lots of late nights and plenty of researching for this project. I'm still looking to drop in adjustable coilovers in the front and adjustable reservoir shocks in the back with lift-leaf Springs to assist with the lift and handle the extra weight as a long term solution. I've decided to hit up a local custom offroad shop tomorrow, I think they can offer help should i need to fabricate some things or make some items work for my application.

Tomorrow I'm hoping the visit with them is productive and I get a lift decided on so I can order the tires and rims that I will run but for now, throw on a spacer lift to be able to use that wheel/Tire combo. Because let's be real, I just don't have the 3-6k it's going to cost to do these coilovers right now.

I'll be finishing up the search for the dual battery system and get that ordered tomorrow along with the second battery. I'm still deciding whether to drop money on the s-pod or not... the goal is - OBA, fridge, exterior lights, power inverter for the bed, ham radio in the cab and a cell booster. It's not going to be too much of a power hungry truck, also I can make use of the power center built into the truck already.


To make a long post longer..... roof rack is in the very near future. I'm still on the hunt for sliders which may end up being a custom fabrication along with some skid plates. I'll be checking out bedslide and another brand, its looking like my best option of maximizing bed usage.

Hope to have some good updates tomorrow and news from A.R.E. .

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[Ds4x4]

Not much of an update, couldn't make it to the offroad shop due to parking lot traffic in the tunnel. I've have been told that A.R.E. is probably going to take the cap back and either fix or completely replace it this week. So looking forward to that.

Even though I'm now rocking a cast free hand, I had plenty to do today while on light duty and was not able to finish the search for the dual battery setup.

And lastly the idea of, hey maybe I should just sell the chevy and get a TRD taco.... only problem with that is the expensive lesson that would mean.. considering the down-payment I put on the chevy and the cap. I really think the conversation with the shop tomorrow is going to drive where this goes. so, the saga continues

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[Ds4x4]

The time of mulling over the decision to sell/trade the chevy in for a 16' taco has come to an end, though i might not be totally out on trading it for a cheaper slightly used JKU. Based on the numbers i ran i would be no closer in saving money than i already am. Though the 2016 taco's look pretty nice package wise except those drum rears. Maybe a slightly easier time in finding some aftermarket support but overall, nearly nill based on the current investment in the chevy.

On to bigger and better things. results of a 2nd opinion based on wants/needs of the chevy, recommended a 2.5"-3" coil over system and 285/65/18 tires or 33x12.50 if im feeling frisky. on +12mm offset rims or 0 as stock ( for the 285's). Im taking a hard look at the anthem Aviators in Milled/matte - 18x9



Tire-wise, Im looking at going back to Firestone Destination M/T. Loved them on my jeep and they wore great, Im keeping an eye out on those Ridge Grapplers by nitto as well.


The final decision for the coilovers will be between Icon, King or Fox systems, I am investigating a mid-travel mazzulla kit as well although i think it may be overkill. The short term, I'll be tossing on a 2.5" spacer lift after the PA trip, Then Tires/Rims to start the adventure and hopefully the full shebang by valentines day 17'.

I'm looking at purchasing the National Luna Dual battery kit. I was ready to order it but, jut found out we will be attending Overland Festival in PA so maybe i can pick up a deal on some stuff while we are there. tomorrow i'll stop by the dealership and get the tie downs etc that i'll need to take advantage of the 2nd battery tray. hopefully someone will be running a S pod i can check out. I'm pondering how to connect a power line to a 100% cargoslide though if i go that route, that will probably require a trip to our local Emergency Lighting/Communication outfitter.



Lastly and surely not least! A.R.E. will be taking back the cap Thursday to repair/replace it. I was glad to hear they stand behind their work. looking forward to putting it to use when it gets back

 

[Ds4x4]

Picked up the battery hold down GM part #14005061. - $4.60 I think. Then you just need a bolt M8 x 1.25 x 49

Talked about tow mirrors, $625(pr] for the black power/heated/lighted ones, 2 - $120 harnesses and another $100 harness and then add on 4.7hrs labor. Roughly $1350 to upgrade to tow mirrors.

Gm apparently has came out with add on cameras for any mirror style, they're listed on the chevy accessories website and it works with the Mylink display.

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