2005 Chevy Colorado Build Up

upcruiser

Perpetual Transient
Northern Explorer said:
Calamaridog

upcruiser
I will keep my eyes open for your truck as well. It’s a small world.

Yeah, sounds good. Look for a silver crew cab Silverado with US Ski Team decals on the door. The cruiser won't be back on the road again till late April.

You got any cool trips planned for the upcoming season?
 
Communication and Navigation

I got a little work done on my truck this weekend. In an earlier post I mentioned that I had a Garmin GPS Maps 60CS that I wanted to mount in a better location. When I first installed it, I used the Garmin dash mount bracket with the permanent adhesive disk and placed it on the center of my dashboard. There were several problems with this setup. It was just far enough away to make the small screen hard to read, and it vibrated over even small bumps making it even harder to read. To remedy this problem I purchased an angle brace from the hardware store and cut one end short and used a grinder to make the other end narrower. I salvaged the attachment clip from the original mount and bolted it right onto my dash in a location that's closer to the driver's side.

original mount
cf-md.jpg


Another problem with the original setup was that the power cord hung down and got in the way of the flip up TV screen on my radio. To solve this problem I installed a 12-volt outlet behind the dash. I then used a small file to make a hole so the wire would not get pinched. It was an easy fix and it looks a lot better.

custom mount showing power cord upgrade
Dash8.jpg


Showing how new location of power cord does not get in the way of the flip up screen.
Dash7.jpg


My second instillation for the weekend was a CB that I purchased from radio shack. It's a fairly basic unit but in addition to the 40 CB cannels it also has 7 weather channels. I chose a CB over a 2-meter radio for the simple reason that I don't know that much about 2-meter radios and I don't know anyone that has one. I will also be able to listen to truckers when I get bored listening to music on long trips. The antenna that I went with is the “Ultimate CB antenna System” from CFE Products. http://www.cfeproducts.com/ulcbansyscom.html I have yet to receive it in the mail. I like the mounting location because it leaves my roof clear for a roof rack if I decide to put one on. I'm a little concerned with how stiff it's going to be. If it doesn't work out I will buy one similar to what Baja Taco has.

Location of CB

Dash5.jpg
 
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Lift and Lights

I finally got around to installing my lift this weekend.:wings: Everything went fairly smoothly. I did the back end Saturday and the front today (Sunday). I will let the pictures speak for themselves. I have my truck parked next to a Colorado Z71 2wd for comparison.

p004.jpg

p005.jpg


The only part of the installation that I had questions on was the torsion bar reindexing keys. The ones that I purchased look exactly like the ones that come stock on the truck. If anybody sees a difference please enlighten me. I think I could have gotten away with just turning the torsion bar adjuster bolts to achieve the same amount of lift (I could be wrong).

Black are new rusted are old

p001.jpg

p002.jpg


As for the lights…it doesn’t pay to go cheap. The ones I installed have 55-watt bulbs and I would probably classify them more as fog lights then “off road lights”. I didn’t even use the switch that they came with. It felt cheap and I wanted a different style.

Location of light switch

p012.jpg


Overall it was a good weekend. I’ll post some off road pics as soon as I can. Time to make an appointment for a front-end alignment.
 
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kcowyo

ExPo Original
Northern Explorer said:
The only part of the installation that I had questions on was the torsion bar reindexing keys. The ones that I purchased look exactly like the ones that come stock on the truck. If anybody sees a difference please enlighten me. I think I could have gotten away with just turning the torsion bar adjuster bolts to achieve the same amount of lift (I could be wrong).

You're right. They are the same. Generally GM torsion bars can be adjusted with a 18mm socket wrench IIRC.

The truck looks great and nice install on the light switch too. Nice progress so far. The flip up screen is a really nice touch.
 
Camping/Sleeping

Update: I no longer own the Fleetwood Neon. See here for details http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13848

I thought about this one for many months. There is a long list of pros and cons for every option out there. Putting a shell on the back for sleeping accommodations wasn't going to do the job with a 5-foot truck bed. So I had to come up with something else.

This is what my ideal camping/sleeping setup would include:
1. I want more then a sleeping area. Yes I plan on being outside as much as possible but I would also like an indoor area that can be heated for those fall and spring trips. I also wanted an indoor area to be able to escape the swarms of black flies and mosquitoes that we have around here.
2. I want to have at least a partial solid roof. When it starts to rain I will feel a lot more confident.
3. I want the transformation from daily driver to expedition-ready to be quick and simple.


These were my choices.

Roof top tent…. This would include soft-top models like the Eezi-Awn and the hard shell models like the Maggiolia.
I really like these. I first saw one on the show Pimp my Ride (of all places). They pimped a VW Thing and put some type of hard shell tent on the top. If I just needed a place for sleeping, this is what I would get.
Leaves room for carrying a lot of additional gear.
Not that heavy.
Can be removed fairly easily by two people when not in use.
Can be stored in a fairly small location (shed or corner of garage).
Doesn't affect drivability of the truck that much. (a little extra weight, a little higher center of gravity, a little less aerodynamic, maybe a blind spot or two depending on mounting location).

Flip-Pac-Camper
Another excellent choice, but not for me.
Can be used just like any other truck topper when it's not in camping mode.
They make one to fit just about any size truck.
Allows you to customize the inside any way you want (water storage, cooking, cabinets, seating, whatever).
They are only sold in California (can't see it before I buy it and shipping would cost a lot)

Truck Camper
If I had a 6-foot bed I may have gone with one of these. With my 5-foot bed my only options were the Four Wheel Campers Falcon model or the All Terrain Campers Puma model.
Both companies offer quality products that are much lighter than a traditional truck camper. I like the fact that they are well insulated and have a solid roof. The biggest problem for me was the size. I will be doing a good portion of my trips with my wife and there just isn't much room inside of these models. If I was by myself it might be a different story. But either way, with shoes on my head would be scraping the ceiling. Six feet of headroom just isn't enough.

I ended up driving to Pennsylvania Easter weekend to pick up a Fleetwood Neon. It is going to take some work to get it up to the standards of an off road camper. I plan on adding shocks and bigger tires to start. I will post camper mods in the Expedition Trailers area. I like the fact that I can have everything ready to go and stored on the camper, so when the time comes I can just back up the truck, hook it up and go. The biggest drawback that I can see to this type of setup is that I am going to be a lot less maneuverable on the trail. Fortunately, the trip that I am planning is mainly gravel roads so this shouldn't be too much of a concern. As a backup plan I also have (thanks to another gift from my wife) a truck tent. More on that at another time.

neon3.gif


p009.jpg


p020.jpg


p021.jpg


neon2.jpg


neon1.jpg
 
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toyrunner95

Explorer
i like your truck, i have tossed around the idea of buying a colorado, they look pretty stout but im waiting for some reviews.

if you give it time i bet there will be better bumpers out for the truck as well.

IMO that front bumpers looks too.... boxy, it doesnt really compliment the truck. ill do some quick research and see what i can find, if you think like it do your probably dont want a tube bumper, it will leave things too vulnerable like the radiator and oil cooler.

but of course thats just my opinion, nice truck btw, how much do those baseline for.
 

kcowyo

ExPo Original
Northern Explorer said:
I ended up driving to Pennsylvania Easter weekend to pick up a Fleetwood Neon....

The biggest drawback that I can see to this type of setup is that I am going to be a lot less maneuverable on the trail.

Hey, great find! :jumping:

I've seen a couple of the Neon's and they look like a great solution. One ExPo member and kin to our host Scott Brady, uses one with his family including the cat (!!) There a couple of pics of it in this gallery from BajaTaco during their trip on El Camino del Diablo. It might be more capable on the trail than you're giving it credit for.

I look forward to reading more about how it works out for you -
 

upcruiser

Perpetual Transient
Northern Explorer, I saw your rig today for the first time. I was riding back into town from a mountain bike ride on the Mt Marquette loop and saw it parked in what must be your driveway. Looks good! I like the stance that lift gives your truck. Honestly, that is the first lifted Colorado that I've seen. Hope to bump into you sometime.
 
Toyrunner95, Kcowyo, upcruiser

toyrunner95 said:
i like your truck, i have tossed around the idea of buying a colorado,.................how much do those baseline for.

Base price 2007 4x4
Regular Cab $18,170
Extended Cab $20,195
Crew Cab $24,495

Kcowyo said:
Hey, great find!

I've seen a couple of the Neon's and they look like a great solution. One ExPo member and kin to our host Scott Brady, uses one with his family including the cat (!!) There a couple of pics of it in this gallery from BajaTaco during their trip on El Camino del Diablo. It might be more capable on the trail than you're giving it credit for.

I have seen a couple of other pictures of his Neon on another thread but it only showed it on the outside. I always wondered what the bunk bed looked like. I would still like to know the mechanics of how it is put into position.

upcruiser said:
Northern Explorer, I saw your rig today for the first time. I was riding back into town from a mountain bike ride on the Mt Marquette loop and saw it parked in what must be your driveway. Looks good! I like the stance that lift gives your truck. Honestly, that is the first lifted Colorado that I've seen. Hope to bump into you sometime.

Yep...that's my house. Stop by and introduce yourself if you see me out in the yard. BTW those are great trails.
 
Northern Explorer said:
The antenna that I went with is the “Ultimate CB antenna System” from CFE Products. http://www.cfeproducts.com/ulcbansyscom.html I have yet to receive it in the mail. I like the mounting location because it leaves my roof clear for a roof rack if I decide to put one on. I'm a little concerned with how stiff it's going to be. If it doesn't work out I will buy one similar to what Baja Taco has.

Due to me not filling out the order form properly, my order for the "Ultimate CB Antenna Systen" was never processed.:luxhello: Some things were just meant to be.

I have since ordered...

K40-SF300 3ft Superflex CB Whip Antenna
View attachment 7317View attachment 7318

Firestik-SS174 Hood/Trunk, Stainless Steel, Channel Mount
SS174.jpg


Firestik MU8R9 2-piece 9ft "EZ-Install" Coax Cable
View attachment 7319View attachment 7320

This time I recieved an email confirmation of my order.

Update: I have since broken two of the K40-SF300 3ft Superflex CB Whip Antennas. I have consequently switched to a Firestick Firefly 3 foot antenna. model FL3B
 
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Recovery Hooks

Small but necessary upgrade.

I just picked these up today from the Chevy dealer. They come standard on the Z71 model. I hope to install them tomorrow.

recoveryhooks.jpg
 
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BCJC

Adventurer
i have those recovery hooks on my truck, and you can actually lift up the front tire with a hi-lift jack under one. good choices so far, your truck is looking great!
 
Update

Last week I had time to install the CB antenna and the recovery hooks.
View attachment 7511 View attachment 7512
I may move the antenna back toward the cab in the future. I had to lean it out a little bit so that the bug guard would not hit it when raising and lowering the hood. It is a very tight fit. I had to add a small custom bend to the mount so that it wouldn't rub.

This weekend was the big trail test. I definitely found out what my truck is and is not capable of. Overall I am very satisfied with the performance. The trail we went down was very rough. There were only a few problem areas.
1. The rear bumper dragged a few times on the bottom of steep hills, especially if the steep hill was immediately followed by an incline. The stock bumper has a fairly long overhang that limits departure angle. The Demello rear bumper, recently reviewed by mountainpete, would go a long ways in solving this problem. http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/demello_rear_bumper/demello_bumper.php Unfortunately, I'm fairly certain that one will never (never say never) be built for the Colorado and my only option would be to have one custom made. For now I will keep what I have.
2. The crew cab model has a 126-inch wheelbase. This is going to be a limiting factor for the breakover angle. There were a few good bashes on the lateral support beams (whatever they're called) when I went over steep peaked hills. The fact that these lateral support beams hang down below the level of the frame doesn't help much either.
3. The leaf under axel setup exposes a lot of the suspension to obstacles that the truck would otherwise clear. This was the only area where I had actual damage. The emergency break cable hanger that is mounted to the bottom of the leaf spring was ripped off. Not an expensive fix (I hope) and most importantly we weren't stranded in the woods because of it.

broken (drivers side)
View attachment 7513

still in one piece (passenger side)
View attachment 7514

Speaking of the emergency break cables…. Ever since I got the truck I haven't like the placement of the emergency break cables. They run right along the bottom of the frame on the drivers' side. One good hit by a rock could take them out. In order to installed my lift, I needed to jack my truck up by the frame. The emergency break cables were right in the way of where I wanted to place the jack. I decided to unbolt the cable hanger so I could temporally move the cable out of the way. In the process of unscrewing the bolt I broke it off (should have used WD40). So now the cable is really hanging and I'm thinking about rerouting it above the frame. BCJC do you have any thoughts on this? I'll let everyone know if this works out or not.
View attachment 7515


Trail pics

Should I or shouldn't I?
april2820070012.jpg


On the way back
april2820070082.jpg


It got a little ugly. IH8MUD
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