2008 Chevy 2500 D-Max Build

Hackopotomus

Observer
This is my build thread but I don't have a name for the truck yet. ??

I went round and round about what rig to build. In addition to this truck I have a very clean '99 Chevy 1500 Z71 with 120K miles and a '98 Jeep XJ (Cherokee) that is a very competent crawler. The Jeep is on 33's with ARB and Detroit lockers and a ton of other stuff. Kind of overkill for overlanding but nothing wrong with an over built rig. The down side is there is not much room inside. It is also not great on the highway with anything over 65 MPH getting a little squirley.

The 1500 is an extended cab short bed LS 4x4 and could be built but I'd have dumped a bunch of money and work into it to get it where I'd want it to be.

I looked at used ambulances (I'm a firefighter/EMT so very familer with these), 4x4 vans or converting a van to 4x4 (my sister has a Westfalia and has been trying to get me to buy one), class B or C's, even early trucks and COE's and building a custom rig (I build hot rods so could be a cool project).

I eventually decided that the 2500 that I already have would be the best candidate for my needs. I took it on a two week trip in CO last fall (Ouray, Telluride, Lake City, Creede, Crested Butte, Winter Park, Steamboat, etc) and camped out of the back camper shell. It worked okay but didn't like the lack of headroom. I just tossed a 4" foam in the bed and used blankets and a sleeping bag when it got cold. I had a couple storage containers and back packs for other stuff and clothing. That was when I started looking at camper alternatives.

At one of the dispersed camp sites I saw a guy with a 4 Wheel Camper. He let me see inside and I instantly got the "I want its" until he told me he paid close to $30K for it! That was just way too much for me. He did say he had a Palomino before but it didn't hold up to the rugged trails he was doing.

When I got home I hit CL and saw a lot of regular hard sided camps (Lance types) but thought they were going to be too large for what I wanted. I did see some pop ups but even used 4 Wheel Campers are not only hard to find but pretty pricey when you do find one.

Also looked at Callen Campers and similar types. Of course, whatched a ton fo YouTube videos as well as builds here.

I originally wanted to pull the bed and go with a flat bed/camper but decided against it because of cost and the extra weight. The two best features of the flat bed for me were under bed storage and the added width. I liked the idea of being able to access some items from the outside of the truck and not have to store them in the back. So this all lead me to my current plan.

First, a little about the truck and where I'm at with it now. I had a 2002 2500 CCLB witha 6" lift on it previously. I loved that truck and would have built it but a couple years ago started having some issues. I bought it used and it came from TX so I think it was used to haul horses and other heavy loads as it had a goose neck hitch. Injectors had gone bad, the trans needed work and a bunch of other stuff. I started punching numbers and figured I could buy a newer used truck for less than it would cost me to fix this one.

I got the '08 LTZ CCSB from a guy that used it as a daily in his company business in southern CA. Super clean one owner and he had every maintenance record and serviced at the purchasing dealer regularly. I got a pretty good deal on it I think because he had a problem with it that he sort of tried to hide. The truck would die like it ran out of fuel. He did tell me that it happened only twice and the dealer gave it a clean bill of health. I looked over the dealer work order and it showed no issues. I bought it and on the way back up here (north west NV), not more than 50 miles from his place, it crapped out on me! This was going up the Cajon Pass, a steep, well known heavily traveled grade. I was lucky enough to be able to pull over two lanes onto the breakdown lane with getting run over by an 18 wheeler but I was pretty angry. I called the guy and he told me that I should just pump the primer button and it should be okay. After letting it sit for about 1/2 hour I did that and it ran fine all the way home.

When I got home I did some research and found out that loss of prime is not uncommon. They use a stupid little plastic screw as a pressure releaf and it wears out. Aluminum ones are available so I replaced it with one but to really cure the problem I installed a FASS lift pump with filter and water separator. This is an electric fuel pump installed down by the fuel tank that pushes the fuel up to the stock pump/filter. The stock filter is up against the engine and you have to pull the inner fender panel to access it. It is a pain and the filter is also so close to the engine you have to use a special wrench to remove it. The lift pump eliminates all that. I never had a problem again after that.

Also did a DPF delete with 4" exhaust and a tune. I only use street or tow mode with it and never the performance mode. The truck is very fast just in street mode!

Next was a Banks engine brake which works amazingly. It has two modes and I usually only need the first setting even when pulling my 14K# flat bed trailer. If I put it in the second setting the truck will literately come to a stop going down hill unless I give it throttle.

After that was rear air bags with OBA compressor and tank. Now I can adjust the bags on the fly which is very convenient.

Then it was on to wheels and tires. I picked up a set of used H2 wheel from inmate Locrwln (Jack) and ordered some 315/70R17 Sumitomo AT's along with Bushwacker Cut Out Flares. The PO had a leveling kit done with CST tubular upper control arms, Bilstiens, and heavy duty ties rods, steering brace and a bunch of other stuff. I had hoped that the tires would fit with this set up.

The old truck:

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Hackopotomus

Observer
Reluctantly decided a lift kit was the only way to resolve the ride and rubbing issues so a CST 6" lift with Fox 2.0 shocks was installed.

No more rubbing and the ride is amazing! The leveling keys were removed and stock keys installed cranked all the way down. I live on a dirt road that is severely wash boarded now and I can drive at any speed with no issues. Before I had to literally go 2 MPH and creep down the road otherwise I'd rattle my teeth out.

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Hackopotomus

Observer
I looked into a SAS as well as coil over conversion but they were both too much $ and this is not a hard core wheeling rig as I have my Jeep for that. I think this will be a good combination of trail capabilities and on road ride.
 

Hackopotomus

Observer
Now, on to the camper. I know I want more head room but not sure how much. Do I want to be able to stand completely upright (I'm 5'10") or would stooping over a little be acceptable? Do I want a fixed roof or a pop up?

I don't do PhotoShop so played around with PS Paint. One is a pop up and also thought about using my existing shell on top of a newly built base.

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Hackopotomus

Observer
I'm pretty sure I will go with a pop up for a couple reasons. Less wind resistance and resulting fuel mileage loss and don't want the permanent added height (once the build is done I don't think I'll ever remove the camper).

So with a pop top being the way to go, the next issue was storage. I am going to run side rail boxes like these and mount them as outboard as I can. They are 13" wide so if I mount them with the back side even with the inside of the bed rail they will stick out about 9 or 10 inches past the cab width which i think will be okay. I'll build a steel or aluminum square tube frame for them to sit on.

I'll also build the whole camper frame similar to this ladder/lumber rack. Not sure how far over the cab it will extend. Will do either dounble or single barn door in the back. The top will be about 4" to 6" above the side boxes and pop up about 2 feet which will give me enough head room to almost stand up straight. I can always make the pop up taller.

I'm trying to source these exact side boxes but have not been able to find them. I did find these angled boxes which would work but would not have as much internal storage. Might be better for rearward viability but my truck mirrors pull way out so don't think that is an issue.



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Hackopotomus

Observer
One of the things I don't care for with a pop up is the canvas/nylon sides of the pop up. I think you lose a lot of heat out of them. So my idea is to use hard sides that clip into place once the top is popped up. I'd make them out of the same material as the rest of the camper.

So that leads me to the next question, what siding material to use? I was thinking fiberglass coated plywood but concerned about the expansion/contraction rate being dissimilar to the metal framing. Steel or aluminum skin would work with rigid foam insulation on the inside. Some sort of compost panel? Starboard maybe?
 

Hackopotomus

Observer
The tailgate will come off and a single or double rear door will be in its place like these two. With the extra height of the lift, I'll need some sort of ladder or steps for easier access. I'd like something my dog can go up and down by himself without having to pick him up. It would be nice if it could store away somehow. I've been using a little two step ladder thing but it's kind of a pain. I keep it bungee corded to the side of the bed so I have to open the tailgate, unhook it, open it up and set it down. It'd be nice to have something that I can just pull out or fold down but not block the door when it is closed.

I'd like to retain the stock bumper but could build a new one that could accommodate a ladder that might slide in the middle. The spare tire hangs in the middle now but I could relocate it to a bumper mounter, especially if I build a custom one. I'm not sure if there is enough room under there (length wise) though as the lift will require a longer ladder.


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