Yetti's 2004 Chevy 2500

Pacific Northwest yetti

Expedition Medic
I have been on the forum for quite some time. Have never done a build thread, was not sure my truck warranted one. However, I figured it would not hurt. I have a 2004 Chevy 2500 with the 6.0, now with 220k miles on it. I bought it just shy of new right after I graduated high school for 18k with 10k miles on it. Nothing fancy, LS model, crew cab short box, cloth seating, steering wheel controls, electric windows, etc but it does have a rubber floor which has been great.

Shortly after purchase, still stock here. My Truck on right , My Brother and I decided to head up the canyon, the air dams were the first casualties. My entire family drives this same body style Chevy.
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This truck has seen many looks and variations throughout her days, and functions as my daily driver as well. Now she is sitting with a flat bed, and custom bumper. The bumper my brother and I built, he has an almost matching one and can also be found on Expo here, (pawleyk) He and his wife are currently driving his truck to Argentina. It’s a 2005 Chevy 2500. http://runningfrommonday.com/
Some history I have only done 2 things my entire life, farming/ ranching and Emergency services. These things keep finding new ways to weave into my life. The truck and I started out farming and ranching. Aside from working them I also spent some time managing a few. Always having my own critters on the side, horses, sheep, cows. It’s hard to quit that habit.. I have continued to work as a freelance Firefighter and A-EMT throughout. Now work as the Safety Coordinator for a large company, and work the other on the side. I recently sold all the animals. This has shaped how the truck changed throughout its history so far. I am including lots of pictures, for those who would like to see.
Currently mods, I am happy with. The only thing I’d like to add is different sides for the bed.
• ARB on board air
• Bully Dog cold air intake and Chip
• Custom dual exhaust
• Re geared to 4:88
• Locker in rear
• Air bags in rear
• Icon Stage 2 suspension
• 285/75 R 17 Toyo AT (I used to only run the M55 but when I switched rims could not get them in 17’s, don’t plan on going back)
• H2 wheels
• Ram tablet mount
• Currently being re mounted: CB, quad band ft8900R, Uniden Scanner,
• Hard wired Radar detector
• Hard wired cell phone booster (I installed it behind a spring-loaded toggle switch, so it would act as a reset button as the reset was on the body of the unit itself bolted behind the seat.)
• 4 KC slim light’s 2 driving 2 long range. Wired into the high beam & switch by set. Ie) Driving and long range
First Things it got, tool box and headache rack and work lights for feeding at night. This was taken during a confined space rescue certification class in Salem.
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For most of its life it has had to haul and tow,
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Feeding, and moving Chem tanks. Almost always a dog present, ^ Chuck was a Great Pyrenees tasked with protecting livestock.
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Wet Fields never your friend, even pivots get stuck.
For a while I had forward facing lights mounted on the cab headache rack, until I decided it wasted too much light on the cab and hood. Seen here with my 1992 Rocky
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A local Traffic Jam..
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Close of the homemade Rack and original lights
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Towing the Wilson 24ft stock
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- Tiny backhoe
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Pacific Northwest yetti

Expedition Medic
I got slightly smarter and moved the driving lights to the front,
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Spent some time on the road, When I was farming full time the Montezuma tool box was worth its weight in gold, Courdel a Great Pyr cross the puppy from the large white dog above.
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I spent some time on the road full time, with a company called Wool Busters. We provided Mutton busting for fairs and rodeos. http://woolbusters.com/


After this the bed was starting to crack, the rack was heavy and I should have built it with gussets on the side, and probably extended the bed rails to the end. My fuel pump went out, I either needed to drop the tank or the bed, I chose just to pull the bed and put a flatbed on it. I would have preferred to build one, but sadly time was not on my side.
1000ibs of wool
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Working on wiring, pre-under body tool box's with help of course
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Added LED lights, underbody box's in the front and the Slimlights pre bumper build, out exploring the local area, and locks
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After the Bumper build, and new sides on the old stock trailer:
 

Pacific Northwest yetti

Expedition Medic
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Out on a ride with a different type of 4x4.
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How the radar Detector is wired in, also Courdel and his dogloo for long road trips,
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The company I work for is a large Ag Company, this I took when out checking on a crew:
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Random camp in the Blue's
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Flatbeds make great tables
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Table at the BAJA 1000 in 2016
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Taking a large Clydesdale to the vet, I was shipping him down to Florida to my Ex, it's a long process.
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Spent a about a month driving down from Oregon to the BAJA 1000, that winter. Installed the lights on the bumper, Re geared and added the locker Pre BAJA.
On the way down somewhere in California
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Pacific Northwest yetti

Expedition Medic
Our Camp outside Erendera Mexico, mile post 100ish BAJA 1000.
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The BAJA 1000 was awesome, lots of pics and a great time. The trophy trucks are incredible. I took my time driving back spent time in Joshua tree, Alabama hills in California, Bombay Beach, made it back home the night before Thanksgiving. I have lots of pics from those if anyone would want to see them uploaded.
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Pacific Northwest yetti

Expedition Medic
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Brother and I at our last Spot in BAJA, I just got back from visiting them in Columbia,
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How she sits now, added the larger mirrors , hauling hay and out for a short dogventure yesterday.
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I live full time in this, a 2015 Open Range 318RLS; So she still has to be able to tow. I use a gooseneck adapter though. One of the many reasons I will keep this truck around, those ZR2's are pretty awesome though. Id also like to get a northstar 850sc for it at some point.
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I got a little off track, but there she is.
 

leelikesbikes

Adventurer
Thanks for sharing, I lived in Walla Walla for about 10 years so alot of that country looks familiar. I'm north of Spokane now but still like to get down and play in the blues occasionally.
 

Pacific Northwest yetti

Expedition Medic
Thanks for sharing, I lived in Walla Walla for about 10 years so alot of that country looks familiar. I'm north of Spokane now but still like to get down and play in the blues occasionally.

NO worries, Yeah i have been in Eastern oregon for 15 years now. I try to get out whenever i can even if its only for a weekend, now that i have taken some of the irons out of the fire, i'm hoping to get out even more. At times its hard to decide what direction to go, but all the PNW has lots to see, and it's hard to go wrong with any direction you point the nose and drive.
 

Pacific Northwest yetti

Expedition Medic
Great looking truck being used as a truck. Can't beat that.
.
Jack

True, its always good too see another full size chevy on the forum. I have spent some time reading through your threads, that SAS is going to be awesome.

Love how the dog is always present.

That is a theme, he used to go everywhere with me. It got harder for him when i started this job and he was not able to go to work with me everyday. I still bring him most the time, its hard to beat a good dog; he is by far the best i have ever had.


I have done a few things to the truck maint wise, in no order other than that of a poor memory,

• All the U joints replaced with greaseable. (the last one I replaced last month, it was still stock @ 200+k)
• Alternator (replaced on the way to a wedding in a tux, outside Boardman Oregon, on the freeway)
• Starter 2 100k
• Two sets of knock sensors (every 100k)
• 2 months ago I had the front driver wheel bearing go bad(still stock @ 200+k) so I replaced both and did the front upper and lower A-Arms, replacing the lower with delco, and the upper with the parts from ICON, for the stage 2 kit, shocks and bump stops
• Rebuilt the transfer case, it had the rub problem some had where the internal pump rubbed a hole in the casing @ 100kish
• Two transmissions, both my fault. When I was on the circuit I towed the loaded trailer w/ the critters, and 2 of the other crew members. I scaled it and was shy of 20000 all in. Slightly more than she was ever rated for. Truck empty 6500, trailer empty 5000, 3 guys and gear 1000, and 20 hd@/200/unit 4000ibs of stock, 17000ish not including it was the original bed, and tool box + the Montezuma box and a fat dog ,feed, water, etc You get the point, and I was 20ish, so was not easy on the poor girl anyway. It did it for ab out a year, until it did not. That job was great, unless you wanted to make money. New town every week, each one in their wild fair and rodeo mindset. And 3 guys looking for trouble and fun. I had about zero dollars, and could not afford the extra $800, for the torque converter. Well, young and dumb move. It was toast as well, and took about a year to kill the new transmission.
• Last weekend I replaced the exhaust manifold gaskets, a known problem with the 6.0 @ 220k
• Last year before Kp set out on his trip we rebuilt the front ends on both our trucks, inner and outer tie rods, 200k+
• Body mounts failed at 70k
All O2 sensors somewhere around 80k
• Throttle body, turns out it was not bad. Evap problem causing rough idle
• All the evap canisters and lines, 200k+. Dealer re routed under warranty at 40k
• Replaced all coolant and heater hoses at 210k, the heater ones were starting to look bad, but still functional. Did it all at once for preventative
• Plugs and wires every 100k, although they have yet to look bad
• Serpentine belt every 100kish, preventative though never a problem yet
• The AC belt failed at 215k, was still stock/original
• The evap purge valve 120k
• Replaced the front 4wd actuator at 215k, turns out it's the transfer case encoder motor that's bad. Waiting on its delivery
• Transfer case encoder motor will be replaced when it's received at 220k
• Key fobs at 220k
• Running fully synthetic oil changed every 3000 miles
I think that's all I have replaced. A good amount was the truck just being used hard for its early years.
I will do something different with the sides on the flatbed, and install lower boxes for the rear of the bed as well.

also, the break pads at 100k, replaced with ceramic;Still look Great
and regeared to 4:88 w/ the detroit locker in the rear at 200ishk
 
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locrwln

Expedition Leader
Thank you.

I laugh at the way you used your truck. I grew up in the sticks and pretty much everyone's attitude was if the load fit in it or could be towed by the truck (or both), then you were fine. No one cared about GVWR or GCWR's. You had a truck, whatever it was; you used it. We used to way overload trucks no matter what they were. Sounds like yours held up amazingly well to the use.
.
Jack
 

chilliwak

Expedition Leader
Hey Yetti I can understand why I did not see your thread before. Nice write up. Your whole family has good taste in trucks. GM all the way. Cheers, Chilli...:)
 

Pacific Northwest yetti

Expedition Medic
Thank you.

I laugh at the way you used your truck. I grew up in the sticks and pretty much everyone's attitude was if the load fit in it or could be towed by the truck (or both), then you were fine. No one cared about GVWR or GCWR's. You had a truck, whatever it was; you used it. We used to way overload trucks no matter what they were. Sounds like yours held up amazingly well to the use.
Jack; Honestly, it has done great considering the abuse the thing had to put up with in its early years. Im now much better about paying attention to weights, let's call it getting smarter from age.
.
Jack

Hey Yetti I can understand why I did not see your thread before. Nice write up. Your whole family has good taste in trucks. GM all the way. Cheers, Chilli...:)
Yesh, I have been on for a long time, finally decided maybe others would want to see what i've been driving, or learn/ get inspiration from it. Thanks Chilli, i have spent a bit of time on your build and trip threads.

I know it's a taboo subject but how is mileage with the 4.88s?
Goat, No Taboo at all. Ask anything you want, that's why we have forums. The gear change is something I should of done right after the larger tires and heavier flatbed went full time. It put the truck back into stock range, with the haver weight. MAde it a lot happier, that being said these 6.0's are not mileage machines by any means. My brother and I both have the 6.0. I added a cold air intake, chip and dual exhaust after the regear im still getting 10ish around town or towing, 12 on the freeway but have had a few trips where I got 14 on the freeway. He also gets pretty much 10-12 all the time w/o the chip and intake but also regeared the same.
 

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