2000 Suburban K1500 budget low lift with 37"s
- Thread starter CrazyDrei
- Start date
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
Update: all fenders trimmed and tires are on
Between school, work and the kids I finally found a few minutes to work on trimming the fenders.
Stock fender flares came off easy with the plastic pop-rivets, they were also held in with two sided tape which I did not get around to peeling off. I marked the approximate cut lines with blue painters take and went at it. Once the horizontal cuts were made I used a 5# hammer to fold the metal and create as smooth of a surface as I could. Wind shield washer fluid bottle had to be removed since it was in the front left bumper/wheel well. I have not yet relocated it. Parking brake cable is in the rear of the front left wheel well, I bent the tab holding it to keep it more out of the way. GMT-800s are known for having a useless parking brake so it might come out all together if it gets too much rubbing.
Front left before the trim with 32" tire
Front left after trim with 37x12.5R17
The sheet metal in the rear of the front wheel well had to be cut and folded, there is a YouTube video called "How-To - 1999-2006 NorCal mod on a 2004 Chevy Silverado 1500" by Custom Offsets which was very helpful in the process.
Rear fenders were much more straightforward. There is nothing in the way in the rear left, and AC lines in the back of the rear right wheel well. I made horizontal cuts approximately 1" apart to go around the pinch welds and folded the sheet metal in. I only trimmed and folded the lower 1/2 of the fender which leaves me with approximately 1" more of the fended that I can trim and fold if I wish to finish the entire wheel well.
Rear left before the trim with 32" tire
Rear left after trim with 37x13.5R17 and 2" spacer
I found that the previous owner either had a blow out rear left or was in a minor fender bender, uncovered some bondo that chipped away at the front of the rear left wheel well.
Drivable finished product, now ready for some testing and tuning.
Food for thought: I did not put the plastic wheel well covers in just yet, I imagine that there will be some rubbing with suspension flex and I will need to trim and fold more sheet metal. In a couple weeks when I do the finishing trimming touches I will spray all the metal I cut and hammered with undercoating spray and re-install the factory wheel well covers. I also noticed that the 17 year old factory frame protective undercoating is worn off and getting some surface rust, so it will need a light sand and re-spray.
Next steps: DRIVE and fine tune. Fender flares.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans
Between school, work and the kids I finally found a few minutes to work on trimming the fenders.
Stock fender flares came off easy with the plastic pop-rivets, they were also held in with two sided tape which I did not get around to peeling off. I marked the approximate cut lines with blue painters take and went at it. Once the horizontal cuts were made I used a 5# hammer to fold the metal and create as smooth of a surface as I could. Wind shield washer fluid bottle had to be removed since it was in the front left bumper/wheel well. I have not yet relocated it. Parking brake cable is in the rear of the front left wheel well, I bent the tab holding it to keep it more out of the way. GMT-800s are known for having a useless parking brake so it might come out all together if it gets too much rubbing.
Front left before the trim with 32" tire
Front left after trim with 37x12.5R17
The sheet metal in the rear of the front wheel well had to be cut and folded, there is a YouTube video called "How-To - 1999-2006 NorCal mod on a 2004 Chevy Silverado 1500" by Custom Offsets which was very helpful in the process.
Rear fenders were much more straightforward. There is nothing in the way in the rear left, and AC lines in the back of the rear right wheel well. I made horizontal cuts approximately 1" apart to go around the pinch welds and folded the sheet metal in. I only trimmed and folded the lower 1/2 of the fender which leaves me with approximately 1" more of the fended that I can trim and fold if I wish to finish the entire wheel well.
Rear left before the trim with 32" tire
Rear left after trim with 37x13.5R17 and 2" spacer
I found that the previous owner either had a blow out rear left or was in a minor fender bender, uncovered some bondo that chipped away at the front of the rear left wheel well.
Drivable finished product, now ready for some testing and tuning.
Food for thought: I did not put the plastic wheel well covers in just yet, I imagine that there will be some rubbing with suspension flex and I will need to trim and fold more sheet metal. In a couple weeks when I do the finishing trimming touches I will spray all the metal I cut and hammered with undercoating spray and re-install the factory wheel well covers. I also noticed that the 17 year old factory frame protective undercoating is worn off and getting some surface rust, so it will need a light sand and re-spray.
Next steps: DRIVE and fine tune. Fender flares.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans
Last edited:
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
First trip through the desert
Here are some pics of the first adventure.
We did approximately 100 miles, 20 miles of "overlanding" through open desert, 10 miles of playing in the sand dunes and 70 miles of dirt trails of varying degrees of difficulty. The truck did well, front rub a little with full suspension articulation, no rub in the rear.
First venture off the trail, 12.5 and 13.5 wide foot print at 35psi kept the truck afloat in the open desert, it rained a few days before the outing and my feet sank 1-2" into the sand every time I stepped out. Truck sank 2-4" into the sand most of the adventure.
It went everywhere I pointed it without any hesitations.
this was a steep ravine that I dropped into just to see how it handles the more technical terrain.
Front right tire sank 8-10" into the sand here, this is where it rubbed with suspension articulation and would definitely rub if I tried to steer.
Little bit of fun in the sand, floated great with a wide footprint.
So far I'm very pleased with the result considering the budget I am working with put put 37" tires on this truck. Below are some of the observations I made after 100 miles in the desert and 400 miles on highway and city streets.
3.73 gears are just fine for daily driving and mild off-road trails. Only had to use 4x4 low on a dirt bike course to make it up the "jumps"
1,600rpm at 65mph, 1,800rpm at 70mph
Stock brakes with Callahan rotors and ceramic pads work just fine, vacuum assist is spongy but stops the truck better than expected.
GMT900 front calipers/and rotors when these wear out, absolutely no need for hydroboost for my intents and purposes.
Trip meter reads same 350 miles when the low fuel light turns on, however I get 38 more miles (an extra trip to work and back) on a tank of gas.
2" spacers in the rear look ridiculous and kill the "factory" look I was trying to go for, might have to go to 1" or 1.5" spacer with 12.5" wide tires eventually.
I need to balance my Craigslist tires before the wobble rips the truck apart.
G80 locking diff works great at slow speeds under 10mph, going to go to a mini-spool if it blows up.
37s roll over everything effortlessly.
Long wheelbase and short suspension travel with rear locking diff remind me of my old Baja which was unstoppable.
Next step:
More trimming and folding of the front wheel wells. Balance tires. 3" body lift, keep trying to hunt down a GT5 (4.10) front diff at a junk yard. 4.10 rear gears. 20-25 gal auxiliary gas tank.
Going to run some rock and snow trails next couple weeks.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans.
Here are some pics of the first adventure.
We did approximately 100 miles, 20 miles of "overlanding" through open desert, 10 miles of playing in the sand dunes and 70 miles of dirt trails of varying degrees of difficulty. The truck did well, front rub a little with full suspension articulation, no rub in the rear.
First venture off the trail, 12.5 and 13.5 wide foot print at 35psi kept the truck afloat in the open desert, it rained a few days before the outing and my feet sank 1-2" into the sand every time I stepped out. Truck sank 2-4" into the sand most of the adventure.
It went everywhere I pointed it without any hesitations.
this was a steep ravine that I dropped into just to see how it handles the more technical terrain.
Front right tire sank 8-10" into the sand here, this is where it rubbed with suspension articulation and would definitely rub if I tried to steer.
Little bit of fun in the sand, floated great with a wide footprint.
So far I'm very pleased with the result considering the budget I am working with put put 37" tires on this truck. Below are some of the observations I made after 100 miles in the desert and 400 miles on highway and city streets.
3.73 gears are just fine for daily driving and mild off-road trails. Only had to use 4x4 low on a dirt bike course to make it up the "jumps"
1,600rpm at 65mph, 1,800rpm at 70mph
Stock brakes with Callahan rotors and ceramic pads work just fine, vacuum assist is spongy but stops the truck better than expected.
GMT900 front calipers/and rotors when these wear out, absolutely no need for hydroboost for my intents and purposes.
Trip meter reads same 350 miles when the low fuel light turns on, however I get 38 more miles (an extra trip to work and back) on a tank of gas.
2" spacers in the rear look ridiculous and kill the "factory" look I was trying to go for, might have to go to 1" or 1.5" spacer with 12.5" wide tires eventually.
I need to balance my Craigslist tires before the wobble rips the truck apart.
G80 locking diff works great at slow speeds under 10mph, going to go to a mini-spool if it blows up.
37s roll over everything effortlessly.
Long wheelbase and short suspension travel with rear locking diff remind me of my old Baja which was unstoppable.
Next step:
More trimming and folding of the front wheel wells. Balance tires. 3" body lift, keep trying to hunt down a GT5 (4.10) front diff at a junk yard. 4.10 rear gears. 20-25 gal auxiliary gas tank.
Going to run some rock and snow trails next couple weeks.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans.
Last edited:
Ivan
Lost in Space
Dude that looks great. Can't wait to see how the build (and shenanigans) progresses.
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
Looking good there Crazy... A little more fender triming and I think you will be ok.... Cheers, Chilli...
Chilli,
Thanx, your truck looks pretty darn good too, saw a video of you bushwhacking, monster tires roll over obstacles way better and smoother than smaller ones. I'll get some more videos of the rig on the trail.
chilliwak
Expedition Leader
Thanks back Crazy. I love using the sawzall when it comes to fender triming. It cuts through anything. The video with your young spotter was cool. Lets see some more of that stuff soon. Cheers, Chilli..
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
Don't let the naysayers discourage you. Most have never done what they are saying can't be done.
I ran 37s on my Silverado for a few years with no problems, wheeled it as well. Only broke 1 CV at a hardcore offroad park in sticky clay. I was running keys and a 3" body lift. It cleared the fenders fine and would have cleared a stock bumper with trimming.
I also ran 2" rear spacers for 5 years with zero issues as well. Get some tie rod sleeves while you are in there.
I was running 4.56 gears and later went to 4.88s with 37s so don't fear the gear, keep an eye out on craigslist, guys are always upgrading.
Mccustomize,
Sounds like you have the most practical experience here with both wrenching on and playing with your trucks. 3.73s are just fine, tad slower with 37's than I was with 32's but still drive great and MPG increased with same speed and route daily commuting. 2,000 miles since the 37's went on, 200 miles of dirt, dunes, snow and 4x4 trails and everything works like it's supposed to. Glad I put the tie rod sleeves on early otherwise I would have bent the factory ones.
Here is my real dilemma. I am thinking about pulling the G80 out when I replace the rear gears and getting an open carrier at the junk yard, and putting a mini-spool in it, both will cost me around $100 and a full days worth of wrenching. Eventually I will run 4.56 gears. While I in my front diff replacing the gears I am thinking about putting a Gov-Lock into the front diff such as the GM 8.0 10 bolt with creative use of spacers or a lunch box lock for a GM 8.2 10 bolt.
Locked rear and a gov-lock to the front will pretty much make the Sub an ultimate off-trail rig if driven gently. Have you seen anyone with either a gov-lock or a lunch box in the 8.25 IFS? I would imagine snow plow guys have done it?
What are your guys' thoughts?
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
Sticking to the budget so far
So far I have stayed on budget and on track but after 2,000 miles with the big tires I found that even though I can go as far as I can possibly push the truck I have a little bit of rubbing in the front driver on the parking brake cable, front passenger on the rear AC lines and rear passenger on the rear AC lines. This only happens at 50% or greater suspension articulation with turning of the wheels. I like my front and rear AC and I want to keep it. Discharging the system, re-routing, bending the AC lines and re-charging the system will run me between $200 and $400. My other option is a body lift which will give me all the clearance I want without having a giant gap between the wheel and the fender.
Acquired a 4.10 front diff form a junk yard for $50, score! Keeping it on the shelf until I source a 4.10 rear gear and pinion and a master install kit which should be less than getting a complete GT5 G80 rear end.
Damages so far:
$250: wheels and 37" tires
$115: Skyjacker shocks
$33: 3" rear spacers
$18: Ford torsion keys
$20: 2" wheel spacers
$19: Tie rod sleeves
$50: 4.10 front differential
TOTAL: $505
$495 remaining
$150 for a 3" body lift, $150 for a second fuel tank, $150 for rear gears and install kit and $45 for other misc parts. So far so good.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans in a couple weeks.
So far I have stayed on budget and on track but after 2,000 miles with the big tires I found that even though I can go as far as I can possibly push the truck I have a little bit of rubbing in the front driver on the parking brake cable, front passenger on the rear AC lines and rear passenger on the rear AC lines. This only happens at 50% or greater suspension articulation with turning of the wheels. I like my front and rear AC and I want to keep it. Discharging the system, re-routing, bending the AC lines and re-charging the system will run me between $200 and $400. My other option is a body lift which will give me all the clearance I want without having a giant gap between the wheel and the fender.
Acquired a 4.10 front diff form a junk yard for $50, score! Keeping it on the shelf until I source a 4.10 rear gear and pinion and a master install kit which should be less than getting a complete GT5 G80 rear end.
Damages so far:
$250: wheels and 37" tires
$115: Skyjacker shocks
$33: 3" rear spacers
$18: Ford torsion keys
$20: 2" wheel spacers
$19: Tie rod sleeves
$50: 4.10 front differential
TOTAL: $505
$495 remaining
$150 for a 3" body lift, $150 for a second fuel tank, $150 for rear gears and install kit and $45 for other misc parts. So far so good.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans in a couple weeks.
'05TJLWBRUBY
Adventurer
Body lifts have their place and are a necessary evil- used within reason. There are many good reasons for sensible 1"-1.5" with no real drawbacks to them in this size. 3" has no place anywhere. Save yourself the $150 and other headache associated with that and go to your local steel yard. 3" will open up many other issues as well that will create headache for things like steering, cable and shifter routing, AC routing, etc. Pick up a scrap chunk of aluminum and go to work. I ran into same situation on my Suburban HD build and could not find anyone selling a 1"-1.5" body lift for the Suburban as they are all 2" or 3" kits. I got a chunk of aluminum and spent some time on the lathe. These are easy to do, just time consuming. Many kits and many folks will do typical "hockey puck" style just flat on both ends. That style would be super fast and easy to make. I chamfered tops of mine to fit recess on body like OE mount did, and recessed bottom to overlap the lower mount. They measure 1.5" total height but only give 1.25" of lift due to .25" recess for overlap. Replaced all the body mounts with energy suspension pieces as many were shot when I pulled them out. AC lines in front will still fit nicely through factory frame port without pulling to tight to cause need for spending money on discharge and recharge or having new lines made. No steering frame bracket relocation needed, no extended or re-routed trans or t-case shifter brackets or mods needed nothing other than bolt it in and be done. In rear the added height should be more than enough to clear rear AC lines without issue. I'm in process of tucking 40s now, and like you- refuse to give up rear heat/AC.
And- second fuel tank??? what type/style tank are you looking for? Trying to go 60 gallon total? My '97 3/4 ton has 42 gallon tank-but fits frame contours and was a real PITA to cut frame sections out and raise to stuff the tank after the BL went in. The frame crossmembers are shaped to the tank itself. I forget exact dimensions but the 42 gallon is a big tank that takes up ton of room. Forget what year the change took effect but they went to the long/skinny 30 gal size or close to it. Too bad you're so far away- I have full tank and evap setup complete from an '05 1500HD taking up room in the shop that needs to go away... Regardless, look around a little more- if you're willing to do a little more work, I think you can do a fair bit better on your total budget and save a few more dollars there to put towards fuel and camping adventures...
Best of Luck,
Mike
And- second fuel tank??? what type/style tank are you looking for? Trying to go 60 gallon total? My '97 3/4 ton has 42 gallon tank-but fits frame contours and was a real PITA to cut frame sections out and raise to stuff the tank after the BL went in. The frame crossmembers are shaped to the tank itself. I forget exact dimensions but the 42 gallon is a big tank that takes up ton of room. Forget what year the change took effect but they went to the long/skinny 30 gal size or close to it. Too bad you're so far away- I have full tank and evap setup complete from an '05 1500HD taking up room in the shop that needs to go away... Regardless, look around a little more- if you're willing to do a little more work, I think you can do a fair bit better on your total budget and save a few more dollars there to put towards fuel and camping adventures...
Best of Luck,
Mike