Jack's 2007 Chevy Build

[General Automag]

Mounting the brackets. I have to give Buckstop credit, the brackets are amazingly well done and literally fit the frame rails like they were made for my truck.




I have to apologize, Spressomon came up and helped me with the final install and we were too busy with other things to get any pictures of that, so the pictures go straight to the final product. I don't have any lights for it yet, still researching which ones I want.

Buckstop bumper with Warn 12k winch.




Jack

'Very nice bumper! We're looking at the exact same one for our Silverado Z71 1/2-ton. Aluminum? What is the weight of the bumper, and how much more was the aluminum over the steel? Because we have a 1/2-ton model, we have to watch the weight on the front end. We plan to mount a winch too, and that's at least a hundred pounds.

Are you going to change out your rear bumper? The BuckStop rear bumpers look as good as the front, in my opinion. We're considering the Buckstop rear bumper as well because of the cutouts for additional lights in the rear. Even with SuperbrightLEDs replacement bulbs in the reverse/backup lights and cargo light slots, we still can't see well at all while backing up at night. Having two extra 4" lights in the rear should help. Also, having strong-than-stock bumpers should help save the truck in case of a collision. Trucks, and all vehicles, depreciate very rapidly, and it will shock you to pull up the fair market value on a 5 to 10 year old truck, regardless of the condition.

Regarding the larger fuel tank, what brand is it? Does it replace the stock tank or is it an additional tank? I'm curious as to how it mounted and how the fuel pump and sending unit is wired. I see a lot of companies offering upgraded parts for the 3/4 and 1-ton Chevrolet/GMC trucks, but not that many for the 1/2-ton models. We're just trying to make our Z71 1/2-ton model a little more trail worthy. Thanks!

 

[locrwln]

Cool, I'll check out the Jeep thread. I live in West KY, at a whopping ~600' MSL. Up isn't really an option for me.

I know all about it. I grew up in the Ozarks of NW Arkansas. There is no getting away from the heat/humidity other than A/C. (I don't miss that.)

I'm sure that's a good injector cleaning you did, but I'm too lazy. I just pour some Red Line 85+ into the tank on occasion.

It really was pretty easy. If I didn't have OBA, it would be even easier.

Jack

 

[locrwln]

'Very nice bumper! We're looking at the exact same one for our Silverado Z71 1/2-ton. Aluminum? What is the weight of the bumper, and how much more was the aluminum over the steel? Because we have a 1/2-ton model, we have to watch the weight on the front end. We plan to mount a winch too, and that's at least a hundred pounds.

Are you going to change out your rear bumper? The BuckStop rear bumpers look as good as the front, in my opinion. We're considering the Buckstop rear bumper as well because of the cutouts for additional lights in the rear. Even with SuperbrightLEDs replacement bulbs in the reverse/backup lights and cargo light slots, we still can't see well at all while backing up at night. Having two extra 4" lights in the rear should help. Also, having strong-than-stock bumpers should help save the truck in case of a collision. Trucks, and all vehicles, depreciate very rapidly, and it will shock you to pull up the fair market value on a 5 to 10 year old truck, regardless of the condition.

Regarding the larger fuel tank, what brand is it? Does it replace the stock tank or is it an additional tank? I'm curious as to how it mounted and how the fuel pump and sending unit is wired. I see a lot of companies offering upgraded parts for the 3/4 and 1-ton Chevrolet/GMC trucks, but not that many for the 1/2-ton models. We're just trying to make our Z71 1/2-ton model a little more trail worthy. Thanks!

Thank you. I agonized over which bumper to buy and some were better than others and the buckstop was the best compromise of features and looks. I wanted aluminum, but buckstop was having issues with their design and because they are selling every steel bumper they can build, they are not in a hurry to redesign the aluminum. It weighs more than I wanted, but I didn't have much of a choice. In fact, I have sitting in the garage, some 9200lb front torsion bars vs. the factory ~8700lb bars to deal with the weight better.

I have thought about the rear bumper, but I am just not in that big of a hurry on that side. I had a Ruenel rear bumper on my F350 and it too was a great/stout bumper. It will be a little while before I make that purchase.

The fuel tank is a replacement for the stock one and is made by Aero-tank in So-Cal. I went with them because they offered the largest capacity with the least depth. Titan and Transfer flow both hung below the frame 1.5-2". Whereas the AT is flush with the frame. They reused the factory fuel pickup, but keep in mind the d-max doesn't use a tank mounted fuel pump, the FP is on the engine.

Good luck with the build, they are great trucks. We drove a 1/2t with 170k miles on it and it was still very solid and in fact, my MIL as a 1/2t tahoe that has been solid as rock and has 165k miles on it.

Jack

 

[locrwln]

Just how much does that pig weigh???

I have been doing my research on which shocks to buy and so far the Kings are at the top of the heap. They are expensive, but because they are rebuildable and tuneable, they should last just about forever.

Now because a part of shock tuning is being able to tell the place that is building the shocks the weight of the end product I also wanted to know for my own reasons.

I have a friend with scales and decided to get the "empty" weight first.

Left front: 2350
Right front: 2300
Left Rear: 1450
Right Rear: 1425

Total: 7525lbs

That is with a full tank of fuel and no one sitting in it. I was pretty pleased with the side to side balance considering the 52 gallon fuel tank that sits on the driver's side.

We did a quick trip down to Death Valley, so on the way back, I wanted to get a "loaded" weight. My friend was out of town with family, so I decided to just stop by the local truck stop and use their CAT scale.

Obviously I didn't get the individual corner weigts, but I did get the front and back weights.

Front: 4920lbs
Rear: 4150

Total: 9070 lbs



Now that was with 1/2 tank of fuel, just me sitting in it and some of our supplies used up. I would put the total fully loaded right at the GVWR of the truck, which is 9200lbs. That means based on a gross weight of 9200lbs, I am adding roughly 1675lbs of weight when loaded up for a trip.

Oh and as an aside, I filled up in Pahrump, NV took the south way into DV and drove up to Warm Springs Resort/camp, back down, through DV and out to Beatty, NV and home up US 95. Sometimes hitting 90+mph while passing and still averaged 16.5 mpg. Oh and I have 1/2 tank of fuel left. :Wow1:

Gotta love it.

Jack

 

[bob91yj]

What kind of speeds are you running on dirt roads. Aired up (50psi), and the truck loaded to the gills with fuel, tools, parts, etc for Baja 8-10MPH was really pushing it on a "rough road', even by Baja local's standards. Aired down (30PSI, think I can safely go lower), a little lighter I was at 12-15MPH on the same stretch of road. I wouldn't call the ride quality enjoyable by any means.

I've resigned myself that the truck/camper is dirt road capable, will get me to a camp site, but not my first choice for covering a lot of ground in the dirt. Rather tent it and pound the LJ around Death Valley than take the truck if not base camping/flat tow the LJ out there.

 

[DoMiNiC1]

What kind of speeds are you running on dirt roads. Aired up (50psi), and the truck loaded to the gills with fuel, tools, parts, etc for Baja 8-10MPH was really pushing it on a "rough road', even by Baja local's standards. Aired down (30PSI, think I can safely go lower), a little lighter I was at 12-15MPH on the same stretch of road. I wouldn't call the ride quality enjoyable by any means.

I've resigned myself that the truck/camper is dirt road capable, will get me to a camp site, but not my first choice for covering a lot of ground in the dirt. Rather tent it and pound the LJ around Death Valley than take the truck if not base camping/flat tow the LJ out there.

Now my opinion may be moot as I don't have a camper, however I did notice with fresh Z71 bump-stops were installed it smoothed out the ride on dirt roads as much as it did with new shocks. Cab mounts being replaced with the revised version also would play a factor as well. With a full bed and 3 occupants I run around 10mph give or take on roughish forest roads out here in AZ.

 

[bob91yj]

It's the camper that is the biggest issue. Quite frankly, I'm amazed that I haven't found the roof air laying in the floor after pounding down a dirt road.

I've found that airing my airbags down improves the ride as well. A rear sway bar and rear shocks with more rebound are on the short list.

 

[locrwln]

Speeds depend on the road of course, but for the most part, I run the tires at 30psi. Before weighing it, I was guessing and like most, was afraid of going too low. I think even fully loaded, I could go lower (around 25lb) safely. I usually travel around 40-50mph on most dirt roads as is. I was only able to travel at about 20mph on Warm Springs Road, it was just too rough. Of course the factory shocks with 100k miles on them are done in short order, but I am making sure I have my ducks in a row before I order shocks.

I have a set of "XG" 9200lb rated torsion bars sitting in the garage. They are the highest rated bars that GM makes and I think that will help with the front suspension action. I want to get those installed before I order the shocks. I have the keys that they take also. The stock t-bar keys won't work with these bars, so that is one of the other factors. The odd thing about the XG bars is that they are made for a 2wd truck, hence the need for the different keys. I want to try them before the shocks to see what kind of effect they have on supporting the front bumper. I would rather the t-bars support the weight vs. asking the shocks to do it. The reason I want to try the heavier bars is that my driver's side t-bar adjustment is almost maxed out. Also Samco Fab used to be the shop that worked with Rod Hall with prepping and building the H2's for Baja and GM told them to use the XG bars for the race trucks.

Like Dominic, I want to add the Z71 snubbers as well. Just haven't gotten around to ordering them.

Jack

 

[SLO_F-250]

Oh and as an aside, I filled up in Pahrump, NV took the south way into DV and drove up to Warm Springs Resort/camp, back down, through DV and out to Beatty, NV and home up US 95. Sometimes hitting 90+mph while passing and still averaged 16.5 mpg. Oh and I have 1/2 tank of fuel left. :Wow1:

Gotta love it.

Jack

Looking Good Jack! Did you notice and MPG or noise difference when installing the wind-shield/deflector on the roof? Also any picts or info of the install would be great. I am debating on adding one to my rig.
Cheers!

 

[locrwln]

Looking Good Jack! Did you notice and MPG or noise difference when installing the wind-shield/deflector on the roof? Also any picts or info of the install would be great. I am debating on adding one to my rig.
Cheers!

It has served two purposes. First one is that I have noticed at least a 1-1.5 mpg improvement with it. The second is that before, when I was passing an oncoming semi, the roof of my truck would make a loud "POP" as the air differential caught it. The deflector took care of that and now it doesn't matter what the wind or passing a semi does, the roof stays pop free. I would also say that it is a little quieter even when there isn't a wind, just driving it seems to help the air get up and over the camper better.

As far as install pics, well let's just say that this was a "proof of concept" that I wanted to try before I spent too much money/time on it (going on two years now). Anyway, I just cut down a piece of 5 layer birch I had, painted it white, made some quick angle iron brakets to bolt the wood to and a yakima crossbar. I did buy the towers for my truck. The bolts tighten the wood to the angle iron (with flanges welded to it), which "pinch" the yakima bar and keep the wood from rotating. It has worked really well and I just haven't gotten around to improving it or doing a better job, so my BIL (a finish carpenter) calls it my redneck carpentry.

It's not pretty, but it does work and eventually, I will replace the wood with something else and I would also "flair" the top out to make it look a little better.

I position it so that the front latches just clear the top of the wood.

Jack

 

[Spargman]

That truck is shaping up really nicely!! Nice choice on the front bumper...!

 

[SLO_F-250]

It has served two purposes. First one is that I have noticed at least a 1-1.5 mpg improvement with it. The second is that before, when I was passing an oncoming semi, the roof of my truck would make a loud "POP" as the air differential caught it. The deflector took care of that and now it doesn't matter what the wind or passing a semi does, the roof stays pop free. I would also say that it is a little quieter even when there isn't a wind, just driving it seems to help the air get up and over the camper better.

As far as install pics, well let's just say that this was a "proof of concept" that I wanted to try before I spent too much money/time on it (going on two years now). Anyway, I just cut down a piece of 5 layer birch I had, painted it white, made some quick angle iron brakets to bolt the wood to and a yakima crossbar. I did buy the towers for my truck. The bolts tighten the wood to the angle iron (with flanges welded to it), which "pinch" the yakima bar and keep the wood from rotating. It has worked really well and I just haven't gotten around to improving it or doing a better job, so my BIL (a finish carpenter) calls it my redneck carpentry.

It's not pretty, but it does work and eventually, I will replace the wood with something else and I would also "flair" the top out to make it look a little better.

I position it so that the front latches just clear the top of the wood.

Jack

Thanks for the Description Jack! Im thinking of something Similar. Not sure if I want to connect it to the camper or truck. Thinking I would like it connected to the camper so its one unit...

 

[locrwln]

Thanks for the Description Jack! Im thinking of something Similar. Not sure if I want to connect it to the camper or truck. Thinking I would like it connected to the camper so its one unit...

Glad I could help.

I too thought about connecting to the camper, but I couldn't figure out a way that I liked. This way, I was able to cut the wood so that it just cleared the roof of the truck and when I twist it up (even though there is little frame flex on my truck), I won't have a problem with whatever is connected to the camper hitting the cab of the truck. Your era Fords are notorious for frame flex when twisted, so I don't know how well it would work if connected to the camper.

Jack

 

[WILLD420]

You are going to have to show me some pics of those mounts. The Dodge is going to need something similar.

 

[Redline]

snip...Your era Fords are notorious for frame flex when twisted, so I don't know how well it would work if connected to the camper.Jack

1999-up Super Dutys have the crazy frame flex too? Didn't think there was anything with the massive frame flex of my older vintage F-series.