2005 Chevy Colorado Build Up

[upcruiser]

Whoo hoo! Exciting trip. I've been wanting to do this excact one for some time. Whenever I get around to it though, I ned up going west instead since the mileage ends up working out to be the same. Still though, I really want to get up to James Bay. As far as the kayaking goes, I remember reading somewhere back awhile ago that the tide is pretty gnarly there. For that reason, alot of people who paddle to the Hudson Bay via rivers from the south usually avoid leaving the river's mouth. I'll be interested to hear how it all goes though and see your pictures.

Good meeting you the other day and don't forget the bug spray and head nets!

 

[BCJC]

you'll enjoy those skid plates, i have the same ones. i got the whole set (3 plates) and am glad i did! the install on the AAL was pretty straight forward, just a little time consuming (took me about 6 hours) you'll need new u bolts too. good luck on your trip!

 

[FourByLand]

Cool truck and I like the look of the H3 rims, it definatley sets it apart!

 

[Northern Explorer]

Skid Plate

The skid plate came in the mail today. It took all of 5 minutes to put on. I ordered it from a guy that goes by the name Bubaloo on the Coloradofans web site. He makes a set of three. Judging by the quality I very well might order the other two.

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[upcruiser]

Looks nice. Is that aluminum or stainless?

 

[Northern Explorer]

Looks nice. Is that aluminum or stainless?

aluminum

 

[Northern Explorer]

Camper Mods

http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=85918#post85918

 

[Red Zebra]

Anything new? :Mechanic:

Have always liked the Colorado trucks. What was your MPG before and after the lift? Just curious. The window stickers suggest those trucks are fairly thrifty.

 

[eugene]

This one took F.O.R.E.V.E.R. I installed a Black and Decker 750 watt inverter. More then enough power to charge things like my digital camera and laptop.

Why not get 12v adapters for your laptop and camera, consumer inverters are very inefficient so your wasting a lot of power and having to idle the truck a lot.

I use a MAHA C401FS battery charger for my camera because it has the 12v in adapter so it runs straight from the 12v system.

 

[Northern Explorer]

12 volt adapters are a great idea for laptops and cameras. I just wanted to to be able to run other things as well. Also, I do all of my charging while I'm driving so I'm not really running the engine just for charging purposes.

 

[Northern Explorer]

Anything new? :Mechanic:

Have always liked the Colorado trucks. What was your MPG before and after the lift? Just curious. The window stickers suggest those trucks are fairly thrifty.

I know my gas milage did go down but I haven't yet figured it out for normal driving conditions. The main reason I haven't figured it out yet is because my odometer is off with the larger tire size. I just need to sit down one day and do the math....or remember to turn my gps on everytime I drive in order to correctly log the miles.

I do have all the data I need to figure out gas milage from my James Bay trip(soon to be posted in completed expeditions) but this was with my truck loaded to the max with two Kayaks on top sometimes driving 70 mph. Not exactly normal driving conditions.

 

[Northern Explorer]

The latest work on my truck

Two recent minor updates to my truck.

New Antenna
I broke my CB antenna on a recent drive with upcruiser. We were on the same two-rut road where I broke my emergency break cable hanger earlier in the year. This time I don't need to go back. We made it in far enough to find out that the road came to a dead end at private property. I liked the antenna in terms of looks and reception so I decided to buy the same one again but this time I also purchased a stainless steel spring for the base.

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$1.56 Differential Drop:Mechanic:
This one I got from the Coloradofans web site.
In an effort to prolong the life of my cv joints I decided to lower my differential 1/2 inch. I used 1/2 inch zinc flat washers that I purchased from Menards (sku# 232-1172).
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Stacking five together gives me 1/2 inch
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The factory bolts were plenty long enough for the extra 1/2 inch. I retightened the bolts to 112 foot pounds using a torque wrench.

Showing washers installed
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Angle before
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Angle after
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It's hard to see the difference because I didn't hold the camera in the same place at the same angle for both pictures.


Nonrelevant pictures of truck flexing.
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[Northern Explorer]

The latest upgrade

Eaton G80 Automatic Locker
Comes standard on the Z71 Colorado. It only engages at speeds below 20 mph and only when it senses a 100-RPM difference from one wheel to the other. I know according to the poll that this isn't the most popular choice out there. But I think it will work just fine for my needs.

I hope to have it installed in the next couple of weeks. :Mechanic:

Videos comparing the G80 to open and limited slip.

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

 

[upcruiser]

Nice upgrades. If that auto locker works anywhere like the one on my Silverado did, you'll dig it. Although I didn't wheel the Silverado, the diff was pretty seamless in locking engagement and it was quite effective. Next time you want to go out and break more stuff let me know. ha ha I'd really like to connect that trail that runs from Harlow Lake out to CR480. I leave for Chile on the 10th and am pretty flexible anytime prior to that.

 

[Northern Explorer]

Emergency Break Cable Reroute Over Top of Frame

Someone (The Wolf!) on the Colorado Fans website recently did this and gave me the motivation to finally do it to my own truck.:Mechanic:

Before: Hanging down and running along the bottom of the frame waiting to be ripped apart by a rock.
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I sprayed all of the bolts with WD40 and measured the length of the tension adjuster bolt before I started.
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After: Tucked up out of harms way.
Showing passenger side e break cable routed over drive shaft and exhaust pipe (plenty of clearance).
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