2012 Chevrolet Colorado V8 - Daily Camper build.

[Crazy Schooner]

Been getting a bunch of messages regarding the truck. It's a bit of a erratic build as I prefer to buy and try. Not happy? then sell and try again. No real purpose to this build, just a fun daily that is setup and ready for random camping when the mood hits.

2012 Chevrolet Colorado LT
5.3L V8 - Automatic
AAM860 rear end - G80 limited slip - 3.42 gears

Stock shots

Exterior wise since then, the truck is running a Goodmark Cowl hood. Followed by a Winch bumper with a Warn Zeon 8 winch (Factor55 closed system). Factory headlights were baked apart and a set of Bi-Xenon projectors installed. The housings were blacked out, and the signal lights were changed to an amber sequential led setup. As of July/17 I took these off due to not feeling the look. If they don't sell I'll throw them back on but with 4300/5000k bulbs instead of 6000k.

I was running a 30" Rigid E series combo bar but I sold it. I'm thinking of running a slimmer 30" SR series instead, but in amber colour. I have a set of Rigid DOT/SAE fogs wired to run like stock fogs. Along with a set of Rocky Road Supersliders on the side. The grille is a GM accessory grille like the stock one but white instead of chrome. For the underbelly I'm running a set of 3 skid plates.

"Lift" wise the truck has torsion bars, so I cranked them up 2.5" over stock (flipped the upper balljoint + added a spacer and diff drop for angles). Rear end has a 2" AAL which is rather stiff and raised the rear end 3" over stock. Running Pro-Comp shocks up front and Bilsteins in the rear. I also installed a 1.5" BL only to clear the rock sliders and help with tire clearance. My only other option to lift is a 4" subframe kit which i'm on the fence about this idea. Expensive and I'm not gaining any more clearance without running 35" tires.

Engine wise the truck is a 5.3L V8 running a stock air box with K&N drop in filter, stock resonator delete, and ported throttle body. I replaced the stock fan with a dual e-fan setup, and the stock headers with a set of stainless steel long tube headers with 3" collectors. I deleted the stock catalytic convertor, and had some 3" SS dual exhaust made up for the truck. I ran different muffler setups and finally settled on a large 3" in/out baffled muffler in the middle that leads out to 2 separate 3" in/out mufflers that turn down in the back. I plan on getting a rear bumper built and eliminating these two mufflers down the road, and having the exhaust go through the new bumper.

Truck was street tuned over the winter, and then tossed on a mustang dyno a few months later. Running 259hp and 265lb/ft of torque at the wheels.

For the rear, I had the bed sprayed with Line X, and bed rack built. The rack has a hi-lift mount, and a Rotopax mount. When I'm not running a tent the rack is topped with a Front Runner Slimline II which was originally made for a Land Rover, but I shortened it down to 57" in length.

For the smaller stuff I have a set of hood struts for the hood to eliminate the prop rod, and an sPod system for switch duties. I had to get a bracket fabricated up to run it in the engine bay. As there is very little room. Also changed the shifter handler for a billet one instead. Also I have a swing case on the drivers side of the box.

I did run a couple Yeti Roadie 20 coolers but after spending about $50 on ice within a few months/camping trips. I sold one of the coolers, and picked up an Engel fridge. It's a lot smaller then my old ARB 82QT, so I'm going to see how my battery handles it. I need to replace it this year anyways as it's still the stock factory unit. I had to flip the lid over to open from the other side, but it's working good so far.

Truck is a work in progress, like anything. I left out some things, as I didn't want to clutter up this build with smaller ideas.

 

[Crazy Schooner]

Tire wise, i've tried a few different options. I trimmed the front inner fender/body mounts.

For a while I was running stock 18x8" Enkei wheels which have +28mm offset. Tires are 275/65/18 Cooper STT Pro. So they sit flush with the fenders. The wheels have been sprayed with scorpion liner in a BMW Sepang Bronze colour. The bed liner is not holding up after I had the tires taken off and reinstalled. I ended up taking these off as the tires would rub the sway bar when turning.

I cranked the front end up another half an inch and tried out a set of Hutchinson beadlocks. 17x8.5" 4.53" backspacing and a set of 285/70R17 Falken MT's tires. I liked this setup minus the weight. Ride quality really took a beating. So I removed the wheels and sold them as I was not enjoying the ride quality. The weight of the wheel/tires (120lbs each) really fought against the suspension.

Currently running a set of 16x7 steel wheels. These are the smoothie style, 4" BS and 0 offset. I painted them white with some zero rust paint. Running a set of studded 235/85R16 Firestone MT tires. I'm pretty happy with this setup, no rubbing so far.

 

[Crazy Schooner]

Tent wise I've run a bunch of different setups. Ended up settling (quite happily) with a used Hannibal Impi I found online. Originally I ran a TJM Boulija. Didn't like it, as the first time I opened it the zipper broke. Fixed the zipper and sold the tent.


Then I purchased a Rocky Mountain Outdoors RTT. I wasn't happy with the quality of it, and took it off/sold it.

Then I tried out an Autohome Columbus bit I'm wasn't quite sold on it. Bit suttborn to close with bedding/ladder inside. That and doors/windows stored on the floor when opened. That and the bug mesh was velcro'd on from the inside. Sold it.

Ran a CVT Mt. Shasta temporarily while I was searching for another hardshell RTT. I had it mounted it on a set of Front Runner load bars/bed kit.

Currently running an older Hannibal Impi model. So far I'm really enjoying this tent. Bug screen is zippered closed like the doors. Everything rolls up when not in use and the ladder fits inside with my bedding. Plus it has two locking pins rather then the Autohome's single.

 

[tacoluv]

Great stuff, missed who made bumper

 

[Crazy Schooner]

Great stuff, missed who made bumper

Company called TAG. They are out of business now and good riddance. Terrible customer service/delivery times.

 

[Hummelator]

Sure do like this style Colorados/Canyons. Sharp looking truck-Even if it is from Edmonton

 

[BPD53]

I didn't know they also came with 3.42 gears. I thought all the V8s 4x4 came with 4.10.

I guess you learn something new everyday.

Glad to see another person building a 1st gen Colorado too. My build is similar to yours in a few ways, but I will admit that yours looks better than mine.

I like the sPOD mount. My wiring looks just awful. I may have to look into a setup like yours when I'm not broke from other stuff.

 

[Crazy Schooner]

Most of the V8's were ordered as Z71. Mine is an oddball, as it's fully loaded but a Z85 model. The Z71 flares were ordered after the fact and the dealer installed them. The G80 was an option. So I basically got everything but 4.10's and 17 or 18" wheels. This pickup was basically a grandpa truck at the start; purchased by a retiree who got bored of it and sold it back to the dealership. I picked it up in late 2015 and it only had 35,000kms (21,750 miles).

 

[BPD53]

Most of the V8's were ordered as Z71. Mine is an oddball, as it's fully loaded but a Z85 model. The Z71 flares were ordered after the fact and the dealer installed them. The G80 was an option. So I basically got everything but 4.10's and 17 or 18" wheels. This pickup was basically a grandpa truck at the start; purchased by a retiree who got bored of it and sold it back to the dealership. I picked it up in late 2015 and it only had 35,000kms (21,750 miles).

I ditched my G80 right away. If you need another G80 you can have my old one for just shipping. I dumped all my money in my drivetrain to fix some of Chevrolet's weaknesses.

I have followed your build over on 355nation but I don't comment over there much.

You have one of the best looking camping Colorados I have seen. I like the tan leather better than the black leather I have.

I will post a few pics of mine once I get it on the road again. I am finishing a transfer case swap and can't wait to get out of the garage and in the woods.

 

[Crazy Schooner]

Thanks but if my G80 blows then I'll probably drop in a tru-trac unit or an e-locker. Next thing on my list is getting the front drivehsaft upgraded to a double cardon unit.

 

[BPD53]

Thanks but if my G80 blows then I'll probably drop in a tru-trac unit or an e-locker. Next thing on my list is getting the front drivehsaft upgraded to a double cardon unit.

I literally just ordered new front and rear driveshafts from Tom Woods 30 minutes ago. I got my new transfer case in and got the measurements I needed to order.

I completely understand about the G80. I can recommend OX Locker for the rear. My OX has been great.

 

[Crazy Schooner]

Little update. I sold the Coopers mostly due to being annoyed with the constant sway bar rubbing when turning. I'm just sitting on the Xtremes now and replaced that setup with these steelies. Overall weight is the same, but everything is narrower. So far I'm seeing a much-improved fuel economy boost. One trip I hit 12.94l/100kms (18.14 mpg) and my latest trip to Calgary I hit 11.37 L/100kms (20.64 mpg). I'm pretty happy with this setup, and I always like the looks of solid steelies, so it's a win for my books. The BS pushes the wheels out just enough to avoid the "skipped leg day" look the stock wheels were giving off last time I ran 235's

16x7 'smoothie' steel wheels. 0 Offset, 4" Backspacing.
235/85R16 Firestone Destination MT's (studded).

So far, no rubbing on anything.

 

[Crazy Schooner]

The other update to my truck is the new bed rack. I had the first rack designed in CAD for my red truck and it had some stuff I wanted to be changed for my newer setup. So I took it off and replaced it with this Allpro Offroad bed rack (welded together model) that has been modified quite a bit compared to what Allpro actually sells. I bought this rack used, it was on a Tacoma and I had to modify some bits to fit my truck. It has a lot of changes to it, that I wanted my replacement bed rack to have. So it was a win/win for me.

The biggest thing was the full-length bed rails, my other rack just clamped on the sides, and it held up good so far. No bed tearing or anything but with all the weight I was adding, I wanted something with a larger base for safety sake. This one runs the full length of the bed sides, and I bolted it to the top of the bed (using existing headache holes I drilled previously) and an extra one at the back.

Another thing was length, this unit is longer (and a tad lower), which just helps with aesthetics (I'm picky). I always wanted a longer bed rack to better match the longer box. Another thing I like about it being a tad lower is I wanted to mount an awning to a rack but instead of hard mounting the brackets (like welding) I wanted to make use of my front runner stuff. So I mounted a couple load bars to the rack with some pipe brackets I found at Lowes (same setup I used to mount my FR slimline rack to my older bed rack). This allows me to use my RTT mounting brackets to lift the tent off the round bars. This alleviates pressure points on the fiberglass and allows me to install a set of Rhino rack fox wing brackets. The brackets are mounted to the load bars and more inset so my CVT awning can sit nice and close to the tent and out of the way of obstacles.

I can also lower my hi-lift jack and mount it in the dead space area of the bed over the wheel wells. This keeps the extra weight down low, and out of prying eyes. Beyond that, the rack has a bunch of small mounting tabs for led lights down the road and the sides are covered in thing mounting plates for traction pads or whatever else I want to mount in that spot.

 

[Crazy Schooner]

After sitting in storage for quite some time, I pulled my PIAA LP570 driving lights out and installed them on the white truck. One of the mounts broke on the original set after an unfortunate accident on my red truck over a year ago. I couldn't order new plastic mounts from PIAA, and I didn't want to make one out of metal due to rust etc down the road. Ended up finding a good deal on two more lights online and picked them up. Took the mounts off and used them on the original lights. So I have four of these now but only need two.

I ground off the light bar tabs, gave them a shot of paint and bolted down the lights. Instead of putting my old wiring harness back together, I just cut everything off from the relay, combined both positive wires together and grounds as well (two whites, two black twisted together sep) and wired them into my sPod unit under a 30 amp fuse. Nothing blew when I turned the truck on haha. These driving lights are SAE/DOT approved for high beam use, and I put them on to just supplement my hids. They aren't crazy bright in comparison to my high beams, but that's fine.

Seeing how my retrofit headlights couldn't sell I installed them back on the truck. I almost bought a set of 4300k Phillips D2S bulbs as I prefer a more yellow colour at night but held off when I found the extra set of PIAA's. Good thing too, as having 3 different shades of lights on the front of my truck would've bugged me. These match the hids rather well, better than the rigid light bar I was running previously. So minus the amber turn signals (which I converted to run as DRL's to save bulb life) all the lights are 6000k.

 

[Crazy Schooner]

Little changes. I removed my front sway bar after this little trip and the ride quality improved considerably. Kinda regret getting rid of the beadlocks seeing how most of my problems was the front sway bar, and not so much the weight. Oh well, learn as you go. I had to remove it as the constant noise from the end links offroad was driving me nuts.

I ordered a custom dash gauge over a year ago, and finally decided to install it. Once it was on I then replaced the orange needles with red needles.

Also, my OEM battery died the morning of the above trip. Only one place was open on a saturday morning with an AGM battery in stock. So I swapped in an Optima and went on my day.