I am cross posting this thread onto www.67-72chevytrucks.com . Some information might seem like it might be directed towards that group vs this group but I believe that this thread is beneficial to both sites. To me this is going to be a daily driver that I use to go camping in, most of the time mountain biking or kayaking while camping, to drive down gravel/dirt roads/slight trails, and use as a truck to haul stuff in the bed or pull a trailer.
Well I got a new truck so it's time to start the build thread now. I was daily driving a 2005 GMC Canyon that my parents let me use while I was in college and it was up to 149k miles and I started having smaller issues with it. After college I moved about 4 hours away from family so after I got a majority of my student loans paid off a vehicle started to become a necessity.
I started looking around November and I decided I wanted a 2014-18 GMC 4x4 Regular Cab Short Bed 5.3. I was looking in the 40-60 k miles range. In December I found this truck for sale, but when I called the dealer they said it had sold 30 minutes before I called. That's when I really started looking for a truck, searching pretty much nation wide. I went and looked at a couple but none were quite right. Then this one popped up again and it was for sale in the same area. I figured they just hadn't taken the ad down but I figured I would call anyways. It turns out that the first dealer had auctioned it to this dealer and it was for sale.
This is an odd truck. It is a 2016 GMC Sierra K1500 5.3 Regular Cab Short Bed SL. Although it is an SL it is extremely well optioned in many regards. I have the original window sticker but I don't have a picture of that right now, but I will get it later. This truck has carpet flooring, the convivence package ( better radio, power windows, etc.), trailering package, 3.42's, G80, and a manual shift transfer case. Honestly if I were ordering this truck new there isn't much I would change. A trailer brake, the auxiliary switches, changing it to woodland green, a rear slider, and maybe cab lights. Most of this can/will be added or I can live without.
What was really appealing about this truck is that it had 24,918 miles when I bought it. It was bought new in Anderson, Indiana, presumably by an old man. He added the topper, the aftermarket running boards, and floor liners. I haven't been able to find anything else. He also serviced the truck exclusively at the dealership, which is shown on the Car Fax. Oil was changed every 3,000 miles religiously with tires being rotated every 6,000 miles, and I believe the only other thing they did was replace the ABS module. I believe this truck even has the original tires. After he was done with the truck he traded it back into Ed Martin GMC at Anderson and it went to auction and Sam Pierce bought it. I then bought it from them.
Now for what I plan to do to this truck. The topper that was put on this truck was not designed for this truck, it is too short, and the cab profile does not match. I will be keeping an eye out for one of those. Along with factory GMC rectangular running boards. These hang down too low and just don't look right. I am going to try to find an extra air dam and that I can trim along a rib. I like the look of the air dam but it hangs too low for my liking, but I'm not ready to cut up this one. Next will be an AFM/DOD disabler and a catch can for the intake. This is all stuff that will happen fairly soon.
After that Fox Coilovers in the front and Fox shocks in the rear. This along with the air dam/running boards will let me pick my ride height before I get tires. Right now I am thinking a +1" level in the front. I will probably run 285/70r17's, there is a general consensus that these are the largest that you can run at stock height to +1" level. Depending on ride I might take the overload leaf out of the rear, and depending on ride height I may take the 1-1/4" block out of the rear. I think this will be too level as I like a little bit of rake, but I am still open to the idea. To replace the overload leaf I will add a Ridetech Suspension Air Assist kit.
As far as factory options that I want to add are the auxiliary switches, which is possible, but the relays will have to be wired in a little differently. A factory trailer brake controller is on my list too. I need to figure out if this is possible. When I bought the truck I was given a pig tail to connect to a trailer brake controller, but I am not sure if this will work with a factory controller. I need to dig into some wiring schematics... yay
Now for the pictures. The Blue 2005 GMC Canyon is the truck that I was driving, it's a good little truck but it needed to be demoted to extra vehicle status, which is what my parents did. The White 2024 GMC Sierra is a 2wd that my parents bought new on the Thursday before I bought my truck. They are going to be lowering that truck with a Ridetech Coilover conversion and axle flip kit. Then my 2016 GMC 4x4. I will get the picture with of the window sticker, pictures of the inside, and some of the truck in the daylight.
Well I got a new truck so it's time to start the build thread now. I was daily driving a 2005 GMC Canyon that my parents let me use while I was in college and it was up to 149k miles and I started having smaller issues with it. After college I moved about 4 hours away from family so after I got a majority of my student loans paid off a vehicle started to become a necessity.
I started looking around November and I decided I wanted a 2014-18 GMC 4x4 Regular Cab Short Bed 5.3. I was looking in the 40-60 k miles range. In December I found this truck for sale, but when I called the dealer they said it had sold 30 minutes before I called. That's when I really started looking for a truck, searching pretty much nation wide. I went and looked at a couple but none were quite right. Then this one popped up again and it was for sale in the same area. I figured they just hadn't taken the ad down but I figured I would call anyways. It turns out that the first dealer had auctioned it to this dealer and it was for sale.
This is an odd truck. It is a 2016 GMC Sierra K1500 5.3 Regular Cab Short Bed SL. Although it is an SL it is extremely well optioned in many regards. I have the original window sticker but I don't have a picture of that right now, but I will get it later. This truck has carpet flooring, the convivence package ( better radio, power windows, etc.), trailering package, 3.42's, G80, and a manual shift transfer case. Honestly if I were ordering this truck new there isn't much I would change. A trailer brake, the auxiliary switches, changing it to woodland green, a rear slider, and maybe cab lights. Most of this can/will be added or I can live without.
What was really appealing about this truck is that it had 24,918 miles when I bought it. It was bought new in Anderson, Indiana, presumably by an old man. He added the topper, the aftermarket running boards, and floor liners. I haven't been able to find anything else. He also serviced the truck exclusively at the dealership, which is shown on the Car Fax. Oil was changed every 3,000 miles religiously with tires being rotated every 6,000 miles, and I believe the only other thing they did was replace the ABS module. I believe this truck even has the original tires. After he was done with the truck he traded it back into Ed Martin GMC at Anderson and it went to auction and Sam Pierce bought it. I then bought it from them.
Now for what I plan to do to this truck. The topper that was put on this truck was not designed for this truck, it is too short, and the cab profile does not match. I will be keeping an eye out for one of those. Along with factory GMC rectangular running boards. These hang down too low and just don't look right. I am going to try to find an extra air dam and that I can trim along a rib. I like the look of the air dam but it hangs too low for my liking, but I'm not ready to cut up this one. Next will be an AFM/DOD disabler and a catch can for the intake. This is all stuff that will happen fairly soon.
After that Fox Coilovers in the front and Fox shocks in the rear. This along with the air dam/running boards will let me pick my ride height before I get tires. Right now I am thinking a +1" level in the front. I will probably run 285/70r17's, there is a general consensus that these are the largest that you can run at stock height to +1" level. Depending on ride I might take the overload leaf out of the rear, and depending on ride height I may take the 1-1/4" block out of the rear. I think this will be too level as I like a little bit of rake, but I am still open to the idea. To replace the overload leaf I will add a Ridetech Suspension Air Assist kit.
As far as factory options that I want to add are the auxiliary switches, which is possible, but the relays will have to be wired in a little differently. A factory trailer brake controller is on my list too. I need to figure out if this is possible. When I bought the truck I was given a pig tail to connect to a trailer brake controller, but I am not sure if this will work with a factory controller. I need to dig into some wiring schematics... yay
Now for the pictures. The Blue 2005 GMC Canyon is the truck that I was driving, it's a good little truck but it needed to be demoted to extra vehicle status, which is what my parents did. The White 2024 GMC Sierra is a 2wd that my parents bought new on the Thursday before I bought my truck. They are going to be lowering that truck with a Ridetech Coilover conversion and axle flip kit. Then my 2016 GMC 4x4. I will get the picture with of the window sticker, pictures of the inside, and some of the truck in the daylight.
