Belly dragging no more - 2003 Silverado 1500HD Crew Cab 4X4 Quadrasteer

[Devin W]

A couple years ago I decided I needed a truck and sold the SUV. I wanted something that had as much interior space as possible since I appreciated that about the SUV, but I wanted to have a bed to load bicycles, moto's, and just having the general utility of a truck bed so I decided a full size crew cab was in order. With the length being what it was I stumbled upon the Quadrasteer trucks and was sold on the idea. I finally tracked one down that met my criteria. This is what it looked like when I bought it:


I was very happy with the truck and the ride. Having had several very capable off road vehicles in the past, I knew that I would never achieve the same with this platform (not my goal anyway), but that I needed to make some cosmetic and utility modifications to meet my use as basically a base camp vehicle. After a couple months of owning it, this was the result:


At that point, I knew the biggest issue was lack of ground clearance and poor break-over. But, as life would have it, things got so busy that I really used it primarily for utility vs. recreation. For 2012 I've recommitted to getting back out in the dirt and camping more so I decided to do something about the clearance issue, and frankly with how long the truck is, it now looks like it has the right proportions, too:


So there's the intro. I have lots of plans, but we'll see how often the cash resources will allow me to indulge those. I've seen some great sliders from another member here that I've already found a local welder interested in taking on the project. I'll likely have him build me a better light/brush bar, too. The front bumper will stay stock as I have receivers bolt to the front end that make the truck towable with a motorhome and I plan to use those for a receiver mount for a winch or other accessories. I need to decide how to carry the proper size spare as well. I have a roof top tent and originally was going to use a ladder style rack for that, but for the time being decided to mount it to my utility trailer.

I don't know that this is a build - just an evolution so I'll update as appropriate. This forum is loaded with tons of great ideas and info so I figured I'd show my enthusiasm by getting a thread started.

 

[Devin W]

And from a couple different angles...

 

[Rot Box]

Wow thats a good lookin' truck! :Wow1:

How do you like the quadrasteer? You don't see that feature too often in this day and age.

 

[Devin W]

Wow thats a good lookin' truck! :Wow1:

How do you like the quadrasteer? You don't see that feature too often in this day and age.

Thanks, Rot. I think the QS was last offered by GM in '05 (maybe '06), so yeah, it's not super common. Although now that I have one, I tend to see them more since I notice the rear fenders. I've seen mostly the Denali extracabs though.

I love how it works. It makes the difference between having to make a three point turn in a residential street to turn around or multiple attempts in tight parking lots to just a single fluid turn like in a car. There have been times that I disconnected the battery to do something and then hopped in to drive it, went to make a u-turn, and ended up not being able to complete it without backing up because I forgot to put it back into the 4WS mode (it defaults to 2WS after the power has been disconnected). I drive with it on all the time as there is no drawback. I would try to find another if anything happened to this truck.

 

[redthies]

A good friend of mine has the Denali ex-cab version and also loves it. I haven't driven it myself, but he swears by it. I know GM did some testing with lifted big tired trucks in deep southern mud to make sure things were strong enough.

 

[Rovertrader]

now that is a spare tire carrier!! Are they available surplus??

 

[locrwln]

Great looking truck. It's kind of too bad the QS never caught on.

Jack

 

[Devin W]

Reminds me if the MILCOTS quadrasteer

Yeah I've seen pics of those trucks and love how they look - all business and no chrome. That bumper and spare carrier is awesome too, but there are times that I have to run with the tailgate down for the dirt bikes so I can't use something that is dependent on the tailgate being closed to be secure unfortunately. I was originally going to do recentered H1 rims, but decided I didn't want to commit to 16.5" wheels.

 

[Devin W]

Great looking truck. It's kind of too bad the QS never caught on.

Jack

Thanks, Jack - I've been watching your thread keeping track of all of the sensible things I should be thinking about to make the truck truly expedition worthy. Frankly, part of the motivation to get the suspension done was that everything on the front end was worn out and needed replacing!

 

[Devin W]

A good friend of mine has the Denali ex-cab version and also loves it. I haven't driven it myself, but he swears by it. I know GM did some testing with lifted big tired trucks in deep southern mud to make sure things were strong enough.

I've also read that. There aren't many kits that actually say they are compatible with the QS, but the rear axle mounts the same as a standard axle. All of the steering is attached directly to the axle so the concerns would be that the springs don't interfere with the rear wheel when turned lock-to-lock and not changing the pinion angle so the caster doesn't get caster and camber don't get changed. Other than that the only other issue is moving the hardware that holds the steering control cables forward so they have enough slack to compensate for the lift. So far so good, although, I do have a minor rear driveshaft vibe at one speed that I'll have a shop look at and see how that will best be addressed. I'm sure they are the original u-joints with 140K miles on them so they probably don't love the new angle.

 

[Mark Harley]

Sweet ride!
I never saw a QS in a 2500 the local rides are extended cabs and 1500
How did you mod the front bumper? just cut off the lower half?
Any problems with the airbag sensors?

Nice color combo too!

 

[Walker]

Nice truck!

 

[MagnutsWJ]

Hey Devin, what suspension and tire setup did you go with? I recently picked up a 1500hd, and like you said, yours really looks proportional now.

 

[Devin W]

Sweet ride!
I never saw a QS in a 2500 the local rides are extended cabs and 1500
How did you mod the front bumper? just cut off the lower half?
Any problems with the airbag sensors?

Nice color combo too!

Thanks, Mark! Agreed on the color :iagree:

It's actually a 1500HD so it has the 8 lug axles and higher payload suspension, but the frame is not as tall as the 2500. As for the front bumper, yes, I just removed the plastic valence and then just shaved the outside corners to match the rest of the bumper line - so I didn't have any sensor issues.

 

[Devin W]

Hey Devin, what suspension and tire setup did you go with? I recently picked up a 1500hd, and like you said, yours really looks proportional now.

Saw your thread. Nice find with the truck and what a cool bumper that you don't see everyday.

I went with a Skyjacker 6" knuckle lift in the front and new 6" springs (instead of blocks) in the rear. I chose the Skyjacker because supposedly it is 100% bolt on with no mods needed to the front diff or exhaust. That's sort of true. Ultimately, the unused diff mount still had interference with my pitman arm. Chopping that mount or dropping the steering would solve that. While originally I thought it would be nice to go back to stock, I now realize that will likely never happen so I just shaved that mount (although there are kits to replace that if ever needed). So far the handling feels very stable, easy to steer, and tracks very well. The ride feels nearly factory. The kit I bought also came with longer nitrogen shocks that I replaced my factory ride control shocks with. I had two other small issues with the kit. One was that the knuckles wouldn't clear the rotors. After confirming with SJ that I had the right knuckles they looked at pictures I sent and suggested that I just clearance them a little more as there is a cut-out, but it wasn't machined deep enough (he referred to it as something that got past quality control). The other was that the torsion bar bushing hardware was undersized so those had to be machined out a little for them to fit correctly. Other than that, it came out well.

I replaced the upper control arms with Cognito Motorsports arms that have a replaceable ball joint since mine were toast and the factory UCA's technically have to be replaced when the ball joints go bad. The additional advantages were a little more droop and the ball joint can be run in two-different positions to affect the height of the front end. I ran mine in the highest position so that I could run closer to factory settings on the torsion bars for a comfortable ride but level stance front to rear.

The tires are Nitto Dura Grappler 305/70R18's. It's an E rated tire with what I would call a commercial all-season traction tread. I anticipate it will do great in the wet and snow while getting me everywhere I need to go off the beaten path (I won't be doing any rock-crawling or mud bogging). It's a 10-ply tire rated to 65psi, so I should be able to air it down if I really need some additional traction. It's a big tire for it's stated size: The tread measures 305 but with the side walls, it's wide. Diameter is about 35.3", so while the SJ lift kit says it clears 35's I do have some minor interference at the rear side of the fender well that I'm resolving.

The wheels are 18" XD-798 Addicts with the 4.5" offset that SJ requires for their kit. Between the knuckles and the wheel offset it gives the front end a wide stance, which is a look I like and I eventually will go to fiberglass fenders so that I can cover them and keep from flinging debris down the side of the truck.

New lower balls joints and tie-rods finished things out. It feels like a new truck!