Need help to start a build.

[roughneck1]

Fist off the truck I have to work with is a 2004 Silverado 2500 4x4 It is a crew cab with a 6.0L Gas V8 and a six and a half foot bed.
I have been thinking about building the truck for some time now. But recently I wrecked it up and either way plan on rebuilding it in some way so why not start my project now. The bed is all bent up along with the front end. I would like to know where to start upgrading as I put it back together. I would still like to drive the truck to work in bad weather but plan on using my car most of the time. What kind of lift should I use. What should I do with the bed and front end. It must have some bumper on it the old one is shot.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Raul B]

whats your budget? how high do you want to go with your lift/ wheel tire combo? what are you plans for the build/ where do you plan on taking it?

 

[ttravis5446]

Do you have any pics of the damage so we can see how bad it really is before making recommendations?

 

[LR Max]

Depends on how busted up the frame is. If the frame is just a bit tweaked, then sure why not.

Great platform to build off of. The 6.0 (LQ4 or LQ9, can't remember which year they switched) is a great engine. If it were me, I'd do a solid axle swap on the front and run 35s. Bigger tires on these larger trucks help. For the bed, you can take this opportunity to make something custom if you don't mind not having a bed. Also if your bed isn't too badly beat up, straighten it and modify it as you please.

The GMT400 series vehicles are plenty. Lots of parts available so you can do whatever.

Really depends on what you want to do with the truck. What kind of wheeling you want to do. However if you retain your stock interior, stay with radial tires on non-beadlock rims, and don't screw up anything else too bad, you should be able to drive the truck comfortably on the highway (theoretically).

 

[aardvarcus]

You will probably get more posts in the Domestic-Full Size and Other section of the forum, instead of the general section. Check this build out:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/100040-Our-Dual-Sport-GMC-Sierra

Yeah, as others have stated pictures would help. Also, what are you looking to accomplish? Is this a highway traveler with light offroading, base camp rig towing a trailer, or are you making it into a rock crawler? There are a lot of people on here that can give you lots of great advice, but if you try to build up a highway traveler like a rock crawler or vice versa you might not like the end result.

 

[roughneck1]

Thank everyone for the reply so far. Attached are 2 pictures I will get some more when I have a chance to do so in the daylight. But for now it is something. As for a budget I would hope not to end up with more than 10 grand in the truck. That would be about my stopping point. Unless it is something that really sparks my interest. Use of the truck would be a base camp and hunting rig. Some mild wheeling when it goes to the mountains. Keep in mind it is a 200 mile drive to the hunting camp and it will be all interstate running. Also I live in the great state of Pennsylvania so it will have to be able to slide past PA inspection. Not too strict I just am not quite sure what the bumper, headlight and lift laws are. Wheels and tires I am going to take recommendations on I have little experience with different brands so any input would be very helpful.

 

[east_tn_81]

Sheet metal will be easy to replace. Do you want the the truck bed or would you like a flat bed. For me the best place to start is making sure the vechile is solid. Make sure the motor and the tranny are solid. Then decide what your needs are. That will help with lift, tires storage and what every else you want.

 

[aardvarcus]

I'll throw in my suggestions. 100% agree with East TN 81 reliability > everything else. I have a 2001 2500HD 4x4 with the 8.1L/Allison. When I started this truck, first thing I did was complete fluid changes. Believe it or not it made a big difference in my shifting, I think the previous owner had the “wrong” (ok per GM but not Allison) fluid in the transmission. I also had my truck tuned by Black Bear Performance, also made a big difference in drivability.
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Next I put tall/skinny 255/85R16 Cooper Discoverers on the truck. Their tread pattern was much more aggressive than I was anticipating. I ended up really disliking how they handled on the road under this huge truck, and since most all of my miles in this truck are on the road, I switched to Michelins. If you are looking for something more off-road oriented, my 1991 K2500LD really likes the Cooper Discover S/T's that came off of my 2001, but it is a lighter truck and gets more off-road time in. I wouldn't put a 255/85 on a heavy truck again, even for a dedicated off roader.
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The Michelin tires I got were LTX M/S2 285/70R17s. I love how these handle on the road. I have also used them on some light off-roading around the family farm; they have gotten me through some ditches and up some steep banks without any problem. Definitely wouldn't be my choice for a trail rig, but for a 95% road and 5% off-road vehicle, they fit the bill for me. The Michelin A/T2 would be a better choice for a mainly on-road but slightly more off-road vehicle.
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Another really good on road oriented upgrade is an aftermarket front sway bar. Seriously between the sway bars and the tires I went from slowing down to 45 in turns scared to death I was going to flip over to not even lifting off of the cruise and taking the same turns at 65. Replacing the probably worn out rubber bushings with polyurethane would also get you most of the performance at a lower price.
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Bumper wise, without going custom you can either find a stocker to put back on or put an aftermarket steel bumper on there. Steel bumper is better at hitting things at low to moderate speeds with no damage as well has hitting animals and anything smaller than your truck at high speeds (deer). Since the steep bumpers eliminate your crumple zone the factory bumper is actually “safer” for the occupants if you hit something large at high speeds at the expense of sacrificing the front of your truck. (Do not misunderstand, I am not hating on steel bumpers. I just feel you should be aware of the tradeoffs and make the decision that is best for you.) However miles from civilization the steel bumper will increase your likelihood of being able to drive back out with minimal damage from small or moderate incidents, because it will not sacrifice the front of your truck.
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Bed wise, I use my truck to haul “stuff” a lot, and I really like having bed sides and a tailgate. If you are planning on a gooseneck or 5th wheel, a flatbed can make a lot of sense though, and you can fab up some bed sides if you need them on occasion.

 

[roughneck1]

So as far as the reliability of the truck that is not a problem. The only thing is the transfer case picks what it wants to be in upon start up. I have had the truck for a year now and have used it with little to no problems. The truck currently has 162xxx miles and still counting as it is being used when I need.

When it comes to a bed I dont know I am still up in the air on that one I have thought about the flat bed since I dont use the bed too much I have a trailer to haul "stuff". But I like to keep tools and such on hand. So I need to figure what would work as far as storage to keep tow chains and tools on hand.

I will also need a place to keep the spare since it cant be under the truck with the exhaust that was put on the truck by the previous owner.

As far as a bumper I am more thinking about the steel bumper. I am not suppose to hit stuff to start with. (yet I did anyway) I am curious if I am better off with a winch built into the bumper or use one mounted to use a receiver on the bumper. As far towing I only tow stuff from my factory tow package. The bigest thing that I tow is a 16' dump trailer and a 18' car trailer.

I am hoping to get out in the light tomarrow and get some more pictures of the truck everyone has a better Idea what I am working with.

 

[roughneck1]

So here are some pictures of the bed and you can see some damage on the rocker panel for before I bought the truck. I am right now leaning towards either buying a Flatbed or making a bed of some sort. If I buy a Flatbed I will need some sort of toolbox to keep stuff in. And if I am to make a bed I would imagine I should be able to build some storage into it.

 

[aardvarcus]

If you make a bed, you can set up storage to exactly fit your needs. As I am sure you know, they make tool boxes that mount under the flat bed for before and after the tires without taking up any of your bed space. So that would get you 4 medium boxes for things right off the bat. Sometimes you can find used older flat beds on CL at prices that are cheaper than what buying the steel would cost. You might start with one of those beds and modify it to suit your needs.
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One of the worst things about flatbeds through is they tend to get heavy in a hurry. For a while on my old truck I considered making a steel framed flatbed with a wood deck to keep the weight reasonable. I finally decided that the normal bed fit my needs more and just left it alone.
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I noticed you have a bed with a bedcover; you will probably lose at least 1 MPG going to a “typical” flatbed from a normal bed with bedcover, partly from aerodynamics and partly from weight. Not sure if that is a big deal to you or not.