Red_5 gets a ZR2 and bolts some things on...

[Bob Laublaw]

Awesome. Thanks for the reply. I went and hopped in and out of one again. Easy enough.

As for the track width, what you say is making sense. It's still narrower than the Tundra on the wheels (but not by a ton), however, the truck itself is VASTLY narrower. Not as long either. Both things I'm looking for.

 

[red_5]

More Front Runner goodness...

First, I've remounted my SlimLine II rack using track mount feet from Front Runner.

I originally went with the Yakima setup because I had it already and based on information available at the time, it was unknown if the FR feet would work with my setup. I only had a couple of days to get the rack installed and other things sorted out before we left on our trip, so I didn't have time to look into it further at the time.

Now that I've had some time to revisit this, I've been able to determine that the Front Runner feet will work splendidly for my application!

The 1425mm(W)x1358(L) SlimLine rack combined with Front Runner 70mm track mount feet is EXACTLY the right width to mount on my TCUSA tonneau's rails. With the feet pushed out to the widest possible mounting, right up against the rack side rails, it's a perfect fit. Not a mm to spare though...

The Front Runner track hardware is more heavy duty than the Yakima stuff but won't fit in the tracks that came on the cover, so I used the Yakima "track nuts" and some SS bolts from my stash. The bolts I had on hand were about 2mm too long and bottomed out in the track. Rather than order more hardware or stack washers, I machined some Delrin spacers to take up the slack.

The net result of using the Front Runner is an overall better mounting solution. The FR feet eliminate the bit of flex that the Yakima stuff had due to their abundance of plastic parts and is an overall cleaner and lower profile setup. I did lose the QR feature of the Yakima towers, but I don't think I'll miss it.

 

[red_5]

Haulin' Axe!

Sometimes, you need to haul some axe.

Mounted on driver's side. Just in case I need to jump out and chop something real quick...

 

[red_5]

Most important

Possibly the most useful thing I've installed on the rack so far...

 

[red_5]

revised shovel mount

I'd also done a quick-n-dirty mounting on the shovel. The FR brackets are intended to be used on the side rails of the rack, but I figured out that I wanted the shovel alongside my jack. So I did a quick remount on the slats.

Now that I have a bit more time to fiddle, I took the "extra" brackets that Front Runner includes in the shovel mount kit to install it on older racks and got after it a bit on the mill. I bored three new holes in these brackets and installed them on the rack slats laying down, which allowed me in turn, to mount the SlimLime II shovel mounts flat rather than vertically.

And I got to use all the parts that came in the box!

 

[red_5]

Additional lighting will be my next project once funds permit...

 

[Comanche Scott]

"...haul some axe." roflol! :beer:

Looking really good. Your rack setup is sweet!

 

[red_5]

"...haul some axe." roflol! :beer:

Looking really good. Your rack setup is sweet!

Thanks man! It's coming together, a piece at a time...

 

[red_5]

A little late, but here's a pic of the setup out in the wild:[

 

[bigjohndatsun]

Nice pin stripe Good to see you taking advantage of the new vehicle. Have you gotten the need to use the locking diffs yet?

 

[CDNChris]

Please keep this going. I'm seriously interested in this truck but have hesitations with Chevy's and long term reliability. But to be honest, that's only from second hand knowledge. How is the back seat leg room compared to the Tacoma? I haven't checked one out yet. I'm 6'4" and the Tacoma feels a little snug for me.

 

[Jurfie]

Please keep this going. I'm seriously interested in this truck but have hesitations with Chevy's and long term reliability. But to be honest, that's only from second hand knowledge. How is the back seat leg room compared to the Tacoma? I haven't checked one out yet. I'm 6'4" and the Tacoma feels a little snug for me.

I'm 6'6" and sat in the backseat; it's tight, but okay for a short jaunt. I'm sure lesser humans would find it okay.

Driver's seat has tons of legroom. Much more comfortable than my JK. Seriously considering this one as well. I had an '91 S10 4x4 with 360,000 km on it (225,000 mi for our American friends) when I sold it in '04.

 

[CDNChris]

I'm 6'6" and sat in the backseat; it's tight, but okay for a short jaunt. I'm sure lesser humans would find it okay.

Driver's seat has tons of legroom. Much more comfortable than my JK. Seriously considering this one as well. I had an '91 S10 4x4 with 360,000 km on it (225,000 mi for our American friends) when I sold it in '04.

Lol. Lesser humans. No doubt.

Thanks for the info. I want a vehicle that I can sit in comfortably for 8-10 hours and go places where most cannot. This is looking promising.

 

[Terex]

Thanks so much for posting info and pics!

I picked up a '18 ZR2 diesel on Monday. I'll be using it to pull my VMI Offroad trailer. Have been using my wife's Grand Cherokee Overland Diesel w/ ORII suspension to pull it till now. I'll be selling my JKR with with a Front Runner Slimline II but I'm looking at trying to use the Slimline on the ZR2. The rack on the Rubicon is quite a bit longer than the one that fits the ZR2, so I need to figure out if I can trim the Slimline side rails down to fit the length of the Chevy bed.

I'm also looking at a Leitner frame rack with the side storage tubs, etc. Will be mounting two 1Up bike racks on top of whatever racking system I put on the bed. http://www.leitnerdesigns.com/colorado-canyon-bed-rack-short-bed-2017-plus-p/00-5760-m-01-1208.htm

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

X2 Thank you for posting,

I looked at one last week and really like it. Id like to purchase one but am waiting until they have been out a year or so just to work through any possible bugs.

Looks good!