The Lost ZR2 Build

[Lost Roadie]

Greetings all, thought I'd share some of the work I've been doing in the evolution of my truck's adveturization.





Starting with a shiny new ZR2, first up was lighting: I replaced all the headlights with Cyclops LED's
To supplement the headlights I also added a couple of Baja Designs S2 Pro Spot's, mounted to the grill, above where my front receiver carrier winch. A dremel did the handy work for trimmed out the plastic on the grill.
I wired in a relay triggered from the high beam for them to keep things simple.



Also added Diode Dynamics Switchback to the front signals, LED backup, cargo and interior lights, with red LED's in the map lights.

To help protect the the truck from the endless high speed gravel road runs and mud I installed the GMC mudflaps, so far so good with them. They have plenty of flex being able to bend when I inevitably come down off a rock. Trail tested.

I installed a OEM front camera to help me with navigating on steep terrain or when rock crawling, as I'm usually solo and have no spotter. Install was pretty straightforward, though the directions aren't very comprehensive.

As for the camera, you need to install a control box behind the infotainment screen and run a cable through the firewall. The cable has a plastic plug imbedded that stretches and seals the slit you cut in the gasket, right next to the main wiring harness.

Once it's all done you press and hold the BACK button on the dash and the image comes up until you hit BACK again.

Part# 19366656

https://echomaster.com/intellihaul/

Bought it here for $374

ShopChevyParts.com

Moving back towards the bed, I installed a TruXedo Titanium Tonneau Cover which I'm happy with.
To go with it a pop lock tailgate solenoid so the tailgate locks with the doors.

To give me lots of options secure stuff in the back I installed E-Track all around, using stainless steel 1/4" rivets and some spacers where needed to work around the bends in the bed walls. Lots of options for accessories for E-Track, including a load bar I cut down to size.

I also added some Quick Fist Clamps to mount a shovel and some (jeep hood) brackets for a high-lift jack. Both installed using stainless rivet nuts, M10 for the Jack, M6 for the shovel, using this tool:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073VK3B7S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s05?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Lost Roadie]

Here's the hi-lift mount I used:

https://www.4wheelparts.com/Winches...0.aspx?t_c=18&t_s=190&t_pt=10044&t_pn=W/I3840









Added a 6.5 pound maul to the bed also.

Also added was a keyless entry pad so I can lock/unlock the truck without the keys when I'm out of cell range. Very handy when going for a hike or paddle to not carry keys.
I went with an alternative and discreet mounting location - on the fuel door.

GM Part No. 23473339

There was a long ass delay at the dealer to have them flash it into my truck, apparently they need to send the code off the module and your VIN to GMC, who in turn sends back a code so they can alter the security of the truck. What should have been a 20 minute thing turned into 5 hours waiting for GMC to send the code back. I would recommend having your dealer try to get this sorted before you come in to get it flashed.

In the bed I added a red Baja Design Dome Light with integrated switch, mounted on a hinge so I can utilize it for the bed or the campsite. I drilled, tapped and installed a set screw to keep the hinge in place in any position.
I'm a big fan of preserving night vision and try to use red lights/headlamp as much as possible when camping.

https://www.bajadesigns.com/products/Dome-Light.asp



When I really need to see clearly I supplemented the OEM bed lights with some super bright LED strips, tapped into the OEM lights for control from the cab switch. I had these in my Canyon and appreciated the smooth high output they provide.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NQHZ0WC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Also added a marine grade 12v outlet to power up the Dometic dual zone fridge or a USB charger in the bed. I stripped back the insulation and soldered in the Dome Light and 12v outlet to the always on 30amp circuit found on the 7-pin trailer wiring harness.

Moving forward in the bed there's now a couple mini quick fists on top of the load bar, perfect for carrying my two piece fishing rods in a safe place.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006NOC8Q6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



On the bulkhead I added a Utility E-Track bag - all things recovery, rigging and straps go in there out of the way.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071J7RP9G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Also added a piece of recycled heavy rubber to cover the teeth on the Maxtraxx mats, my water container and 1gal propane tank fit on top of the mats.

No pictured, but I had been noticing a fair amount of dust getting in the bed from gravel road travels with the tonneau closed. I had added tail gate gasket strips for the tailgate but in the front of the bed on the bulkhead you could see daylight coming in all down the bed seam. I sealed it up with expanding foam and painted it black and it seems to have helped quite a bit with dust in the bed.

Winch power.

 

[Lost Roadie]

My 589FAB front receiver and shock guards came in.
The welds are beautiful, nice work they do, though the D-ring mounts were a little rough but nothing an angle grinder and dremel couldn't make prettier.
Three coats of primer and 3 coats of satin black paint and it's ready to mount.
The carrier weighs 38 pounds, the Warn 10K winch & cradle weighs 85 pounds - it'll be adding 123 pounds to the front end when it's installed.

On a side note, I'm really confused why a 2" receiver is actually 2.15" and the male end on the winch carrier is 1.87".
It makes for my winch to have a lot of slop to flop around in the receiver. This isn't something that's necessarily 589fabs fault, my OEM receiver is the same on the back. You'd think that 2" means 2", but it seems all of them don't have tighter tolerances. Still figuring out a way to shim or something to make the winch not sloppy and slightly tilted down.

Installed shock skids.

Installed a ARB single compressor, deciding not to make things more complicated than they needed to be... I didn't want to subject the ARB to the extremely dusty conditions I drive in mounting it outside the cab and it doesn't take up any needed space between the seats.
I bought the mobile version that comes in a tool box, removed the tool box and using 2" sticky velcro mounted it to my floor.
I like it has the integrated switch mounted on it, super clean. I ran a 10 gauge fused wire from the battery through the firewall and into the cab to the compressor. The hose when coiled up sits right on top of the compressor.
With this ARB single it takes 1 minute 30 seconds per tire to go from 22 psi to 35 psi, I'm very happy with the performance.

On to the fun stuff; camping!

My e-track and load bar system is working out perfectly keeping everything completely secure while driving off road.

front to back:
hi-lift trail jack
traction mats
recovery gear
1 gallon propane tank
chain saw
step stool
Quick Shade 12x12 pop up canopy (not pictured but stores on top of propane/chainsaw/traction mats)
11 gallons of water
in blue tub#1 - stove, shower, tent, cooking stuff, fishing stuff, bottle of decent scotch and various other camp items
blue tub #2 firewood, small axe, 1L chainsaw gas, 1L chainsaw oil.
Underneath blue tubs 8' x 8'x sand mat
folding chair
Load bar with 2 fishing poles mounted on top
Dometic 75L dual zone fridge/freezer
Poor Mans ArkPak: A deep cycle battery in a Minn-Kota battery box that charges from 4 Goal Zero 20w panels when parked, charges from Optimate DC to DC charger I mounted on the box. The charger is fed by an SAE plug wired into a relay that turns it on when the truck running lights are on so as to only charge while driving. The solar panels store under passenger seat
underneath cooler - small folding table

Build Pause, started a 2.5 month adventure.....

 

[Lost Roadie]

After month on the road I added a RTT and Kayak to my rig during the trip, took a bit of planning to get it all shipped to one place to meet up with but worked out in the end.

The rack is an ADARACK and works in conjunction with the cover.
https://www.agricover.com/truck-bed-racks/

RTT is a AutoHome Maggiolina Grand Tour
The World Best Roof Top Tents | Autohome US

Vibe Sea Ghost 110 Kayak on Yakima mounts.
https://vibekayaks.com


So far it's been great, like having high rise penthouse when camping and the kayak has opened up great fishing opportunities for me. :smile2:

 

[Lost Roadie]

After another 6 weeks on the road....


Spending the summer traveling around the US going from airport to airport and flying out to work now and then I learned a few things one should always do.
Most things listed prior in this thread worked out quite well... except for the battery setup I quickly did right before I left.
The thing that I needed to change was how I'm powering my fridge/freezer and accessories which camped.

I was using a Optimate DC - DC charger connected to a relay that was triggered from the running/parking lights. I always turn my switch to the parking lights while driving, the switchback LED's I have are more noticeable than the low beams during the day and hell, it just looks good too.
Anyways, on the days I didn't drive more than 6 hours I wasn't fully charging the "house" battery in the bed which the fridge was plugged into while in camp. Simple math told me this but I ignored it.
Also, while my truck sat at an airport for days or for a week I had to throw away any food inside the fridge, which was a real bummer.


To solve this problem I installed 250w of low profile flexible solar. My fridge will/should now run indefinitely as long as there's some decent sun every other day.

On the roof of the tent is (2) Renogy 100w flexible panels wired in parallel, on the roof of the cab is a Renogy 50w panel, also in parallel with the other panels.

The solar controller is a Victron BlueSolar MPPT 75/15 which connects via bluetooth to a nifty app so I can keep track of all the power harvested and expended.

The battery is Renogy Deep Cycle AGM Battery 12 Volt 100Ah in a Minkota fused box.

To make things clean I removed all the MC4 connectors on the panels and soldered all connections, running 10awg wire everywhere.
I added a switch panel the to bed where the fridge plugs into a SAE panel mount connector and I can switch the source from the house battery or the truck battery - which I upgraded to an Odyssey 49-950 Performance deep cycle/starter battery.

Solar controller with 30amp resettable fuses on the solar input and load output.

Another thing I thought could use a change was instead of carrying a pop up canopy it would be better to add an ARB awning to the back of the truck. The pop up took up a fair amount of space and I didn't set it much too much, not wanting the hassle unless it was really raining. Now I've gained space and made it a 2 minute deployment when needed. Also removed the trail jack, after this trip I'm confident I can keep myself out of enough trouble that the traction boards or winch can't fix.

My current camping gear, slimmed way down from at the beginning of this thread. A small duffel with clothes and a small tub with dry good rides in the cab.

While I was at it I moved the Baja Designed red rock light above the bed, giving red wide area lighting to keep night vision and still be able to cook and such.

 

[Lost Roadie]

Here's the route on this last adventure, around 10k miles on as much dirt as possible.

Soon it will be the right time of year for Mexico....

Michigan

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Montana

North Dakota

Nevada

Idaho

Wyoming

 

[Regcabguy]

Nice shots. Yeah that thing in northwest Baja would be fun.

 

[GB_Willys_2014]

Great pictures!

The photography skills of the members here never cease to amaze me.

 

[MCX]

Wow! Great build and pictures!

 

[wfv56]

Very nice! Still ride your 1200r?

 

[Christian P.]

Awesome!

 

[jgaz]

Great pictures!
I like the e track idea you used in the bed

 

[nwoods]

Awesome truck. Have you experienced the roll over sensor / side airbag issue? With all those electrical mods, I would not be surprised if Chevy nixes any warranty claim you might make should it happen it to you. Here is an article about it. Might learn up on which fuse to pull when going off road!
https://jalopnik.com/chevrolet-colorado-side-curtain-airbags-keep-deploying-1828951213

 

[icedragonmx]

I really like the idea of the front camera working with the factory system. I might need to do the same mod! Thanks for posting details!!!

 

[Explorerinil]

Nice truck and great build! If you head through central Illinois and are interested in a durable lockable fishing rod holder let me know, I make one similar to an are rod pod, coated in line x any color you want. Being an avid kayaker I know a few decent spots around here.

You made me a zr2 fan