Jump to content

thearizonacowboy's 2018 2WD Offroad Build


thearizonacowboy

Recommended Posts

Hey all, I'm back in a Chevy finally! I come from the prerunner/ high speed offroad side of things and have been building, buying, and selling a few dedicated offroad toys recently. 

 

Decided to take a break and finally got back into a Silverado and I love it so far.

 

Thought I'd take the time to share with you my experience during these past 3 weeks of owning a 2018 Silverado.

 

I picked up a 2wd LT 5.3L crew cab in white and the parts ordering began immediately!

 

20180606_184442_resized.thumb.jpg.964d6e14239fa2e0127f026e6340d30d.jpg

 

Of course, I had to have the aggressive offroad look so I went with the following parts:

 

35" BF Goodrich KM3 M/T Tires

17" Method NV Wheels

King 3.0 Coilovers w/ Adjusters

King 2.5 Rear Shocks w/ Adjusters

Icon Uni-ball Upper Control Arms

 

Cutting for the 35" tires proved to be quite a task since I wanted to make sure there was no contact at full bump and full lock. 


Although the suspension hadn't shown up, I still had to throw the new wheels and tires on! 35s on a stock Silverado just looks hilarious!

 

20180609_134621_resized.thumb.jpg.c87f03cbcb02072911499cb1bc7d7963.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED BELOW:


 

 

 

 

Edited by thearizonacowboy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since the truck will see consistent use with large groups, a radio and offroad GPS were a necessity! 


For the VHF radio, I decided to go with PCI's Chase Kit system that includes a permanent NMO attena, 50 watt race radio, and handheld mic. I had an older 7" Lowrance GPS just sitting in the garage, so I recycled that one into this "mini build".

 

Drilling into a few day old vehicle is always fun! 

 

20180609_085826.thumb.jpg.b399787f4a98c93a172f800e55ceb7a0.jpg

 

Once I picked my King shocks up from the local Safeway, I head straight home to start tearing apart the new truck!

 

20180615_132246.thumb.jpg.313394282fd4c2389d9302268f384fcc.jpg

 

TO BE CONTINUED BELOW

Edited by thearizonacowboy
clarify
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's the completely bone stock truck with 35" tires and no rubbing! 
 

20180615_091024_resized.jpg

 

Once I got the wheels off the truck, I almost started to feel bad about ripping off the shiny new parts... almost!

 

20180609_123430_resized.jpg

Edited by thearizonacowboy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Madcow2020 said:

Looks like fun. Did you get the new sealed uniball (Delta) joint from Icon?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks! And that's a funny story actually. I was sold the delta joint orginally until I quickly discovered it would not work with my spindle taper size... I've now swapped that UCA out for their uni-ball version.

20 minutes ago, austingta said:

Just 2WD? Why? Are you going to make a PreRunner?

 

I host offroad expeditions throughout Arizona and 4wd is rarely needed. Unless you're going through very very deep mud or snow, there's no reason for it.

 

Edited by thearizonacowboy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Suspension is on! First impressions are a nice planted and firm ride. Not too firm, more or less like you'd except a sports car to feel on the road. You feel inconsistencies in the road but not in a jarring, uncomfortable way.

 

Compared to the 2.5 coilovers I had on my 2015 Silverado, these are a bit firmer. I could see how some would dislike the slightly firmer ride but I love it.

 

Once everything was tightened down to spec and alignment was performed, the truck tracks perfectly straight and there are no new noises.

 

Here she is just after the suspension re-install and some testing in the dirt:

 

enhance

 

enhance

 

enhance

 

enhance

Edited by thearizonacowboy
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course with every capable offroad vehicle, you need to have a full size spare, a way to safely use that spare if need be, and way to keep it all secure.

 

I decided on the ProEagle 2 ton jack as I have owned many before without any issues. They make a simple yet effective mount and 4 holes later, the jack is mounted securely!

 

enhance

 

I secured the matching spare wheel/ tire with SDHQ's universal spare tire kit that contains 3 anchor points and a very high quality 3-way strap. The strap allows for so much adjustment that I can stack a second spare on top for our longer multiday events.

 

enhance

Edited by thearizonacowboy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Next on the list was the center console swap, VHF radio install, and GPS install!

 

I ordered all my parts for the center console from GMPartsNow.com and they were a pleasure to work with.

 

enhance

 

I have yet to have Phil make me a custom wiring harness to make everything work but for now I'm set!

 

I was honestly a little intimidated for the center console swap but it was ridiculously easy. I feel stupid for stressing about it haha. 

 

I fabricated my mount and installed the Lowrance GPS while the console was out of the truck as it made everything so much easier!

 

Once I got it in I was so glad I pulled the trigger on the console swap. It's a lot of money but definitely worth it!

 

enhance

 

I still need to make a few changes to the GPS mount as it squeaks and just barely gets in the way of the cup holders haha

 

Next up was the VHF radio install!

 

After adding an internal support to bolt the radio mount up to, I was set and ready to hit the trails! (ignore the random wire and dirty GPS screen haha)

 

enhance

 

enhance

Edited by thearizonacowboy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Needless to say, it's been a busy past 3 weeks but I'm pretty much done regarding the major changes this truck will see for a while besides a regear which is scheduled for next week.

 

If anyone has any questions, comments, or suggestions I'm all ears! I'll continue to update this thread with any changes.

 

enhance



 

Edited by thearizonacowboy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, thearizonacowboy said:

Thanks! And that's a funny story actually. I was sold the delta joint orginally until I quickly discovered it would not work with my spindle taper size... I've now swapped that UCA out for their uni-ball version.

I host offroad expeditions throughout Arizona and 4wd is rarely needed. Unless you're going through very very deep mud or snow, there's no reason for it.

 

And anyway, your friends with 4 wd can pull you out if needed. I use mine when it starts raining. ...just pulling your chain. Nice build. 

Edited by austingta
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haha exactly! All my friends have 4wd so I'll just have them pull me out! 

 

Thank you!!

2 minutes ago, austingta said:

And anyway, your friends with 4 wd can pull you out if needed. I use mine when it starts raining. ...just pulling your chain. Nice build. 



 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice truck! Similar plans for mine. Kings when the budget allows, but pretty much done after that.

4859447826e389d54ae9cf3801b02b98.jpg

That super duty looks nice. Carli kit? And any chance he had an 05-06 before that one? Looks similar to a build on dezert rangers that I used follow


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.