2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew Cab

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SonOfNeptune

SonOfNeptune

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Greetings everyone... I come to you with excitement and a little bit of disappointment. I am disappointed that I am starting my build on a platform other than the one I was working for but that being said... A man has to do what a man has to do. I have been saving up for a couple years now for a new to me 2014 Dodge Ram 2500 CTD. Unfortunately, things are not as stable as I would like them to be in the industry which I work (Oil Industry). That being said, I am making the smart choice to avoid a major purchase of the truck and just upgrade the truck that I currently have. Allow me to introduce you to my ride. A 2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew Cab. Let the fun begin. 1071630_10151454529581741_250161154_o.jpg
 
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SonOfNeptune

SonOfNeptune

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First things first... I stripped the truck of all the badging, stickers and chrome door guards. When I purchased the truck (used) I had the dealer throw in a set of new tires. The Goodyear Wranglers, after a couple years of use on them I have to say I am a little disappointed and see a new set of tires in the future.. IMG_5913.JPG
The second bit that I did was to add the Yakima roof rack with Hi-Lift Jack set up... I also removed the bed cap and then prepped the bed to apply Rustoleum's bed liner.
 
SonOfNeptune

SonOfNeptune

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After making the big decision to start the build on the Chevy, the next big step was to have a custom made bed rack fabricated for a RTT. Behold the new bed rack that I had installed last week. IMG_6013.JPG

The goal here was to have the bed rack for the tent AND to be able to pull the truck into the garage for storage. You will notice in the pic that I removed the roof rack. The idea here is to use that rack with its extension piece to create a pull out drawer for the truck bed.
 
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SonOfNeptune

SonOfNeptune

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This will give you an idea of what the drawer will look like once its complete... That being said I am tossing around the idea of building a false bed (height of the wheel wells in the bed of the truck) so that I can build lockable storage AND so that I can have a place to store a water tank, water pump, extra battery, and compressor. This will be in the space forward of the wheel well in the bed of the truck under the false bed. IMG_6017.JPG
 
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SonOfNeptune

SonOfNeptune

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So I was pretty stoked to get the tent in the mail today. I broke it down at the local FedEx pickup location and thanks to a couple young FedEx employees who helped me lift it up onto the rack I was able to get the tent installed rather quickly. My only complaint was that the provided mounting hardware was too short to wrap around the tubing that was used to build the rack. A quick trip to the local hardware store that was an easy fix. The first night having the tent I used it to indoctrinate my 2 year old son into the world of camping. Granted it was in the front yard, it was still camping and that being said... He absolutely loved it! Score for Daddy!!IMG_6054.JPG
 
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SonOfNeptune

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So as of right now that is all that I have been able to complete. In the garage I have the following projects that still need to be installed/completed.
  • National Luna 52L Weekender (Currently have a bench seat that needs to be removed from the crew cab area. I am going to have a shelf fabricated to hold the fridge. This will also allow me to mount my sons car seat... by doing so I will be able to move the car seat back about 5 inches and down a couple inches which will allow for more leg room from the front passenger.)
  • National Luna Dual Battery Management System
  • Goal Zero Yeti 1250 with two Boulder 90 Solar Panels (the panels will take the place of the Yakima Load Warrior on the rack on the roof)
  • I also have a work in progress as I have been gathering parts to modify two Water Septer Cans with a 12V water pump/faucet.
  • The Yakima Load Warrior pull out shelf.
 
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Michael

Michael

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@SonOfNeptune Dude your overland rig looks awesome! It'll definitely do the job. Glad yo are adapting well, I can't wait to see how your rig develops. It's already looking great!
 
Robert OB 33/48

Robert OB 33/48

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I like it much. Nice one. When the new tyres are on it, I think you will have a bit more head space underneath the awning. Good fun already.

Greetings from Robert
 
SonOfNeptune

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While I think full-size trucks run into issues with mobility and clearance I still think that they can get you out into the wilderness. Adventure IS what its all about right?
 
First State Overland

First State Overland

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I see your CVT has the rainfly and add on room. What would you say your total time is to setup and then tear down and break camp? There are so many RTT to pick from and I think I've narrowed my field down to the ARB and CVT but can't make up my mind.
 
SonOfNeptune

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To break out the tent... I would say approx 6 minutes or so... Im new to the RRT world and 'learning' if you will. That being said it does not take long at all. The awning is maybe 3-4 min. Now if you want to attach the annex to the tent that takes a couple minutes because you are dealing with a big zipper. Even then, no long. Like I said, I am new to the world and have really only deployed the tent 3 times. (Got the tent a week ago) Its an awesome tent and so far (limited experience) I love it! So does my 2 year old son!!

I will say this too... CVT's customer service has been top notch! They goofed and sent me the mesh walls instead of the solid panel walls that I ordered for the awning. A simple phone call and they shipped out the correct walls with the return postage for the mesh walls. On top of that, the cover was a little tight getting the piping into the track that holds it. (too much material was sewn into the piping)... Another call... boom, overnighted new cover.

If you are looking at getting a new tent CVT is currently offering a 20% family discount on their FB page.

 
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SonOfNeptune

SonOfNeptune

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storage of the tent... is really easy. Unzip the annex, fold the tent (sleeping bags and pillows in the tent) and then pull over the cover, zip, and strap down. If you haven't yet, you can check out youtube videos of others with tents... there are a bunch of "how to set up". If you have any other questions feel free to hit me up...
 
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IronPercheron

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Anything recent on this?

I like to see the HD trucks built up, my superduty is coming along alright too.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 
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