2018 Chevy Colorado Z71

[madcratebuilder]

Stock the ZR2 skids protect the diff and oil pan. The T-case has a tiny stamped tin foil skid. I added the SuperSkidz #2-3 and 4. Full protection for transmission and t-case. All three are about 50lbs or so. Aluminum may not hold up to a hard impact but for sliding over things should be OK. Rear shock skidz are a good add.

 

[great08]

Stock the ZR2 skids protect the diff and oil pan. The T-case has a tiny stamped tin foil skid. I added the SuperSkidz #2-3 and 4. Full protection for transmission and t-case. All three are about 50lbs or so. Aluminum may not hold up to a hard impact but for sliding over things should be OK. Rear shock skidz are a good add.

That is what I am leaning towards myself on down the road as funds get better. Super skids the rest of the way back. Shock skids, diff skid, and a tank skid (that one is a maybe).

EDIT:
I am pretty sure my Z71 and your ZR2 have the same T-case skids. A steel 10" or so skid that is only supported on one side by a crossmember. It looks like it should hold up decent to a few mild scrapes... but that is about it. Keeps that low hanging T-case drain bolt from snagging on rocks. Probably all that it is really any good for as it looks like it would fold up onto that low hanging bolt pretty fast with the weight of the truck pushing onto it.

 

[great08]

The new/used ZR2 Rock sliders are in the mail as of today. $200 for the sliders + $120 for shipping with insurance.

The new GM/OEM skid plates arrived today. It took them about a week to get them in the mail.

They seem solid enough for my needs. The front skid is a good bit thicker than the rear. That is good as it is also re-enforced with the crossmembers... and should be the only skid on the truck subject to high speed impacts due to the angle of which it sits.

Although the rear skid is thinner... it is smaller/less chance for flex and has many more deep reinforcement ribs.

The metal seems of high quality and is very rigid on both plates without their crossmember backings. They are 15 to 20 lbs for the front and about 10 lbs for the rear one. Not much.

The rear plate must be the same as in a ZR2... as the part number etched in there actually says ZR2.

These should have no effect on crash test ratings. A good thing... to me anyways.

I will bolt on and take pics this weekend.

 

[great08]

ZR2 Rock sliders are in!!!

They were waiting for me at the house yesterday when I got home from work. The guy I bought them from currently lives in Georgia and is in the military. He did the best job packaging these up that I have ever seen.

The rock sliders look brand new and have not a mark on them. They should hold up wonderfully to most things. Especially anything that I am likely to throw at them. The YouTube vid @ the bottom of the pics below shows a guy in a ZR2 that is always wheeling. I set the vid to start at a point so you can see that he not only still has the stock sliders, but also has the stock front skids(pretty sure) and stock xfer case skid(same as the one on my Z71).

I have seen online that these are some sort of steel... but are not magnetic. So they are possibly stainless or some other sort of alloy of steel.

Obviously a ZR2 sits 2" higher and has much more aggressive approach angle up front. However, I have been to Moab (White Rim Trail) and Colorado (Engineer and Cinnamon Pass). These will be more than enough for those things.

Pics of the parts. Pics of the skids/sliders on the truck later...

There were probably 50 layers of wrap on them total. lol He did a good job. They were individually wrapped... then wrapped together... and put into a large box he made.







This is about how they will sit when on the truck. The wields look good and the tubes themselves have drain holes. I will squirt some Fluid Film up on there in case some salt gets in. Otherwise these look like they will last a long time. The hardware he sent is Brand New too. He just used his old hardware on his new side steps since they are the same bolts. How awesome is that?

 

[madcratebuilder]

This is a good one to watch. This guy does a lot with a basically stock ZR2. He recently added 34"s so it can even do more.

 

[great08]

This is a good one to watch. This guy does a lot with a basically stock ZR2. He recently added 34"s so it can even do more.

It appears he is set up for some overlanding a well. Cool to see!

That level of difficulty with the mud, giant rocks the size of a garage... etc... is something I would drive around. lol

I am a little chicken to try something like that.

Luckily in general a person has to go out of their way to find an obstacle on that level. lol

 

[madcratebuilder]

Browns Camp is about a 40 minute drive for me. I would drive AROUND those rocks too.

 

[great08]

OEM skids and sliders installed!

Be sure to read the descriptions on each pic below if you are interested in the details about how the OEM style skids work as an engineered system. I noticed some things and took pics. They seem to have put some thought into the shape of these skids.

I got concerned when I started reading the directions. The directions were saying how to place the skids onto the frame & mark the frame. Then use a punch to mark that mark, drill a hole, etc. etc. Yikes!

Turned out that the truck was fully prepped for installing these skids and the ZR2 sliders from the factory! Thank goodness.

I just added fluid film and locktite to the mix.

Pics….

Just laid everything out and got the tools together/the truck up on some ramps...



Pic of the stock setup... the front skid is just a plastic "Splash Shield" and just behind it is a small steel steering gearbox shield. That small steel skid ended up weighing nearly as much as one of the new skids. So... not much weight added to the truck up front.





Turns out the front skid will only be protecting the lower radiator/transmission & Tcase coolers/hoses (And large branches/mud from shooting up into the engine bay). The Aft skid will now cover more than just the steering gearbox. The front diff/axle housing, and oil pan shall now have protection as well. Notice how the crossmembers(With a little fluid film sprayed on them) pretty much ride along side each fragile component. So the skids will be reinforced by steel next to those components.

Just look how beefy that anti-sway bar is! I wonder if there is some sort of aftermarket sway bar disconnect available. There is plenty of room under there to put one.


Here is a pic of one of the "Wings" on the front skid. It looks as though it will serve as a dual purpose mechanism.
1. If the skid starts to fold that wing will hit the frame and provide emergency support to keep from hitting the eng/trans/Tcase cooling system components
2. That wing should slow down/decrease the amount of rocks/mud that get slung into that region by the front tires.



From left to right... The steel center crossmember extension, and the clearance between the second skid and the electric steering assist motor/gearbox, and the front diff...


Pic of the #2 skid from the passenger side. The oil pan drain plug overlaps the edge of the skid so oil changes should be nice and clean. There is another large hole on the rear of the plate. Must be for diesel engine oil draining.

As you can see this side is much more open than with the super skids. It is a good thing when it comes to being able to shed heat when towing/off-road. However, it is indeed less protection. That being said I like this set up. I am far more likely to need to turn wrenches(change a half shaft) out on the trail than dragging/busting one of these components on a massive rock(allegedly). These skids have little cut-outs that will enable me to work on the vehicle much easier.



Pic of what the #3 Superskidz will cover.
The exhaust crossover pipe, The trans pan, the front drive shaft, and some cooling lines. The trans pan is tucked into the frame pretty decent though. The crossover pipe is the one that is level with the crossmember. It would not take much to dent either. A little denting would be fine. Crushing, however, would be crippling to the engine.

I am pretty sure the Tacoma crossover hangs below the crossmember. IDK why they did that.


A pic of the Tcase skid. It is pretty decently beefy enough to do a fair amounts of slides across rocks (as long as you are going forward anyways). This is where the #4 Superskidz would go. The entire Tcase/actuator motor, fuel pump, EVAP pump, fuel lines, etc would be protected much better. One day...




And now the final install pics...

 

[madcratebuilder]

Superskidz #2, #3 and #4 really cover the bottom of the truck well. I think James was come out with a fuel tank skid as well. I'm waiting to see pic's of it and the AEV fuel skid. The differential skid from AEV looks interesting, waiting to see price. I should get the final pieces for my R&P install this week so I can do a road report on 4.10 gears and a steel drive shaft.

 

[great08]

Superskidz #2, #3 and #4 really cover the bottom of the truck well. I think James was come out with a fuel tank skid as well. I'm waiting to see pic's of it and the AEV fuel skid. The differential skid from AEV looks interesting, waiting to see price. I should get the final pieces for my R&P install this week so I can do a road report on 4.10 gears and a steel drive shaft.

I like those AEV skids. They seem super well made and tough.

I like the Superskidz as well. I did not know he has a fuel tank skid on the way. That is good to hear.

I am following your build as well! Thanks

 

[great08]

I spent the whole morning/afternoon today driving around looking @ areas to purchase a home. Found this deep in a really nice/but affordable subdivision.

Took the opportunity to take some pics!

 

[2dub]

I spent the whole morning/afternoon today driving around looking @ areas to purchase a home. Found this deep in a really nice/but affordable subdivision.

Took the opportunity to take some pics!

I know exactly where you're at there. I live in Moyock, you're smart if you choose to cross the state line to NC. Hope to see you around one day. I'll be on the look out for your awesome truck.

 

[great08]

I know exactly where you're at there. I live in Moyock, you're smart if you choose to cross the state line to NC. Hope to see you around one day. I'll be on the look out for your awesome truck.

Thanks for the compliments! Moyock is on the list for possible candidates for a place to live as well.

I went a looked up the annual tax rates of Chesapeake, VA and Moyock, NC last night. On a home valued @ $325k the taxes in Virginia would be just over $3,000 per year and the taxes across the line in NC would be just over $1,200 per year. That is a LOT of free gas! Especially when you consider that a similar home in Moyock is going to cost much less to boot...

What vehicle do you drive? Have a pic? I will keep an eye out for you as well. My usual drive/commute is down hwy 17 though.

 

[2dub]

Thanks for the compliments! Moyock is on the list for possible candidates for a place to live as well.

I went a looked up the annual tax rates of Chesapeake, VA and Moyock, NC last night. On a home valued @ $325k the taxes in Virginia would be just over $3,000 per year and the taxes across the line in NC would be just over $1,200 per year. That is a LOT of free gas! Especially when you consider that a similar home in Moyock is going to cost much less to boot...

Exactly! But I'm about to move further south in Currituck, Moyock is developing too much for my tastes and I work in Kill Devil Hills.

What vehicle do you drive? Have a pic? I will keep an eye out for you as well. My usual drive/commute is down hwy 17 though.

I recently sold my 98 Dodge Ram I'm going to be without a truck for a little while . My plan is to rough it for 2 years w/o a truck then fingers crossed get myself a Colorado and get back into a little overlanding again.

 

[great08]

Exactly! But I'm about to move further south in Currituck, Moyock is developing too much for my tastes and I work in Kill Devil Hills.


I recently sold my 98 Dodge Ram I'm going to be without a truck for a little while . My plan is to rough it for 2 years w/o a truck then fingers crossed get myself a Colorado and get back into a little overlanding again.

Sounds like a great game plan. I did that myself many years ago. I dropped the V8 Silverado I had and got a 4cyl vehicle (That started with 164k mi on the odo and was super cheap/instantly paid off) for the commute. Got the wife's vehicle paid off and started saving as much as I could each month. Didn't make a car payment for 7 years or so. Then bought this truck. I have not had a 4WD vehicle in many years and missed it!

 

[JCWages]

Nice write up on the skids. :)

 

[great08]

Nice write up on the skids. :)

Thanks! [emoji3]

 

[great08]

I just ran and took some pics of the skids and rock sliders at different angles for a different perspective on how they sit on/protect the truck.

When rocks start getting to the size of a basketball... is about when I will start having to worry about them hitting the low spots/skids.

 

[great08]

Mid-sized Trucks Available

Here is a quick link to a vid on all of the available mid-sized trucks by the end of 2019. They are all going to be great trucks. I would research them and pick what is best for your needs.

About the only one I would not even consider is the Rdgeline. I need 4Low and I saw one shut down due to transmission overheating on just a rough dirt road high up in the Rockies on a cool day (test vid on TFL truck/YouTube) I still like the Ridgeline though. It has a really neat bed.

It is a good time to be alive if you like mid sized trucks!

 

[bshagopian]

This is a good one to watch. This guy does a lot with a basically stock ZR2. He recently added 34"s so it can even do more.

Nice. Looks like he's driving the diesel like me. That thing has a great low end torque. Looks like hes not using the front lockers with how the tires are turning. I love your rig by the way. Keep up the additions. The Z71 has a lot of great options that don't come with the ZR2. Have you thought about investing in the DSSV shocks that chevy is offering now in its performance parts?