I purchased my 98 Chevy K2500 6.5 turbo diesel earlier this year looking to build a budget off road/overland truck that can also be used to reliable tow a trailer around. The truck has come along way since its beginning so this first thread will be info and picture heavy. The truck was a single owner farm used truck and even though it had only 86k miles, it definitely looked and drove like a farm truck would. However the important parts are that the engine and 5 speed transmission have been well taken care of. To start off the truck got about 25-30 hours of detail on the interior to remove the layers of caked on dirt in every crevice including behind all of the plastic paneling. This was done to install some sound deadening material to reduce in cab noise. I also installed some Kicker speakers in the rear, JBL speakers in the front, new Sony Bluetooth stereo and a slim 10" subwoofer under the seat. This weird mix of audio components was only because I am doing this on a budget and these were the recommended components I could find.
I got a chance to tow a 5k lb trailer this summer for about 900 miles and the truck did great but after the trip I started to get some heavy smoking on initial startups. I narrowed the issue down to a leaky injector so I figured that it was time for this 21 year old truck to get a new set of injectors, glow plugs and a ton of new gaskets while I was at it. I also worked on getting the truck improved in the looks department by sanding the whole thing down and using a DIY kit to spray down Raptor bedliner on the whole truck. This was followed up by installing updated blacked out head lights, tail lights and some newer style extendable tow mirrors. Also to help the truck breathe a little better I purchased an upgraded header crossover pipe and a full downpipe with 4" exhaust. I installed an EGT temp and boost gauge to keep an eye on things as I plan to get some tuning done in the future as well.
Next since I was planning to use this truck off road, it needed some help in the suspension department. I ordered a Rough Country 6" lift kit because it was the most affordable kit that allowed you to keep reasonable front axle angles since its an IFS setup. The kit instructions said 6-8 hours to install but it took almost 14 hours just for the front due to issues with needing to get new ball joints pressed in at a shop, renting special tools to try and remove steering linkage and pitman arm. Atleast now the truck has a fully rebuild new suspension setup. Only think that remained from factory was control arms, wheel hugs and the rear leaf springs. The truck is now sitting on some 315/70/17 mixed brand tires and 17x9 Incubus Off-Road wheels. Cant beat $350 for that setup. The current tires under the trucks weigh are actually measuring to be at exactly 33" but my plan for the next setup is to try and get a true 35" tire.
Enjoy the pictures!
I got a chance to tow a 5k lb trailer this summer for about 900 miles and the truck did great but after the trip I started to get some heavy smoking on initial startups. I narrowed the issue down to a leaky injector so I figured that it was time for this 21 year old truck to get a new set of injectors, glow plugs and a ton of new gaskets while I was at it. I also worked on getting the truck improved in the looks department by sanding the whole thing down and using a DIY kit to spray down Raptor bedliner on the whole truck. This was followed up by installing updated blacked out head lights, tail lights and some newer style extendable tow mirrors. Also to help the truck breathe a little better I purchased an upgraded header crossover pipe and a full downpipe with 4" exhaust. I installed an EGT temp and boost gauge to keep an eye on things as I plan to get some tuning done in the future as well.
Next since I was planning to use this truck off road, it needed some help in the suspension department. I ordered a Rough Country 6" lift kit because it was the most affordable kit that allowed you to keep reasonable front axle angles since its an IFS setup. The kit instructions said 6-8 hours to install but it took almost 14 hours just for the front due to issues with needing to get new ball joints pressed in at a shop, renting special tools to try and remove steering linkage and pitman arm. Atleast now the truck has a fully rebuild new suspension setup. Only think that remained from factory was control arms, wheel hugs and the rear leaf springs. The truck is now sitting on some 315/70/17 mixed brand tires and 17x9 Incubus Off-Road wheels. Cant beat $350 for that setup. The current tires under the trucks weigh are actually measuring to be at exactly 33" but my plan for the next setup is to try and get a true 35" tire.
Enjoy the pictures!
