Member III
I haven't. the barricade one looks good, but I suspect that you might be able to wedge a winch plate behind it, attached to the frame.
Our '03 is going to be getting something custom down the road.
Help on my 2009 Silverado 5.3L build (and others' 2007-2013 silverado/sierra builds)
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Our '03 is going to be getting something custom down the road.
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Well, What I am thinking is tucking a piece of 8” c- channel between the frame rails and the bumper, like I am going to do on my Bronco... makes a neat clean install. There will be a post on this later this spring.
That's what I have kind of been thinking, is mounting a winch plate behind the barricade or n-fab bumper or something, and then cutting a hole on the bumper plate (obviously not on a structural frame of the bumper) for the cable to come through and either mount some kind of rounded plate or bend in where I cut so the rope can rub against it if winching, for whatever reason, from a crazy angle. I am just worried about ripping the bumper off if the rope is pulling on the bumper a bit and also if I can hook up straps to the bumper to either pull people out or get pulled. Kind of a necessity as well.
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Yep! A winch plate will often have a fairlead mount built in as well, vs C channel which won't
Ohhh ok, gotcha. Sorry, don’t know tons about winches. But yeah, I’m kind of thinking of either buying the barricade bumper or something. And mounting a winch plate behind it and just cutting a hole on one of the steel plates (depending on what bumper I get) that isn’t structural and just putting a fair lead on the winch plate obviously, and also a bigger piece of metal on the hole that I cut on the bumper to also act as a fair lead in case the rope is at an angle that runs against it so that it doesn’t cut. What do you think?
Or try and find a frantic action shop willing to make a custom bumper for me that could do everything I want and also custom make rock slides, rear bumper, bed rack for rooftop tent, roof rack and other accessories
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Depends on how it’s used... The plans I am using to build mine require notching the C-Channel for the winch drum, invert the scrap and weld it to the webbing on the inside of the channel to make a square surface to bolt the fairlead to the winch chassis.
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Advocate III
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My custom bumper on my Ram cost a pretty penny. And I bought the steel for $400.00 myself using my bulk discount at the steel supply store, labor was heavily discounted to $20.00/hour shop rate, so I was into the bumper a total of $1800.00 mounted on my truck. Now with that being said, going custom 1 off has its advantages. You get exactly what you want/need with minimal trade offs.
Yeah, I figured that it would be expensive, but definitely worth the money, in my opinion, if the shop does a good job
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Yes if the shop does a good job, and most of not all fabrication welding shops do an excellent job, because it’s their rep on the line every time they strike an arc.
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others may have said it: DO NOT install a RC 3.5" or even the 3" lift on your truck. You will break the CV joints.
If you plan on running 35" tires, you need to get a real lift, like the CST 4.5" Lift. On top of the CST 4.5" lift, you can run Bilstein 5100, that can garner you an additional 1.8" of lift, without ruining your half-shafts. The RC 3.5 or 3" are for the street only, and will certainly ruin your CV joints when you go off road. Heck, even on road, the angle is terrible. You really want to go no higher than 2.25" of lift, unless you are going full-bore with the CST, Fabtech or some other lift where brackets are installed.
To help your rear suspension, you can install a set of SuperSprings. They sit on top of your current leaf spring set, and provide a great ride. I have them on my '17 Silverado, and have been very pleased with these additions.
If you plan on running 35" tires, you need to get a real lift, like the CST 4.5" Lift. On top of the CST 4.5" lift, you can run Bilstein 5100, that can garner you an additional 1.8" of lift, without ruining your half-shafts. The RC 3.5 or 3" are for the street only, and will certainly ruin your CV joints when you go off road. Heck, even on road, the angle is terrible. You really want to go no higher than 2.25" of lift, unless you are going full-bore with the CST, Fabtech or some other lift where brackets are installed.
To help your rear suspension, you can install a set of SuperSprings. They sit on top of your current leaf spring set, and provide a great ride. I have them on my '17 Silverado, and have been very pleased with these additions.
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Member III
Wow, you've got quite a bit of work ahead of you but you'll have an amazing rig when you're done. I drive a 1988 Silverado 2500 4x4 which is completely stock. May make a few mods but nowhere near what you are doing.Hello all!
I recently bought a new (to me) 2009 Silverado 5.3L. I'm looking to make it an overland build. I previously had an old 4runner that I loved, but sold it to a friend who was in need of an adventuring rig and bought this thing to to also help with other parts of my life.
I know that i will probably get some backlash for trying to make a full-size vehicle like this an overland rig, but i want something a little different than all of the land cruisers, tacos, 4 runners, TJ's, YJ's, etc., although I do love all of the vehicles!
My vehicle will be my daily driver as well as my overland rig, so I need to build it to be capable for both. It is currently stock apart from chopping off the resonator and muffler to give it a bit of a better sound and help with exhaust flow. Here are the list of "mods" that I am currently thinking of doing in order. My problem is finding best bang for the buck, and both short term "effectiveness|" and long term longevity.
1st upgrade: Traction and Ground Clearance
For traction, I am thinking of getting a set of 33" x 12.5" Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs. ( I live up in Calgary, Canada and need something that can handle a bit of everything. These tires were literally designed for my area and are really good both on and off road. Unless someone has a better tire choice for the needs and size that I am looking for. My only question is wheel size. Looking to get a set of M/T Classic III's. (Shop Discounted Mickey Thompson Wheels CLASSIC III Satin Black Canada - PartsEngine). I currently have stock 18" wheels on my truck and just by looking at the wheel when it's on the truck, I can tell that I can easily fit 17" wheels but am wondering if I can fit 16" wheels (worried about clearing caliper). More sidewall the better, especially where I go 4wheeling, I need a lot of deflation capability to get over some gnarly rocks.
What's your guys' opinions on tire choice and wheel size?
Now to fit these wheels. I am looking at getting around a 3-4" lift. Wondering what the best bang for my buck is. I know I can go crazy in price and get an Icon lift or something, but like I mentioned earlier, trying to get the best bang for buck but also keeping it to a lower budget. I was looking at going on the cheaper side and getting the Rough Country 3.5" lift with control arms (Rough Country Silverado 3.5 in. Suspension Lift Kit w/ Upper Control Arms S102074 (07-16 4WD Silverado 1500 w/ Stock Cast Steel or Aluminum Control Arms)) and then as my OEM front struts start to go, replace them with something real nice and what not. OR go a little bit more in the middle (which I am thinking is my best option) and going with something like this : Zone Offroad Silverado 4.5 in. IFS Suspension Lift Kit w/ Shocks S102477 (07-13 4WD Silverado 1500, Excluding Hybrid). OR save up more money and go with something like this: Fabtech Silverado 4 in. Budget Lift System w/ Dirt Logic Coilovers & Shocks S101502 (14-18 2WD/4WD Silverado 1500 Double Cab, Crew Cab).
I understand that the more money I spend on the lift, the less ill have to spend on replacing parts, and suspension especially, down the road. I do have custom made leaf springs from Standens, a vehicle fabrication shop that everyone swears by. So will just need to upgrade the rear shocks for now. What is your guys' opinion on these lift kits that I have considered and what do you think is the best option for a budget build?
Wheels, tires, and lift will all happen at once, so the more money that I can save, the better.
2nd Upgrade: Recovery and Armour:
Recovery and armour are kind of linked together as one.
I'm looking to get the highest pulling winch (15k lbs and more) as I do have friends with some heavier vehicles than my own that I would love to be able to use to help them get unstuck out of gnarly situations. So my first question is what winch would you guys recommend?
Obviously tow straps, and all the recovery gear would go along with it. Looking to get maxtrax, but also wondering if there are other companies that offer the same quality of product at a cheaper price?
Next question is bumpers which also ties into the whole winching thing. I am gonna be honest, can't stand the look of those big ironcross bumpers and what not. Way too heavy and big, and also just look ridiculous in my opinion. I am a huge fan of the prerunner/baja style bumpers but it is almost impossible to find these types of bumpers that i could install a winch behind and be able to use to pull people out. There's been a few that I have been looking at, but need your guys' help on this one. Please just throw links to bumpers at me or suggestions and advice. And if it would just be better to get a custom made bumper, where in the hell would I go to do that?
I need to find a bumper that I like the look of, but something that I can still have a winch, be able to hook up tow straps to and pull someone out, and also to be able to be pushed into the ground and other forms of abuse. If I buy a bumper that doesn't come "winch ready" can I cut a hole in where the cord would come out? For example, can I cut a hole and put a metal guard where the winch cord would be on the N-Fab bumper like the Addictive Dessert Designs bumper, or do I face too great of a threat ripping the bumper off?
Here are some bumpers that I have been looking at:
Barricade Silverado 1500 Pre-Runner Front Bumper with Skid Plate S112607 (07-13 Silverado 1500) - Free Shipping
FREE SHIPPING! Rugged Front-End Protection. Add rugged pre-runner styling to your 2007-2013 Chevrolet Silverado by upgrading to a Barricade Pre-Runner Front Bumwww.americantrucks.com
N-Fab Silverado 1500 R.S.P. Pre-Runner Front Bumper for Dual 38-Inch Rigid LED Lights; Gloss Black C072LRSP (07-13 Silverado 1500)
FREE SHIPPING! Superior Function. The N-Fab R.S.P. Front Bumper for Dual 38 inch Rigid LED Lights is the right addition for your 2007 to 2013 Chevy Silverado. T
Addictive Desert Designs Silverado Stealth Front Bumper w/ Winch Mount F302932680103 (07-13 Silverado 1500)
FREE SHIPPING! Quality Development. The Addictive Desert Designs Stealth Front Bumper with Winch Mount is a hybrid of the Pre-Runner and Venom bumper. It incorp
A rear bumper would be added onto the truck in the future which I am not too worried about.
For skid plates and what not, I understand that some lift kits come with skid plates for the front diff and stuff and I already have one for the engine oil pan area. And if I get a prerunner style bumper, most of the come with a skid plate that runs down all the way to my diff. So now I'll be looking to protect my transmission/transfer case, fuel tank and whatever else you guys think I should protect. I am looking to be able to use the skid plates to drag my truck along the ground incase I bottom myself out and need to slide on my belly. Where should I go for these skid plates?
Also, to add to the armour thing, I will be looking to get rock rails on the truck to protect the body of my truck. What would you guys recommend? I don't want side steps (or need them) and don't want something that is going to counter-part the money I spent on lift and bigger tires.
3rd Uprgrade: Lights, Gear, And A Good Ol' Rooftop Tent
I apologize in advance guys, but I am going to need a lot of help in this part.
Lets start off with lights. I live in a damn cold and hot area. Calgary, Alberta is known for its crazy weather. You can have days where you get all seasons in a 12 hour period. Heavy rain, light rain, heavy snow, light snow, light fog, crazy fog, light wind, heavy wind up to 100+ km/h (60+ mph for my American neighbours). The climate that I live in is crazy. The hottest it gets here in the summer is about 35 C (95 F) to the coldest in the winter is usually no more than -40 C (-40 F) but sometimes the temperature can get even colder or hotter on rare, extreme occasions. I am looking at Rigid industries or KC Hilites for lights bars and pods. Thinking of having a 50"-54" light bar across the roof, 18"-30" light bar along the center of my bumper (if I can fit it), and spot and flood pod lights on the sides of my bumper maybe or somewhere. I am gonna need lights that can handle these intense weather conditions and also just be great at lighting up the outside world (really nice being able to see when driving).
Next would be a rooftop tent. First question is what do you guys think is the best bang for your buck tent?
Next question related to tents but also gear is where do I find/go to to find a bed rack for the tent but also one that can take a lot of abuse from driving on the trails and also be able to hold gear on the sides like fuel and water tanks and what not? It's hard to find ones for my truck.
My next question is what do I do for a snorkel for my truck? I can't seem to find anywhere that sells snorkels for my vehicle. Can find them for almost any other vehicle but cant for mine, only cold air intakes. So if I end up having to get one made, where would be a good place to go? Preferably somewhere closest to my hometown (Calgary, Canada)
Last thing with gear is what do you guys think I should get? After getting a suspension lift, wheels and good set of tires, front and rear bumpers for protection, side and belly protection, recovery gear, lights, and roof top tent along with some gear like extra fuel pods/jerry cans, water, and basic camping gear. Do remember that I am also using this vehicle as a daily driver, So back seat use is kind of a must. I'm more than happy to spend time to take things out of the vehicle and what not, but don't want permanent storage ideas and stuff that wont allow me to use the back seats for, well, their main purpose, to seat people while doing my daily driver activities. Also what gear do you guys think is a must-have?
Thank you in advance for reading this novel, and helping me out. Apologies for the long post. Just trying to plan for now and in the future.
I love the old trucks so much! IYour's looks really good. And thank you, I hope the work is worth it
I Know that those RC 3.5' lifts put really odd angles on the cv joints. But my problem is that unless I go huge, there isn't many options for me. And I do not really want to go too high, aS I am sticking with 33' tires, not 35's. So I won't need to regear until down the road when i feel like it. I know quite a few people who run the RC 3.5' lift that doesn't come with the upper control arm and they haven't had any problems with it yet. They aren't running any bigger than 33's either though. One guy has even "accidentally" jumped his truck a couple of times and everything still seems to be fine. I just don't want to get one of the 4'-5' lift kits that has a big ol' drop bracket and causes me to get hung up on everything. And I will be upgrading lift down the road too when my suspension starts to go and what not.
If you could help me and find a lift kit that is 3.5"-4-5" that doesn't have drop brackets and is still decent and isn't ridiculous on price just because it has icon coils or something, that would be very much appreciated.
Member III
There is no IFS lift that will give you 3.5" of lift without damaging your CV shafts.
Different year Silverados have slightly different body styles with respect to wheel opening size. My 17 Silverado with 2.25" of lift allows me to run 33" tires with no rubbing. You need to consider the wheel off-set as well when wanting to run larger tires. Too much negative offset (pushing you wheel outboard) makes it harder on your bearings, and more difficult to run larger tires. I'm running 0 offset with 33" AT tires, which is working quite well, for me. A lot of research can be done on the Silverado/ Sierra forum.
Different year Silverados have slightly different body styles with respect to wheel opening size. My 17 Silverado with 2.25" of lift allows me to run 33" tires with no rubbing. You need to consider the wheel off-set as well when wanting to run larger tires. Too much negative offset (pushing you wheel outboard) makes it harder on your bearings, and more difficult to run larger tires. I'm running 0 offset with 33" AT tires, which is working quite well, for me. A lot of research can be done on the Silverado/ Sierra forum.
Member III
First, decide how difficult of terrain you want to travel on. With a stock truck it will go a long ways... Now as the terrain gets tougher then you will need to spend more money...
If you are never going bigger than a 33 tire and you do not want to re-gear then don't bother with a 4 inch lift. Level it and call it done and keep your stock rims.
If you start running a 34s or bigger tires then it will be best to get new gears. I ran a 34.2 tire and it killed my MPG, acceleration and power and I have the 6 speed transmission. Keep in mind some 285 to 305 and 35 inch tires can be 34 to 34.8 inches. So there is not to much difference between some 34 and 35 tires when it comes to gearing. My 35's are actually 34.8 and with 4.11 gearing it does great. Also keep in mind as you build this out it is going to weigh more and also be less aerodynamic so having lower gearing will help there as well as improve crawl speed. Running 35 tires and 4.11 gears and an extra 800 pounds I still get 16 to 18 mpg.
Lift... You can get lift by bigger tires or lifting the body or both.
Tires, when you go from stock say 31 in. tires to 35s you will get around 1.5 to 2 inches more ground clearance. You will improve approach and departure angles and give your rockers a little more room but not much. But, I don't think 35s will fit without a lift...
Suspension lifts, safe ones are mostly going to be leveling kits or as others pointed out certainly less than 3 inches depending on the vehicle they will allow larger tires. There are a lot of companies out there who will sell kits that will certainly damage drive train and suspension components because of bad drive line angles.
Body lift, control arms, brackets, spacers etc. They will also improve approach and departure angles and give your rockers a little more room too. They also allow larger tires. I am not sure why you think drop brackets will hang you up on anything your stock truck wont hang up on too? The brackets are where you are getting most of your lift.
If you want to go 4 inches I have a Rancho lift kit on mine with it you can still run stock wheels so this will offset some of the cost of the kit. Then just add what ever bigger size tire you want that will fit your rim. With this kit it will also relocate the differential so it wont have a negative affect on drive line parts. The motor transmission and differential are pretty well protected with this set up and a skid pan will mostly help you slide over stuff easier..
Well this is my humble opinion. Have fun with your build...
If you are never going bigger than a 33 tire and you do not want to re-gear then don't bother with a 4 inch lift. Level it and call it done and keep your stock rims.
If you start running a 34s or bigger tires then it will be best to get new gears. I ran a 34.2 tire and it killed my MPG, acceleration and power and I have the 6 speed transmission. Keep in mind some 285 to 305 and 35 inch tires can be 34 to 34.8 inches. So there is not to much difference between some 34 and 35 tires when it comes to gearing. My 35's are actually 34.8 and with 4.11 gearing it does great. Also keep in mind as you build this out it is going to weigh more and also be less aerodynamic so having lower gearing will help there as well as improve crawl speed. Running 35 tires and 4.11 gears and an extra 800 pounds I still get 16 to 18 mpg.
Lift... You can get lift by bigger tires or lifting the body or both.
Tires, when you go from stock say 31 in. tires to 35s you will get around 1.5 to 2 inches more ground clearance. You will improve approach and departure angles and give your rockers a little more room but not much. But, I don't think 35s will fit without a lift...
Suspension lifts, safe ones are mostly going to be leveling kits or as others pointed out certainly less than 3 inches depending on the vehicle they will allow larger tires. There are a lot of companies out there who will sell kits that will certainly damage drive train and suspension components because of bad drive line angles.
Body lift, control arms, brackets, spacers etc. They will also improve approach and departure angles and give your rockers a little more room too. They also allow larger tires. I am not sure why you think drop brackets will hang you up on anything your stock truck wont hang up on too? The brackets are where you are getting most of your lift.
If you want to go 4 inches I have a Rancho lift kit on mine with it you can still run stock wheels so this will offset some of the cost of the kit. Then just add what ever bigger size tire you want that will fit your rim. With this kit it will also relocate the differential so it wont have a negative affect on drive line parts. The motor transmission and differential are pretty well protected with this set up and a skid pan will mostly help you slide over stuff easier..
Well this is my humble opinion. Have fun with your build...
Yeah, the wheel that I am looking at will be 0mm offset. I have used many silverado/sierra forums to try and get as much knowledge as possible on the matters. I appreciate the input. I am fine with having to replace some joints and wheel bearing a little more often as they are not hard to replace and can give you an early warning as to when they are about to go.
I really appreciate the response and, as you word it, your humble opinion. and thank you for taking the time to read everything
For the tire situation, I think I am just going to stick with 33's for a while. Maybe down the road quite a ways when I find that trails are starting to become too much and I want to regear because I also have a lot of weight to compensate for, then I will maybe also put on a bigger lift and bigger tires like a 35. But if I was going to bother with that, then I would probably go even bigger and do body work to fit more like 37's or something and upgrade drive components to be able to support the weight of the 37's.
I have looked at just a level to put 33's on but would just like a little bit more ground clearance. From a stock 31" tire and no lift, I find the ruck is somewhat capable to lear some things, but nothing crazy, and feel that a 3 inch lift that raises the front by 3 inches and the rear by an inch plus an extra inchish out of the bigger tire will just fair a bit better than solely relying on my tire pretty much to give me full clearance.
This truck is also my daily driver, so I do have to take that into consideration when regearing as well, need to be able to take it onto highway without having my RPM to the moon and also just drive within the city without dumping litres of gas to just do the classic stop and go stuff. My truck has the 4 speed transmission. When the transmission goes, I am still deciding whether i Keep the transmission and rebuild it, as I know that these transmissions can be insanely tough when rebuilt with certain kits or go to a stock or built 6 speed trans. Would love your input on this.
To be honest, this is my first IFS vehicle to build. I had an old 4 runner before this. I have just heard many people say that I will get hung up on drop brackets and to not get them. However, I am an open ear and would love to hear your opinion/knowledge. I have looked at many types of kits to get lift out of my vehicle. The 3" type lifts that fabtech, RC, zone offroad and many other companies make are basically just bigger levels that come with a 3 inch front strut spacer, upper control arms to help with cv angles, and rear lift block, and rear shocks. I have only really been able to find this kind of kit, or ones that more than triple in price and are the kings, or dirt logic, or icon lifts, I know these lifts are good but would you guys say that they are worth it?
I don't think I would ever get a body spacer as I find they are kind of goofy for a couple of reasons (and this is my own opinion, so please correct me if I am wrong and I dont mean to offend anyone who likes them and-or has them):
1. They look kinda goofy, especially the bigger spacer you go, as it lifts the body up and off of the frame showing the frame and everything underneath more.
2. They don't really do much apart from lift your body higher up off of the ground. But your frame and everything stays where it is and you only really get better clearance for your tires, but that is about it. Yes, you can get a bit of a better approach and departure angle, but that is only for where the body would contact, and nothing else.
3. the body lift kit is somewhat cheap itself, but is quite expensive in labour to get installed as you need to pull the whole body off of the chassis and then install the new spacers and then put the body back on the chassis.
I might just keep looking around for lift kits and see what I can find. Like i said in my original post, I am looking for the best bang for the buck. so I have to consider many things and if it will be worth it down the road.
Member III
How big is dictated by where you want to go. Many people like to make it about Rock crawling not long trips some, like to make it more about the camping and traveling for days and weeks or months. I know guys that go out of their way to travel on the roughest trails they can and deliberately go over an obstacle instead of just going around it... (With a daily driver be sure you have money for a taxi) We have done off pavement trips over 250 miles at a time and your truck right now would have made it with only minor trouble at worst. Excluding paint damage... lol Nevada Pin stripes
So who are you going to be? Hit every obstacle you come across and pick trails with a lot of difficulty then someday you will be on 37's and you might as well get them now... Along with a new truck... If this is a daily driver and you want to take a smoother road that will be less trauma on you and your rig then it wont take much to modify it... Do yourself a favor just run what you have at least 500 miles off road on multiple trips then decide what you need.
Mine is a daily driver and I put about 30k+ on it a year between commuting, work and off road. This past year about 5 or 6k was off pavement... My rig is pretty capable most likely better than a lot of older 4runners. But I also have at least 20 grand into it.. I dropped 17k right up front on modifications. If I was starting again I would do a few things differently. I just put a set of custom built Performance 2.5 King coil overs on it... I should have done that in the first place because the $450 shocks I started with would not do what these will... lol We live and learn.
Getting back to brackets mine have more clearance than most differentials do so most people will hang up on their diff before I will ground out on a bracket. Mine have never grounded out and left me hung up... I have had wheels in the air plenty of times... Also a bracket is the only way I know of that will relocate your diff so you can run a higher lift and get more travel. Mine has just over 9 inches of travel you wont get that with economy lift kits. At rest my cv angles with a 4 inch lift are the same as stock..
Oh one more point control arms and struts if they are giving you any lift at all will not help cv angles because they do not change the location of the diff...
So who are you going to be? Hit every obstacle you come across and pick trails with a lot of difficulty then someday you will be on 37's and you might as well get them now... Along with a new truck... If this is a daily driver and you want to take a smoother road that will be less trauma on you and your rig then it wont take much to modify it... Do yourself a favor just run what you have at least 500 miles off road on multiple trips then decide what you need.
Mine is a daily driver and I put about 30k+ on it a year between commuting, work and off road. This past year about 5 or 6k was off pavement... My rig is pretty capable most likely better than a lot of older 4runners. But I also have at least 20 grand into it.. I dropped 17k right up front on modifications. If I was starting again I would do a few things differently. I just put a set of custom built Performance 2.5 King coil overs on it... I should have done that in the first place because the $450 shocks I started with would not do what these will... lol We live and learn.
Getting back to brackets mine have more clearance than most differentials do so most people will hang up on their diff before I will ground out on a bracket. Mine have never grounded out and left me hung up... I have had wheels in the air plenty of times... Also a bracket is the only way I know of that will relocate your diff so you can run a higher lift and get more travel. Mine has just over 9 inches of travel you wont get that with economy lift kits. At rest my cv angles with a 4 inch lift are the same as stock..
Oh one more point control arms and struts if they are giving you any lift at all will not help cv angles because they do not change the location of the diff...
