2006 GMC Sierra aka “granopy”

[ThundahBeagle]

Went through and reorganized my travel gear a little better under the back seats and behind them I have tucked in
Air compressor
2 yank straps and all the supporting pulling gear
Tools
Small camp stove
Food
Winter warm gear
Saw
Machete
Ax
Water
Fluids
Electrical repair kit
Tarp
Paracord
Tire repair kits
And other odds and ends .

still have a little better organizing to do but it all fits in and doesn’t move around or rattle so I’m happy for now View attachment 182013View attachment 182014

Nice. I kind of do the same. I keep an old, plasti-formed 90-something piece Craftsman tool set with the truck under the rear seat, along with a fleece, a raincoat, an extra pair of boots, extra hat and gloves and some other stuff. I was keeping everything I needed in the diamond deck toolbox until I put the camper shell on and had to remove the cross box. Then the covered bed and the cab became the receptacle of anything I might ever need to use ever. In the bed, I kept a hiking pack with dog leash, camp stove, 3 days of Mountain House meals, Primus classic trail stove, change of clothes, a Mexican horse blanket and so on in in it. Then a milk crate with an LED lantern, jumper cables, ratchet straps and other crap. It was getting out of hand.

I just got the truck back from the shop and there's nothing in the bed or cab. Starting fresh, I just want to keep my cab clean and clear so there are no loose-flying, heavy mechanisms of injury in the event of a collision, so I'm trying to rethink my configuration.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Something interesting coming down the pike:

DOC Issues Preliminary Determination On Cheap Imported Tires | GM Authority

The U.S. Department of Commerce intends to prevent unfairly low pricing of cheap imported tires, but this could adversely affect owners of older vehicles.

gmauthority-com.cdn.ampproject.org

I would gladly pay more for the tires . Ran Kendas on my motorcycles ,their duel sport tires straight worked amazing even in slush and some light snow ( wasn’t fun but got me home) and I love the 35x10.50 size . I usually always shoot for USA made products but this tall skinny shoe fits the bill .

 

[Smileyshaun]

Finally got around to getting to a junkyard to pick up a spare wheel so I could mount my spare and got a set of torsion bars , not the ones I wanted but close enough . Old bars measure out at 2.38” new ones are 1.78”,should make a good improvement in ride quality . Hoping to get them installed tomorrow .

 

[Smileyshaun]

Got the bars installed and well it’s only marginally better and I’m having a strange issue . Even with the lift keys in and them cranked to the max I am still resting on the jounce bushings . I’m at a bit of a loss , I’ve owned my share of torsion bar gm rigs and with the lift keys in I’ve never had a problem getting the front to lift usually it’s the opposite problem and they almost create to much lift to the point I need to run them overly soft to keep the arms right above the jounce bumpers .... I tell ya some days I think I’ve become cursed with vehicles and am almost at the point of just saying hell with it and go buy a new truck so I can focus my time on woodworking.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Got the bars installed and well it’s only marginally better and I’m having a strange issue . Even with the lift keys in and them cranked to the max I am still resting on the jounce bushings . I’m at a bit of a loss , I’ve owned my share of torsion bar gm rigs and with the lift keys in I’ve never had a problem getting the front to lift usually it’s the opposite problem and they almost create to much lift to the point I need to run them overly soft to keep the arms right above the jounce bumpers .... I tell ya some days I think I’ve become cursed with vehicles and am almost at the point of just saying hell with it and go buy a new truck so I can focus my time on woodworking.View attachment 183484View attachment 183485View attachment 183486View attachment 183487View attachment 183488

I'm not sure but it looks like that portion bar might be a little thin to fit into that socket in the lower arms, there. I might ne wrong. Second from last picture. Can anyone confirm? I'm no expert

 

[Smileyshaun]

I'm not sure but it looks like that portion bar might be a little thin to fit into that socket in the lower arms, there. I might ne wrong. Second from last picture. Can anyone confirm? I'm no expert

The socket ends are all the same on all the gm bars they only vary in length and width on the center of the bars

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Go figure. Ok. So they all sort of dont quite fit?

 

[Smileyshaun]

Go figure. Ok. So they all sort of dont quite fit?

yes I think the reasoning is if it was a tight exact fit they would be harder to install at a manufacturing point and would probably get stuck over time

 

[Doran_of_OK]

I have an 2005, I am interested in how you got the 35s to fit with out suspension upgrades...

 

[Smileyshaun]

I have an 2005, I am interested in how you got the 35s to fit with out suspension upgrades...

they are only 10.50 wide any wider or any more wheel offset and they would rub horribly

 

[ThundahBeagle]

That's the interesting thing. So many 33 inch tires come in an 11 to 12 inch cross section. Touch to find a 10.5 width on a 33 or 35 inch tire.

I'm curious the quality, longevity, performance and noise factor of your tires, Smiley, because they are about $40 to $60 less expensive per tire than big brand name 33's and its tempting.

 

[Smileyshaun]

My tablet holder was half broke and I could of fixed it but didn’t really like where it was sitting so I made version 1.0 of a new one . *Cut out a chunk of oak that fit the hole
* put a rabbit around it to hold a couple thin strips to keep it centered and hold the rubber bands to keep it together .
*split it in half with a half circle to keep it from wandering .... I think
*used a step drill bit to make some holes in the back so as I tightened down the bolts it would expand and wedge itself in the hole that I have no idea what The purpose of it is.
Seems to hold so far but think I need to spend a little more time on sanding and fitment to make the tightening down a little smoother .

 

[Smileyshaun]

That's the interesting thing. So many 33 inch tires come in an 11 to 12 inch cross section. Touch to find a 10.5 width on a 33 or 35 inch tire.

I'm curious the quality, longevity, performance and noise factor of your tires, Smiley, because they are about $40 to $60 less expensive per tire than big brand name 33's and its tempting.

I do have some trust in them because they are a motorcycle tire manufacturing company and motorcycle tires are held to a much higher quality than automotive tires are. you can get a 33x10.50r15 through a couple manufacturers.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

I've seen thier stuff on motorcycles and mountain bikes, so it made sense at some point they might make the jump to cars and trucks. Honda used to only sell motorcycles in the US. They made the jump, so why not Kenda.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

My tablet holder was half broke and I could of fixed it but didn’t really like where it was sitting so I made version 1.0 of a new one . *Cut out a chunk of oak that fit the hole
* put a rabbit around it to hold a couple thin strips to keep it centered and hold the rubber bands to keep it together .
*split it in half with a half circle to keep it from wandering .... I think
*used a step drill bit to make some holes in the back so as I tightened down the bolts it would expand and wedge itself in the hole that I have no idea what The purpose of it is.
Seems to hold so far but think I need to spend a little more time on sanding and fitment to make the tightening down a little smoother . View attachment 183903

That cubby would house the 4 - wheel steer indicator and shutoff in an SLT trim / appropriately equipped vehicle, and also the air bag shutoff keyhole.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Getting tired of dealing with the torsion bars so going to try these being that they have a lot more adjustment so I can hopefully get the ride hight set to where I want .

 

[Boostpowered]

Could the torsion bars have been cranked up by the previous owner and been twisted out of spec?

 

[Smileyshaun]

Could the torsion bars have been cranked up by the previous owner and been twisted out of spec?

possibly but had the same problem with lift hight with the old torsion bars , some times I just think I’m cursed when it comes to automotive stuff lol

 

[Boostpowered]

If you feel like everything is in spec and that leveling kit don't work you have 3 options from how id see it if it were my truck and i wanted to go bigger on wheels. Option 1 is to do a body lift, option 2 would be a solid axle swap which is what everyone i knows does when they get fed up with it, option 3 is a new truck with new style ifs suspension without torsion bars.
If you realy like how the truck is and rides id go with option 1 its the cheapest and least intrusive. The other 2 options take quite a bit of cash but would fix the problem.

 

[Smileyshaun]

The the suspension max keys don’t work the way I want I may go with the atomic fab coil over kit or just say heck with it and break down and buy a new rig . Loosing patience for automotive work lately .