Advocate I
I'm a little late to be starting a build thread since I'm basically done, but thought it would be good to post for posterity in case anyone else were interested or had questions.
It started life bone stock, I bought it new in Nov 2017 with 12 miles on the clock and has the 2.8L Duramax diesel.
A couple of months later I ordered an ARE Z-series topper with the factory Yakima tracks.
I had originally planned on doing something like overlanding with the truck at some point, thus buying the topper with the tracks. However, the main reason for buying the truck was to tow a travel trailer. We did that for a couple of summers (2018, 2019), and then Covid hit. We had to get out of the house but didn't want to really be around other people for obvious reasons. That's when we decided it was time to shift gears and get set up for overlanding. I procured the Rhino Rack Vortex crossbars, RLT600 legs, and OVS Nomadic 4 RTT as well as replaced the stock Bridgestone Dueler H/L all-season tires with some Falken Wildpeak A/T3w tires in preparation for heading to Colorado. I also removed the front air dam for extra clearance.
With RTT before tires:
With RTT after tires:
Then we loaded up and headed to Colorado for a couple of weeks. Overall, truck did great! We definitely took too much stuff and having the bed of the truck loaded up with no drawers, etc, made organization a bit of a pain. So, last fall after looking at various options I decided to install a Decked system.
And then I ordered an ICECO VL60 dual-zone fridge and Alu-Cab tilting fridge slide.
And I also picked up a Jackery 1000 on sale to power it and other electronics as needed. The Jackery gets charged while driving by being plugged into a 12v outlet I installed in the bed (I've since rerouted the wiring through the grommet behind it once I got it mounted).
Oh, I also relocated my Diamond NR770 2m/70cm ham radio antenna from an adhesive HRKS mount on the side of the topper to a Rago Fabrications bed mount, which you can see in this pic along with all the stuff I have in the drawers. The B&W hideaway hitch gets replaced with a D-ring receiver mount when overlanding, for anyone that saw it. That hitch is used to tow the boat or horse trailer as needed (one has a 2" coupler, the other 2-5/16") and it's nice to always have available when needed but hidden away so avoid shin whacks when not in use.
Which also have plywood inserts to provide additional flat space for whatever. Can also see part of the 5LB propane tank for the stove and Joolca HOTTAP water heater.
After driving around for some months with the loaded Decked drawers I decided it was time to address the rear suspension. The factory shocks were fine when unloaded, but they were just too soft when always carrying a load. The rear fender height was also about 1/4" lower than the front when loaded. The truck actually wasn't squatting much with the load, when it was new there was no noticeable rake so it's not like the rear dropped 2 inches because of what's in the bed. No leveling kit, just came with no rake from the factory which is weird but whatever.
Anyway, I ordered some Peak 2.0 rear shocks and a set of Deaver expedition leafs. Out with the old...
And in with the new.
Before:
After:
I feel like the wide-angle lens makes it look different than it really is. It went from the rear being roughly 1/8-1/4 lower in the rear compared to the front to being 1.75" higher in the rear with the new springs, which should settle to be closer to 1.5" higher. With the RTT on the rear is 1/4" lower than without.
The shocks made the biggest difference in ride with the constant load and the springs feel no firmer than the OEMs but they are meant for carrying the load while providing a slight lift.
Also not pictured are a full set of the GM skid plates (Front, mid/oil pan, and t-case). I'm not planning on going anywhere extreme and didn't feel the need to spent the money on something like AEV's skids, so the GM offerings will do me just fine.
I know some of you are thinking "budget build?!" and everything is relative, but yes in my eyes, when compared to the full builds I've seen, this is a budget build (Not including the cost of the truck).
Anyway, that's where I am now! The last remaining mod had yet to be shipped, I'm waiting for the Expedition Essentials accessory mount so I can move the control head for my FTM-400XDR and add an iPad mount - Chevrolet Colorado GMC Canyon Dash Mount (CPAM) Powered
THEN I should be done for a while. I hope. The truck is still a "daily" driver and needs to be comfortable for road trips. As a "do it all" vehicle it's been the best I've had so far.
Thanks for reading!
It started life bone stock, I bought it new in Nov 2017 with 12 miles on the clock and has the 2.8L Duramax diesel.
A couple of months later I ordered an ARE Z-series topper with the factory Yakima tracks.
I had originally planned on doing something like overlanding with the truck at some point, thus buying the topper with the tracks. However, the main reason for buying the truck was to tow a travel trailer. We did that for a couple of summers (2018, 2019), and then Covid hit. We had to get out of the house but didn't want to really be around other people for obvious reasons. That's when we decided it was time to shift gears and get set up for overlanding. I procured the Rhino Rack Vortex crossbars, RLT600 legs, and OVS Nomadic 4 RTT as well as replaced the stock Bridgestone Dueler H/L all-season tires with some Falken Wildpeak A/T3w tires in preparation for heading to Colorado. I also removed the front air dam for extra clearance.
With RTT before tires:
With RTT after tires:
Then we loaded up and headed to Colorado for a couple of weeks. Overall, truck did great! We definitely took too much stuff and having the bed of the truck loaded up with no drawers, etc, made organization a bit of a pain. So, last fall after looking at various options I decided to install a Decked system.
And then I ordered an ICECO VL60 dual-zone fridge and Alu-Cab tilting fridge slide.
And I also picked up a Jackery 1000 on sale to power it and other electronics as needed. The Jackery gets charged while driving by being plugged into a 12v outlet I installed in the bed (I've since rerouted the wiring through the grommet behind it once I got it mounted).
Oh, I also relocated my Diamond NR770 2m/70cm ham radio antenna from an adhesive HRKS mount on the side of the topper to a Rago Fabrications bed mount, which you can see in this pic along with all the stuff I have in the drawers. The B&W hideaway hitch gets replaced with a D-ring receiver mount when overlanding, for anyone that saw it. That hitch is used to tow the boat or horse trailer as needed (one has a 2" coupler, the other 2-5/16") and it's nice to always have available when needed but hidden away so avoid shin whacks when not in use.
Which also have plywood inserts to provide additional flat space for whatever. Can also see part of the 5LB propane tank for the stove and Joolca HOTTAP water heater.
After driving around for some months with the loaded Decked drawers I decided it was time to address the rear suspension. The factory shocks were fine when unloaded, but they were just too soft when always carrying a load. The rear fender height was also about 1/4" lower than the front when loaded. The truck actually wasn't squatting much with the load, when it was new there was no noticeable rake so it's not like the rear dropped 2 inches because of what's in the bed. No leveling kit, just came with no rake from the factory which is weird but whatever.
Anyway, I ordered some Peak 2.0 rear shocks and a set of Deaver expedition leafs. Out with the old...
And in with the new.
Before:
After:
I feel like the wide-angle lens makes it look different than it really is. It went from the rear being roughly 1/8-1/4 lower in the rear compared to the front to being 1.75" higher in the rear with the new springs, which should settle to be closer to 1.5" higher. With the RTT on the rear is 1/4" lower than without.
The shocks made the biggest difference in ride with the constant load and the springs feel no firmer than the OEMs but they are meant for carrying the load while providing a slight lift.
Also not pictured are a full set of the GM skid plates (Front, mid/oil pan, and t-case). I'm not planning on going anywhere extreme and didn't feel the need to spent the money on something like AEV's skids, so the GM offerings will do me just fine.
I know some of you are thinking "budget build?!" and everything is relative, but yes in my eyes, when compared to the full builds I've seen, this is a budget build (Not including the cost of the truck).
Anyway, that's where I am now! The last remaining mod had yet to be shipped, I'm waiting for the Expedition Essentials accessory mount so I can move the control head for my FTM-400XDR and add an iPad mount - Chevrolet Colorado GMC Canyon Dash Mount (CPAM) Powered
THEN I should be done for a while. I hope. The truck is still a "daily" driver and needs to be comfortable for road trips. As a "do it all" vehicle it's been the best I've had so far.
Thanks for reading!
