2018 GMC Canyon MTB/Overland/Adventure Rig

[JCWages]

Happy to report I have zero clunk in the trunk! I still have a tiny bit of noise up front somewhere but 90% of the loud clunking I was hearing (front and rear) is absolutely gone. It's pretty crazy to think all of that was coming from those 2 top leaf springs.

FWIW, I installed the 1/8" rubber shims on the front and rear of the leaf packs. I was so sick of the noise I went all out.

 

[JCWages]

I received the 7mm wheel spacers today from Motorsport Tech. They look good!

This ring was on backwards when I took the photo. The torque relief "ring" that runs through the stud holes is supposed to be against the rotor.

No real poke but I'm ok with less crap being flung up onto the sides of the truck.

The tires still rub the frame at full lock but much less than without the spacers and I feel it is totally liveable. One side rubs worse than the other (just shy of full lock) and that other side has to be full lock before I sense any hint of rubbing. I feel safer using these spacers vs. the 1.25" spacers and now I don't rub the wheel wells anymore. These spacers would be a good solution for those who have mild lifts and rub the frame with 265/70/17s and don't want to buy new wheels, cut their wheel studs to fit Bora .75"-1.00" spacers or cut up their wheel wells.

 

[JCWages]

The saga of the chrome bumper....

After a failed attempt at painting the chrome to white (the white didn't match) I ended up saying F it and hit it with Rustoleum Bedliner spray. I could have taken it somewhere to have them LineX it but I didn't ant to spend any more money. I'd rather save up and get a real steel bumper.

Taking all of the trim pieces off the first time is a real pain. After I removed all the trim I quickly sanded down the chrome to rough it up. I then cleaned the bumper with dish soap followed by acetone before spraying with a clear primer made for plastics and chrome.

Then realized I must not have cleaned the surface well enough because this happened. In a bunch of places.

I sanded it back down then used acetone to clean off all the residual paint and sprayed it again. I still got "fisheyes" but it wasn't as bad so I kept adding coats of paint until they disappeared. It looked pretty good except for a spot I cause a large paint run while trying to fill in a hole. It was much whiter than the OE paint on the truck though. :(

Frustrated, I let the white paint cure then gave it hell with a couple cans of bedliner....

While reinstalling the trim pieces I noticed this lil guy had slid off and was laying on the floor. I had to finagle it into place using a flathead screwdriver while trying to hold my cell phone light so I could see what the hell I was doing. That took an extra 10min and some cussing. It's hard to tell from the photo but the clip is behind that bar and towards the front of the step so there's not much room for more than a finger. Taking the step back off wasn't an option. They are sort of a pain to slide into place until you figure out the trick.

Looks good in low light. We'll see when the sun comes up..... lol

 

[great08]

It looks good! You are doing a good job. Thumbs up!

 

[JCWages]

It looks good! You are doing a good job. Thumbs up!

Thanks man. I appreciate it!

 

[JCWages]

Snow play day. Ran from Dutch Flat to Hwy 20 on Lowell Hill Road (10miles or so).

Once we got back on Hwy 20 I noticed a guy on the side of the road doing something to his front tire so I pulled along side to see if he was ok. Turns out one of the links on his snow chains had snapped. So we pulled over to assist and wouldn't you know it, I had removed all of my tools and misc fix type materials! Thankfully the guy had a pair of generic pliers and an extra rubber strap used to cinch tire chain tight against the wheel. I quickly removed a couple of the metal S links from the strap and used them to link the tire chain back together. We then followed him until the highway cleared up more.

All that off-road stuff and Trev slides into the ditch off the highway RIGHT in front of 2 Caltrans trucks. LOL They pulled him out and we were back on the road in less than 2min looking for another trail to run. :) Not a scratch to the Tacoma or Trevor. What's even more funny is once they unhooked the Tacoma I snapped another photo of Trev standing by his truck and that little Saturn? we rescued was driving by in the background. LOL

 

[OutsideSeth]

Nice build! We just purchased a 2018 Canyon SLE Crew Cab, but with the long bed. Excited to start building it out for exploring Idaho and you just gave me a bunch of ideas.

 

[JCWages]

Nice build! We just purchased a 2018 Canyon SLE Crew Cab, but with the long bed. Excited to start building it out for exploring Idaho and you just gave me a bunch of ideas.

Congrats!

I had the long bed version first and it's better for overlanding but worse for rock crawling. You're going to love it!

 

[JCWages]

This widowmaker has been blocking vehicle access on this side of the Preserve for 3yrs. I finally had enough certified help today that it was time to remove it. I used my Motomoric 30'x3" recovery strap and D shackle hitch receiver. The road was steep, wet and muddy so I was trying to keep from tearing up the road. 4Wh Lo and steady throttle application made it all work despite the back end rising up as I pulled.

 

[OutsideSeth]

I wish the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W was available in 255/75R17. I am trying to decide between the Geolander A/T G015 in that size or dropping down in height to the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W in 265/65R17. It is dry here in Idaho, but I do need the traction to get through the snow in the mountains for those epic pow days. The worst road conditions are the best time to be getting up there to snowboard. I work from home, so I don't drive highways daily. But, when I do spend time on a highway it is generally long distance. From what I have heard both of these tires fair well on the pavement.

Since; you've tried both, what is your opinion between these two options? I think we are in pretty similar climates.

 

[JCWages]

I wish the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W was available in 255/75R17. I am trying to decide between the Geolander A/T G015 in that size or dropping down in height to the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W in 265/65R17. It is dry here in Idaho, but I do need the traction to get through the snow in the mountains for those epic pow days. The worst road conditions are the best time to be getting up there to snowboard. I work from home, so I don't drive highways daily. But, when I do spend time on a highway it is generally long distance. From what I have heard both of these tires fair well on the pavement.

Since; you've tried both, what is your opinion between these two options? I think we are in pretty similar climates.

I really like both tires but in different ways. From what you describe I'd go with the Wildpeak in a P265/70/17. It's only a tiny bit shorter than the 255/75/17 and it will perform better off-road and in deeper snow. If you were really concerned about fuel economy and ride smoothness I'd have chosen the Geolandar. If you are at stock height with oem wheels you shouldn't rub. With up to 2" of front lift you may rub a little at full steering lock but it won't hurt anything.

It gets a lot colder in your neck of the woods so a solid 3 peak snow rated all-terrain will work pretty good. I lived in Ontario for a few years as a kid in the late 80s. I had never experienced negative temperatures before that. lol

 

[JCWages]

I replaced my reverse light bulbs with JDM Astar LEDs. They are much brighter than the stock bulbs.

I also swapped my the white JDM Astar LEDs I had in the fog lights for yellow LEDs. My hope is they will provide better light in wet conditions, fog and dusty trails. They provide just as much roadside illumination as the white LEDs. I need that side illumination to help see deer while driving through my heavily wooded neighborhood.

 

[JCWages]

I wanted to try and illustrate why I use LEDs in the OEM fog lights despite the poor amount of forward lighting they generally provide.

My neighborhood is very hilly, curvy and thickly wooded. We have a huge population of deer and they regularly cross the street or even mill about in the street.

Bastards are always eating my plants

With Morimoto HID low beams going up an incline

With Morimoto HID low beams and JDM Astar LED fogs (yellow)

While the difference in pictures appears minor, it is enough for me to be able to detect movement and see deer-shaped forms before they enter the roadway without being so bright that they negatively affect oncoming drivers. Ditch lights would be too much in this situation.

 

[madcratebuilder]

Congrats!

I had the long bed version first and it's better for overlanding but worse for rock crawling. You're going to love it!

Both have a 129" wheel base unless you have the seldom seen long box on a crew cab.

ETA: I see you do have the CCLB, no many of those in the wild.

 

[JCWages]

Had some fun scouting an alternate road to my favorite offroading area near Bowman Lake.

The ruts were up to 16" deep and things start to go really wrong when you end up with a tire on the wrong side of the rut and a steep slope on one side.... Heheh

Otherwise I spent most of the time acting like a giant pinball banging off the sides of the ruts.

Too wet and mushy to make this climb without just gunning it up.

 

[JCWages]

Both have a 129" wheel base unless you have the seldom seen long box on a crew cab.

They are not uncommon around here but yes, I had a CCLB. :)

 

[madcratebuilder]

They are not uncommon around here but yes, I had a CCLB. :)

I checked every dealer in OR, WA and ID before I bought my ext cab long box. I sure wanted to drive one before deciding on my ZR2.

 

[OutsideSeth]

I checked every dealer in OR, WA and ID before I bought my ext cab long box. I sure wanted to drive one before deciding on my ZR2.

I just purchased a new 2018 Canyon CCLB here in Idaho from Kendall in Nampa. I know the longer base will reduce it's rock crawling abilities, but I love the proportions of the CCLB.

 

[JCWages]

I just purchased a new 2018 Canyon CCLB here in Idaho from Kendall in Nampa. I know the longer base will reduce it's rock crawling abilities, but I love the proportions of the CCLB.

It's a great truck and it's super capable. The biggest difference will come from increased ground clearance anyway. :)

 

[OutsideSeth]

It's a great truck and it's super capable. The biggest difference will come from increased ground clearance anyway. :)

Did you ever run into transmission issues with the larger tires? I’m wondering if recalibrating for the larger tires is going to be needed.