Hey Folks! I'm excited to share my truck with you. I had started with a re-gearing decision under . Leading up to that, and going forward, I'd like to tell ...

Hey Folks! I'm excited to share my truck with you. I had started with a re-gearing decision under Gas 1500, lifted and needing to tow. Leading up to that, and going forward, I'd like to tell my story here.

Last year I picked up a Canadian-born 2010 GMC Sierra 1500 5.3L v8 w/ 6L80 trans 4x4 Extended Cab Z71 All Terrain. It now lives with me in Colorado.

Here she is:


(click image to enlarge)

I had added a little air to the tires (which have sidewall rot) and bushwhacker bed trim.

The below posts will outline the changes I've made in the last 2 months. More is on the way leading into the Summer.

First couple of things:

Lift, wheels and tires. Stock were 18s. I'm not a personal fan of 20" black rims for 35s on this girl so I compromised with the 17" black rims. This gave me the bubbly, folded in tire with a lot of sidewall - which was my preference.

I went back and forth on lifts for a long time, but ended up falling for the fabtech 6" with the included add-a-leaf. I replaced the struts with new factory struts (Rancho) because only the factory struts were compatible with the lift components I ordered. They are nice and stiff!

I didn't really do my research on what gears I had or what the 35s would do to my already sluggish truck...

A fellow all terrain guy. Lift and tires really change the look. I look forward to what else is to come.

How many miles on yours?

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nealinator wrote:How many miles on yours?

It took me days to read through your build, good stuff, I love following and your truck looks great! Mine has 61k miles on it. I'm pretty sure it sat in a shallow, partially frozen salt-lake up in Canada before I bought it.

I'm going to post some pics of my old and new gears in a few days, once I get to that step. I probably need to clean up my cover like you did, good idea.

Truck looks great! Your wheel and tire choice make it really stand out,

gustobru wrote:It took me days to read through your build, good stuff, I love following and your truck looks great! Mine has 61k miles on it. I'm pretty sure it sat in a shallow, partially frozen salt-lake up in Canada before I bought it.

I'm going to post some pics of my old and new gears in a few days, once I get to that step. I probably need to clean up my cover like you did, good idea.

Thanks man. It is a long read haha... 61k is super low for the year. Nice find! I will hopefully get under there and do a fair bit more. I know it is not really hurting anything and nobody can really see it...but it just bugs me to have rusty stuff under there. The whole rear axle and diff need a quick wire brush and some rust converter. Fortunately we do not have the salt corrosion here so that will probably last a good while just like that.

What else do you have planned for yours? I have the 3.08 gears and would love something better...but probably will never spend the $$ to swap them out. Just no real need for me. I would imagine with you new 4.56 you can snap a neck...haha

Looking at your truck in the pic on the lift....the rear and axle look pretty good. Not near the rust mine has. Maybe it has been undercoated or something since it came from Canada.

There's plenty of rust which has either been converted or covered there. I had some work done on it as part of the purchase, but it is a never ending battle. You would notice peeling and rough spots throughout the closer you look.

Next couple of posts are going to be minor things: Flaps, jacks and intake.

Personal preference, I'm not a flare guy, and what I selected in the back is a little quirky but serves the purpose well. I think the front flaps are a little classier. BTW, a dirty truck is a happy truck.

Classic front (but offset):

(click to enlarge)

Rear 'Long John' style, customizable flare height on the fender. You can also see my 35" spare tire jammed in there and the Helwig:

Here's a different shot at the long John flaps in the back. It makes the truck look skinny so for reference I included a shot of the wheel offset. I angled the flaps inward with the fender to cover those painted areas, but the flaps still come in perfectly over the wheel and offer a more feminine look if you are directly behind it (which you don't see here).

Flaps:


Offset (no flaps for ref.):

Very Nice Truck

Thanks, Roger. I see you've got a red beast and a black beauty under your wing. Nice!

Here's the intake:


(click to enlarge)