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My 2019 ZR2 Bison Build Thread

95K views 319 replies 44 participants last post by  wachuko 
#1 · (Edited)
Similar to my other threads in other forums...starting one for changes made to my ZR2 Bison.


2019 Colorado ZR2 Bison
Engine: 2.8L Duramax Turbo-Diesel 4-cylinder engine
Color: Red Hot
Miles when purchased: 25
Purchased date: March 4, 2019
Purchased price <gulp>: 51K +TTT


Photos the day I got it home:














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#3 · (Edited)
Planned changes. This is the list that I have so far:

Pending:


  1. Mud flaps - still looking for these...
  2. Bull bar like the concept vehicle had. And also add another LED light bar there (not sure, if I do that then I will not do the hood LEDs lights)…AEV confirmed that these should be out in April 2019
  3. ARB CKMTA12 12Volt On-Board Twin High Performance Air Compressor (I have one in my RV and it works great! Want one for this truck as well)
  4. ARB Inflation Accessory Kit
  5. ARB Digital Tire Inflator
  6. ARB 10000011 Speedy Seal Tire Repair Kit (Universal)
  7. Prinsu Roof Rack - low profile and looks great. Just noticed that the price when up since I first saw it... darn it!
  8. 40" LED Light Bar - need to confirm brand/model
  9. WARN Winch model 9.5xp-s - confirmed with AEV that this is the model that will work with the bumper.
  10. AEV Transmission cover
  11. A bed rack - need to determine what will work with the UnderCover Flex Tonneau Cover...might need to build a custom one... UPDATE: I will be replacing the tonneau cover. Going with the same setup that @BisonInWisconsin went with - Putco Venture TEC Rack and TruXedo Sentry CT tonneau cover
  12. Roofnest Sandpiper Hard Shell Rooftop tent
  13. Additional Rotopax for Diesel and Water (currently have one of each)
  14. Recovery traction boards
  15. Recovery gear
  16. Hi-lift jack
  17. Setup to cook meals when camping
  18. Couple of solar panels. This is what I want the front roof rack for.
  19. Extra AGM batteries, Victron solar charger controller... to keep the ARB fridge always on
  20. BFgoodrich ALL-TERRAIN T/A KO2 - SIZE: LT275/70R17 (32.2"x10.8") - when it is time to replace the current tires...in no hurry to change them for now. I might go with 255/80-17 instead...
Done:


  1. N-Fab steps - modified to adapt these to the stock rock sliders... - Installed
  2. Stake Pocket Cover Set. This is to cover the rear top holes - Installed
  3. TGL Hitch Step - Hitch Step - Installed
  4. Interior LED lights - 28mm 5050 3SMD LED Fuse Vanity Mirror Light Bulb and T10 Wedge 5-SMD 5050 White LED Light Bulbs W5W for the dome/reading lights - Installed.
  5. Tie Down Anchors (4) for the inside of the bed - Tie Downs - Installed
  6. Pop & Lock PL8140 Power Tailgate Lock for Chevy/GMC - because having to use the key to lock the tailgate is uncivilized, lol - Install thread - Installed hardware.
  7. Window film - Installed
  8. Datin Metal Fabrication Shock Skids - Installed
  9. Truck bed LED lights - got an inexpensive strip - Installed
  10. Replaced Colorado/Canyon Automatic Shift Knob with Buick Envision Knob - GM Part Number 23286909 - How-To: Replace Colorado/Canyon Automatic Shift Knob with Buick Envision Knob - Installed
  11. Console organizing tray - Anydream Center Console Organizer Tray - Installed
  12. High-beam HB3 9005 LED Headlight bulb: NINEO 9005 HB3 LED Headlight Bulbs - CREE Chips - 12000Lm 6500K Extremely Bright - Installed
  13. Low-beam H11 LED Headlight bulb - H11/H8/H9 LED Headlight Bulbs Low Beam/Fog Light with Fan, SEALIGHT S2 Series - Installed
  14. 9140 LED Fog light bulb - SEALIGHT 9145/9140/H10/9045/9040 LED Fog Lights Bulbs - Installed
  15. UnderCover Flex Hard Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover (FX11002) and got it from forum vendor Chris@RealTruck - this one - Installed
  16. Thinkware F200D Front/Rear Dash Cam - this one - Installed
  17. Bed mat - Dee Zee Mat - Installed
  18. ARB Element cooler - this one I have had for awhile...
  19. Hood LED lights with brackets. Hood/Ditch Lights (comes with brackets, Part no. 19369746) and harness (Part no. 19369744) - Installed
  20. Large Bore-HD 3" 409 Stainless Steel Hi-Tuck DPF-Back Exhaust System - link
  21. Rear bumper LED lights...waiting on AEV to have the brackets available. - Brackets arrived and lights now installed.
  22. CB radio and antenna, HF radio (one recommendation was Yaesu FTM-400XDR) and antenna (getting my HAM license soon) - While I get my HAM license, I went with a GRMS radio... Midland MXT275 MicroMobile Two-Way Radio and their 3db antenna.
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#4 · (Edited)
Reached out to AEV for availability of their bull bar and transmission skid plate:

The increased volume pushed back accessory readiness a bit but the low tube center section will be available within the month, along with our transmission skid and a few other things
 

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#6 ·
@wachuko I really like the wheels on it. I think they have a simple, aggressive design to them.

Interesting. I have to say, I like the stock/original wheels on the ZR2 more than the ones on the ZR2 Bison... but I am not changing anything on my ZR2... it will stay with what it came with. Most I would do is a change to BFG KO2 when the time comes to replace the tires...


Discussing with the wife, she is not looking forward to sleeping on a tent... sleeping in the RV is as far as she will go... so all the mods related to camping/sleeping with it (cooking setup, solar panels, extra battery, etc.), have dropped to the lowest priority. I better get one of those mall crawlers stickers, lol...



LED lights, recovery gear, radio (CB/FM), air compressor, and all that, is still a go...
 
#8 ·
May I recommend replacing the factory fogs with BD Squadron Pro R's in amber combo-beam? You might find that you don't need to worry about a light bar on the bumper or pods on the a-pillars if you do the squadron pro factory fog replacement.


Also, I want that rear bumper and those flares even more now
 
#12 · (Edited)
May I recommend replacing the factory fogs with BD Squadron Pro R's in amber combo-beam? You might find that you don't need to worry about a light bar on the bumper or pods on the a-pillars if you do the squadron pro factory fog replacement...

I will add those to my list. For now I just ordered replacement headlight LED bulbs (Sealight S1 LED H11 bulbs that were recommended from this thread). And was looking at the specs for the Fog lights to order a replacement for those as well.


Good list there, Wachuko! Let me know if you need any questions answered when you get your ham ticket, been one for 25+ years, and always looking to help out with a newcomer.

Will do, thank you! I did get a BaoFeng BF-F8HP radio with the Nagoya NA-771 15.6-Inch Antenna to practice with when I am done going over the book studying for the test. But was looking for recommendations on something to have fixed in the truck (radio + antenna). Got some feedback from SBG on that.


I still can’t make up my mind about the Bison. It kind of takes the fun out of building a truck. I would personally rather buy a stock Colorado and build it out the way I want. On the plus side, it’s going to be easy to buy one that hasn’t been abused. I think most people who buy them aren’t going to wheel them much and just want the look.

On my FJ60 I ran airlines to quick connects on the bumpers and the electrical through an spod. Makes life a million times easier. You can see the connection spot right by the CB antenna.

I did the same in our Class B RV... air compressor is under the hood and I ran lines to the front for easy access to the quick connect... with the switch on the inside. I will do the same (still need to see where I can install the air compressor) with this truck.


On the build out... yes... and those that know me, know that I love doing the modifications more than anything else. They do not call me the professor of pending projects for nothing!, lol. So this one will be interesting as most of the stuff I wanted to modify from a ZR2 is already there... that and the fact that I promised my wife no more big expenses for awhile... I do want a cover that I will do as soon as I can decide on which one to go with, but after that I need to keep a low profile and stay out of the radar on purchases... can't push my luck with the wife...already in hot water for jumping the gun and getting this truck a year earlier than we had planned 0:)
 
#9 ·
Good list there, Wachuko! Let me know if you need any questions answered when you get your ham ticket, been one for 25+ years, and always looking to help out with a newcomer.
 
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#10 ·
I still can’t make up my mind about the Bison. It kind of takes the fun out of building a truck. I would personally rather buy a stock Colorado and build it out the way I want. On the plus side, it’s going to be easy to buy one that hasn’t been abused. I think most people who buy them aren’t going to wheel them much and just want the look.

On my FJ60 I ran airlines to quick connects on the bumpers and the electrical through an spod. Makes life a million times easier. You can see the connection spot right by the CB antenna.

 
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#14 ·
I still can’t make up my mind about the Bison. It kind of takes the fun out of building a truck. I would personally rather buy a stock Colorado and build it out the way I want. On the plus side, it’s going to be easy to buy one that hasn’t been abused. I think most people who buy them aren’t going to wheel them much and just want the look.

On my FJ60 I ran airlines to quick connects on the bumpers and the electrical through an spod. Makes life a million times easier. You can see the connection spot right by the CB antenna.
I love building up a vehicle specific to my needs but the ZR2 and Bison are a bit different. They are also set up correctly for the majority of people and only need light mods to make them even better. Having a very capable rig that retains the factory warranty is very alluring with modern vehicles and all of their expensive parts. There is also the fact that the vast majority of major mods come with their own set of headaches when installs go bad, parts are bad out of the box, things don't fit or work as you expected etc. I've been modding vehicle all my life and very few have stayed stock but I would buy a Bison in a heartbeat if I could afford it. There are plenty of little mods you can do to make it more unique or better without affecting the warranty or basic function/drive of the truck so it's not like your hands are tied and you can't have fun modding.
 
#11 ·
The AEV wheels have a lower offset (23mm?) than the ZR2 wheels which is better for trying to fit larger tires.
 
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#13 · (Edited)
Oh... and I need to get some mud flaps for this sucker... first rain and everything on the sides got dirty quick! Going to be a challenge to find something that fits and looks good with the way the fender flairs are shaped...
 
#15 · (Edited)
So I ordered the LED bulbs for the headlights (Sealight S1 LED H11)... and I am looking for the type of bulbs used in the fog-lights... can't find the type listed anywhere in the manuals... so rather than remove mine I called the parts department in the dealer next to me.

Well, they could not find it in their system either. They do find the part number, but no description if it is an H3, H9, etc... so the parts guy gets one to see if the actual bulb has any description on it... with the bulb in hand, I still can't figure out what replacement I need to order... this is one weird looking bulb...


EDIT: CORRECTION. For the Bison Fog lights it is NOT 5202 like the other Colorados... it uses 9140 light bulbs. Found out the hard way :) .

The photos you see attached are from the dealer and those are 5202 bulbs for the other Colorados...not for the Bison. Again, for the Bison fog lights, those need to be 9140.
 

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#16 ·
For the tonneau cover, looks like I am going with the UnderCover Flex Hard Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover (FX11002)... I was concerned with the Peragon risk of not opening if something slips to the front of the bed and blocks the cover from operating normally. That was enough to make me go with a different cover... and I did not wanted to spend an outrageous amount on a cover... I hope this one works well...
 
#17 · (Edited)
I use these for the fog lights. I like them better than the white ones I had. They are less blinding to oncoming traffic too.
[ame]https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CMLJF6F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/ame]

 
#18 ·
#21 ·
For the Ham radio I’d suggest the Yaesu FTM-400XDR. Really easy to use. I did one with a compactenna.

You can see mine here, but lots of good info on that thread. You can also see my antenna setup if you scroll up.

https://www.coloradofans.com/forums...b-ham-2-way-radio-installs-9.html#post5088067

Has a wide reception range and can be easily modded to transmit on GMRS and other frequencies in case a dire emergency.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
#26 ·
I kept seeing this "Rear Seat Reminder. Look in Rear Seat" and although it said "Look", I kept reading "Lock"... so I would check the seats, drop them, lock them back in place... top, bottom... and the message kept coming back... stupid me...



https://www.autonews.com/article/20...ds-rear-seat-reminder-technology-to-20-models


Thankfully there is a way to turn it off... will do that today...


https://my.chevrolet.com/learnAbout/rear-seat-reminder/2018/Equinox


The RearSeat Reminder feature is ON by default from the factory on all models that are equipped with it. To turn this feature OFF, go to your Chevrolet Infotainment screen<sup style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; top: -0.5em;">1</sup>:

1. Select Settings.
2. Then choose Rear Seat Reminder.
3. Select Off or On.


Rear Seat Reminder detects when a rear door is opened up to 10 minutes before starting your vehicle or anytime the vehicle is on. It doesn't detect the liftgate opening. When you turn your vehicle off, under certain circumstances, the driver will hear 5 chimes and the driver information center will display the message “Rear Seat Reminder, Look in Rear Seat.” The Reminder is only active once per ignition cycle.
 
#30 ·
LED fog light bulbs installed. And since I forgot to order them, placed an order for the high-beam LED bulbs as well... those should be here Tuesday...went with the NINEO 9005 HB3 LED Headlight Bulbs - CREE Chips - 12000Lm 6500K Extremely Bright - 49.99 from Amazon

Front/rear dash cam also arrived.
 

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#31 ·
You're not wasting any time. Has your wide started talking to you again? Haha
 
#32 ·
You're not wasting any time. Has your wife started talking to you again? Haha

All I can say is that she has not gotten in the truck yet... the ZR2 does not come up in any of our conversations, like it does not exist... :grin2: She will come around, I have no doubt.



Daughter calls it Clifford... the big red truck...
 

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#33 · (Edited)
Got a reply from AEV on a couple of questions I had.


On which winch the bumper was designed for:


Good morning! The Bison bumper is designed for the Warn 9.5xp-s. ComeUp/GM are designing a winch for it as well, but I’m not sure if it’s out. We use the Warn.
On the mud flaps:


Good question! I was under the impression GM was going to make a pair. If not, that is definitely something we could do relatively easily, but right now we do not have any mud flaps.
 
#35 ·
Received the tonneau cover today. Easy install. One of the belt buckle receivers was broken. Submitting a warranty claim to get a replacement.

Photos attached. Drilled holes in the rubber covers to route the drain tubes through them...
 

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#39 ·
Nice truck, knowing you from the Harley Board I know you do quality stuff. I like that T cover and I'm in the market for one for my ZR2. I see the UC Flex panels have a "textured" finish. What are your thoughts on this? Would you prefer smooth or the texture panels? Getting close to pulling the trigger on a cover.
 
#36 · (Edited)
High-beam LED light bulbs installed... all set with the LED lights in the front.

Female belt buckle for the new tonneau cover arrives Friday - great service from RealTruck and their parent company. That was great customer service.

Had to give up on having a lower profile bed rack that would work with this tonneau cover... the sections are approximately 17" tall when you open them... that would require a taller bed rack than what I wanted... still looking for options that would install using the bed stake pockets. Love the looks of the 589 Fab bed rack but to low to work for me...

OBDII reader ordered and should be here Thursday. Using an Android tablet that I have to read the parameters and engine related values. Have not decided on what software to use... Torque Pro or OBD Fusion.

Reading up on threads about a catch can to see if that is a good preventive mod to make or not...

Added some truck bed LED lights, tie downs, and a bed mat to the list...
 
#37 ·
Finally got around changing the shift knob... I have to admit, I almost did not change it. I got so used to the bigger one as it was very comfortable driving with my hand resting on it...

But the new one looks so much better, so functionality be damn, lol. I can still rest my hand on it, but not as comfortable as the stock unit.

Big thanks to @jaxcanyon for the thread on How-To: Replace Colorado/Canyon Automatic Shift Knob with Buick Envision Knob
 

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