Well that is making it into what you want.
Glad you are respecting what your Upgrades/Modifications do to the vehicle.

 

Glad you are respecting what your Upgrades/Modifications do to the vehicle.

Well the good news is, the main culprit behind the ZR2 lower payload limit is the more "off-road" inspired suspension. Tackling that up front realistically bringing it in line with the base model WT specs for payload capacity.

I've also been confronted with the other obvious question; "Why did you get a ZR2?" Besides getting the dual lockers and some other ZR2 specific visuals, I don't have a good answer for anyone wondering that. (ha!)

 

I am all for this type of build! Truck looks great!

 

I have no use for any of that stuff, but glad there are people who do. Looks sick.

 

Stoked to see how the whole project but especially the interior build-out comes together.

 

My idea of camping these days is a couch or Holiday Inn and think this is great. Up front you knew you'd want that leaf and bags, planned ahead. Planning ahead for better brakes etc, this is the right way to modify/add to a vehicle that wasn't originally engineered for your plans. Years back I was building GM 3800 cars we knew out of the gate that the cars were aging, heavy and didn't handle well. Best thing to do was ensure all maintenance was up to date and upgrade from there before trying to double the HP. Then when you finally got there, you'd be let down by the lovely 4T65 transmisstion and it's limitations.

I doubt the engine/transmission are going to be an issue in your build. I'd like to hear more about the brake upgrades you have planned.

 

Power Brake offers big caliper/pads/rotor kits. Think they are 6 piston vs factory 4 piston. I've not noticed any immediate braking issues under normal driving, but it will be better to have the extra braking than not have it.

 

AVO! Bring her down to the coast one weekend, would love to see it. Heck of a build for a weekend warrior!

 

Where on the coast? I plan to visit my parents down in Florida at some point.

 

On the MPG, it already has the aerodynamics of a brick being a ZR2. I'm surprised you actually noticed any difference.

Nice build by the way.

 

Serious question: why do people like roof top tents? Don't you eat wind like crazy?

 

Having owned a typical RTT (ladder accessed) I actually don't like them, this unit however the tent platform is accessed from the inside so much less of a PITA.

As far as wind, depends on the quality of the RTT - the tighter the tolerances are on the fabric and frame, the less wind flap you will get (if that is what you are referring to).

 

Nice build. Looks like home away from home. With all of that weight, can you see the frame flexing while driving on rough or dirt roads? I just installed the 589 frame stiffeners.

 

Couldn't tell you at this point, have not had it very long and I've been solo, so now way to look and drive at same time. lol

 

I looking for the toilet 😁

 

There are products for that. Just don’t use this in a public campground, you might get some funny looks. 😄

 

Have you considered swapping the truck bed for a flatbed to support all of that weight? There are slide in camper integrated flatbeds for the Colorado, for both the short bed and the long bed. Instead of bed rails, there are security lock boxes for gear. I think one model incorporates a diesel heater in one of the lock boxes.

 

The limiting factor is the frame, I don't believe swapping rear box for a flat bed will change this. We have plans to harden the frame up a bit in the future as a pre-cautionary measure. However, I must re-iterate again, this is going to be a Touring rig. While far capable beyond a pavement princess, it will not be suitable for expedition style trips into the unknown savage terrain. That is how people with similar setups do end up breaking their rides, not respecting the equipment or a far inflated sense of capability.

 

I hear you on the frame being the limiting factor. As I understand, the only way the flatbed would improve the strength is if cross members and/or other supports could be added to the frame and then the flatbed could be bolted down to the original frame and the new supports.

 

There's a post with some advice on this site regarding the installation of a popup camper on the Colorado. In addition to the frame suports, there was an issue with the bed frame bolts needing a mod. The post is here:

https://www.coloradofans.com/posts/5600936/

 

I actually just got a reply from 589Fab earlier today. They have the 3rd gen stiffener plates developed and should be released in near future.

 

Not much to update at moment; reinstalled some roof boxes and gave it a bath.

Spent a good portion of the day troubleshooting some rear camper light gremlins. Seems this truck is like most modern ones and it really has a firm dislike for LED lights due to the way most pulse width modulators work in modern truck trailer systems. In process of hardwiring them into a tail lamp.

 

Most of the newer vehicles do not like lower quality LEDs
Those are the ones that tend to give it the most issues.

Did you try to wire them through the 7 Pin Connector?

 

Still not much to report. I needed to address some exhaust clearance issues with the airbags. The main culprit being the big ol' fat resonator Chevrolet decided to install within close proximity to the passenger side leaf pack. Had a shop perform a reso-delete and then dump the exhaust right before the axle. This was more or less a stop gap arrangement until I can decide on an aftermarket exhaust down the road (if I even bother). The only two 'performance" mods I have planned are an AEV snorkel and something like a banks pedal monster.

My main concern was droning, even with the factory muffler still in place, especially with it dumping right behind the cab. I just wanted to report that short of a little louder cold start (barely if that) - I am experiencing no noticeable audible change with the resonator completely deleted even at cruising speed.

I know everyone's hearing range is different and short of me developing mystery headaches on long trips, I am kind of curious why this resonator (and of this size) was part of the factory system.

I have not had time to start building interior yet, but hopefully will start sometime in December. A co-worker of mine at my agency does carpentry work as a hobby and he is going to help me do a bulk of the woodwork.

 

Power station is on the way. I opted to find a discontinued (as of this year) Bluetti AC200 MAX. The big draw for me is it has a 30A DC screw on aviation plug. Most stuff now a days comes with a 10A cigarette lighter plug style. That and there seems to be a big push to the portable stations going for 48V connections.

Going to build a contained cabinet for it to the right of the entrance door and then I have an old 8" Onn tablet I am going to mount to run the app for monitoring. I will also use my NOCO shore power plug to hardwire into so I can charge it in the garage as needed, or if I am somewhere with shore power.

Will work on getting some solar panels a bit down the road, this unit can be configured for 900W max input from solar.

 

That will be a nice addition when completed

 

Project this weekend; install the new flooring so I can start mapping out the interior build.

 

Coming along nicely I guess? First time doing this.

 

Coming along nicely I guess? First time doing this.

View attachment 478167

View attachment 478168

Very Nice
Well Done

 

Where's the bathroom?! 😅

 

We have a portable cassette toilet, but that is more for my wife than me. lol

 

Started mapping out the battery cabinet. Very far from anything finished, but gives you a general idea.

Also, needed to get the electrical wiring from the utility section to the inside. Alu-cab was nice enough to put three perforated 1" cut outs in back corner. Quick hammer strike to pop them out and a box cutter to trim the carpet out of the way. Got some 1" rubber grommets off Amazon for these spots;

Fuse block will be located on the interior and the 30A Bluetti 12v connector wired directly to it. Will power all the various lights/usb ports in the Khaya. Went ahead ran the solar connectors through for future prep. Also connected the Bluetti charging brick to my NOCO shore power connector and fed that line through as well. Leaving the brick in the utility area because it can be kind of loud.

Now I can charge my Bluetti if I happen to be at a camp ground with shore power while I use it, or top it off while its sitting in my garage. Will be adding a DC to DC charger later on down the road, but shore power and solar will be first up.

 

Started mapping out the battery cabinet. Very far from anything finished, but gives you a general idea.

Also, needed to get the electrical wiring from the utility section to the inside. Alu-cab was nice enough to put three perforated 1" cut outs in back corner. Quick hammer strike to pop them out and a box cutter to trim the carpet out of the way. Got some 1" rubber grommets off Amazon for these spots;

Fuse block will be located on the interior and the 30A Bluetti 12v connector wired directly to it. Will power all the various lights/usb ports in the Khaya. Went ahead ran the solar connectors through for future prep. Also connected the Bluetti charging brick to my NOCO shore power connector and fed that line through as well. Leaving the brick in the utility area because it can be kind of loud.

Now I can charge my Bluetti if I happen to be at a camp ground with shore power while I use it, or top it off while its sitting in my garage. Will be adding a DC to DC charger later on down the road, but shore power and solar will be first up.

Looks Good
Nice Set Up

 

Little more work today. I think the design should work pretty well. Once I decide on a top piece will be a nice place to setup the coffee maker or whatever else might need to be plugged in. There is small enough gap on the back to keep the wiring mostly hidden. Hopefully have everything wired up tomorrow. Last step will be the face trim for the cabinet.

 

I'm hoping to get a GFC in the near future and plan on doing something similar to my truck. I have the same fridge as you and have a Jackery 1500 that I use to power it. Keep up the good work!

 

And then he said, "Let there be light", and I said, "Also power..."

Let me pre-face this by saying FEDEX can choke on a bag of dicks. It took 20 days for a specific 30A adapter cable I needed to arrive from Bluetti. I've seen in the news their crap is getting pushed in for junk service, but that is my rant.

Anywho, no more working by battery powered torch light. I've got power going to the Khaya's six main dual color over head lights, two stalk lamps, two usb hubs, and my fridge with two slots and plenty of that 30A channel left over.

Next up is to finish the battery cabinet design then move onto L-shaped bench seating which will enclose the fridge, give me some interior storage, and be accessed by strut assisted lift tops.

 

I've had so many packages lost or damaged by fedex I am at the point now I offer to pay extra to not use them at all. They still have an active tracking number for me for something they lost nearly 4 years ago. Still says out for delivery.

 

Meh, switch up tasks for a minute. Decided to start on the fridge/storage area.

This is the back wall portion of what will eventually be an overall L-shape sitting area. As mentioned access will be from the top, thinking a simple piano hinge setup should work. The fridge will have plenty of 'breathing room" once I am done.