Run to the Hills! - Jason's Completely Stalled Colorado GTFO Build

For sure!

It's definitely all about trade offs, but the more I think about where I want to go with this truck, the more I come back to a mid-travel setup that is camping focused.

I want it to be overbuilt in that it's capable of getting me out of situations that might be pretty challenging, but it will never be (much of) a wheeling for wheelings sake type of rig.

After driving it fully loaded with the RTT up there last fall, I'm comfortable with the handling characteristics. It requires more awareness, but really it's not all that much more than when it was stock. And I want to retain the ability to have a useful annex on the tent. At 6'2", I'm still gonna have to crouch a bit, but not too much.

 

Yea i do miss the annex/awning. But i have ways to make that work..ha

Nothing wrong with that. Can do a LOT with a rig like that. Screw the LT and SAS. Just wheel it!

 

This!

 

I'm assuming your tire will slide out the passenger side should you need it?

 

Correct.

 

Looks good. Nice and organized

 

Thanks, Ryan!

I'm not trying to go for expo cred or anything. I just keep coming back to this for what I want to do with the truck. Getting the spare in and out isn't gonna be a cool breeze, but it won't be any worse than a swing out. And (I think) I have a cool method of securing it that has built in theft deterrence. We'll see...

 

Gonna rock a bed slide under all that for other shit?

 

I don't think so. At least not for awhile. Nice to know that I could if I wanted to, though.

 

That's a ton of weight supported by just the bed sides. Will you be running supports down to the frame at all? I know, I know yours is a first gen but still all of that will be on the bedsides.

 

Jason, Gramps makes a good point. If you add a few tubes that tie into the rack and run down to the inside of the bed would help with weight distribution.

 

Here on Bob's bed rack you can see the tubes run down from the inside of the rack to the bed. Just an example.

 

With his design it would be even easier. He could come straight off of his bottom supports to the frame bolts.

 

That's already in the plans, fellas.

I have a support structure in mind that kinda looks like a ladder on its side with a chunk taken out for where the wheel well is located. In effect, it'll be a truss for the bedside.

When I have it drawn up, I'll post it. Like Gramps said, it can come straight down from under the rails and the offset out at the bottom about 1-1/2" to land on the mounting plates. Since the bed bolts don't go thru the bed like the 2nd Gen, I'll make the plates out of 3/16 and run them out over the first couple ridges. Easy.

 

I'm also going to run an x-brace from the bed rail on one side to the bed floor on the other and vice versa. That should really help brace the bed to resist the twisting forces from the RTT turning into a pendulum during wheeling. I'll put it up against the cab so I don't lose too much space. In fact, I'll do the same thing on the bed rack against the cab as well.

On top of that, the bed sides will have no way to spread because of the subracks fixing that width and bracing the whole length of the bed.

Thing will be bomber for sure.

 

Just measured mine.

20.5" to the top of the tube. I told AP I wanted that to be 19" to the top and they gave me 19" to the bottom.

 

Daaayyuyuuuummm that is tall. I though 14.5 at the bottom was scary..haha

 

Yeah, I'm shooting for 16"ish on the next one. That should put the annex roof at 68" thereabouts. Even that 4" reduction would help. I'm almost 6'3", so I really don't want to crouch down to under 5'8", possibly as low as 5'6".

I'll still drive fast.

Just not as fast as you, Monte

 

well..you could. If you're man hood is big enough.............and the truck doesn't flop hahaha

 

Thank you so much, I'm looking at getting the 16" one. With my hardshell RTT I think it would put it right about top of cab level!