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Riverchucky's Duramax
2005 Chevrolet Duramax Crewcab 4X4
Dieselplace.com member: Riverchucky |
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Riverchucky's Duramax replaced a well worn-out '86 Toyota Landcruiser wagon. After hauling tons of construction materials, whitewater river gear, dogs and people, it was time to upgrade to something that could haul the load. At best, the Landcruiser would only get 11 -12 mpg, and dang-it, if I was only going to get that kinda fuel mileage, I wanted some friggin' power! The Duramax not only has the power, but also provides much better fuel economy. And it's a helluva lota fun to drive!
More often than not, the access roads to river locations are rough dirt roads with deep ruts in and out of steep river canyons. Being able to haul a full load of gear and truck loaded with people comfortably, was first and foremost. Any stock vehicle has it's short comings, including a new Duramax. The OEM shocks were worn out within 7,500 miles, 10% of that was rough dirt road travel. Problems solved: Replaced with Bilsteins. Lastest thrill. . .smokin' ricers!
Thus: Stock is not an option!! As for the pics, it still looks new. . .for now.
Exterior Modifications/Add-ons:
Rack-it lumber rack, extra crossbars and custom fabricated step rails (fabricated by Riverchucky)
Wind deflector for noise abatement (fabricated by Riverchucky)
Tailgate gap cover (fabricated by Rivechucky)
ARE shell
H2 Chromed wheels & Michelin LTX A/S 265/70R17
'06 Elephant ear mirrors
Westin wheel-to-wheel tube steps
Rino lined bed
Husky mud guards
Xpel 3M protective film on hood, door edges and all lamps - a great alternative to the plastic add-on type
Weathertech window shields
Auxillary back-up lamps
Sylvania Silverstar lamps and Britebox
Bilstein's
Interior Modifications/add-ons:
Wet Okole neoprene seat covers front and back
Husky floor liners
Pioneer AVIC-N2 Navigation/CD/DVD/XM, Multi-disk system and rearview camera
Performance Modifications/add-ons:
Nicktane prefilter system - the ultimate in fuel filtration (Thank's Nick!)
Magnaflow 4" stainless exhaust and MBRP 4" stainless cat deletion unit
Airaid intake
Super Diesel Tie rod sleeves
Finger Stick
EGR denial plate
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The step rails were fabricated to allow easy access on top to load and secure loads on the rack. Fabricated with 2" x 4" box steel for the step rail and 1" box steel for the step ladder with a 1 1/2" step on each side. All components are powder coated and have traction tape applied to all step surfaces for secure footing.
The additional benefit of the step ladder is the extra support added to the Westin wheel-to-wheel step tubes, which I found to have to much flex - not anymore. See photos below and at right. |
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Nictane Prefilter system - the ultimate in fuel filtration-
www.Nicktane.com
Developed by Dieselplace founder Nick |
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Wet Okole neoprene seat covers protect the seats, front and back. After a day on the river, the seats take a lot of abuse from wet clothing and require this heavy duty protection. Heavy duty Husky floor liners protect the floor surfaces from muddy river shoes. |
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Tail gate gap cover - I got so damn tired of tools and other small items falling through this gap. My real concern was the feet of my dogs getting caught here when they jump off the bed of the truck. This fabricated gap cover opens and closes automatically with the tailgate. The captive cleat mounted on the tailgate secures the gap cover and pulls it open automatically with the tailgate. |
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Why the wind deflector? The additional crossbars created a deafening wind howl above 55mph. The deflector dropped the wind noise level by 90%. I still have over 10' of lumber rack behind the wind deflector. The L shaped 'stop' bracket on the top tube prevents boat frames from sliding to far forward and damaging the wind deflector. |
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| Rear view back-up camera. Probably one of the best investments I've made in addition to the '06 mirrors, which are actually useful for backing up. This technological advancement is necessary to compensate for the aft blind area of any full size pickup. |
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Dudley and Cody, they really appreciate the gapless tailgate opening. |
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Pioneer AVIC-N2 Navigation system with automatic link to the back-up camera when placed in reverse. Can also be manually activated with a switch on the dash.
This unit also has XM with up-to-date traffic info which appears on the display and a six disk CD changer under the rear seat. |
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Riverchucky?
I'm Chuck, and on the boat with me is my babe of a wife Conni. This photo was taken on a easy Class III run on the South Fork of the American River near Coloma, CA
Real job and profession: Power consulting, testing, analysis and infrared thermography for Sacramento Municipal Utilities District. |
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Conni prefers to not run the hard core runs with me, like Chamberlain Falls on the North Fork of the American river in the pic above. It's a 12' vertical drop and ya just gotta hang on! Helps to know what you're doin' though. |
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"Truck Jewelry" - my wife calls it, I couldn't agree more. I was able to trade the stock wheels straight across for some nice chromed H2's. Since it was due for new tires anyways, the timing was perfect. Bonus is, the truck handles better with the 265/70/17 Michelin LTX A/S tires. Especially better wet traction and wear. |
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