A Look Underneath T1...

[newdude]

A quick tour under the RST Z71 Crew cab that came in Monday. 

 

First up, the truck and tow label.

 

[newdude]

Next we go under.  Front suspension, rear brake assembly.  Very much a 8/8 scale Colorado underneath.  Which is good because the 2015+up Colorado has a really nice frame underneath it.   

[newdude]

Next up the dual exhaust split, new one piece aluminum oil pan, new rear propshaft attachment.  Also, a bottom shot of the LCA which has an interesting bolted on "speed brace with speed holes" for structural integrity.  Also, a crappy shot of the new HD style front differential unit (no more clamshell).   

[newdude]

Last up, new front spring mount, underhood and poor shot of the new brake "booster".  For those unaware, T1 is GM's first large scale application of electronic brake assist.  No more vacuum boost.  This tech is in some other cars, and in GM products such as Bolt and Volt.  See quote below for a better understanding.  
 

Quote

 

The brake assist system is an electro - hydraulic brake booster that replaces a vacuum booster including its vacuum supply. The brake booster unit takes the driver applied brake demand and transforms this into an amplified brake pressure and does not rely on vacuum to function.

 

The brake booster unit is designed to operate together with an electronic stability control module which is normally responsible for ABS, traction control and stability control.

 

The master cylinder and power brake booster unit consists of a brake master cylinder reservoir (1), an electronic brake booster control module (2), pedal coupling unit/pushrod, and the brake master cylinder (3) with integrated brake pressure modulator valve.

 

   

 

[newdude]

My thoughts:

• Anyone who thinks this is the same truck new wrapper, its not.  Other than some tires/tire sizes, the wheel diameter/width, and possibly the rear axle housing, I can't find ANYTHING it shares with K2 and prior. 
• The frame.  Again, very Colorado/Canyon (I drive a Colorado currently and have been underneath it a bunch).  The way the front rails are designed, the front suspension mounting and setup, all up-scaled from Colorado.  Serious bones under this truck.  And again, unlike GMT-900 and K2 which shared frames, this is totally different.
• The frame "drop" behind the front doors is GONE.  This baby is FLAT. 
• Any that use a halogen bulb for lighting (WT-Custom) you can access the back of the lights quite well. 
• RST has the carbon fiber trim inside the headlights like Trail Boss.
• Engine bay does have some snugness.  I think its due to the front end being shorter than K2 (which it is), as much as the engine is tucked to the firewall, the space from the front support to the pulleys has shrunk. 
• Seats are very comfortable.
• The dead pedal has some actual comfortable angle to it.  Much more natural foot resting position.
• New column shift handle!!  And its tight in its motion too!  No slop! 
• Radio is FAST.  So is the DIC.  I wish it looked different though.  Somewhat bland?  Icons are smaller too.   

[Donstar]

Great post, newdude!  Thank you for this close-up look!

[Sierra Dan]

Have you driven a 2019 yet?

I wonder if there were any internal engine changes to the top end?

 

[Jr09country6.2]

Great post@newdude . I looked under a trail boss today and everything looks completely different.

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[jgraves13]

The sway bar design is interesting, never seen that before


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[newdude]

10 hours ago, Sierra Dan said:

Have you driven a 2019 yet?

I wonder if there were any internal engine changes to the top end?

 

Unfortunately not yet.  This thing got parked in the showroom quick.

 

As far as top end internals, the driver's valve cover does not fit 2018 and prior due to a design change of some sort.  The active lifters are a different part# than the 2007-2018 ones, so its either an updated design, or a supplier change.  Camshaft is different # due to the DFM vs. AFM.  Heads are the same.  The VLOM is gone, replaced by a plain valley cover because the oil control solenoids are now individually mounted one per cylinder.     

[ducklawyer]

Front suspension seems to have a more prominent knuckle. Virtually no angle for uca. Nice! Am I seeing that right?


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[Sierra Dan]

59 minutes ago, newdude said:

Unfortunately not yet.  This thing got parked in the showroom quick.

 

As far as top end internals, the driver's valve cover does not fit 2018 and prior due to a design change of some sort.  The active lifters are a different part# than the 2007-2018 ones, so its either an updated design, or a supplier change.  Camshaft is different # due to the DFM vs. AFM.  Heads are the same.  The VLOM is gone, replaced by a plain valley cover because the oil control solenoids are now individually mounted one per cylinder.     

Definitely some changes of some sort on the engines.

Hopefully this eliminates some of the lifter tick and or overall engine noise down the road.

 

[Sierra Dan]

The Cats are also more rounded rather than Oval shaped.

Also, the front skid-plate seems to be aluminum or metal rather than plastic????

[newdude]

56 minutes ago, Sierra Dan said:

Definitely some changes of some sort on the engines.

Hopefully this eliminates some of the lifter tick and or overall engine noise down the road.

 

 

Seemed quieter running when I pulled it on the rack.  Starts up twice as fast too (crank time is rapid). 

[newdude]

54 minutes ago, Sierra Dan said:

The Cats are also more rounded rather than Oval shaped.

Also, the front skid-plate seems to be aluminum or metal rather than plastic????

 

Metal.  Unsure aluminum or plastic.  I can check.