Mike_D's 2017 Silverado 1500 LT Z71 (WIP)

slj2008 · July 28, 2020

So you got the Bull Bar ?? Photo's when installed Please . Thanks . wish GM / GMC - would put plug in fire wall for Wire Hardness ??

Mike_D · July 29, 2020

Ive had the bull bar for several days. I havent installed it yet, its been over 100 outside each day and i have 4 kids, youngest is 2. Currently looking like tomorrow or Thursday, but likely Thursday when I install it. I'll post as soon as its done.

Mike_D · July 31, 2020

Tried installing the bull bar today. With a significant amount of struggle, i removed the tow hooks and attached the mounts that replace them but i have not yet attached the bull bar. I was trying to attach the 20 inch light bar, but the holes are not lining up, so i cant attach the light bar. I've emailed the manufacturer, if i dont hear by them early tomorrow i'll call them to see whats going on. I supposed i could force it in there, but the lights would be smashed up against the bull bar with a significant amount of force... I cant see that being correct, but maybe it is?

Mike_D · July 31, 2020

Got it!

So my trouble with the tow hooks was that one of the bolts on the driver side was un-removable. There's a piece of metal that sticks out and to get that out of the way, you have to take off the entire bumper, so i used my dremel to cut it off, but it took a very long time to get to that point. My saws-all and many other tools just wouldn't cut the bolt head off. I cut half way through with the dremel and used a 10 inch socket extension and a hammer to break the end off.

The next big issue was getting the new bolts in through the holes to mount the mounting plates. My hands are just too big to fit in those holes and line them up and push it through, so that took some time.

The final issue i had is what i mentioned in my last post, the holes didnt line up on the light bar so i couldnt get it on the bull bar. But i realized that the skid plate on the bull bar was a seperate piece held on by 4 screws, so i loosened them up which allowed for it to move a little, which was more than enough to fit the light bar in, then i tightened the skid plate back down and the light bar. Worked out beautifully!

Here's the pictures:

I gotta say, the light bar is BRIGHT! Very very bright!

Tomorrow i'm going to remove the grill and the 4 bolts holding the bull bar on. The cable for the light bar is in a terrible spot, so im going to run it through some of the plastic next to the mounts, it'll be virtually invisible that way, so thats much better.

Mike_D · August 1, 2020

Just installed the cold air intake. I've added some pictures of the before (which i stole from the internet because i forgot to take before pictures) and after i was done. There's also some better pictures of the truck with the bull bar installed. I fixed the wire for the light bar and put on my front license plate, but i didnt attach it to the bull bar.

Wish my engine was as clean as the "before" engines haha

slj2008 · August 1, 2020

Good Job . What's next on your list ???

Mike_D · August 2, 2020

I just spent quite a bit of money on those, i'll likely tone it down for a bit (wife.. of course!) and upgrade some of the lights. I think i have some lights in the garage already to upgrade the license plate lights, then i'll buy reverse lights and once i figure out which headlight bulbs i want, i may jump in and get those too. Just got $300 for that arco or am/pm settlement thing so i can justify the headlights (maybe) with that.

I'm toying with the idea of a headache rack and bed rails, as well as a new tonneau cover that fits in between both of those, but im not so sure yet.. I feel like the whole cab area is missing something but i cant figure out whats missing... It might be that its a double cab and im used to full size cabs? I'm not sure.

I've also found the rear view mirrors i want, but that's gonna cost me about $1200 so it'll be awhile until i get that (maybe).

I'd also like to get some better nerf bars, i think mine are a bit basic and not so great.

Seat covers too, i STILL dont have those, and i have 4 kids... I feel like that should have been first! Every time i find seat covers i like, the cost is over $800 and i'm having some serious trouble justifying that price.

I also really want to do more to the interior but interior mods are almost non-existent. One thing i really want is knob covers, i think the rubber around our knobs is really cheap looking. The problem is the only knob covers i've found are $250+ which i think is absolutely ridiculous! Both of my brothers have Ford's, they have more knobs that we do, and both bought kits superior to the ones i've found for $250 but they spent $50!! Companies really need to get on this!

I'm also looking to get the top 5 or 6 inches of my windshield tinted, but i'm looking for the transition to be a fade rather than just suddenly stopping and changing from tinted to not tinted, i dont like that.

slj2008 · August 2, 2020

Take better Half on a week -end get away ( NO kids ) , might get ok for more parts ??? You can always check out car shows / swap meets - NEW ideals . YOUR TRUCK TURN OUT GOOD

Edited August 2, 2020 by slj2008

Mike_D · August 3, 2020

Thanks slj2008! Unfortunately we dont have anyone around here that can watch our kids for longer than a day (pick up and drop off same day only). So we've had date nights but thats not enough.

Where i live in Oregon, there isnt really any car shows or anything nearby that has trucks, so i've been perusing the forums on this site and others, doing random searches in google images to try and see what other possibilities there are, and one thing has me baffled...

I've always considered getting a Dashmat, but they are usually pretty ugly, they dont seem to lay very even. But they do help prevent glare and they do help prevent that oily residue on the inside of the windshield. I DashMat has one called the UltiMat that actually looks much more symmetrical and well made, but i cant for the life of me find a single picture of any color of UltiMat on any chevy silverado within our range of similarity (years). I hate sending things back so i dont want to order one just to hate it and want to send it back.

Mike_D · August 3, 2020

Well i decided to do another search on here for that dashmat and finally found one haha

Thats exactly the one i was looking at, and after seeing it i think it fits pretty well and definitely looks better than most, but... The right side of the screen, where it wraps around, they made it sort of overlap. In the second picture you can see that it stops following the curvature of the dash and just goes straight down and overlaps the edge, and that looks terrible... I might not get one now haha

Mike_D · August 8, 2020

Looks like i've got some funding for more! Here's whats coming:

Upgraded tonneau cover
I currently have the Tyger T3, but it covers my stake holes and is a soft cover. I'm trying to decide between the BAKFlip MX4, the Peragon Retractable, and the BAK Revolver X4. I haul my own trash cans so i need to be able to tie down some trashcans at the cab end of the bed. But i also kayak and those bump up at the end of the bed by the cab. I want my tonneau cover to be a hard top for security, but i have issues with each one, so i have to find the lesser evil of the bunch. I also want my stake holes uncovered for #2.
Bed Rails
They will help me in a few areas and add to the look of the truck, but im really having a hard time deciding what to go for. Dee Zee has a hex series rail (hexagon shape) that up close looks good and has some extra functionality i like, but from what i can tell, at a distance they look tiny and cheap. I dont like that. Putco has some too called tec rails, but they have the same cheap looking issue. Neither are great brands, i have 1 putco product on my truck and 1 dee zee product on my truck right now. I'd prefer all black, but something that looks nice. Having trouble with this one.
Seat Covers
I have kids so i've been wanting seat covers on the back forever! But i cant justify it in my head if i dont also get them for the front seats. I never knew they were so expensive! So I'll likely be going with coverking's Neoprene seat covers. I was going to do the Neosupreme, but i watched some reviews of both on YouTube and i think it'll be worth it to go for the Neoprene.
Underseat Storage
There's a ton of these to pick from! Du-Ha (love the name!) has a good one that sections off a bunch of areas, i think that'll be the one i get. The others are mostly just large open spaces that will allow my stuff to slide around. Not good. I'm still looking around at these, the Du-Ha i saw was not for a double cab silverado, so that could definitely change things!
Wheel Spacers
When looking at my truck, the wheels used to stick out about 1 inch from the fenders, but when i added the fender flares, now they appear roughly 2 inches inside. It makes the stance look weak, i want a more aggressive look so i'm looking at wheel spacers. These will likely be Bora.
Tow Mirrors
I didnt want tow mirrors when i first got the truck, but after awhile i realized how basic and boring my mirrors are, and im always adjusting them to see different areas, something i wouldnt have to do with tow mirrors. So i'm going to get the tow mirrors from Boost Auto. From my current research, they seem to have the most feature, and are the biggest bang for the buck. Only problem is they can ONLY be controlled from the button in the truck, and will not open or close when turning the truck on or off. Not sure if anyone else offers those features but if so, i havent found them.
Exhaust
I love the rumble! I want black exhaust tips on the left and the right, not the rear. I was trying to decide between the Corsa and Borla ATAK exhausts, but when i realized that Corsa was only going to come out of the right with a dual tip, i figured Borla is the way to go here.

THDavis · August 12, 2020

Tow mirrors from Chevy would be great but they have a price around 800.00

Mike_D · August 12, 2020

8 hours ago, THDavis said:

Tow mirrors from Chevy would be great but they have a price around 800.00

Thats cheaper than the ones im looking at from Boost Auto. From what it looks like, the ones from Boost Auto arent going to auto fold when turning the truck on or off and wont work with the key fob because my truck doesnt already have the memory seat system which is apparently what controls that. If this is true, that means the stock Chevy tow mirrors also wont do these things. I'm still researching this though. I really want, at a minimum, for the mirrors to open when the truck is on and close when off. I could care less about the key fob, and i prefer the Boost Auto mirrors due to all the features it has and the look.

Mike_D · August 12, 2020

Yesterday i made a few purchases

Seat Covers - I actually went with the Clazzio leather seats. They have a ton of perforations to keep you cool, which has always been an issue for me with leather seats. Not enough perforations so they are always too hot. I really hope i didnt screw up here.
Borla ATAK Exhaust
Range AFM Disabler
Underseat Storage - I did go with the Du-Ha brand. It cost a bit more but looks great i think.
Tonneau Cover - I went with the RetraxONE MX. This will allow me to open and close the tonneau cover without having to touch the tailgate. This will help solve another issue i ran into with the last purchase i made:
Tailgate Handle - I purchased the a black tailgate handle assembly with the chrome handle from ebay for $89. The tailgate handle i have now is all chrome and can be seen here: amazon.com/gp/product/B0746XTNGF
If you take a look at the pictures, the second picture shows the back with all the components that actually turn and unlock the tailgate. Right in the middle of the black components is a round white piece with a screw in it. This piece broke at the very bottom and cannot be fixed. This also has a spring on it that pulls the lever back into its home position and keeps it there. Because it broke, i cant put that piece back on, so once the tailgate is closed and locked, if you try to open the handle it moves into a position that makes it impossible to open once unlocked, so i had to cut into my Tyger T3 Tonneau Cover.

I've also decided to go with the Lasfit LED's. I have a thread on this here: https://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/241049-2017-silvy-headlight-bulbs-replacement/

I went with the headlights, 3rd break lights, cargo lights, backup lights, and turn signal lights. I used the discount code that @fondupot had in his video here and saved a few bucks:

He did an excellent job showing everything and even compared the stock 25w HID's to the upgraded 35w HID's as well as comparing them both to the Lasfit's. Go watch it and support his channel by following him! He's got a lot of good things going on over there.

I'll have before and after pictures of these lights when i get them, as well as images of all the other parts installed.