Steering Straight
What: Offroad Design Crossover Steering
About: With years of experience making fullsize trucks go where nobody thought they could, the guys at Offroad Design have the necessary equipment figured out. While gearing, suspension, body armor, axles, and other trail mods are all important, the most essential upgrade to get absolutely right is the steering system. Lifted fullsize GM trucks are notorious for steering problems and Offroad Design has them all sorted out with an arsenal of beefy parts. Frame bracing, steering boxes, high-strength steering arms and linkages, HD knuckles, hydraulic assist kits and full hydraulic systems all work to make your truck go where you want when the trails get tight. The most popular upgrade for any straight axle GM is a basic crossover steering system. The truck pictured here is a ’99 GMC with a solid axle swap, crossover steering, HD tie rod and hydraulic assist. Applications are available for any fullsize GM from ’68 to current production.
Info: Offroad Design, 970/945-7777, www.offroaddesign.com
Flipped Up
What: Sky Chevy/GMC Rear Shackle Flip
About: Sky’s Off Road Design’s brand new ’88-’98 Chevy/GMC Rear Shackle Flip boasts a smoother ride and adds 4.5-inches of extra lift to your vehicle. The kit fits any truck with 62-inch rear springs, including fullsize SUVs such as the Blazer, Tahoe, and Suburban if new holes are drilled to mount the brackets. Unlike conventional kits, the company has added two additional mounting holes on the bottom of the frame to prevent bending and fatigue. The kit includes two brackets to position shackles in the downward position, ½-inch mounting bolts, SAE flat washers, and Nylock nuts. Made out of ¼-inch steel, the parts are MIG-welded and CNC laser cut and formed. This product is proudly made in the USA out of American steel.
Info: Sky Manufacturing, 541/736-3743, www.sky-manufacturing.com
Solid Swap
What: ORU Solid Axle Conversion Kit
About: Off Road Unlimited’s bolt-on conversion kit will allow you to convert your ’01-’10 GM independent front suspension to a leaf-sprung, straight-axle setup. With the stronger axle in place, you can run a large lift and tires and the added articulation will have you ready for anything the trail has to dish out. This kit contains the necessary brackets to install the axle and springs only. Additional required components are also available from ORU.
Info: Off Road Unlimited, 818/563-1208, www.offroadunlimited.com
Robust Rods
What: Fabtech ‘01-‘12 GM Heavy-Duty Tie Rods
About: Fabtech’s extra-large-diameter tie rod assemblies for ’01+ GM 2500HDs resist bending and breakage when running large tires. Fabtech tie rods use forged-steel construction and are superior in strength to the small factory tie rods that are prone to bending with just light to moderate off-road use. The Fabtech tie rod assemblies are direct factory replacements and don’t require any modification to the center link or steering knuckles for a fast and easy installation.
Info: Fabtech Performance Suspensions, 877/432-2832, www.fabtechmotorsports.com
Spring Time
What: Deaver Long-Travel Leaf Springs
About: Any ’74-’91 fullsize Chevy or GMC 4x4 truck can benefit from Deaver’s front long-travel springs, which are available in 4- to 8-inch lift heights. Moving the shackle mount back four to five inches to right under the body mount and boxing it in with a slightly longer shackle will yield approximately 14 inches of total wheel travel. Like all Deaver springs, these are made in the USA with a high leaf count of thin material, military wraps, and Teflon pads on the ends of the leaves.
Info: Deaver Spring, 714/542-370, www.deaverspring.com
Rat Replacement
What: Chevrolet Performance HT502 Crate Engine
About: If you are thinking about re-powering your trusty big-block-powered truck, don’t bother with a rebuild or reconditioned used engine. Chevrolet Performance’s HT502 crate engine is an affordable alternative with more power and greater durability. The HT502 is rated at 377hp and a whopping 512 lb-ft of rock-stomping torque. That is more than the factory ever offered and more than you’ll get with a stock-type rebuild. This engine is uniquely suited to pre-’78 trucks, but can be adapted to a variety of applications. The HT502 is built with a forged crankshaft, rods and pistons for maximum strength; and they are installed in a new version of the big-block engine block. A conservative 8.75:1 compression ratio ensures pump-gas performance at all altitudes and loads. The HT502 assembly comes with heads and a balancer installed and all necessary components to finish the engine are available from Chevrolet Performance.
Info: Chevrolet Performance, www.chevroletperformance.com
Rockwell Boots
What: Chucks Trucks Neoprene Boots
About: Chucks Trucks offers solid neoprene boots keep the mud and goop out of 2½-ton Rockwell axles. The two newest colors are orange and green, but Chucks Trucks also carries boots in black, red, yellow, dark blue, and light blue.
Info: Chucks Trucks, www.chuckstrucks.net
Axle Bits
What: West Coast Differentials Axle Parts
About: West Coast Differentials has a huge inventory of axle and differential parts for your fullsize. Whether you need to repair, replace, or upgrade a fullsize axle assembly, West Coast has the parts you need to get the job done right. Available products include ring-and-pinion gear sets, differential rebuild and installation kits, lockers, spools and positraction units, bearings, seals, hubs, diff covers, axleshafts, and more. The experts at West Coast Differentials have the technical expertise to help you choose the perfect setup for your needs and budget, and can usually get parts shipped out the same day you place your order.
Info: West Coast Differential, 800/642-0950, www.differentials.com
Hard Pull
What: ComeUp Seal Series Winches
About: The ComeUp Seal Series winches are high-performance, self-recovery winches that were developed with submersible capability in mind. Seal Series winches have a fully sealed transmission system, fully sealed motor with built-in thermal detector, submersible sealed contactor, waterproof remote control, built-in waterproof receiver module for a wireless remote control, and external automatic full-load Cone Brake Structure (CBS). One important feature of the Seal Series is the exclusive “CBS-Brake outside the Drum” brake system that allows the heat from the brake to dissipate easily.
Info: ComeUp, www.comeupusa.com