New guy from Colorado

[med71]

I live at 9,000ft in the Rockies, and I spend a lot of time out on the trails. I have several trucks and SUVs including a couple Envoys. One of them is an '09 SLT with 72,000 on it. I use this one mostly to be comfortable on long trips. I just recently acquired another '03 Envoy from my father who's driving days ended at 92 with a trip through his garage door and back wall...he wasn't injured but was told that his driving days were done...LOL. I'm building this one for the trails, and probably selling the other one.

Anyhow here are the goals:

2003 Envoy
The good, it currently has 3.73s; the bad, no G80. To start off, I'm ordering a 2.5 leveling kit, new shock assemblies, rear shocks, and new z71 springs for the back, 1.5 wheel spacers, and a set of 265/75/16 MTs on some type of 6x5.5 wheels; I need to figure out what I'm going to do about locking the rear axle...options seem pretty limited for that 8" in there. I will later look at the body lift. It looks like the challenges for these SUVs is the 7.25 IFS, mounting location, and no selectable locker offered anymore. I've searched endlessly trying to find info.; is anybody actually running the Bully Racing LSD? So, I don't know what I'm going to do about the axles. Also, I searched a lot on bumpers, skid plates, and rock sliders; is this mostly custom fab on the Envoy? I would like this to end up with 2.5" suspension; 2" body lift; 285/75/16s and lockers with 4.10s but not sure how that will work with what's available out there.

2009 Envoy
If I keep it, I have the Rough Country spacers for this one, and I want to put 265/60/18s on the factory wheels preferably without wheel spacers.

[cpyonker]

Nice, glad to see another member show up! Are you gonna be active?


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[TBYODA]

Mark, for the rear your best option for a locking rear is get a 3.73 ext rear out of a yard as they are a 8.6" ring gear. Doing so will open many locker options as every Chevy 1500 made had a 8.5" rear. Also since you have a 2003 envoy you can use any year axle. 06+ 360's require a 06+ axle due to the 4 channel abs.
As far as the Bully Racing LSD I believe only one person has gotten it to off road it. There is post about it on the ORTB facebook page.
However it is pretty pricey IMHO @ $700 shipped. Could do a SAS for a little more I think but if you want the ifs then go for it.


https://www.facebook.com/groups/7009757 ... =bookmarks

[med71]

I definitely have more questions than answers with the axles; thank you for the year info. because I haven't read that yet. Too bad that I don't have the G80 to get started, and I'm really disappointed that I can't just put a lunchbox locker in the back while I figure out what I want to do. If I start building axles, I'll do gears too, and that's a big money project to get them both done at the same time. Are people just leaving the front open? You mentioned the Solid Axle Swap...are there any good write ups out there on it? Not sure I want to get that involved since this will be more of an expedition/overland rig; I have a K5 buggy project for the difficult trails. I would be fine if I could just get a selectable for the IFS, but it looks like I'm way too late to get one of those. I'll start looking for an 8.6 I guess; would be kinda dumb to spend money on the 8"; always been my biggest gripe with GM. They always used undersized axles for everything, and people are stuck with this same dilemma over and over again. My last one was the POS 7.5 in my fbody. I'll just start with the 2.5 spacer lift, new tires, and go from there; and contemplate the axle dilemma for awhile.

Mark, for the rear your best option for a locking rear is get a 3.73 ext rear out of a yard as they are a 8.6" ring gear. Doing so will open many locker options as ever chevy 1500 made had a 8.5" rear. Also since you have a 2003 envoy you can use any year axle. 06+ 360's require a 06+ axle due to the 4 channel abs.
As far as the Bully Racing LSD I believe only one person has gotten it to off road it. There is post about it on the ORTB facebook page.
However it is pretty pricey IMHO @ $700 shipped. Could do a SAS for a little more I think but if you want the ifs then go for it.


https://www.facebook.com/groups/7009757 ... =bookmarks

[TBYODA]

Are people just leaving the front open?

Yes most are as there is nothing out there other the the LSD from Bulling Racing. A member on the facebook page did buy the Suzuki samurai Powertrax 1530-LR lock-rite locker. Even though it has the same front CV splines count, the GM CV axles are slightly bigger and the locker not usable.

You mentioned the Solid Axle Swap...are there any good write ups out there on it?

Check out the build threads HERE