After driving a stock truck for five months, we couldn't help but wonder how much more fun we could have with more power and better handling, not to mention the improved looks we'd get by ditching the factory 15-inch wheels. After scouring the Internet for the right look and fit, we homed in on Boss Motorsports for the wheels. Boss carries several styles and fitments for our Colorado, but the 313 had both the style and finish we were looking for. Since handling was a priority, we decided on a Belltech coilover kit that would allow for adjustable ride height in front and leaf springs in the back to keep away from running a tall block.
We had a bit of difficulty coming up with an intake, as Volant doesn't have any applications for '07 Colorados, but we wanted to see how their new PowerCore filters performed. They use an enclosed airbox like the factory does to reduce intake air temperatures and keep power up when underhood temperatures rise. Lucky for us, Sin Sity Kustomz has an affordable fix that we'll show you later. Exhaust was easy, since we'd used MBRP for a previous Fantastic Four on an '08 Sierra, and we were eager to try their aggressive sound out on our 2.9L four-cylinder. The last piece in the puzzle were tires, and we found a set of Cooper tires that got amazing reviews that were also budget-friendly, a win-win!
To install the parts, we called upon Ernie, Chip, and Jay at Abstract Kustoms. Ernie Macias is a former Mini Truckin' Feature Editor, and his new shop caters to custom trucks of all kinds. The guys in the shop are used to fabricating `bagged suspensions, so our Belltech kit was a snap. Check out the following pages as we lose some of the ho-hum factory look for a sporty suspension and improved looks and power. Also be sure to check out truckinweb.com for extra photo, video, and tech content as we add a Volant cool air scoop to their airbox.
The first step was measuring...
The first step was measuring the truck at all wheel openings. Chip wrote the measurements down to compare to the truck after the new suspension was in place.
The Belltech suspension consists...
The Belltech suspension consists of two adjustable coilovers for 0-3 inches of lowering in the front and a set of leaf springs and 1-inch blocks in the back for a total of 4 inches of drop.
Chip got to work on the front...
Chip got to work on the front by removing the mounts for the wheel speed sensors before unbolting the upper ball joint.
Four bolts hold the ball joint....
Four bolts hold the ball joint. With the bolts removed, the lower arm was still held up by the antisway bar.
An impact wrench was used...
An impact wrench was used to remove the lower coilover bolt.
After the antisway bar endlink...
After the antisway bar endlink was unbolted, the lower arm dropped free.