Do you have a brand-new Chevy or GMC 2WD truck? Perhaps you bought it in hopes of one day making it a badass prerunner? Its bulbous body lines make it a natural for a desert-style look and build, and we have been waiting to see who would be able to deliver a 2WD long-travel kit first for Chevy's newest 1/2-ton offering.
With some pushing and prodding from us, the folks at Boneyard Fab busted their humps to complete their '07 2WD Chevy long-travel kit in time for a late December photo shoot. What they brought out to show us was not only art in function, but also in beauty. Eighteen- and-a-half inches of travel were squeezed out of beefy boxed lower arms, billet uppers, and a combo of King coilovers and hydraulic bumpstops that widen the track 10 inches and provide unmatched stability.
The 18-1/2 inches of front travel is complemented by a rear suspension that's able to match the front travel using a spring-under leaf conversion and 18-inch King triple-bypass coilovers mounted to a custom-fabbed bedcage.
We were able to spend the day with the truck and the guys who built it, seeing it perform on its maiden voyage. The crew at Boneyard was a bit nervous, having absolutely no testing time as this truck was coming fresh out of the shop and hadn't even hit pavement yet. The suspension was a similar design to the kit the crew built for the '99-'06 2WD Chevys, but this was a new truck, and without taking any time to dial in the shocks, it was very hard to say how well the truck would ride. But like a December holiday miracle, the tuning was dialed in so closely to what you'd want, that we had a hard time believing it was this truck's first time out the door. If anything, we guess this is a testament to the experience and quality of craftsmanship brought by the Boneyard in Camarillo, CA
-18-1/2 inches of travel.
-Fully boxed lower arms with vertical ribs inside, 3/16-inch steel, fully TIG-welded, 1-1/2-inch uniball at knuckle, Delrin pivots at frame.
-Suspension arms attach to factory frame mounts.
- King 2.5 10-inch stroke coilovers with 18-inch, 700-pound coil and 500-pound tender coil.
- King 2.5 hydraulic bumpstop, shorty with 2-1/2-inch stroke. | 
-Fabricated knuckles, 3/16-inch steel plate, all TIG-welded.
-1/2-inch machined hub plates.
-New tie rods, 3/4-inch rod end at the rack, 7/8-inch rod end at the knuckle. | 
The front bumper was completely removed and replaced with a 1-3/4-inch DOM tubing prerunner bumper, complete with a 1/4-inch aluminum skidplate and three Hella 4000s to light up the night. To take full advantage of the travel, 4-1/2-inch flared Glassworks fiberglass fenders were fitted to allow the 315/70R17 BFGoodrich All-Terrains to keep from rubbing, and even 37-inch tires will stuff properly with Boneyard's kit. |
*18-1/2 inches of travel.
*Fully boxed lower arms with vertical ribs inside, 3/16-inch steel, fully TIG-welded, 1-1/2-inch uniball at knuckle, Delrin pivots at frame.
*Billet (option) or standard boxed upper arm, 1-inch uniball at knuckle, 3/4-inch rod ends at frame. Billet arm has framed bumplate around the uniball for added support and a bump spot for the hydraulic bumpstop.
*Suspension arms attach to factory frame mounts.
*King 2.5 10-inch stroke coilovers with 18-inch, 700-pound coil and 500-pound tender coil.
*King 2.5 hydraulic bumpstop, shorty with 2-1/2-inch stroke.
*Engine cage providing mounts for bumpstops and coilover can be built at Boneyard's shop or will need to be fabricated.
Boneyard really did a nice job finishing this truck in time for Christmas. The front bumper was completely removed and replaced with a 1-3/4-inch DOM tubing prerunner bumper, complete with a 1/4-inch aluminum skidplate and three Hella 4000s to light up the night. To take full advantage of the travel, 4-1/2-inch flared Glassworks fiberglass fenders were fitted to allow the 315/70R17 BFGoodrich All-Terrains to keep from rubbing, and even 37-inch tires will stuff properly with Boneyard's kit.
*5 inches wider per side, wheelbase stretched 1 inch.
To take full advantage of the long-travel leaves, Boneyard fabbed up a bedcage from 1-3/4-inch DOM tubing to mount 18-inch stroke King triple-bypass shocks. The cleanliness in design, along with the fact that the owner can still haul around his dirt bike, makes this cage the ultimate in function and clean form. The back of the bedcage has provisions for a spare tire and a bump bar in case someone is too anxious behind him.
The rear bedsides came from Trailer Products, a company that specializes in race glass. Because of this, the inside cap of the bedsides are left unfinished. Boneyard used simple angle iron to cap this off and make a clean transition from the bed to the fiberglass bedside.
We even got the chance to get a little in-flight testing. Time and time again, the truck came down smoothly, really without enough force to even compress the hydraulic bumpstops. We wanted to jump in the truck ourselves, back up twice as far, and really launch this truck, but we definitely understand the defiance to abusing a brand-new truck.
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We even got the chance to get a little in-flight testing. Time and time again, the truck came down smoothly, really without enough force to even compress the hydraulic bumpstops. We wanted to jump in the truck ourselves, back up twice as far, and really launch this truck, but we definitely understand the defiance to abusing a brand-new truck. | 
The owner, Mark Harstine, was very pleased how his brand-new truck still kept good street manners, even with the deletion of any type of sway bar. The almost extra foot of track width does make driving a truck like this a little tricky in some tighter squeezes. | 
To take full advantage of the long-travel leaves, Boneyard fabbed up a bedcage from 1-3/4-inch DOM tubing to mount 18-inch stroke King triple-bypass shocks. The cleanliness in design, along with the fact that the owner can still haul around his dirt bike, makes this cage the ultimate in function and clean form. The back of the bedcage has provisions for a spare tire and a bump bar in case someone is too anxious behind him. |
Through the whoops, the suspension did an excellent job of keeping all four tires on the ground. It was really awesome to see all 18 inches of travel being used through this big whoops section, especially when the rear tires would stuff completely up into the bedsides with the fronts drooped all the way out. | 
-Spring-under leaf-spring conversion.
-'99-'06 Chevy 1/2-ton leaf springs.
-12-leaf Deaver leaf pack with military wrap front spring eye.
-King 2.5 18-inch stroke triple-bypass shocks attached to available bedcage.
-21-inch limiting straps. | 
-Lowered and reinforced front leaf-spring hanger.
-3/16-inch steel plate. |
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