Colorado High Ground-Clearance Crossmember for ZQ8 and 2wd Z85 Trucks

Why You Might Want One. On a stock Colorado truck, the transmission cross member is about 5-1/4" above the ground. If the ZQ8 truck is heavily loaded, or lowered, the crossmember or exhaust can contact bumps in the road or speed bumps in parking lots. Increased rigidity means the transmission bounces less on rough roads.

Part Details. The Stealth Conversions high ground-clearance transmission crossmember improves ground clearance by about two inches compared to the stock crossmember. Compared to aftermarket tubular cross members, the Stealth Conversion’s cross member offers the best clearance for the exhaust system.

And the Stealth Conversion's crossmember is strong. It is made of 1/4" thick steel, and the upper center section of the crossmember triangulates with the lower section to greatly increase the rigidity/strength of the structure so that the transmission doesn't bounce up and down on rough roads.

The Stealth Conversions crossmember is also easier to install than the aftermarket tubular crossmembers.

Parts list:

• crossmember assembly
• button head bolts (4) Metric Button Head Socket Cap, M12 - 1.75P x 35 mm long

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

1. Put truck on jack stands so that there is adequate room to work under truck.
2. Remove the bolts from the transmission mount (not the crossmember). Use a 15 mm socket and an extension to go through the stock crossmember.
3. Put a jack under the transmission to raise the rear of the transmission mount about 1/2." Support the transmission with a jack stand.
4. Unbolt the transmission crossmember from the frame. Use an 18 mm wrench for the four vertical bolts underneath the frame, and 15 mm wrenches for the horizontal bolts.
5. Modify the frame brackets by cutting them so that nothing hangs lower than the frame (see photograph). This can be done with a Sawzall®, a plasma cutter, or a grinder. This can take anywhere from 5 minutes to two hours, depending on your equipment and skill.
6. After modifying the brackets. Install the Stealth Conversions cross member, with the four button-head bolts, using an 8 mm Allen wrench.
7. Remove the jack stand that supports the transmission so the bolts to the transmission mount can be tightened.
8. Tighten the transmission mount to the cross member with a 15 mm wrench
9. Lower truck

STOCK CROSSMEMBER VS STEALTH CONVERSIONS CROSSMEMBER
The stock Colorado cross member shown above hangs about 2-1/2" below frame rails.

The installed Stealth Conversions Crossmember for Colorado replaces the stock transmission crossmember on ZQ8 and 2wd Z85 models and provides 2" additional ground clearance and a better appearance. It does not require modifying the exhaust. 

It does require trimming (cutting) the original frame brackets as shown in two views below. The section that hangs below the frame rail is removed to install the high ground-clearance crossmember.

The result is about 2" more of ground clearance. 

EXHAUST CLEARANCE
If the exhaust is too close to the crossmember, loosen the three bolts at the front of the head pipe and the two bolts at the rear of the head pipe. Rotate the headpipe so that it is about 1-1/2" above the crossmember, and tighten the bolts.