diggerdan11 Posted August 11, 2014 Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 So i have been on this site for 8 Years, and I owned and SS for 7 of those years but for some reason I never made a a build thread on the SS. Now that my SS has been sold for over a year now, and now i have finished and sold my house I figured some of you guys might be interested in what i have been doing and what I plan on doing on my SS's replacement. So here is the story behind my HD. I purchased a Subaru for my wife in August of 2012, and I began driving her Tahoe and I parked the SS for the Winter. The plan was to keep my SS as a Garage Queen, Drive the Tahoe in the winter. Well After driving the the Tahoe for a couple months I started to realize I really needed a truck. With the re-model on my house going on through the winter I really did not want to us the SS to haul lumber, etc... So I decided to look for a truck to replace the Tahoe. I had 2 rules, it had to be a crew cab, and it had to have the 6.5ft bed. Well ther 2500HD and the 1500HD were the only trucks to fit the bill. I really wanted a Diesel but all the diesels for sale either were super expensive, or cheaper and had a million miles on them. I did not want to spend too much so I started looking for Gassers. Well right before Christmas of 2012 a local dealership (same one i bought the SS, Tahoe, and a couple previous vehicles) got in a 03 1500HD with only 58K miles, and I had to have it. For the first few months I did not do much to the truck, then I sold my SS and that changed quite a bit. Then i spent all my money and time finishing up my house. But now that its sold I will have a little more time, and money to put into the truck. It really is the exact opposite of the SS I plan on possibly lifting it, and I never plan on going larger than 18" on the wheels. Mods So Far: Performance: Nelson Perfomance Tune Magnaflow 4" Exhaust K&N Intake Suspension: 2" Level Billstein 5100 shocks (Front) Wheels/Tires: 16" Ultra Phantoms Black 285/75 r16 Wild Country XTX Sport Interior/Exterior/Other: Recon LED Tails/Third Brake Light 4300K HIDs (Lows) 3000K HIDs (Fogs) De-badged/De-molded Black Tread Bed Caps Pioneer AVH-X3500BHS Pioneer 8" Shallow Sub and Box Alpine MRH-F255 Old School 5-Channel Amp Alpine S-Type 6.5" Component Speakers Black painted Grill Insert 4-High Mod Black Billet Bowtie Black Billet Shorty Antena Copustar Remote Start/Alarm Future Mods: Clear Headlights Color Matching Bumpers and Grille I want to get it re-painted since it has quite a few minor scratches Possibly a 4" or 6" lift Possibly a turbo kit, or maybe a SC, but we will have to see Different side steps HID Retrofit Kit Here is a picture of my truck the day i bought it. First thing I did was install a Pioneer AVH-X3500BHS Head Unit I also put on a shorty billet antenna, and a black billet bow tie. After I sold my SS I got and K&N Intake, a Nelson Performance Tune, and a Magnaflow singe exit exhaust I then ordered a set of 16" Ultra Phantom wheels in black. It took almost 3 months to get them because they were on back order. During my wait I had the front end leveled because I knew I would have issues with rubbing. Here is a picture of my truck vs. a stock 1500HD so you can see the difference the level made Then i removed the window visors, and began to de-badge and de-mold her. I plan on removing the 4X4 badges one of these days. Ran into some issues with the de-badging. Under the molding there were scratches, dents, and bubbles. Some might have been cause by me but im not 100% sure. Which is another reason i want it re-painted I then put on a set of Recon LED tails and third brake light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diggerdan11 Posted August 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 I then installed a pair of Alpine component speakers in the front doors, and I bought an 8" Pioneer shallow mount sub to go under the rear seat. I hooked it up to an old school Alpine amp which is just pefectly fine for me since i do not want huge bass. Here is the newest full picture of my truck. I have since sold the tool box Last weekend I replaced the ugly chrome bed rails (without pocket holes) that came with the truck. I knew it was going to be all scratched up under bed caps so I just replaced them with black ones. This weekend I painted my grill inserts black and I think it looks a million times better I plan on doing a few more things to her very soon, but i have to figure out a way to balance my HD build, my 69 C/20 Build, Working, and trying to start up my own business, not to mention the fact i am also in the process of building a dinning room table from scratch (as seen in the photo above). I will keep posting up what I am doing on her as often as I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downeast Johnny Posted August 11, 2014 Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 Good looking truck. She cleaned up nice after the de-badge. Grill paint looks good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D1SCSS Posted August 12, 2014 Report Share Posted August 12, 2014 Looks very nice!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powell Posted August 12, 2014 Report Share Posted August 12, 2014 I'm always amazed at your handy work Dan, your a talented dude! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diggerdan11 Posted August 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2014 I'm always amazed at your handy work Dan, your a talented dude! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC03SS Posted August 13, 2014 Report Share Posted August 13, 2014 Truck looks Great. Way better than the stock look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diggerdan11 Posted August 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 Removed the tube steps and mud flaps. I think it looks much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avtonomb Posted August 16, 2014 Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 Any plans for the mirrors? I think color matched HD towing mirrors would look pretty good... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diggerdan11 Posted August 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 Any plans for the mirrors? I think color matched HD towing mirrors would look pretty good... I have thought about it. We will have to see. I'm going to be moving to a very non truck friendly city so those mirrors might be a little too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diggerdan11 Posted August 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 Murica! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
03SSBoy Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 Thats a really nice pic!! And looking great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diggerdan11 Posted August 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 Thanks. Yeah i thought that was cool. I love the view from my In-laws house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE SS MAN Posted August 22, 2014 Report Share Posted August 22, 2014 What part of oregon are you? I'm in central oregon. Nice truck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diggerdan11 Posted August 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2014 What part of oregon are you? I'm in central oregon. Nice truck I live in Klamath Falls, but I am going to be moving to the Portland Area soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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