SSS.com FEATURED TRUCK CONTEST - July/August

[Holty]

krambo

 

I have long been a fan of the functionality and looks of GM trucks and growing up in a family of muscle car owners, naturally a truck that fits both performance and function was a must. I needed a truck that can seat 2 adults (one being my 6’1” 300lb frame) and 2 children, be 4WD, able to tow and have some snot for the Friday night grudge matches. My brother being a GM car salesman and GM Buy Power manager at the time gave me some literature on the Silverado SS that was due out in early 03 and I was hooked. An internet search landed me on SilveradoSS.com where I did more research. On a business trip, I made a detour to the 03 Chicago Auto Show in hopes GM would have an SSS to look at and sure enough, an arrival blue SSS was on hand behind some velvet ropes. After threatening the booth attendant, she hesitantly allowed me to crawl around/under the truck and take pictures. She thought I was just looking at the truck itself however I was scoping how to mod the truck to my taste. That weekend I had a deposit on a black SSS after negotiating with dozens of dealers. I took delivery on 4/18/03 while trading in my beloved nicely modified 99 NBS ECSB.

 

I prized the styling and overall creature comforts of the SSS but soon realized the performance left a lot to be desired after a 15.3 @ 87 on the local drag strip was the best I could muster after brake-in. I figured some bolt-ons would hold me until I figure out my ultimate plans. A K&N CAI, 160 Thermostat, Flowmaster cat-back and some tuning got me into the 14’s when I concluded that I sought a truck that could not only compete with the Lightning but eat it alive on the street. I worked with several reputable engine builders and LS1 gurus and had plans for a stout 402. The cost of the stroker and the down time deterred me and I explored the options of supercharging the existing combo to achieve the results I was looking for. I consulted the same engine builders and squeezed information form SLP regarding their R&D with supercharging LS1s and valve train choices particularly with the Magnacharger Radix. Based on a pile of information (even from several members on SSS.com and other boards), I ordered a cam package from Comp Cams using SLP specs in preparation of the Magnacharger Radix install.

 

Now that I had a goal in mind, the Radix was the obvious choice. The intercooled MP112 on a LQ9 was ideal for me in that I would no doubt do everything in my power to squeeze every last pony out of it meaning the MP112 itself will be my power limiting factor. With a higher psi blower like the Vortec, I would inevitably overwhelm the LQ9 and be exactly where I was trying to steer away from…rebuilding a forged stroker. The low end of the Radix combined with the AWD seemed to be a formidable street machine that I could daily drive with ease. With the cam, valve springs, titanium retainers, locks, 3000 stall yank converter, under drive pulleys, FAL electric fans, and a full true dual exhaust including ASM headers, the truck finally broke into the 13’s naturally aspirated which was a minor goal along the way. As I saved for the Radix, I did some cosmetic treatments along the way keeping cost to a minimum. Black powder coated stock wheels, painted calipers, tint, Gaylord’s Speedstur bed cover, Shopman SS Bowtie and purchased HPTuners in lieu of the EFI Live and SL1 Edit I have been working with.

 

 

I finally purchased the Radix and installed it with the 2.9” pulley. Working with several tuners and myself, I got the truck to do a 12.8 @ 107. I was satisfied with the results however knew there was a lot left on the table. I needed tires at this point and have been looking at the BFG KDWs and just so happened that a forum member was selling his wheels with KDW tires already mounted. I purchased the 20” Konig No Road wheels with the KDWs and did a brake upgrade as well. Pro-stop slotted and cross drilled rotors, Hawk pads and ATE fluid gave the truck the little bit of extra stopping power I needed without breaking the bank. A Goodmark cowl hood and BSER roll pan were added to create the final aggressive look.

 

 

Monitoring fuel pressure and boost were next on my list so naturally some Autometer phantom electric gauges were in order. Carrying the laptop was not practical for daily driving so I did a custom installed Aeroforce scan gauge in the overhead console for quick monitoring. At this time I also installed a PCM controlled E-fan harness and rigged a manual override switch on the dash.

 

 

Crank shaft pulley pinning, a 2.8” Radix pulley, larger HX, custom CAI, a much needed FLT level V 4L65E, a Yank TT2600 torque converter, 90mm LS2 TB and some dyno tuning time net a 12.5 @ 108. Shortly after that run, the Yank 2600 exploded and took out the tranny. I spent the fall installing a freshened FLT level V, a Performance Industries Vigilante 2600 stall 3 disk lock-up converter, Snow methanol injection system and tweaked the tune. Further reinforcements involved ARP rod bolts and rear bearing cap studs and T/A girdle. I ventured to the local track and did a 12.2 @ 109 with a conservative rich tune.

 

 

 

I added a true dual 3” exhaust set-up with high flow cats, X pipe and dual 3”x18” Magnaflow mufflers, logged and tuned all winter and made a trip to the track 4 months later with some fellow SSS and TBSS members. Spinning all four off the line, I ran a 12.020 @ 111 and when the all season radials finally hooked, I posted an 11.95 @ 112. The only weight reductions were no spare and tailgate. That run capped off a very rewarding build and gave me a truck that accelerates faster than most sports cars.

 

 

 

I plan on taking the Radix deeper into the 11’s this fall with 4 drag radials, further tuning and no bed cover. Drive shaft loops, an in-truck wideband, larger injectors and possibly Cal Tracs are in the near term. After that, who knows… but more HP is a given.

 

 

 

Complete list of modifications:

 

ASM headers, custom collectors, dual 3" metal substrate hi-flow cats, 3" X pipe, dual 3" 18"L Magnaflows side exit all 316 stainless, 160 thermostat, custom CAI with Volant air box, FLT Level V 4L65E with billet output shaft and Sonnex servos, 40,000 Tru-cool tranny cooler, PI Vigilante triple disk lock up 2800 stall converter, FAL electric 282 E-fans (PCM controlled with manual override), Magnacharger Radix Supercharger w/ 2.8" pulley (9psi), oversized heat exchanger, LS2 90MM TB conversion with home ported and polished J-tube, Metco 100mm idler pulleys, 216/222 .559 .566 115 SLP cam, 918 springs - Ti retainers - locks, Gatorback belt, Taylor 409 race wires, NGK TR-6 plugs, Snow Performance Meth injection (60/40) with converted windshield wiper reservoir – progressive boost controlled and flow metered, ARP rod bolts, Pinned Crank Pulley, clamped rear springs (when racing), HPTuners pro, T/A rear girdle with bearing cap studs, Autometer electric boost and FP phantom gauges, Aeroforce scan gauge, Pro-stop cross drilled and slotted rotors, Hawk pads, painted calipers with SS graphics, Konig No-Road 20x10, BFG KDW 305/50's, Goodmark cowl induction hood – supercharged emblems, Gaylord Speedstur cover, BSER roll pan with hidden hitch, Shopman SS bowtie, Optima Yellow Top, Silverstars HI/LO and amber DRL's, tint, vent shades, Auto-Trac T-case fluid, Mobil 1 10W30 with K&N HP2006 filter, Water Wetter, 255/65 Dunlop all seasons on 16" Al stock Silverado wheels for the track, custom plate “SSLEEPR”

 

 

Thank you to the ones responsible for SilveradoSS.com for creating and maintaining a place where all of us can discuss our interests and thank you to those who nominated my truck for TOTM!

[Holty]

fast4popper

 

I was driving a 2000 Durango R/T when I started to get the jitters about them darn Dodge Tranny's. A good friend of mine worked at a Chevy dealer so I gave him a call and asked what he had for me. his initial reaction was "I got a red SS out here" I just laughed. well that night I went and took it for an overnight test drive. I was HOOKED! The power, the ride, the stance, the looks. A few days later it was in my driveway for good.

 

 

On to the mods.

 

Appearance mods- Interior- Charcoal Suede on the seats, headliner, A-pillars, as well as trim panels around the sub box, under the back seat, on the back of the back seat. I also took out the passenger side air bag switch and replaced it with a blank so it doesn’t look so hideous IMO.

 

 

Exterior- truck is lowerer 2 inches with hangers and keys, ALL windows are tinted 20% (yes even the windshield), removed the Fm antenna for a smoother look, New Reflexxions cowl hood, Jason fiberglass Tonno cover, as well as I had the factory NOT drill the hole for the key so that It was more secure, I carpeted the lid of the tonno as well as added a tilt switch controlled light in the overhead. A Bedrug lines the bed.

 

 

Underhood- I had the factory engine covers smoooooothed and painted as well as the core cover. I loomed all the upgraded wires in red snakeskin. as well I added 8 more 1 watt LED's to light up the engine bay. I have went thru and re-taped and ziptied and rerouted the appropriate wires to make more sense as GM did some weird things IMO.

 

 

Audio Mods- I kept the factory head unit in place for personal reasons at the time, but that is where the factory stops and the aftermarket takes over. AudioControl 13 band EQL's for front and rear, MTX 4 channel amp running their 4.1 (4 inch) components in the rear locations, and in the front are MTX's 6.0 (6 inch midbass) and 5.1 ( 5 inch components). the 5.1's are in the factory kick panels which I massaged to fit flush and behind the factory kick panels and built grills to keep them safe. for subs I did 4 MTX 8 inch T5500 subs firing down in a plexiglass backed box for visual appeal. also I lit up the box and amps with Varad 1 watt LED's. As for mounting the amps, I took some insite from 6.0SS and mounted them in the bottom of the rear seat. Along the back wall you will see the Crossovers for the various components as well as the EQ's and the Streetwires 1 farad caps and power distro block. I used Stinger RoadKill products from top to bottom, front to back to keep this thing quiet. Also I switched over my Satellite provider to Sirius instead of XM.

 

Video Mods- I have 3 Alpine 5.8 inch screens in the truck, 1 in each headrest and one custom molded into the factory overhead pocket. these get the signal from Alpine DVD that is molded into the factory lower pocket just in front of the cup holders. also in this panel I took the MTX bass knob and used the factory cig lighter "handle" for a stealth appearance, so all you see is the cig lighter handle. I also installed a rear view camera for towing as well as when backing up, and Alpine's Navi for them long road trips. so that the signal can be heard from the DVD player, I used a Peripheral dual Aux input piece for the DVD as well as an 1/8 inch mini jack for and MP3 player to be heard. You can also use separate RF modulated wireless headphones to hear the audio on the video screens. On the power side of things I installed Dual Optima red tops and have them being charged by an Ohio Generator 250 amp alternator and seperated by a 200 Amp relay. I upgraded ALL of the charging leads with Streetwires 0 guage as well as new ground leads to both the block and the frame rails.

 

FUTURE UPGRADES FOR AUDIO ARE COMING including, true 5.1 surround sound as well as an Alpine double din radio and 175 band EQ/digital processor.

 

 

Security- DEI Python 890 Remote starter/Alarm that controls the heated seats, power up and down on the windows, power tonno lift via remote control. I have 2 sirens on the truck under the hood as well as one inside. there is also a police siren under the hood as well.

 

Performance Mods- at all 4 corners I have SSBC 14 inch slotted rotors with 3 piston calipers. Under the hood is where it gets interesting. Tranny work includes a Yank TT3000 stall, billet servos and a shift kit installed by Frank at RevolutionRaceworks. for some more HP he also hooked me up with a ProCHarger P1SC supercharger, he had the mounting brackets powdercoated as well as all the I/C plumbing to match the red of the truck. He has worked the heads and installed ZO6 valve springs, a new valve job, ported and polished the intake and exhaust. On the Cam side of things about the only thing I can tell you is it has a .578 lift and he did his magic on the durations. Ported and Polished TB as well as the TB bypass for the coolant, and a 180 degree T stat. The bottom end is a forged and balanced bottom end with Mahle Pistons, Gm Cracked Cap rods, ARP bolts and a pinned harmonic balancer. ASM headers as well as removed the Cats will start the exhaust flow into the factory tubing, for now still running factory muffler. I also molded in the Fuel Pressure and Boost gauges into the rear view mirror as I didn’t want the look of a pillar pod.

[Holty]

usabodygaurd

 

 

2006 was a year for drastic change in my life... All very positive changes... for starters i got engaged to a great girl... she donated one of her kidneys to me, we moved into a new city, I started a new job and I got my new truck... all and all a spectacular year...

 

I knew i wanted a truck, but for the life of me I didn't know very much except I knew i wanted a blue Silverado, extra-cab short bed...

I found a blue silverado with low miles and i was sold...I picked it up and on the way home from the dealership, i got the windows tinted and some hack shop installed a flowmaster delta series 40 muffler on it and a billet grill.

 

Here is a picture from the first day i brought it home...

 

 

after driving it for a couple of weeks, the mod bug bit me and the scar remains! I had so many things I wanted to do with the truck... first thing I wanted to add was some bass...

 

 

2 rockford fosgate amps - 200.1 and 250.1 for the bass... i switched out the front speakers with some POS powerbass separates that eventually sounded like crap... more to come later.

 

the next mod i decided to do, was to get some rims... in Socal it is common to run larger rims sizes on cars... i know in other places of the country it isnt the fad... but i live here, so I thought i would roll some deep dish 24's and got lots of compliments... i also got a Snug Top tonneau cover with remote open and a Bedrug here are the rims and top/rug and completely unbadge the truck.... notice the door handles and mirrors are black.....

 

 

 

 

At this point i was happy and wanted to stop... (said the addict)... so i waited a couple of weeks and everything started to wear off and i now wanted to get a better stereo... i knew i had to get a good alarm, as the factory one sucked... so i went out and got the Pioneer AVIC D2... and the mods started piling on....

 

In one day i went and got, LED rear lights and third, HID's top and bottom (Fog), lowered the truck, and a bunch of billet stuff - gas cap, pedals, more...

then i was really hooked... I wanted to get the street scene bumper, and started in with the engine mods.... i got a hypertech programmer, Injen CAI, TB spacer, wires, thought i was cool...lol... another picture... BTW i love the color matched look, so everything started getting color matched... as you can see!

 

 

I then made the mistake of meeting Brian over at JPA and he gave me a ride in his SC silverado CC and I was instantly hooked...

so realizing this i started to figure out, i was going to go the mile with this truck I took off all of the bolt on stuff and figured i would do this thing up... and then some guy backed into me after a show and shine one day... ugh.

 

He really only pushed in the rear passenger door a little bit... you wouldnt see it unless i pointed it out... the guy settled out of ins for cash 2k... he didnt even want an estimate, just told me to come over to his house and he gave me 2k... i guess i intimidated him a lot... oh well.

 

So then i said... time for a complete new paint job as there a lot of scratched and whatnot all over the truck, plus i wanted to get the Street scene bumper cover and paint the door handles, mirror caps, rear bumper, tail gate handle, grill, and wheels... truck was gone for almost a month...

 

 

once i got the truck back i now need some damn power... i removed all of the bolts ons and contacted brian at JPA and told him lets do it... SC time...

 

 

we also did the big three wire upgrade, yellow optima battery, Airaid CAI kit, 160* Stat, Zippy Tune, NGK tr5 plugs, and swapped the pulley down a couple sizes.

 

and then i decided i needed new interior... so i got a completely new interior, notice the old stuff was gray cloth, and with the new interior, i wanted a new headliner to match the gray and blue leather... so I had the tan plastic pieces dyed and the headliner done in suede to match the seat inserts... at the same time i completely upgraded the stereo... got a new box, wrapped in the same material as the seats (all of which was done by katzkin)... i upgraded the stereo to JL audio 10" w3v3 subs, got new amps - p250.2 and a p550.2 and replaced all of the highs to Focal audio separates... I also dynamatted the roof, door panels, and back wall. I moved the amps and the capacitor to the rear wall behind the seats.

 

Int pics -

 

 

Then i got concerned with transmission and suspension so i got the following mods -

BT Nitro Actives x4

BT front and rear sway bars

BT bump stops

and had my transmission fitted with an HD shift kits and billet servos, 4.10" gears, Auburn Posi, Mag Hytek Diff cover... oh yea and an obnoxious train horn and compressor... lol after that i kept going... got the rear tailgate shaved, added a Sir Michaels roll pan and got the good mark hood...

 

I am waiting on some Baer 6S (6 piston brakes) for the front and the big rotors for the rear... i plan on building a new engine and tranny during the winter... the mods never stop!!

 

Thanks for those who nominated me... my hard work seems to have paid off... i know there are a lot of sweet trucks in here, I am happy to just get nominated... Peace.

 

[brobradh77]

even tougher this go around...Nice rides everyone

[gixxerrider]

This was a hard vote to make

[fast4popper]

I really thought I had a chance at this, then I saw who i was against, I am gonna bow out now..

 

you guys have some bad aSS rides, I dont deserve to be in this with you 2... good luck to both of you!! thanks for the nominations from whoever nominated me.

 

keep up the great work Holty!

[blackpearlss]

it was a hard vote but all the trucks where missing the one thing i like most a sunroof!

[montanass]

All three are amazing rides

 

placed my vote

[Holty]

test

[SS Silv]

I really thought I had a chance at this, then I saw who i was against, I am gonna bow out now..

 

you guys have some bad aSS rides, I dont deserve to be in this with you 2... good luck to both of you!! thanks for the nominations from whoever nominated me.

 

keep up the great work Holty!

 

Wow, nice confidence in you and your truck.

[RockHead]

My vote is in

[SS_bnoon_SS]

I really thought I had a chance at this, then I saw who i was against, I am gonna bow out now..

 

you guys have some bad aSS rides, I dont deserve to be in this with you 2... good luck to both of you!! thanks for the nominations from whoever nominated me.

 

keep up the great work Holty!

 

Stereo-wise, you beat them hands down, details you win again hands down... the only things you are missing are rims and further exhaust mods (beyond the headers). I can't believe you're this far behind in the poles. No offense to the other players this month, but I just don't see it.

Edited July 16, 2007 by SS_bnoon_SS (see edit history)

[fast4popper]

Wow, nice confidence in you and your truck.

 

well to be in the top three is good enough for me, and with 9 votes at this time, I'll take it!! I built this truck for me and me alone, its obvious others like it too as i was nominated as well as have been receiving votes, but what I meant was that the 2 trucks I am against are baddddassss. If I win, so be it. If I lose, oh well. its my truck and i enjoy it. thats all that matters in then end anyway. BTW... how many votes do you have?

[Triple-S]

Real tough choice...

[KJT13]

i agree with everyone else. this was a tough one to go with and had to read each 3 times to make my decision but my vote is in