Maybe it’s my age but I think trucks have two doors and are two wheel drive; have manual transmissions and AM pushbutton radios. I get a lather on when I see finely restored 30’s or 40’s prewar half tons that are so vanilla it says Borden’s in the door sill. Studebakers and Internationals are some favorites although I love a good mid 30’s Chevy or Ford. Point is, I like durable and I like reliable and easy to work on and with which in my thinking means keep it simple and keep it up.

That said time has softened my base needs to include air conditioning and cruise control. Roll up windows are fine. I don’t need a theater grade sound system. I have some hearing loss from that in the house. No need for in dash navigation. I like maps and a compass.

Too old and too broke to start a restoration I decided I’d buy as close to new as possible and do my best to keep it from falling apart or rusting out before the payment book coupons were all used up. Besides, have you seen the “ask” for anything worth restoring? More than I paid for this one. Yikes!

I was exploring options from GM, Ford and Dodge and shy as a Coydog when I ran across this 2015 Silverado WT1 Regular cab short bed. I know, the build sheet calls the six foot six a “standard” bed and the eight footer a long bed. It’s part of the experience of aging. Those younger than us at some point decided to redefine “words” for us without our permission but that’s small potatoes. The general lack of overall caring about what one builds is quite another and not so small a deal. Not sure when it happened but at one time engineers built to improve the product. Now it’s the profit margin and the marketing gurus have made an art out of selling the illusion of quality instead of delivering it. You hear the spin on why a factory steel wheel MSRP is twice that of many good aftermarket alloy rims? $245! Really? Maybe someday we will return to pricing “worth” instead of what we think we can “steal”.

So…what that means is…this trucks “build” isn’t going to be centered around “speeding money I don’t have to impress people I don’t know and maybe wouldn’t like anyway” on eye candy they value but who have no vested interest in the end product. Rather it will be to improve safety, reliability, longevity, economy, utility, and if anything is left over…then maybe some old school tastefully done curb appeal. Lord knows there isn’t much to work with.

The previous owner of this very clean (and cheap) 4.3 liter flex fuel V6 six speed automatic Borden’s truck has done me the honor of taking very nice care of it for the year he owned it and the 1300 miles he drove it. The Lund soft roll up is nice and a choice I would have made. He added the Go-Rhino stainless step bars to ease entry and egress for his 80 year plus frame and a Bed-Rug bed mat. We will take it from there then.

​Thanks for dropping in.

Marty

P.S. Yes. I enjoy editorializing (writing). Don't take it personal. Just me being me.

High level details

2019 Silverado 1500 High Country 4x4 Crewcab Standard Bed Satin Steel Metallic

Z71 Pkg

Trailboss Suspension kit

Planned initial mods: Clearbra, tint, in channel vent visors, black bowtie, proclip phone mount

photos to come soon [emoji4]

Here is my build thread for my new 2021 Silverado LT Trail Boss today. I did have to wait for the one I wanted but was definitely worth it. Got the Crew Cab, Standard Box, 6.2L, Leather package and many more. I'll hopefully start writing more in this build thread. I previously had a 2013 BMW M5 (picture below). Restarting my blog as my old one wasn't allowing me to edit the first post. For those on Instagram, please be sure to follow on @PureZ71 (https://www.instagram.com/purez71/?hl=en)

Current mods (as of 5/19/22)

- ReadyLift 2" SST Lift Kit

- Toyo Open County R/T (35X12.5XR18)

- AWE Full Catback exhaust system

- RetraxPRO XR Tonneau Cover

- SB3 Ceramic Coating and PPF by Superior Auto Shine

- Front Windows and Windshield Tinted

- BulletProof Hitch (Heavy Duty 6" Drop)

- LasFit LED Turn Signals, Reverse Lights & License Plate Lights

- Front & Rear Mud Flap Delete Kit

- Rydonair Flexible Rubber Antenna Replacement

- Center Console Organizer Tray & Center Console Divider

- Plastic Dip the chrome around the front bow-tie

- Z71 Emblems Replacement (Black & Red)

- Black Z71 Grill Emblem

- Silverado 6.2L Matte Black Emblem

- ProClip Phone Holder

- UnderCover SwingCase for Driver & Passenger Sides

- HS2 Black Hoop Side Steps

Old/Replaced Mods

- Blacked out Muffler Tips

- Gator EFX Hard Fold Tonneau Cover

Current photo(s) of the truck (as of 5/19/22)

Day I got the truck

My previous build

We had heard complaints about the 2.4’s durability. Jason says pre 2014 true. 2014 forward stone axe reliable. Hope so. This 2.4 and the matching six speed are in her 14 Buick Verano as well and we both love that car. We had heard complaints about a decided lack of power. We wouldn’t have bought a second one if the first was found that lacking. Overly abundant power? No. Adequate power? It’s enough for anything it will ever be asked to do.

Like the Silverado the smaller motors lose some frugality into stiff head winds. Thing is so would a big motored, low drag/small frontal area vehicle. It’s just more noticeable in high profile trucks and suvs. Nothing that’s a deal breaker. I had no trouble getting 28/30 mpg on our 200 mile two way shakedown get acquainted run. And without any hoop jumps or hypermiling tricks. Eco mode and 55 on the cruise.

The ride is compliant and comfortable without the Buicks plushness but also without the Silverado’s high velocity compression harshness. With four wheel independent suspension that seems well sorted it has a very anchored feel in the twisty sections. A confidence you like to have when your wife is alone on a snowy day.

The drivers heated multi-adjustable power seat is the cat. I’m not small but my 6’2” 190 lb. frame is well supported and very comfortable. More so than my LaCrosse. There is enough range to satisfy both myself and my much smaller wife’s architecture. The trim level does not treat the passenger as nicely as the driver. It is heated just not powered nor equipped with the array of directions. Still it sits you for hours without complaint.

I do not like, a preference not shared by all, the red night instrument lighting. I do like the driving/fog lamp lighting range and brightness. Like the big truck I can see where I’m going at a speed that isn’t holding up the world. Nice.

This specimen has 22,000 miles on the clock. A one owner female driven example with full records by an Ohio dealer registering 5K oil change and tire rotation records. No dents. No paint issues other than a few small front rubber bumper road rash type wear and tear chips so small they escape notice for the casual observer. Flawless interior. One year lease turn in. GM certified action sale to Tom Sparks Buick in DeKalb Illinois. A real 99 point car.

Actual photo soon as I get some light and no rain.

If you saw the title and were wondering wth a Vtrux is, please see my intro thread here: 

Short story is the truck is a Silverado that's been converted to a plug-in hybrid. It operates similarly to a Chevy Volt. I bought it on a whim because it was cheap and good on gas (my best mpg so far is 119mpg!). This thread is my documentation of my modifications and likely weird issues I'll likely have with this thing. 

This is how I bought it. A 2014 CCSB with 17k miles on it. Leveling kit, 33" Nittos on Black Rhino wheels, and a Smittybilt bumper. Great looking truck, but the big tires aren't great for EV range and I really like the look of a lowered truck. 

I installed an IHC 3/5 kit that's a flip kit and control arms. I wish I could've gone lower, but the battery pack and its housing (roll cage I guess?) sit so far down that I'm already 3.5" off the ground as it is. Here is the truck now:

And this is a mini can, so Just over 3.5" to the 2"x4" steel tubing around the battery pack. If you're wondering, I have bottomed out on this a few times, but nothing I've worried about. You get used to it with lowered vehicles.

I'm slowly changing things on the truck and will update this post accordingly.

Regards,

Slim

I got a few odds and ends done, but never created an account to log it all until recently.
 

First, 5100s. They’re way better than the worn out Ranchos, but the rear end still gets choppy and hoppy over bumps in the highway, especially repeating dips.  My tires are aired down to 50ish, but the rear end of these things ride awful in my limited experience so far.  I might eventually try Foxs and see if the progressive shocks dampen better.  If I drop a load in the bed like one of my welders (approx 600lbs) it’s a lot smoother, but it shouldn’t have to ride like a Sherman.

When I did the shocks, I also put on some used (but in decent condition) 285/60R20 from a RAM.  They look way better than the skinny 265s stockers that came with it.  We have a road trip coming up soon, so I’ll probably slap on some good new tires while knocking out my usual pre-trip PM.  I’m eyeballing the Cooper Stronghold AT in 275/65R20.

I tinted the windows with Llumar Pinnacle 15% all around, and the windshield with Llumar Air80.  I’m looking forward to seeing how well it performs this summer.  I can already feel the difference.  Now that I have the tint on, I’d like to paint my trim black, but I have some research to do first.  I want it to come out nice.
 

I trimmed the air dam.  I thought about taking it off altogether and putting on the plow insert, but it just looks a tad goofy to me.  I trimmed it along the line where the angle changes on each side and left the center as-is, and so far I’m content with it.  I’d rather plop on a Ranch Hand, but this will do for now (and it’s free vs $2200).

I swapped in VLEDS headlight bulbs. I’ve used them with pretty good success in the past on a couple different trucks, so I thought I’d give them a try on this platform.  I wish more manufacturers offered 5000k bulbs, so that was a big influence in my decision to use them over other brands.  I used their lower wattage bulb in the projector low beam, and their higher wattage in the high beam.  We live in rural TX, and that high beam is a dream on these dirt roads.  Likewise, the lower-wattage bulb in the projector house is more than enough.  I need to add some capacitors to stop the flickering, but otherwise it went well.  I tried some Sylvania ZEVO bulbs in one of the turn signs; positions while I had everything apart, and they didn’t do as well to fill the reflector so I just kept the incandescent bulbs in for now.  In other trucks I’ve used the ZEVOs and been extremely happy either them.  VLEDS makes a killer bulb for that position, but they’re just so expensive so I’m trying to find some alternative parts before sinking that much into it.

I did slap some ZEVOs in the tail lights (along with resistors for hyperflash) and they look fantastic.  They fill the housing completely when you’re viewing it from behind, and look decent when viewing from the side (no worse than the incandescents), and they’re quite bright with a good contrast from running to braking.  For the 3rd brake light I used a LASFIT red, and LASFIT whites (unfortunately 6000k) for the cargo and reverse lights.

—

I have a small but decent mod list to chew through.  UCAs and lower ball joints.  I haven’t decided between Kryptonite, Cognito, or CST, and from what I’ve read so far they all seem fairly close in quality.  I’m currently leaning toward Kryptonite UCAs for that easy-to-change setup though.

I bought the Skar 2 12” sub box.  I have some of Stereo Integrity BM MkV subwoofers sitting around, and I wanted something cheap to run them in until I can get the LMI seat lift and make a box to hold 3.  It was on sale so I figure it’ll hold me over for a couple months until I can make it over to my buddy’s carpentry shop and whip up something better.  I have a Stinger Heigh10 head unit leftover from my old F250 I’ll run in this truck.  I already have the dash kit for the easy install.

I spoke with Nick at BTR and they’re working on some VVT torque cams for these trucks.  Once they drop, I’m putting one in, and getting a tune.  Everything in my powertrain is stock at the moment.  I’d like a muffler and the S&B intake, but until the cam is developed that’s all on the back burner.

Lastly, I’m going to get the door keypad.  I had that on my Excursion, and it was probably one of my favorite things about it, except for maybe the 37s, TrueTrac and E-locker 

Sorry I don’t have more pictures.  Usually I take a ton but I’ve been a slacker with this truck.  I’ll get some as I progress with my mods.  In the meantime, here’s the only one I have.  This was before the tint, but after trimming the dam dam.

My goal is to build the ultimate work truck, prepared to deal with what I encounter daily, it's come a long way but I am always improving and modifying it

Please feel free to reply to this thread with any questions, I'd love to help you out

My signature picture is before the 1" lift, profile picture is after

Attached is what the truck looked like the day I bought it, I have since done:

Ranchhand replacement bumper

Tow mirrors

Full LED bulb swap

Front light bar                Toggled with high-beam stock

Front ditch lights           Toggled with high-beam stock

Yukon gear shifter

Rear spotlights with strobes

2" Leveling kit

Front 1" lift

Rear Monroe load shocks

Fog lights with high beams

Cargo lights with reverse lights

Catch can

Transmission pill flip

Range AFM disabler

Speed Turtle flasher module

I first saw the Rally Edition Silverado in the local Mall about 3 years ago. It was one of those new car Mall displays from the town's Chevy dealership. I had no thoughts of buying any new vehicles at that point but it was love at first sight. My boys were almost all growed up but the time was not right. What made it tougher was that I had to drive by the local Chevy dealership each day on my way to coach basketball and see the truck sitting out front of the dealership teasing me.

Fast forward to July last year. With the last of my boys going off to college and needing to shuffle vehicles my wife suggested getting me a new vehicle. As soon as she mentioned it I started my search. I found my new baby 3 hours away at an Autonation. I drove down that weekend and to pick her up. She was impressive at first sight. Unfortunately my first test drive was a little underwhelming.

The gas pedal hesitation and the drop in power while cornering almost had me say no to the deal - no matter how bad ass I thought she looked. In the end I obviously took her home and shortly after getting home I found this forum and started looking into the issues. This forum introduced me all the different mods were doing to their trucks. I was instantly "infected". Through this forum I was also introduced to Adam's car wash products, which have me hooked and feed my obsession over this truck.

Over the past year I have slowly been making mods, some inspired by what others have done and others I had already had in mind, Given how others had inspired me I finally figured I should be doing the same and detailing what I have done with my bad ass bitch.

My girl is a 2015 Victory Red Rally 2 Silverado Crew Cab. When I got her she was a year old and had 13,154 miles. i don't know who the first owner was but he did a great job taking care of this truck. It was in pristine condition inside and out. Below is my baby on the first day I got her home. The only mod that the original owner made was adding a tri fold toneau cover. It is nice, works great and I kept it.

Here it is with its first car wash.

What we have here is my 2014 Crew Cab Z71 4WD short bed queen. Bought a few years back as my daily work truck to put my weekend warrior back in the garage. When I first snagged her she was lifted on 34s and by the first drive home I knew the tranny was blown. Worked out a deal with the dealer I bought it from and had a 100k warranty remain installed where they paid for half of T&M. Factory crap struts with spacers front to rear came on her for a "lift". Within a few months I installed ICON Stage 1 kit to give her that quality ride effect. Love me some ICON, ride was supple on and off the road with this kit. When I decided to let go of the weekend warrior to fund the wife's new ride and changed industry's I got the itch to go back to my roots and slam her. I know I wanted to follow the same concept I did with my last mini must haves.

Suspension must haves:

• Adjustable Coil Overs up front
• Adjustable emulsions in the rear (I went back and forth for months if this was needed on a full-size before realizing it was a MUST HAVE)
• Control arms up front due to 4wd and limited spindle offerings 
• Flip in the rear
• 22x10 that sat flush if not almost flush and this go around the wheel set had to be SQUARE

After quite a bit of research I came up with the following mods, mind you not all at once

Mod weekend 1:

IHC 4/6 drop kit Front and Rear, dialed (according to my comparison from ground-to-fender measure on a 19' Z71) she sits right at 4/6 and within spec on alignment.

• IHC 4" drop arms (Front)
• Belltech 2-Way Adjustable Coilovers (Front)
• IHC Axle Flip kit (Rear)
• IHC 1" lowering shackle (Rear)
• IHC drop shocks (Rear)

Wheels and Tires 22x10 square ET +0

• Cosmis racing XT-206R (finish chips easily but they also clean up easily)
• Lionhart 285/40/22 (Surprisingly nice ply and quieter than anticipated)

After the initial mod weekend truck sat with a Carolina Squat , the rear shocks had no ass in them and my measured adjustment on the coil overs were perfect however I did install per IHC instructions with the 1/2" spacers raising the front 1". Trucks rear was as soft as a yellow belly teenager, I would bottom out axle to frame and pumpkin to bed every where I went. This was not my experience on my first go around on a full-size (96' extended cab bow-tie w/ 2/4). I was able to load that rear end up with dirt bikes and motors all day long without issue, guess there was a leaf design change over a span of 18 years . After a week of banging down the freeway I pulled the trigger on IHC helper bag kit and QA-1 shocks within spec of the drop shocks from IHC (eye-to-eye extended and fully compressed). I made the mistake of purchasing Belltech adjustable drop shocks, these only work for 4" rear drops to my dismay . I also noticed that the drop shackle in the OEM hanger configuration was rubbing at ride height, so purchased the shackle flip kit from IHC as well.

Mod weekend 2:

• IHC Shackle Flip Kit (allows for cleaner travel of suspension, simply shoving lowering shackle onto system was rubbing frame)
• IHC 1" drop shackles
• IHC Firestone helper bag kit (Rear)
• QA1 2-way adjustable emulsion shocks (Rear)
  • Designed and Machined custom bushings to accept the OEM bolts (Inventor and Xometry FTW)

Once I installed QA1's, shackle flip, helper bags, and removed and readjusted coil overs I got her squatted on all 4 corners EQUALLY. I rub in front occasionally on full lock to drivers only and over excessive dips in road mostly in front. I have bumped coil over adjustment up 2 clicks from factory on drivers and 1 on passenger. I have compression up 2 clicks from middle and run helper bags with 8-10lbs in them when bed is not loaded up. Rarely do I ever bottom out these days, usually if I have the truck loaded up with people to hit work lunch.

Sound System:

I upgraded the sound system at some point in time between ICON's and slamming. This has been an ongoing mod debacle on my end. Started by building a steel rack behind passenger seat to mount three Memphis amps. I was using 3 Memphis amps I had from my old truck build, however the front amp decided to start sending unwarranted signals to the speakers and the rear amp after about 3 years of sitting and 6 months of using decided to finally die after an overall 10 year party in 3 different rides. None the less the two AB amps were replaced with new Memphis hardware while the class D (knock on wood) keeps trucking along. Doors received focal 3-Ways up front and 2-ways in the rear. Class D memphis runs a sundown 10 under the passenger ina  semi-custom box, added some height to the magnet area to accept the depth of the sundown 10 that runs on 1ohm. Memphis feeds it something like 800 watts rms @ 1ohm. Oldy but faithful Pioneer double din is running the show after trying 2 other setups to use the stock head unit. I initially tried pioneers CAN module but making fine tune adjustments or simply turning off the sub for when the kiddo is in the truck was a painful operation. Switched to an AXXES CAN setup, access to this was great, all the adjustments were perfectly accessible, however my trucks CAN did not like this system, I was getting all sorts of weird can signals and issues throughout the truck that I finally ripped that out and sent it back after trying two different AXXES units.

Exterior:

2nd year into ownership finally replaced the factory grill with the OEM paint matched honeycomb and updated the fogs and headlights with RIGIDs and paint matched 14-15 style headlights. Also threw in TRLS HID bulbs while I was at it and TRLS rear assembly's as well. I am an avid mountain biker so finding an easier way to load up the bikes was a must, when the pand hit I pulled the trigger on the RIDE88 truck bed system as they were doing a 25% off on preorders. Best investment for a biker ever, so easy to load and lock the bikes up, only painful when I have to fully utilize the bed.

Performance:

Stock 5.3, that is mostly clapped out, so I have not gone ham under the hood. Initial purchase was an air raid intake using the stock box as most factory units pull outside air vs "cold air" tech. So installed the AirRaid intake tube that ditches the sound deadening box and did a drop in oil filter. After much debate, about a years worth, I pulled the trigger on the MBRP side exit exhaust. I knew from the day I started the truck with it on that I absolutely HATED it but for some silly reason I left it on. Now I am in search of an OEM exhaust so I can throw this junk away and do an electric dump out later on down the road.  Eventually I will be swapping the 5.3 out for a LS1 or LS3 depending on what comes available next fall (waiting for prices to drop) and I will replace or rebuild the trans and will 100% replace the transfercase (culprit to my Chevy shakes when auto mode engaged) but first I need to finish my latest weekend warrior so I have a new daily while this ol'gurl is down.

More to come

ADM performance sells a whole kit to supercharge your truck. You could buy the kit with or without the supercharger. I decided I wanted to buy everything piece by piece so I could learn in the process. I didn't want someone doing all the work for me. Also I think it comes out to be a cheaper when you source all the parts yourself. I have and will be purchasing parts from ADM Performance because they offer some great products and sometimes the only product you may need to supercharger your truck.

So step one for me was to get the truck ready for the supercharger by buying all the supporting mods I would need. This list isn't all inclusive but will give anyone an idea of what they will need should they want to go forced induction on their engine.

1. Upgraded driveshaft (stock one piece drive shaft is known to blow up at speeds over 100mph on the dyno. Some people still currently run their stock driveshaft with no issues. Just remember the stock driveshaft was never intended to be used on a forced induction engine. I didn't want to risk blowing my driveshaft up so I went with a 2 piece drive shaft rated for 800hp.)

2. Headers and Y pipe ( you can run your stock headers and y pipe, I decided not to go this route because upgraded headers allow for lower heat Temps in the SC and better breathing of the engine)

3. E-85 conversion ( e85 conversion is to keep cooler Temps when boosting an NA engine. Especially in my area where e85 is plentiful and I don't have to worry about where I'm going to fill up everyday. I know some people don't have e85 around them and will supercharge their truck and run 91 oct pump gas. This is a optional modification that I felt would be beneficial for my build)

4. Tuning platform (I bought hp tuners and it is a amazing platform to make any and all adjustments to your tune. I am not sure what else is avaliable to us in regards to tuning because a handheld programmer just wouldn't do the job here with all the changes you need to make inside the tune to incorporate the injectors, supercharger, map sensor ect...)

5. Cold air intake (I currently have the k&n Blackhawk intake and I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to use it with the supercharger due to the supercharger putting the throttle body in a different location/ angle. ADM sells a kit that will allow you to use your factory airbox and I may go this route and just upgrade the filter)

6. Injectors  (stock injectors will not be able to flow enough fuel for the supercharger. Our only upgrade option at this time for a decent price is lt4 injectors which are made to work with this supercharger. Be advised they are currently very hard to find and are on back order from GM)

7. Wideband (you will absolutely need a wideband gauge to be able to see what the engine is doing with all this new found air! I bought the AEM wideband kit and it plugs into the OBD port under the dash and it works great!

I bought the autolite steering column mount for it. The steering column mount isn't perfect by no means and required some drilling and sanding to get a decent fitment)

 I think that about covers all the supporting mods I have done to ensure best reliability and performance from the engine/supercharger. 

I have been told that I also need to go with the LT4 HPFP because the stock l83 HPFP won't be able to supply adequate fuel. I talked to ADM performance and On3 turbo and they all said it would be fine at the boost levels I plan to run so we will see. I sure would hate to have to remove the supercharger to upgrade the fuel pump. So I am currently undecided if I will upgrade it or not.

This will be all for my first post. Next post will be of all the stuff you will need to buy that will allow you to get that lt4 supercharger mounted and running on the truck.

I had 5 speed gmc in my favorites for several months.

this one is black mist exterior, ruby red in.

factory build, and ordered by the first owner. this makes some confusion for non-gmc gurus.

SLT trim, no leather, and a z71 logo, with no rpo code to go with it.. or skid plates (although the spot for bolts had been busy at some point)

big rear end...but 6200 gvwr.

The 1996-1998 was near the last of the 305, and the most powerful at 230hp.

The fun facts with these truck is endless. I specifically remember this 305 with the stick shift being the first to keep up with some 5.7..and then calm down to 20mpg.

I was 18 in 1991. The new gm trucks was a big subject. I was working at a quick lube back then, and a z71 pulled in. We did a favor upon request, (although not supposed to), and removed the diff skid plate...half of the z71 package was no good to the owner.

anwyay, finally got one...just had to look it over and find what I was looking for.

GMC is like a ferrari around here...just as rare and costing too much.

I knew to doubt the z71 sticker, I had even encountered the skid plates removed from the real models for trapping crud and overheating the diff.

maine does in a lot of "special" think.

Looking through rpo codes, found no z71..somebody went happy go lucky with a sticker, I thought.

I learned the truck had to be ordered to be where it is at with given options. Power everything but seats, cruise control, a/c...5 speed.

tinted windows, functioning rear windows.

cruise controlled home at 21+ mpg..2100 rpm is 70 mph on the 3.73 diff gear.

maine has the fastest stretch of highway east of the mississippi, as it changes to 75mph to my exit to go home in northern maine.

Truck is a highway cruising super star out there. The last 110+ miles home is not even shutting off cruise control..not even once.

very smooth, aligned. The back roads to my place is crowning roads, open tundra, curves and needing precision.

Front end is rugged, no wandering. Comfortable. Do not know what the sway control is yet, obviously very good.

the rpo for tranny is mg5, and on gm's 1996 list, it is an 84mm Get Rag, 5 speed, 4.00 1st gear.

nv3500 is supposedly the same..whatver it is, outlasted all automatics with an odometer at 343000.

engine and clutch 40k miles ago..could be its third.

frame is mint.

For mods, it is getting necessary headlamp casings swapped out..and adding to a very small list as my first few days go by.

Two snowstorms and well below zero.. mods are not much on my mind right now.

Confidently surviving maine with a gmc is.

I love it so far. I counted on at least needing to do frame work or cabs, floors etc. I weld all the time..very surprised to need nothing.

Glad to be back in my favorite realm..gm v8.

this is my fourth 305, first injected.

to do list is get a bolt count on the rear diff, my first glimpse sees it is a giant..possibly 14. Will get around to my new daily driver extras soon enough.

I went though a spell of demanding egr removal..but that is my 40s+ age group relating to carbs a 305, and egr.

This one is actually clever with real controls.. will leave it alone.

5RWill’s Sierra Build list

· Bilstein 5100 adjustable shocks + Rears

· Kooks Long Tube Headers

· Kooks Catted Y-pipe

· Corsa Catback Exhaust

· CAI

· Morimoto HIDs

· LED fogs

· MGP Brake Caliper Covers

· SCA G2 bumper

· Kings Arsenal Black Molle Seat covers

· Method Mesh Matte Black 17x9s

· Toyo Open Country RT 285/70/17

· Black Bear Tune

· Bushwacker 1.25” Smooth Fender flares

Here is the day i brought it home.

The first thing that had to be done was tint.

15% in the front, 30% over the factory 20% in the back, and a 5% brow.

Next priority on the list was leveling the truck and getting rid of air dam and running boards. After a lot of research i ended up selecting Bilstein 5100s over a spacer kit. I think it was the right choice. I highly recommend them to those that don't want the downsides of a spacer kit but don't want to drop serious coin on coilovers and UCAs. While the stock ranchos are better than the regular GM oem factory shocks, it's no comparison to the bilsteins IMHO. The ranchos are a great pavement shock IMO. They ride well on the streets but when it comes to mild off-roading and hitting large bumps they were very unstable and bouncy. I found myself bouncing all over the cab driving over ruts on the farm, also noticing a lot of bed sway, nose diving when braking, and body roll in corners. All this has been rectified with the Bilsteins. Granted i will say they're more firm on pavement. Your going to feel the small bumps a little more.It's not enough to cause discomfort IMO though. The digressive piston in these monotube shocks more than make up for a little firmer ride on the road for the comfort off road though. I flew down one our turn roads the other day at 40-50mph just to see how they handled, felt like i was gliding over bumps that would've had me bouncing in the ranchos. I really love these shocks.

I was also worried about the stance of the truck, i was unsure if 1.85" of lift up front would give me the look i wanted. It's perfect to my eyes. Looks level and i'm left with an inch or so of rake so i can still tow. As you can see it no longer looks like grandpa's truck, it now sits aggressive with some personality to it.

So there it is as of now. The goal of the upgrades is to give it some more power and growl to account for the 33" tires and loss MPG as well as some aesthetic customs to make it mine so to speak. I'd like to be able to squeeze around 400hp at the crank out of it with all those bolt-ons and a tune. I think it's a realistic shot. Next on the list is lights. I've received my Morimoto 35w 4500K kit and am about to order some Rigid Industries dually D2s for fogs. I'll also snap some pics of the bilsteins as well to put them in there.

Much like my other hobbies compiling an upgrade list is like slowly inducing poison into my bank account.

Here's the truck:

2006 Silverado Z71 in Blue Granite Metallic

232,000 miles

3.42 Gearing with G80

Rocker Panel Surface Rust

More Rocker Panel Damage on the Opposite Side

Damaged Front Fender

Damaged Fender Flare

Damaged Drivers Side Mirror

Missing Belt For the A/C Compressor

It started out as a work truck owned by a friend of mine, with  lots of modifications for debris hauling and removal.  I was looking for a truck right about the time this one was getting to the end of its useful life in my buddy's business, so he offered it to me and I accepted.  Initially I was going to just drive it until it quit, but I got inspired to give it a second life and have been working on it and teaching my son at the same time.  Initially, it had a dump bed, a wrecker bumper, and lots of wear and tear.

My name is Cory, pretty new here. Started a build thread somewhere else but was recommended to move it here, so we're gonna go ahead and start from scratch.

Starting a build on my new truck that I ordered in February and finally picked up from Saskatoon Motor Products on Saturday.
 

2023 Silverado High Country - 6.2, crew cab, standard bed, max tow, tech package, multiflex tailgate, power running boards, iridescent Pearl with the nightshift blue interior. 
 

Coming this week:

-6” BDS lift

-35x12.5x20 Toyo ATIIIs

-20x10 -18 offset Fuel Siege wheels 

-Trigger Industries custom cut High Country kickback mudflaps

-Airlift airbags

Next week:

-Tint

-PPF

-Ceramic coat

-Chrome delete

Sometime soon:

-Body liner matched door handles, mirror caps, bow ties, tow hooks

-Exhaust

-Tow mirrors

Looking forward to the process! Below are some pics of what she looks like now. Will update as things get installed. 

I bought the truck from my father-in-law instead of him trading it in. Before that I had an 02 F150 that I loved. Ill add a pic of that for reference. I dont want to void my warranty so Ill be tayloring mods around that. Since bumper to bumper is out means appearance and suspension are open. Any drive train, performance mods, or tuning will have to wait till it expires after 5 years. I only dirve about 10k miles a year so I wont hit the 100k mile limit.

Here is the truck as I got it and the couple add ons it had:

2014 Silverado Blue Granite 5.3 3.42 Black Leather with 41k miles

Soft Tonneau cover

Line-X bed liner

Modifications I have added:

High Country Grille from Rydell Surplus

Plasti-Dip front and rear bowties

Catch Can from Elite Engineering

The day I brought it home!

First mod was the High country grille from Rydell Surplus, great deal on the grille and quick service and shipping.

The next day I spent Plati-Diping the front and rear bowties.

- 4.8 4l60e 3.73 186,000miles

- this is an ongoing build that will probably take me a couple years before it's where I want the truck to be!

- lil background and info of truck

This is my daily driver and it's been in my family since bought new in 1999. I got this truck when I was 16 from my dad who bought it new in 1999. I was originally going to trade this in for a new truck after college but have now since decided to turn it into well, let's say a toy/work truck! Living in northern Indiana winter's, it has not faired too well when it comes to rust! I hit a fence and the driver door almost got ripped off when you ponder what the dents are from! (Two separate incidents and Long storys and a couple hail storms) The frame is in surprisingly good shape and the only reason I'm fixing/building the truck.

I rebuilt most of the front end a couple years ago except for the ball joints which still look in good shape, but I have some new moogs sitting in a box somewhere. I don't think I did the Pittman arm either as that thing was a PITA that never came off. I just changed the front and rear diff fluids, the transfer case fluid, and replaced the seals. (Photos are of leaking seals before I replaced them) All looked well however, the transfer case fluid was a red color instead of blue, I'm guessing none of the fluids have been changed since new! This is a 99 with the auto 4x4 and im guessing auto trak2 came out after 1999! I'll be putting in new plugs and wires as I remember changing them when i was 16 and the truck had 116,000 miles then. Will probably check compression while I'm at it.

I also need to hunt down an oil leak, I've changed the valve cover gaskets with felpro and changed the oil pressure sending unit, but no mycoy! (It seems to collect on the front diff, least it won't rust) Probably main seal, I'm just glad I didn't see a ton of sludge when I pulled the valve covers off! Also had new fuel pump installed at 150,000 miles and just changed the heater core!

I think I forgot to mention the truck is bone stock except for a cheap eBay CAI that I swapped out the filter for a K&N. I suppose I did have a flowmaster exhaust for a minute but it's just straight piped now! So I need to add a new exhaust to the list of stuff to do! Oh and I forgot it's still rolling on the original shocks, probably order some cheapo rough country leveling kit to fix that as the budget is about gone!

My plan is to first make the truck look presentable again, and then eventually do the small mod of a junkyard turbo setup on the engine till it blows up lol! Being the smaller 4.8 engine makes it a good platform to add a turbo as it can handle the RPM's better and has flat top pistons. I don't do a lot of towing so the low end torque I could care less about! Also after the the engine/tranny blow up it'll give me an excuse to do a swap/engine rebuild (still undecided if I'll keep the 4.8) and the turbo setup will fit on the new powerplant!

I went and got a newish used truck bed that supposedly came from Texas, and am waiting on rockers and cab corners to arrive! The bed needs some work as you can see from the photos but it is 97.5% rust free which is a biggy in the salt belt! Obviously I will be respraying the bed as I don't want to drive around like it's Christmas year around!

I just went and washed my truck to take photos for this and now I'm seeing I may need to order inner cab corners as well, guess Ill find out how bad they are when I cut into it.

Sorry this turned into a short story, but I like to be thorough!!!!

More photos to come after I get parts and time to rip off the old crunchy bed.

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