One Of A Kind Hd

09Jimmy · January 30, 2011

I am planning on ordering and building a unique truck. I am just waiting to see if the 2012 6.0 is going to be updated as rumored.

It will be a Silverado 3500 dually, regular cab, 8' box with 4.10 gears, 6 speed auto. The dually is $500 cheaper than the SRW truck (at least here in Canada).

I plan on removing the dually box and selling it for more than the $500 credit GM gives for box delete. I'll then use that money to buy a narrow (normal type) box, hopefully a new take-off from an oilfield truck.

Then, I'll sell all six new steel wheels, tires and inserts the dually came with, and buy 4 front dually alloy wheels and tall tires for all 4 corners. This will give it the wide axle 1-ton look that I love but also on the rear. I think it will look pretty unique/strange with convex wheels all around.

I'll put a levelling kit on the front and remove the extra leaf from the rear to improve the ride quality, I know I'll never load it beyond the 2500HD capacity.

A set of stainless longtube headers, a catback and a tune and I'll be good to go.

Can anyone see a problem with my plan, mechanically or otherwise? Some will think it will be ugly I'm sure, but taste is subjective.

Does anyone have pics of such a setup?

[email protected] · January 30, 2011

It's gonna be ugly with with front dually wheels and tires all around, but it's your truck and however you like it is fine with me.

KMGZ400 · January 30, 2011

i cant help you but please post pics of this up

January 30, 2011

Are you taking the box on and off yourself ?

09Jimmy · January 30, 2011

Are you taking the box on and off yourself ?

I work at a GM dealer here in Alberta so I'll do it in the shop with an overhead chain hoist.

The reason I want something unique is because where I live is truck country. I live in a small city where EVERYONE, and I literally mean everyone, has a truck. Unfortunately, the ratio is about 50% Dodge Ram, 25% Ford and 25% GM. The GM dealer I work at sells about 25 trucks a week and about 2 cars a month.

People here love their trucks and spend a lot of money on accessories and mods. Big lifts, big tires and wheels, big bumpers. The Dodge boys even put stacks on their Cummins' (what a joke!). Everything that can be done to a truck has been done 10 times over.

I always buy regular cab trucks because I like the look and I don't need a back seat, whereas 99% of the trucks on the road here are crewcabs. I'll put as wide a tire as I can on the dually wheels and then install colormatched Bushwacker flares. I believe that I'll have the heaviest duty components available with the 1-ton front end, and the dually rear axle. Off road, the shorter wheelbase should take me farther with much less risk of high centering. I'm even considering shortening the frame and installing a 6'6 ' box.

topdj · January 30, 2011

did you say shortening the frame???

09Jimmy · January 30, 2011

did you say shortening the frame???

Yes, I have seen it done on an 09 Sierra HD2500 with the previous (pre 2011 style) frame. It was very well done and made a really nice reg cab shortbox HD truck.

becker87 · January 30, 2011

I have to agree on the wheel topic, not for me, but its your truck. I think a one ton single rear wheel with a lift on it and tall and skinny tires as well as your shortened chassis would look sweet.

jandersinc · January 30, 2011

Ok don't ban me from here, but...

Why not get a new Ford F-550 4x4 regular cab and put single rear wheels and a regular box on it? Then you're sure to have the heaviest duty regular cab SRW 4x4 pickup around town.

Mclovin · January 31, 2011

why would you want a std cab short box HD truck ?? that wheel base will be Garbage for towing anything.. and the short box will throw away any payload capacity

KMGZ400 · January 31, 2011

did you say shortening the frame???

Yes, I have seen it done on an 09 Sierra HD2500 with the previous (pre 2011 style) frame. It was very well done and made a really nice reg cab shortbox HD truck.

haha where the **** do you live? i would like to see that

so your going to make this truck into an offroad truck?

09Jimmy · January 31, 2011

I don't regularly tow anything and a shortbox hauls enough for me. I currently have an 09 GMC RCSB 4X4, 5.3, 4.10s, ARH longtube headers, high flow cats, Magnaflow catback, GMPP cold air intake, Westers tune, 4" lift with ICON adjustable coilovers, Total Chaos chromoly UCAs, 33" BFGs etc., etc.

We buy several NNBS GM trucks at auction every week for our used car lot and I am amazed at how even low miles half tons are falling apart. 30,000 mile trucks need transfer cases, trannys and diffs. These trucks are GMAC lease returns and the power trains and suspension are shot.

Hopefully a new 3500HD will hold up better.

Ford is not in my vocabulary.

KMGZ400 · January 31, 2011

id say an 11' HD would hold up real well. RCLB duallys are badass, i would love to have one.

06_GMC · January 31, 2011

The front dually wheels all around will look dumb i have them on my work truck (Railroad truck) and hate the way it looks.

brisk · February 1, 2011

I am planning on ordering and building a unique truck. I am just waiting to see if the 2012 6.0 is going to be updated as rumored.
It will be a Silverado 3500 dually, regular cab, 8' box with 4.10 gears, 6 speed auto. The dually is $500 cheaper than the SRW truck (at least here in Canada).

I plan on removing the dually box and selling it for more than the $500 credit GM gives for box delete. I'll then use that money to buy a narrow (normal type) box, hopefully a new take-off from an oilfield truck.

Then, I'll sell all six new steel wheels, tires and inserts the dually came with, and buy 4 front dually alloy wheels and tall tires for all 4 corners. This will give it the wide axle 1-ton look that I love but also on the rear. I think it will look pretty unique/strange with convex wheels all around.

I'll put a levelling kit on the front and remove the extra leaf from the rear to improve the ride quality, I know I'll never load it beyond the 2500HD capacity.

A set of stainless longtube headers, a catback and a tune and I'll be good to go.

Can anyone see a problem with my plan, mechanically or otherwise? Some will think it will be ugly I'm sure, but taste is subjective.

Does anyone have pics of such a setup?

Sounds like alot of work to save $500 over a SRW truck. Also as it has been said dually rims all around will look stupid.....but to each their own!