Ideas for Silverado...

**suede** · 08-26-2009, 07:38 AM

Well I bought a pickup to save miles on the T/A, an 01 silverado 1500 ext cab..... got any ideas for makin it look good?

I'm getting front windows tinted for sure, then also was thinking a cab visor, the new style silverado lettering, and some chrome....

Whats some others? I wanna free up the exhaust some too, but not the typical redneck classpacks, just a nice tone and loud enough i hear it over the engine, unlike now...

**third_shift|studios** · 08-26-2009, 07:43 AM

lift kit
welded front /rear bars
40" muddin' tires.

**suede** · 08-26-2009, 07:44 AM

welded bars?

i love lifts, but am liking the milage right now....

**SHines-IT** · 08-26-2009, 07:51 AM

I use to drive a truck like that allot, not mine, but my stepdad had a truck like that. It had a 6" lift, nice size tires, full exuast, intake, and custom tune. For towing and economy. With a light foot, did not get much worse then stock. Maybe a MPg or two.

**shady milkman** · 08-26-2009, 07:58 AM

Originally Posted by suede

Well I bought a pickup to save miles on the T/A, an 01 silverado 1500 ext cab..... got any ideas for makin it look good?

I'm getting front windows tinted for sure, then also was thinking a cab visor, the new style silverado lettering, and some chrome....

Whats some others? I wanna free up the exhaust some too, but not the typical redneck classpacks, just a nice tone and loud enough i hear it over the engine, unlike now...

get a SS

**Bandit02** · 08-26-2009, 08:20 AM

Take the vent visors off, bug guard off, paint the bumpers, handles, mirrors etc. body color or leave it all chrome, it's really a good looking truck the way it sits. If anything crank the front bars a few turns, add a leaf to the rear, should get you about an 1" or so of lift. I hate those visors on the cab too, i wouldn't do it.

**JHayesLS1** · 08-26-2009, 09:03 AM

Look into some Nitto Terra Grapplers for tires. Is it a 4x4 or not? Photobucket is blocked at my work

**Daniel P.** · 08-26-2009, 09:04 AM

leveling kit, lose the trim, bull bar on the front but not a full grille gaurd and like you said the new style silverado lettering

**SHines-IT** · 08-26-2009, 09:11 AM

Originally Posted by JHayesLS1

Look into some Nitto Terra Grapplers for tires. Is it a 4x4 or not? Photobucket is blocked at my work

It's an Z-71 so yes.

**JHayesLS1** · 08-26-2009, 09:27 AM

Terra Grapplers are great tires I can vouch for them I have em on my truck. Bull bars look great but if you get stuck, ever, don't pull on it that thing will snap. Like Daniel said, leveling kit is about right for you, but trust me when I say this, get it realigned after you install it. If not your tires are going to wear out real fast and your control arms are gonna get beat to hell. Exhaust wise just get some straight through muffler set up and you're good to go.

**ls1camino** · 08-26-2009, 11:57 AM

454 LSX and a Procharger.

**rel3rd** · 08-26-2009, 12:17 PM

I'd de-badge it, add a leveling kit (both made a HUGE difference in looks), a decent sounding exhaust, and some nicer looking wheels...

I went with a custom Flowmaster catback, a home-modded factory airbox, a home ported throttle body, and then tuned it using my HPTuners software. I was really amazed at how far off the factory tune was, even before changing anything. I've never really did a ton of highway driving to get a good highway MPG average, but with heavy footed mixed driving and AC on full blast, it averages 16mpg with 33" tires and 373 gears. Was getting 13mpg in mixed driving before tuning and taller tires. Speedo correction was done via HPTuners and a GPS.

Here's a few pics of mine to give you an idea or two...

When I first got it:

First set of wheels...18x8 Equus chrome, stock ride height:

De-badged with Rough Country leveling kit, stock wheels and 33" tall tires (285/75/16's):

With 17" Escalade chrome wheels, and removed running boards and mudflaps:

As it sits now, polished aluminum 16.5x10 Weld Scorpions with 33x12.50 BFG T/A KO's:

Main reason I went with the Weld Scorpions is because they match my bike's wheels.

**suede** · 08-26-2009, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by shady milkman

get a SS

Got A T/A for lookin that good, plus bank would spank me...

Originally Posted by Daniel P.

leveling kit, lose the trim, bull bar on the front but not a full grille gaurd and like you said the new style silverado lettering

I was planning the leveling kit, and taking the trim off, thats where im thinking the new silverado lettering is going... ill look into the bull bars, im assuming thats just what comes up past the bumper and is just a pair of huge bars?

Originally Posted by JHayesLS1

Terra Grapplers are great tires I can vouch for them I have em on my truck. Bull bars look great but if you get stuck, ever, don't pull on it that thing will snap. Like Daniel said, leveling kit is about right for you, but trust me when I say this, get it realigned after you install it. If not your tires are going to wear out real fast and your control arms are gonna get beat to hell. Exhaust wise just get some straight through muffler set up and you're good to go.

Its got brand new coopers on it now but thanks for future refference, I may hold off on the leveling kit also then untill new tires maybe...

Does anyone make an ORY for these?

Originally Posted by ls1camino

454 LSX and a Procharger.

maybe when it dies, but id rather shove that in the T/A

**rel3rd** · 08-26-2009, 12:23 PM

I think Jeg's makes an ORY for the stock manifolds, but I'm waiting until I can justify longtubes and do them and an ORY at the same time.

FWIW, I got the leveling kit directly from Rough Country for $189. It included the new "keys", 1" taller rear blocks, 4 u-bolts and hardware, and 4 new Nitro 9000 shocks. Even with an alignment, I had much less than $300 total invested, and truck still rides as smooth as it did when it sat at stock height.

**suede** · 08-26-2009, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by rel3rd

I'd de-badge it, add a leveling kit (both made a HUGE difference in looks), a decent sounding exhaust, and some nicer looking wheels...

I went with a custom Flowmaster catback, a home-modded factory airbox, a home ported throttle body, and then tuned it using my HPTuners software. I was really amazed at how far off the factory tune was, even before changing anything. I've never really did a ton of highway driving to get a good highway MPG average, but with heavy footed mixed driving and AC on full blast, it averages 16mpg with 33" tires and 373 gears. Was getting 13mpg in mixed driving before tuning and taller tires. Speedo correction was done via HPTuners and a GPS.

De-badged with Rough Country leveling kit, stock wheels and 33" tall tires (285/75/16's):

I really like that look, got any with that and the wheels in the pic right before it?

Define home modded airbox... but i got excelent gas milage, i cant bitch about that at all, hour and a half trip of interstate, construction, and hiway netted me 19.4 mpg...

**suede** · 08-26-2009, 12:27 PM

Originally Posted by rel3rd

I think Jeg's makes an ORY for the stock manifolds, but I'm waiting until I can justify longtubes and do them and an ORY at the same time.

FWIW, I got the leveling kit directly from Rough Country for $189. It included the new "keys", 1" taller rear blocks, 4 u-bolts and hardware, and 4 new Nitro 9000 shocks. Even with an alignment, I had much less than $300 total invested, and truck still rides as smooth as it did when it sat at stock height.

its got brand new shocks, think i could get by withj the keys bolts and blocks?

**bamaz28** · 08-26-2009, 12:30 PM

just wondering if its a 4.8 or 5.3, my cusion has a 99 like that with the 4.8 he fucking hates it.

**suede** · 08-26-2009, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by bamaz28

just wondering if its a 4.8 or 5.3, my cusion has a 99 like that with the 4.8 he fucking hates it.

5.3... ext cab 4x4 fully loaded other than cloth seats right down to the aux cassette player, full center console, remote start, trailer brake controller, toneau cover, bedliner,

So far I'm really liking it, and im not usually much on chev pickups, I wanted a powerstroke BAD, but bank didnt like that and i couldnt pass this deal up...

**rel3rd** · 08-26-2009, 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by suede

I really like that look, got any with that and the wheels in the pic right before it?

Define home modded airbox... but i got excelent gas milage, i cant bitch about that at all, hour and a half trip of interstate, construction, and hiway netted me 19.4 mpg...

No pics with the taller 285/75 tires and stock suspension, sorry. Just the one of it when I first got it, which had the stock 265/75/16 sized tires on it. I mounted up the 285 tires, then did the leveling kit install the next day.

You can cut the complete bottom off of the stock plastic airbox, and also cut it's steel mounting plate, for a no cost fresh air setup. Some guys go a step farther and rig up some sort of ducting to grab air from bumper or grill area. I haven't done that yet, but I did seem to get a little more oooomph from this mod, which took all of 20 minutes or so to do. I used an air powered cutoff wheel, then finished up the job with an AirHog Fram air filter, which are much cheaper than K&N around me.

19+ MPG's on the highway is good for a 5000+ # 4wd truck IMO. I'd be curious to see what you get in mixed driving...stop & go and highway. I got 13 mixed before tuning, so averaging 16 now proved to me that it was well worth buying the tuning license for the truck. I tuned it for 87 octane too, so no worries about having to find "good gas" ever.

If you already have new shocks, you can probably just get the keys and call it a day. You can find them for $50 or so used, or maybe double that for new. The blocks only raised the rear an inch, so if you want to go the inexpensive route, while still getting the truck level, keys are the easiest and cheapest way to go. If you crank the stock ones up, it'll firm up the front a lot, sometimes too much. If you get the right keys, the truck will still ride nice...I drive mine to work most everyday, so a harsh ride is unacceptable. I didn't buy a truck with heated leather seats just to make it bounce to work everyday, lol.

5.3 is an awesome engine IMO...responds very well to simple mods...just like an LS1 does.

**SS man** · 08-26-2009, 01:10 PM

I'm suprized that non of you that are looking for truck on here are looking at the silverado SS. They have gone down in price and from haveing one they are great trucks.