Steve-o-08's Silverado Build Thread

[Steve-O-08]

Hello Everyone,

Here is the ongoing project that is my Silverado. My plans are to build it into more of a pro touring rig. Many people will just say why don't you just buy a Camaro. They just don't understand ;) I can see there are a few build threads on here that are awesome. I really like PCHRods C10R and TheJakeLSX's 1997 C1500 Build to name a couple. Great job guys.

My decision to go with this type of build started after I got a call from a friend of mine asking me if I wanted to participate in Truckin' Magazine's Throwdown. I had actually wanted to get into the event for the last two years but the truck was alway down when it came around.

After I said yes I realized there were a few more mods left to be done before, so upgrading brakes front and rear and wheels and tires got pushed to the front of my to-do list.

I upgraded the Front Calipers and rotors to the 05+ larger ones, EBC Green Stuff Pads and EBC Slotted rotors as well as Russell Performance Braided Stainless brake lines. Also painted the Calipers and Brackets to match the Chevrolet Orange on the engine. I used VHT True Orange Caliper paint which matches pretty well.



The 105,000 Mile stock brakes, Still +50% on the pads.



Rotor Comparison 12" vs 13"



Russell Performance Stainless Lines:








Front's done:




And the rears:



The truck stops much better now.


I wanted to get a stickier tire on next that would help with more than just straight line. So I decided to go with Nitto NT-05's. The new tires meant new wheels that had to be 18's so I jumped on Craigslist and found a set of Nissan Titan 5 spokes and got them mounted up.













Next up, Truckin' Throwdown.

[Steve-O-08]

And here's some pics and a crappy cell video from the event:

I had a blast. A lot of fun pushing the truck to do more than I had ever done with it.

















Autocross run:

[Steve-O-08]

Well after beating on the truck around the autocross course it be came pretty apparent that some more suspension mods may be in order. Got the truck on the scales at the end of last week. Might be upgrading to ridetech Coil-Overs soon, We'll see.

[Steve-O-08]

My latest mod was to ditch the column shifter for a B&M Pro Ratchet. Ideally I would love to have a manual transmission in the truck, but I am wondering if keeping the auto trans will actually be better for the type of driving that I plan on doing. Here's a few more pics:

Trying to get the truck ready for the Hotchkis Autocross on September 19-20 in Fontana.





I had a set of tilt back Corbeau seats at the shop waiting to go in my boss' Jeep so I decided to try see what they'd look like in the truck. They look tiny compared to the factory seats. I'm not sure if I would do a fixed back or a reclining seat. Just have to do some measuring and see what I'll have to do for brackets.



I'm looking at doing a seat/harness setup similar to this:

[Steve-O-08]

Just got the new Manual trans steering column trim piece delivered this morning. Decided to get it swapped in before it got up to the 108* that was forecasted for today.

[mean buzzen half dozen]

Nice!

So what did it run in the 1/4?

[Steve-O-08]

My best 1/4 in the truck is a 12.7 @ 107 on a ET Street Radial. For the event I could only manage a 13.2 on the NT-05's

[mean buzzen half dozen]

My best 1/4 in the truck is a 12.7 @ 107 on a ET Street Radial. For the event I could only manage a 13.2 on the NT-05's

That is pretty dam quick.

[TheJakeLSX]

Looks like a great start to an awesome build! Cant wait to see more!

[Steve-O-08]

Thank you sir.

[Tig]

Nice build, truck looks great.
If you decide to go to coil-overs you could use the mount from pro comp so it would be a bolt in job.


Did you have to go to a bigger wheel with the upsized rotors?
Would those brakes work with 17" wheels?

Lookin forward to your updates

[Steve-O-08]

Nice build, truck looks great.
If you decide to go to coil-overs you could use the mount from pro comp so it would be a bolt in job.


Did you have to go to a bigger wheel with the upsized rotors?
Would those brakes work with 17" wheels?

Lookin forward to your updates

Thanks!

I can still do the stud mount RT HQ's instead of the eye/eye mount if I wanted. There are a few Silverado guys that have done the swap with pretty good results.

Actually I like the ride height, so I might just be gong with the adjustable smooth-body ridetech shocks for now.

As for the brakes, I didn't have to go with larger wheels with the brakes. They cleared my stock 17's. I only went with the 18's because I wanted to run the NT-05's. I could have gone with 20's But I was trying to keep cost and weight down.

[Tig]

Thanks!

I can still do the stud mount RT HQ's instead of the eye/eye mount if I wanted. There are a few Silverado guys that have done the swap with pretty good results.

Actually I like the ride height, so I might just be gong with the adjustable smooth-body ridetech shocks for now.

As for the brakes, I didn't have to go with larger wheels with the brakes. They cleared my stock 17's. I only went with the 18's because I wanted to run the NT-05's. I could have gone with 20's But I was trying to keep cost and weight down.

You know, good call. I never even thought about the stud mount. That's a great idea. I'm pretty sure the stud mount is a little less expensive than the coil over mount.

I'll have to look into those shocks.

Nice, thanks for the info. I'm in desperate need of brakes.

Thanks again

[Steve-O-08]

No problem.

[Steve-O-08]

A little update. Just got my seats on Thursday. Decided on a pair of Corbeau FX1's. Much lighter than the factory seats. Going to weigh the factory ones to get a comparison just because.













I have to figure out mounting them. Pulled the brackets off the stock seats. I'm going to be using the factory sliders and side mount brackets. Once the seats are mounted, a harness bar is next. Not going to do a full cage. Probably just a harness bar similar to this:

[Steve-O-08]

Alright after working all labor day weekend I got the seat brackets made up and got the harness bar bent up and welded. Also got my harnesses in too.



Here are a few pictures of the seat brackets and harness bar:







And the bar:





I had a friend of mine bend up the door bars and weld the whole thing up for me.



After a coat of paint:



Now all that's left to is clean up the cab and re-install everything. I'm going to have to trim a few small spots on the rear interior panels. I also decided now would be the time to recover my headliner as it was starting to sag on the sides above the windows.

Not bad for not being an upholstery guy. Just letting the glue dry overnight and I'll trim up the edges and start re-assembly tomorrow.



I'll have the rest of the truck buttoned up this week. Ready for the NMCA Autocross event next weekend.

[RBEAST]

What is the height on the harness bar or where is the bar located in relation to holes in seats for the belts that go over sholders? im not quite sure of where the harness bar needs to be to work properly . if you are going to be at "Hotchkis" event this weekend i will see you there and get a better understanding of setting up properly . im bringing my 94 chevy truck out for event look forward to meeting you

[RBEAST]

oh nice work on harness bar btw! it looks great

[Tig]

Looks great, seat brackets and bar came out awesome.

Did you make it out to Hotchkis?
Any new updates?

[Steve-O-08]

Thanks guys,

I did make it out to Hotchkis. Got everything done Friday night and made it there Saturday Morning. I had a great time. It was nice to meet some new people and talk cars and setups and get some pointers for future mods and adjustments. The truck did better than I thought. I was fighting the Caltracs and rear sway bar on Saturday which was making the truck understeer like crazy. I ended up backing the caltracs off completely and disconnecting the sway bar per RBEAST's recommendation and it really helped. This is a learning experience for me coming from a mostly drag racing. I need to stiffen up the front. Going to be going with a larger front sway bar and hopefully adjustable shocks.

The bad news was that Saturday night on the way home the rear seal of the trans popped out on the freeway... Luckily I was able to get it towed back to the shop I work at and get it back together for Sunday. On the way home Sunday I realized the trans was still leaking. Turns out I broke the trans mount which ended up taking out the rear bushing in the trans as well as the driveshaft yoke. Luckily I do have another 4L80e that I'm going to have gone through and get it put in for the next event in October.

I also got my girlfriend signed up for next event with her truck. I'm really lucky that she enjoys the automotive scene as much as I do. She was a trooper and stuck it out all weekend in the 100+ degree heat. We've got suspension parts on the way for her truck. Hopefully we'll get it lowered and make some tune adjustments next weekend and then she'll be ready for her first event. She's like me, I am a horrible spectator. I need to be out there having fun haha.

Here's a few pictures from the weekend:



















Here are a few pics from that Brandy Morrow Philips Shot of the truck. (borrowed from her photobucket)