Chevrolet Trucks Blog

Functionality was always the primary goal of all pickup trucks, now their aesthetic factor are fast becoming the main focus. Customization of different vehicles is a growing trend, making each vehicle unique and more personal for the driver or owner. For Jim Catron of Pleasant Hope, Missouri, having his work truck customized was not just the product of purely showing it off. Because at a tender age of 11, Catron painted his first car and have been improving his skills as a fabricator and painter. Plus, he wanted to make a name for himself as a top-notch builder.

It was no question that to really prove his skills he would be doing it to his own daily driven work truck, a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche. He chose to lift it up and succeeded in getting his desirable height, by bolting it up with a 10-inch IFS kit and a custom four-link out back, which provided enough lift to clear the 37-inch-tall tires. To control that ride, 10 reservoir shocks keep this monster from bouncing uncontrollably every time the tires encounter a bump. Then, he included 14-inch two-piece rotors, with ceramic brake pads that lay the clamp down on the massive Jesse James wheels and Super Swamper tires.

After concentrating on the suspension, Catron then improved the exterior features of the Avalanche. Since he wanted his ride to look as clean as possible, the factory body cladding had to be removed, sanded smooth and reinstalled. A ram-induction hood replaced the factory unit, and the truck was ready for the booth. To really showcase his painting skills, the truck was taped off and coated with a white paint. While some color came in as Catron treated the hood, B-pillars, doors and bumper with silver and black marble paint. As he reassembled the truck, he ditched the front tow hooks, added a modified and painted Chevy Bow Tie, and made his own speed grilles. Aluminum steps, a billet fuel door, custom-made diamond-plate panels, new door handles and fender vents were installed to really accentuate the fresh paint.

Catron didn’t just want for his Chevrolet truck to look good, he also wanted to get the most out of the 5.3 liter engine, without having the case cracked open. His solution was to enhanced the computer with some programmer, then he added a new cold-air intake and throttle-body spacer, as well as improving the exhaust that boosted the power of the small-block. With all the subtle motor modifications, the 5.3 liter powerplant puts out an estimated 380 hp that works well with the 4.56:1 gears.

Catron personally catered to the truck’s interior as he built a fiberglass center console that ties into the bottom of the dash. He also smoothed the dashboard and door panels and covered them in white and marble paint to tie it all in. The Alpine head unit was moved from the stock location and placed into the center console, along with the Sound Storm DVD player and Audiobahn 10-inch subwoofers. Visual entertainment comes from a Pyle video monitor, which fills the void in the dash where the radio used to be. The seats have the factory leather, but it was re-stitched with alligator inserts. Finishing it all off with a Colorado Custom steering wheel, wrapped in white leather.

The now customized Chevrolet Avalanche will really bring in attention as Catron exhibits his hard work and ingenuity. The truck will also bring in some potential customers to his shop called Full Armor Customs in Springfield, Missouri.

The revolutionary Chevrolet Volt Concept had its Canadian debut yesterday at the Energy and Environment Conference (EECO) in Toronto. The Volt is very advance for it can virtually eliminate the need to visit the gas station daily.

“If you are like most Canadians who live and work within a 64 kilometer round trip the Volt is a gas free, emission free car,” said David Paterson, vice president, corporate and environmental affairs, General Motors of Canada. “Drivers will simply unplug and go each morning - much as we do with our cell phones today.”

The Chevrolet Volt Concept electric vehicle can be fully charged just by plugging it into a 110-volt outlet for about six hours a day. When the lithium-ion battery is fully charged, the Volt can deliver 64 kilometers of pure electric vehicle range. If drivers need to travel more than 64 kilometers, a range extending power source, which creates electricity from gasoline, ethanol, hydrogen or biodiesel fuels, will automatically be available to give drivers more than 1,000 kilometers.

“At GM we believe that tomorrow’s automobile must be flexible to accommodate many different energy sources and choices for consumers, and a key part of that flexibility will be enabled by electrically driven cars” adds Paterson. “With battery contracts in place and a dedicated team of engineers, General Motors is moving to bring the Volt closer to reality.”

GM is very committed in giving more greener choices. In fact, GM offers a lot of environment-friendly vehicles like, the Saturn Vue, Aura Green Line hybrids and the Chevrolet Malibu hybrid, which will be introduced later this year.

Apparently, Chevrolet Colorado is not the only vehicle that will be getting some action. Chevrolet will be doing something new with the Corvette as well. According to reports, Chevrolet will give the the Corvette a new V-8 engine.

 The previous 400-hp LS2 V-8 engine will be replaced with a LS3 engine that is said to produce 430 hp in standard trim and 436 hp with optional muffler-bypass valves.

Other redesigned parts include block, crankshaft, pistons, heads, camshaft, valves and intake rocker arms. There are also some parts that will be improved to accommodate the enhanced engine. The valves, intake and exhaust ports, intake lift and fuel injector capacity will all be larger to raise peak torque from 400 lb-ft to 424 lb-ft at 4600 rpm. The optional exhaust will be kicking in another 4 lb-ft of torque.

For these upgrades to work efficiently, there will be tougher connecting rod bolts and a different machining operation at the bottom of the cylinder bores. There will also be less camshaft overlap, which will allow the LS3 to meet tighter emissions standards. More effective top-cover insulation will also be included to help curb valvetrain noise. The effort invested in the LS3 will also benefit the next new V-8 in the pipeline: the supercharged and intercooled 650-hp blunderbuss due next year for the Corvette SS. The much higher combustion pressures that are created by supercharging necessitate the use of the LS3, with its more substantial cylinder walls, rather than the Z06’s 7.0-liter LS7 as the basis of that engine. The blower on top will more than make up for the smaller displacement.

Together with the announcement of the new 4.5-litre V8 turbodiesel, General Motors has also announced an investment of $100 million into its facility in Tonawanda, New York, to produce the latest engine.

GM Powertrain Tonawanda currently manufactures the 2.2-litre I4 gasoline engine for the Chevrolet Cobalt and HHR models; I4 and I5 gasoline engines for the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon mid-size pickups and the Hummer H3; the Pontiac G6 range’s 3.5- and 3.9-litre V6 gasoline engines, which are also featured in Chevrolet’s Malibu and Impala sedans, and the 8.1-litre V8 which powers the Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC TopKick medium-duty trucks.

The investment is said to pay for renovations, new machineries, equipments and special tooling of the 200,000 sq-ft facility. The OEM says it will spend another US$41m on vendor tooling, containers and investments at other locations to support Tonawanda. The construction will proceed later this year.

“GM’s investment in the Tonawanda plant, on a total of $1.6 billion in the last ten years, is a significant vote of confidence in our employees and UAW Local 774,” said John Buttermore, GM Powertrain vice president of global manufacturing.

U.S. General Motors plans to use a new 4.5L V8 Duramax turbo-diesel powerplant for the Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra half-ton pickups and the HUMMER H2. According to a press release, it will improve engine fuel efficiency by 25 percent, reduces CO2 emissions by 13 percent and cuts particulates and NOx emissions by at least 90 percent for North American light duty trucks and the HUMMER H2 built after 2009.

The new engine is expected to produce at least 310 horsepower and 520 ft-lbs. of torque. It also features dual-overhead cams, four valves per cylinder, a variable-vane turbocharger and aluminum cylinder heads with integrated manifolding that helps keep the overall package small enough to fit in the same space as the automaker’s small-block gas V8s.

“This new GM light duty diesel is expected to become a favorite among customers who require excellent towing ability and fuel efficiency,” said Tom Stephens, group vice president, GM Global Powertrain and Quality. “It will meet the stringent 2010 emissions standards, and it will be compliant in all 50 states, making it one of the cleanest diesel vehicles ever produced.”

The environment will also benefit from this new V8 engine. It will have a 13 percent reduction in CO2 versus gasoline engines, and at least a 90 percent reduction in particulates and NOx compared to diesel vehicles today. This will be GM’s first engine to use a selective catalytic reduction NOx aftertreatment system with a diesel particulate filter to help achieve the Tier 2 Bin 5 and LEV 2 emissions standards.

“This new V-8 is not only a clean diesel meeting the toughest emissions requirements in North America, it also delivers an effortless performance feel because of its high torque across the speed range,” said Charlie Freese, executive director of GM Powertrain Diesel Engineering. “It is also significantly quieter than other diesels on the road today, with noise and vibration performance approaching gasoline V-8 levels.”

Freese said the new V-8’s compact size enables it to fit in the envelope of a gasoline small-block engine, which provides GM the flexibility to introduce this engine in a wide variety of vehicle applications should there be future market demand.

Technical highlights of the engine include aluminum cylinder heads with integrated manifolding; a variable-vane turbocharger with intercooling; a Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) block for a stronger and lighter engine base (compared to lower-strength aluminum or heavier grey cast iron); and fracture-split main bearing caps and connecting rods for a precise fit. There will also use an electronically controlled, ultra-high-pressure, common-rail fuel system, which has the ability to inject fuel five times per combustion event to control noise and emissions.

GM first introduced the Duramax diesel 6.6L V-8 in the U.S. in the 2001 model year and since then, customer enthusiasm for this heavy duty diesel has been outstanding. In fact, GM’s heavy duty pickup truck market share has jumped nearly tenfold in the six years that Duramax engines have been offered.