Chevrolet Trucks Blog

Pimping ain’t easy. How many times have we heard that being said? In case you’re wondering, we’re not talking about the difficulties pimps and their “working class” ladies encounter. No, no. It’s about “pimping” or sprucing up your old ride and converting it into something new. Take for example what this guy from Marshall, Texas did to his 2000 Chevrolet Silverado.

Chris Redmond, a painter, has been working on his ride for quite some time now. It all started when he accidentally backed his truck into a pole. Back then his truck was just in a mild custom state, nothing fancy. That accident triggered the genius in him to redesign and refurbish the truck. To do this, he had to get some help. Since he didn’t have a shop of his own, Chris asked for a space from his good friend and owner (wow, what a coincidence) of Certified Collision, an auto shop in his state, Eric Nichols.

Once he had the space to work with, Chris started to get the parts he needed with the help of his other friend, Rob Robinson. The first thing they did was work on getting a tail gate and a roll pan. They followed it up by getting the front grille of a ‘68 Chevy truck from their local junkyard to replace the current grille the Silverado had. Once they had everything in place, that’s when they started to get their hands dirty.

Without any background on how to do this type of customization, Chris and Rob worked on removing the entire grille and bumper in order to customize the ’68 grille they got and match it with the Silverado’s front. Once they got the design specs in order, they began cutting and reshaping the ’68 grille to match the car’s curves at the front. Chris also ended up using two bed sides to support the installation of the car’s bumper. A roll pan was placed on top of it in order to have a place for his license plate. The duo finished the truck off by painting the Silverado red and black.

And voila, Chris had a customized 2000 Chevrolet Silverado that would make Xzibit and his boys from Pimp My Ride a run for their money.

Source: Sport Truck

At the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show, Chevrolet launched the 2009 Silverado Hybrid truck. The said vehicle is an answer to the call for more environment-friendly vehicles. The Silverado features a two mode hybrid system. It has a transmission has the capacity to gear its ratios in a number of ways. One can even opt to operate the Silverado as a conventional transmission for trucks (meaning four fixed gears) does. The 2009 Chevy Silverado Hybrid will be available as a Crew Cab and future buyers have a choice between having a 2WD or a 4WD configuration.

As a green vehicle, it is geared with a 6-liter V8 engine that is equipped with Active Fuel Management as well as late-intake valve closing technology. What makes the 2009 Chevy Silverado Hybrid special is that it is capable of running an all-electric drive for up to 20 miles per hour. For the two wheel drive, it has towing capacity of 6,100 pounds.

It makes use of General Motor’s two mode hybrid system which comprises of the Electronic Variable Transmission (EVT) and the Hybrid Optimizing System (HOS). The EVT allows for variable gearing and works o automatically change the mode of the vehicle and make it act like a conventional tranny with only four fixed gear ratios when driving low-load driving. If the situation calls for it, however, the Silverado hybrid has enough to provide the vehicle with the amount of power it needs. As for the HOS, it works to constantly send information to the EVT. In so doing, optimum transmission operations are not that far behind. The 2009 Chevy Silverado Hybrid is expected to be available to dealers before the year 2008 ends.

The worsening state of global warming has pushed General Motors Corporation (GMC), which is the producer for Chevrolet trucks and other vehicles, to develop green technology for vehicles especially to trucks, such as the hybrid vehicles.

By the third quarter of next year, eight hybrid models will be released. These models will be equipped with three different systems. If that is not enough, GMC plans to have a plug-in hybrid before the decade closes.

The 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, however, will be already released. These trucks will be installed with hybrid systems that are still capable of towing heavy loads and deliver a 25 percent boost in fuel economy. These vehicles will take pride in the 320-hp, 6.0-liter V-8 and a four-speed automatic transmission that has two electric motors. The motors propel the vehicle from a stop to 20 mph. Moreover, the engine incorporates cylinder deactivation, and the vehicle body has aluminum panels to reduce weight. Another Chevrolet truck, the Chevrolet Silverado will follow suit by 2010.

Chevrolet trucks continue to set the pace for the serious truck as the General Motors Corporation (GMC) produced trucks emerged as one of the top choices.

The Chevrolet Silverado boasts of high performing engine and suspension systems, amongst others, which makes it really fit for its heavy duty demands. This full-size pick-up truck boasts of a 315-horsepower and 5.3-liter V8 engine, thanks to its beefed up engine. Hauling, towing, and other full-size truck duties can now be easily done. With this powerful engine, the Chevoret Silverado has been equipped with an equally high performing suspension system. Now, extra movement and noise are lessen and maneuvering is made easy, thanks to this Chevrolet truck’s improved suspension. The Silverado with its GMC counterpart, Sierra, are the best full-size truck picks.

Another Chevrolet truck chosen was the Chevrolet Avalanche. It has unified cab and bed help give it a more comfortable ride than the other trucks tested. The Avalanche takes pride in its Z71 suspension, high-pressure shocks, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, and Vortec 5.3L V8 with NEW Active Fuel Management and NEW E85 FlexFuel capability1. These Avalanche parts are standard on 4×4 models, but also made available on 2WD models.

Other top truck choices include the Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan, and other GMC produced trucks like Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram 1500.

Chevrolet, Dodge, and Ford trucks have higher towing and payload capacities fit for domestic manufacturers. These pick-up trucks, however, are not only destined to haul and tow a wide array of equipment, but are also tasked for family stuff. Big families are sure to fit comfortably inside these roomy trucks which will in turn equal to a blissful ride. At present, trucks are now manufactured and designed with luxurious interiors that balance out the tough exteriors of these vehicle. Added amenities include satellite-radio and navigation systems.

Several teams geared up with the Chevrolet Silverado trucks clashed and revved up hard in the recent Chevrolet NASCAR Craftsman Truck Race.

It was still a glorious finish for veteran racer Regan Smith after a weak and sloppy start, but still managed to end the Chevrolet NASCAR Truck Race series with a decent eight spot.

Trailing 29 places behind at the start of the truck wars, number 47 Smith quickly regained speed and worked his way up the pack of Chevrolet Silverados. Keeping the momentum up the notch really worked for Smith. The Morgan-Dollar Chevrolet Silverado team member is contented after making it into the top ten.

“All the guys on the Morgan-Dollar Chevy Silverado did an awesome job. Proud of all of them. Eric (Phillips, crew chief) gave me a great truck. This is great to come out here and run like this after the way this week has been,” said Smith. “From where we started, all things considered, just really proud of all those guys and happy to get a top-10 for them. I hope I get to drive it a couple more times this year and get even better finishes for them.”

From the South Point Hotel Silverado team, Brendan Gaughan went nine places higher to get into the coveted 10th spot.

“It was a track position battle all night and we just couldn’t get it. We had a great truck in practice and qualifying was rained out, so we had to start pretty far back,” said the number 77 Gaughan who was behind the Silverado. “We worked our way up close to 10th and then we struggled on our pit stop and we had to do it all over again.”

Gaughan, who started at 19th placed, gradually revved his way up the Silverado truck battle and gratefully experienced what the powerful Chevrolet truck could do.

“I have told the guys that this is the best short track truck I have ever had,” said Gaughan. “It is a great Chevrolet Silverado. We didn’t tear it up tonight; so we can go and make it better instead of having to put it back together.”