Jimmeh
Think'n with me dipstick!
Hi there. I've been kind of a lurker for the last few days and decided to just go ahead and post up a build thread. I own a 2005 Chevy Silverado base with four doors, AC and that's it as far as options. I've been slowly transforming it into a more comfortable daily driver and now will be making it my DD and summer camper. It has been a very reliable truck for the last two and a half years that I've owned it and I hope it will last for quite a bit longer. Throughout this thread I will try to update with pictures and some guides on how I did some things since I hope to be trying new stuff.
I started out with the truck as your basic work model. AM/FM stereo, stock 17" wheels, everything was built for work. I bought it though because the price was right, and it had low miles. Here's a few pictures from the night I brought it home:
It had a few flaws, such as no center armrest/console, stock stereo system, a few things exterior wise, but I pretty much changed all of those within the first couple of days.
Things removed:
New headunit:
First "console":
After a few months of driving it like that, I decided to build another console, and I bought a couple of things off a friend of mine such as wheels and tires, and a cold air intake:
Second console:
New wheels and tires Devino 17" with 33X12.50's:
Cold air intake:
After another couple of months I took it on it's first road trip to Spokane. It really impressed me by getting 21 MPG's without going over 65. And after the trip, I decided to go ahead and put a little money into a tune from a local auto shop. Ended up getting a little more power out of it, but it wasn't anything crazy.
After a while I got bored of the gray grille and black mirrors, so I color matched them:
Before:
After:
It stayed that way for quite a while (probably about a year) with an exhaust system install in between (went with a Flowmaster 40 single in dual out and all custom bent tubing from the end of the cat all the way back).
I also got to try out the 4WD a lot that winter and decided to upgrade to a studded snow tire, and after that I went ahead and tried it out more. First time it ever got stuck:
Those wheels got trashed thanks to Montana having to put Mag Chloride on the road, so I decided to keep them as my winter wheels and got some new summer wheels with the same old 33's:
Last summer, I went and built another center console which I still have now. I plan on building more onto it because I much prefer this design. Also upgraded my speakers, but I never did take a picture of those:
After that, I went through a phase where I thought it would be awesome to have a headache rack for work (at the time I was working in the construction field), so I bought a premade one from a local dealer, and then I had it reworked to fit my truck properly:
I then started to take the chrome trim stuff off the bottom of the truck, but of course got most of it off and stopped. I also repainted the grille which will once again change:
I started out with the truck as your basic work model. AM/FM stereo, stock 17" wheels, everything was built for work. I bought it though because the price was right, and it had low miles. Here's a few pictures from the night I brought it home:
It had a few flaws, such as no center armrest/console, stock stereo system, a few things exterior wise, but I pretty much changed all of those within the first couple of days.
Things removed:
New headunit:
First "console":
After a few months of driving it like that, I decided to build another console, and I bought a couple of things off a friend of mine such as wheels and tires, and a cold air intake:
Second console:
New wheels and tires Devino 17" with 33X12.50's:
Cold air intake:
After another couple of months I took it on it's first road trip to Spokane. It really impressed me by getting 21 MPG's without going over 65. And after the trip, I decided to go ahead and put a little money into a tune from a local auto shop. Ended up getting a little more power out of it, but it wasn't anything crazy.
After a while I got bored of the gray grille and black mirrors, so I color matched them:
Before:
After:
It stayed that way for quite a while (probably about a year) with an exhaust system install in between (went with a Flowmaster 40 single in dual out and all custom bent tubing from the end of the cat all the way back).
I also got to try out the 4WD a lot that winter and decided to upgrade to a studded snow tire, and after that I went ahead and tried it out more. First time it ever got stuck:
Those wheels got trashed thanks to Montana having to put Mag Chloride on the road, so I decided to keep them as my winter wheels and got some new summer wheels with the same old 33's:
Last summer, I went and built another center console which I still have now. I plan on building more onto it because I much prefer this design. Also upgraded my speakers, but I never did take a picture of those:
After that, I went through a phase where I thought it would be awesome to have a headache rack for work (at the time I was working in the construction field), so I bought a premade one from a local dealer, and then I had it reworked to fit my truck properly:
I then started to take the chrome trim stuff off the bottom of the truck, but of course got most of it off and stopped. I also repainted the grille which will once again change: