We love toys. Toys for big boys, to be clear, but nonetheless, toys. Take the Water Toys section of the magazine; in the title lies the very root of our pleasure: toys. Big toys, little toys, fast toys, slow toys, loud toys, and any combination. Moderation is out of the question, so bring on the best of the best toys!
Steve Warner, who hails from Huntington Beach, California, knows toys. Not only is he the fearless editor of Truckin' magazine, he is also the owner of the sweet toy package we have laid out before you. From grille to outdrive, Steve's got himself one seriously well-thought-out, matching package. At the front of the train is an '04 Chevrolet Crew Cab HD 4x4 with a big Duramax LLY turbodiesel stuffed under the hood. Bringing in the caboose is an '04 Carrera 290 Effect X with GM Performance Parts' brand-spanking-new 572ci crate motor under the hatch. With all these details, where should we start?
The color scheme on Steve's Crew Cab is not available on Chevy's option form, so don't go looking for it. Put in the capable hands of L&G Enterprises, Steve's white stocker came out an exact duplicate of his boat's gel scheme. Throwing the right hues into the mix are House of Kolor Candy Red and Blue over the factory stark white. Before finishing in the paint booth, L&G also managed to get the headlight, turn signals, and taillights smoked, adding more character to this bitchin' combo. Enclosing the bed is a Gaylord's tonneau cover, and protecting anything in the bed is a Wise Industries Bedrug kit. Finishing touches come from a Street Scene stainless Speed Grille insert and polished billet Bow Tie. A deep window tint from Quality Window Tinting matches the tinted exterior lights.
Lifting the painted exterior to new levels is a completely powdercoated suspension lift courtesy of California Super Trucks. CST's 6-inch lift and accompanying hardware was sent to Primo Powder Coating for a quick match before SoCal lift heroes Off Road Unlimited got to play installer. With a 6-inch front lift completed, Steve turned to leaf spring builder Deaver Springs for a smooth-riding, towing-capable rear lift leaf pack. With the good ride quality came a slight decrease in load capability, so Mac's Springs was called upon for a complete rear helper 'bag air-ride assist system. All of its brackets and hardware met with Primo before installation, and dual Bilstein 7100 shocks with reservoirs reside at every corner. Rolling wares from Weld and Toyo play a big part in the beautification process of this bomb combo: Sets of 20-inch Weld Velociti 8 wheels and Toyo Open Country 325/65R20 tires roll each corner of this lifted attention-getter. Adding to the safety of a long haul, ORU placed a Mag-Hytec rear differential cover in place for additional fluid capacity and better cooling. Steve is no giant, and neither is his wife, so for ease of ingress and egress, Amp Research motorized boards were installed.
The Duramax 6.6L is really no slouch in the cajones department, but with the added weight of the CST suspension options and the reality of towing looming, in went a Gale Banks Six Gun Tuner. The Banks kit touches everything from the intake to the exhaust, the intercooler to the gauges. With a six-position switch at the ready, up to 465 hp can be added at the twist of the dial. Sick! Freeing up just a bit more airflow and filtering capability for the big turbodiesel is a True Flow filter insert. Mag-Hytec was called into duty once more to aid in the fluid department for the Allison five-speed auto trans with one of its incredibly cool deep transmission pans.