Judging by where he parked his '04 Silverado at our inaugural Havoc Fresno show, Michael DaSilva was either trying to stay in the shade and keep cool, or he was trying to hide from our editors. After walking the show grounds, we scooped up several features, but after filling in all of our schedules, we still hadn't seen Michael's truck. On the last day of the show, we met Michael and he asked us if we'd like to check out his truck. Usually when this happens it's because we've seen the truck and we've passed on shooting it for any number of reasons, but Michael's truck had simply gone unnoticed, tucked way back under a building's awning. It turns out he was interested in a feature shoot, and we agreed to meet in Monterey, which required us to drive north from our offices in Anaheim, and Michael to drive south from his home in Fairfield, California.
SIC Motorsports is no stranger to Truckin' magazine. We've featured several trucks with their radical suspensions, and the work they did on Michael's Silverado fits their reputation for custom. SIC Motorsports totally stripped the Silverado to its frame and used McGaughy's 2-inch drop spindles and Air Ride Technologies control arms to get the right stance. The upper arms were relocated for perfect geometry before the Slam Specialties HE7 'bags were bolted in. For the rear, a custom bridge notch was fabricated with eight cargo-spearing spikes while rectangular tubing was used for the notch. A KP Components six-link and chromed Watts linkage were welded into the truck to keep the freshly-powdercoated rearend centered. More Slam Specialties 'bags were used out back, this time RE7s. With the frame completely stripped and the suspension all sorted out, SIC Motorsports moved the transmission and carrier bearing up three inches before the frame was boxed with mild steel and then powdercoated black. Once the bed was back in place, SIC fabricated tubular mounts for four chrome 5-gallon air tanks that match the spikes on the bridge. The tanks are fed by three Air Zenith pumps and all of the plumbing was done in 1/2-inch line using two-speed Slam Specialties Digital Stealth Valves that allow the 'bags to fill slowly or quickly. The result of all the work? Michael's Silverado lays frame on 22x9.5-inch Panther Juice 6 wheels.