This month's Fantastic Four involves a bone-stock white '05 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD 4WD Crew Cab longbed powered by a 6.0L V-8. Our assignment was to enhance the Silverado's ride height, appearance, power, and fuel efficiency. The overall size of the 2500 HD Silverado is intimidating, with its 167-inch wheelbase, it is no fun at all to park. To bring the truck up a few inches without breaking the bank, we installed a Pro Comp front torsion bar Level Lift and a set of Mamba M2-8 20x10-inch wheels wrapped in Nitto Durra Grappler Highway Terrain LT275/60R20 (a little taller than 33 inches) rubber. The fuel efficiency and power was improved by installing a CGS Motorsports air intake and after-cat exhaust system.
The first stop of the day was at 4 Wheel Parts Performance Center in Santa Ana, California, where Raul Meyers, Mark Allen and Chuy installed the leveling lift. From 4 Wheel Parts, we took a road trip to CGS MotorSports in Pomona, California, where Casey and Ron Scranton installed an air intake and after-cat exhaust system. Once the dust had settled, our wallet was out less than $3,000 and out truck looked ready to tow, haul, or handle any other duties we threw in its path. For one day's worth of work, the Chevy performed on a whole new level.
To raise the front ride height,...
To raise the front ride height, a Pro Comp torsion key leveling lift kit will be installed. This allows the front torsion bars to be re-indexed, lifting the front suspension approximately 21/2 inches. The kit also included shock extenders.
Raul, from 4 Wheel Parts in...
Raul, from 4 Wheel Parts in Santa Ana, California, used a tape measure to check the factory front ride height by measuring from the center of the wheel to the front wheel well lip, which was 23 inches.
After the grounded measurements...
After the grounded measurements were taken, the Silverado was lifted and the factory wheel/tires were removed. After removing the torsion bar adjusting bolt, a special torsion key tool was used to release the torsion preload on the key to allow Raul to remove the block.