If you like super-sized trucks with plenty of attitude, we're sure you enjoyed the feature on Justin Veit's wild '09 Chevy Silverado 3500 on page 58. It's easy to see a completed truck and really like it, but in this story we'll show you what it took to go from dealer lot to SEMA show floor. It's only after you see the hard work put into a ride that you can fully appreciate it and in the case of this hard-hitting HD, all of the parts added functionality, style, and in the case of the Bully Dog GT tuner, it added power and increased mileage to the dualie.
With a truck this tall, getting in and out of if it can be precarious, but ingress and egress is a breeze with Amp Research's power retractable steps. The best thing about these steps is their virtual invinsibility-that is until you open a door and they motorize down! Another stealth addition was Recon's lineup of smoked LED lights. Blacked-out projector headlights add style to the front end, smoked LED cab lights and side fender markers give the dualie's big-rig looks some attitude, and out back, Recon's smoked LED tail lights are the perfect finishing touch to the brute. Keeping with the form meeting function theme, Bell Auto Upholstery, in Phoenix, pulled almost every panel from the interior and wrapped it in black suede and completed the elegant look by cutting up the factory leather seats and stitching in grey suede inserts. The look screams luxury with an understated voice you could also hear asking for the Grey Poupon. To get the most out of the '09 Duramax turbo-diesel, we installed a Bully Dog GT tuner and its installation was as easy as plugging it in and driving, only with extra power on tap. Keeping that extra power cooled, we addded a Mag-Hytec diff cover and swapped in new Royal Purple 75W-90 gear oil for the ultimate in style and protection.
To help us install the parts while we snapped the pics, we drove the '09 Chevy Silverado 3500 Crew Cab to Desert Rat Off-Road Centers, also in Phoenix, where lead installer Reuben handled the wrenching. These easy-to-do mods made a huge difference in the truck's appeal without sacrificing daily drivability. Check out the story and give the companies a call if your truck is in need of added form and function.
Arriving at Bell Auto Upholstery...
Arriving at Bell Auto Upholstery in Phoenix, we requested a useable, yet luxurious interior upgrade and thankfully, the crew at Bell specializes in such treatment.
As you can see, our Chevy...
As you can see, our Chevy 3500 LTZ came with black leather from the factory, but the light grey pillars, headliner, and all black seats needed a change. Suede to the rescue. The first step was to unbolt the seats and set them aside.
With the seat plastics removed...
With the seat plastics removed and the seat disassembled, the leather covers were removed and pulled from the foam.
A small razor knife was then...
A small razor knife was then used to cut out the seat's center section. This piece was then set on a large piece of suede, traced out, and the suede section cut.
Seen here going through the...
Seen here going through the sewing machine, the new suede section was then attached to the black leather seat. This part of the install does require some skill and practice.
After pulling the leather...
After pulling the leather cover down over the factory foam, it was massaged into place using a Judo chop technique learned watching Austin Powers.