My new truck

[balthazar]

GMC looks great- and I agree on lowering the rear. 'Short' combos look better level, but I liked my F-150 RC/LB with 3/4-ton springs being about 2" higher in the rear.

Now- is that a '65 or '66 Chrysler next door?

[ocnblu]

Those two years blur together for me on the Chryslers. I think it's a '65, but I am not certain. Did the headlight covers make production, or am I thinking of a concept car?

Yeah, if GM has a mandate that the rear end sits 2" higher than the front, of course the shorter the truck, the more apparent the rake. It is not near as noticeable on the longer trucks. No biggie, it'll be taken care of soon. The shackles have been shipped, with an ETA of Feb 12.

[HarleyEarl]

An American classic. Excellent choice. Congratulations, Blu.

[K.C.]

Gosh 'blu, somebody whooped up on yer truck with a purty stick. Can I go fur a ride?

[ocnblu]

Um, sher K.C.

[balthazar]

>>"...Chryslers. I think it's a '65, but I am not certain. Did the headlight covers make production, or am I thinking of a concept car?"<<

Only the '65 300 and 300-L s had glass-covered headlights. The Ls also had a light-up grille emblem- I dig that, baby. '66 fed regs prohibited the glass covers for '66, IIRC.

If it's a 300-L, that's a rare beast, tho not particularly valuable relative to earlier 300 letter cars.

[ocnblu]

Well, it's not a Letter car. It doesn't even have a model name on it anywhere that I can see. It's a base model of some kind. What was the base model Chrysler sedan called in '65? Windsor? Saratoga? Wasn't it too early for Newport?

[Sixty8panther]

Your GMC is awsome, congrats again but now can you

post some more photos of the chrysler... maybe a 3/4

front & rear shot for us Part time Mopar lovers.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Not too bad, but yeah, on shorty 2WD's that jacked-up rear just isn't going to work. I can't wait to see pictures of it after you install the new shackles. Are you going to make it look similar to this?

(thanks Harley!)

The regular cab pickup is my favorite style - the shortbed with the Stepside/Sportside is my #1 favorite combo, with the Longbed being #2. Seeing as how GM isn't offering the Sportside Bed option anymore (or not right now), I'd have to go with the Regular Cab Longbed SLE Z71 4WD for myself if I was in the market.

Edited January 29, 2007 by GMTruckGuy74

[ocnblu]

Sixty4, yes, I can get some more pictures of the "Telltale Heart" Chrysler up soon. GMTG74, I am keeping the 17" factory rims, I like the style of them, but I have ordered a set of Goodyear Fortera Triple Tred tires for it, 265/65R17, to replace the wimpy 245/70R17 Generals. They should be the same height, but of course the Goodyears will be considerably meatier. The lowering shackles will level it. I wouldn't want to do anything more to lower the suspension, and I won't be putting 22 inch (?) rims on like the mega awesome Silvy 427 concept. Once I get my exhaust and my tonneau, along with the wider tires and the level attitude, I think it'll be looking pretty good. Edited January 29, 2007 by ocnblu

[daves87rs]

Very Nice looking truck....

Like the color...

All that power must be fun...

[ocnblu]

Thanks, dave. I got my tires on last night. It's looking meaner with the wider tires. And my shackles came yesterday. Looks like a simple job to install those, so I hope to have them done soon.

[Sixty8panther]

The only Truck accessory that matters: GUN RACK!

[caddycruiser]

Sounding good, and those tires alone should be a big improvement over the General garbage that came OEM.

Very much like your taste of just smaller things here and there to improve the package, but still keep it very much stock.

[scharmer05]

Thanks, dave. I got my tires on last night. It's looking meaner with the wider tires. And my shackles came yesterday. Looks like a simple job to install those, so I hope to have them done soon.

You're going to have one good looking truck after thats all done. Plus you weren't losing too much by getting rid of those generals right away. The set that came on my dad's 04 lasted a whole 11000 miles before the first flat, and they only lasted another few thousand more before there was hardly a thing left to them. They really are garbage.

[ocnblu]

I did the same thing with my '02 Silvy. It came with Generals, and I remember just about every truck with Generals came in for shimmy problems, attributed by GM to the General tires put on at the factory. I put Michelin LTXs on my '02 with 50 miles on the truck, and they were great. This time I chose the Goodyear Fortera Triple Treds because of the owner reviews at TireRack.com. I bought them cheaper than TireRack's price through Ford's dealer tire program. The tread pattern and sidewall graphics look great on my truck, imo. I'm happy.

No gun rack though, and the Confederate flag sticker kept falling off. The bobble hula girl is getting on my nerves, so I think I'm taking her off the dash as soon as I find my putty knife.

[ocnblu]

Well, I conned my friend Ryan and his sister's bf into helping me install my shackles tonight after work. The truck looks 100% better, nice and level. The weather is crappy here tonight. I want to put up another pic or two to show the improvement. It seems to ride even better now.

[scharmer05]

Im glad it turned out the way you wanted it too. And those Fortera should be great tires. I know a couple of guys that have Assurance tires (the car version of the Fortera) and can't stop talking about them. They were really impressed by snow traction and the way they handle a lot of water on the road.

[daves87rs]

More Pics!

[ocnblu]

Leveled-out, wider tire pics from the car wash today. Much easier for a vertically challenged guy to reach the tailgate handle now:

[BigPontiac]

Very nice! How's the paint quality? Any issues?

[ocnblu]

Gaps are nice and tight. The doors, hood and tailgate shut with a reassuring "thunk". Paint has very little orange peel for a factory job. Perhaps it is my imagination, but this color could look pretty dull on a GMT800, but for some reason on the 900s it seems more lustrous. Not sure if any paint shop improvements went into the factory changeover. I haven't found any fit and finish problems so far. I'm very pleased at the 600 mile mark.

[daves87rs]

The tires do make it look better.....I like.

What about some pics of the inside? I guessing it has the "work truck"dash, which I liked in the sliverado I saw.

[scharmer05]

What an amazing improvement the lowering made....very nice ocn.

[Raider]

Glad you like the the truck we made you blu

[ocnblu]

Thanks for your hard work, Raider and crew.

[Robert Hall]

Handsome truck... I don't see the regular cabs very often..like the color.

[Detroit-diesel]

Very nice truck, so how do you like the interior and ride? I drove a crew cab LTZ and it was smooth as glass I just want to know if the working mans interior is as comfortable.

[gm4life]

Where did you get the shackles from? Not GM or was it?

[ocnblu]

Made by DJM Suspension, sold through "Stylinconcepts".

[Drew Dowdell]

Sharp truck OCN. You have any E85 filling stations near you?

[ocnblu]

Thanks Drew and GM1, and nope, no corn liquor here, so I didn't bother ordering the Flex-Fuel 5.3L. There is talk of one coming about 15 miles away in Ephrata, but it's still just talk. Edited February 10, 2007 by ocnblu

[BigPontiac]

GMpartsdirect.com had some interesting stuff listed under accessories for the 2007 Sierra...you might want to take a look. Also, GMC.com has a picture under accessories of what the hard tonneau cover would look like in your color (thought that was on your "to buy" list...)

[ocnblu]

I've decided against a hard tonneau due to difficulty in quick removal and storage. I've chosen a folding, framed tonneau with a soft cover. I'll have it put on at the same time I get my BedRug. Since I enjoy camping, it would be ideal for me to get a truck tent to use in conjunction with this cover and the BedRug liner. There's a cool one I've seen that has a canopy that extends from it that you set up with poles. The tent pitches in the truck bed.

Thanks for reminding me about GM accessories for the 900. I cruised the site when I was considering buying, but haven't been there lately.

Edited February 10, 2007 by ocnblu

[BigPontiac]

Here's what I'm thinking will be my next truck. The local dealer asked me what I'd want back in Nov and they semi-ordered my truck...but they missed the sunroof and MAX package w/o Z71 as I'd want. But at least now I know I like the color combo! My current Sierra is visible in the 1st pic... However, I just bought tires before winter, so I'll be waiting for 2008 and the 6 speed auto.

[ocnblu]

Victory Red, a perennial favourite. That's a nice looking truck, BP.

Also, I just want to say in this thread, I am not picking on GM for the factory rake. Ford and Dodge do the same thing. I guess the mandate is to have the rear bumper 2" higher than the front, and the shorter the truck, the more apparent the rake becomes.

[scharmer05]

Victory Red, a perennial favourite. That's a nice looking truck, BP.

Also, I just want to say in this thread, I am not picking on GM for the factory rake. Ford and Dodge do the same thing. I guess the mandate is to have the rear bumper 2" higher than the front, and the shorter the truck, the more apparent the rake becomes.

I saw a regular cab, shortbox, 07 Silverado while I was out shopping this weekend. The big difference is that it was 4-wheel drive, and while it still had a rake, it was not as nearly as pronounced as it was on your Sierra.

Also, I don't know if this was talked about earlier, but did you get the rail system in the bed?

[ocnblu]

No sir, Mr. Scharmer. I didn't see a need for it, really.

[scharmer05]

No sir, Mr. Scharmer. I didn't see a need for it, really.

I understand that, just wondering.

[deftonesfan867]

Sweet GMC Mr. Blu, guess i'll have to come visit sometime and take a ride...

in the truck :AH-HA_wink:

Edited February 13, 2007 by deftonesfan867

[ocnblu]

Uh, ok, but no funny business, mister.

[K.C.]

You love funny business in the truck, thats why you got that bench seat.

[Z-06]

Victory Red is a good color BP. It looks sharp, the other day when I went to my Chevy dealer to service my Lumi, they had a Z06 sitting in the lot, it looked charming. I wish I can own that beautiful machine sometime soon.

[BigPontiac]

Hey Blu, while visiting the GMC dealer today I noticed the new 2007 Sierra 2500HD has a smooth tailgate cap instead of the spoiler type of the 1500s. So, if you haven't gone with an aftermarket type, you should be able to order one at your local dealer now.

I want the smooth cap when I get a new Sierra also (like my current truck has). Now I'm waiting for the bed rail caps...

[ocnblu]

I like that cap, but it has a textured finish, which cannot be painted. There is an aftermarket company that makes smooth, paintable caps for the 800s, I'm waiting for them to make one for the 900s. I saw that on the HDs, though, BP, and I am tempted.

[pow]

Leveled-out, wider tire pics from the car wash today. Much easier for a vertically challenged guy to reach the tailgate handle now:

Wow, the color and chrome bits make it look very classy.

[ocnblu]

Thanks, empowah. It's been dirty this week due to all the crappy weather.

[ocnblu]

PIPES! I took second half of the day off work today to go and get my exhaust done, at the local shop I was telling you guys about. I had to decide between Magnaflow and Flowmaster for the muffler (single inlet/dual outlet). The guys at Red Run Exhaust were really cool, they hung each muffler and let me listen to make a decision. The Flowmaster was louder, and it has a ten year warranty. The Magnaflow has a limited lifetime warranty. I chose the Flowmaster.

Pics:

being hung:

adios, factory exhaust:

on the lift:

Oh man, it sounds really good. I asked the guys if they could take my radio out, since I won't be listening to it anymore. :AH-HA_wink:

I wish you guys could hear it! It's a full stainless system, including the muffler, for $399. The pipes are mandrel bent in-house at the shop. The guys were quick and professional.

Edited April 7, 2007 by ocnblu

[BigPontiac]

How does it sound at 65mph on the highway? The GM Performance duals drone a bit at 65 on the highway...

Did you get chrome bars for you grille? They look like chrome in the lift pic.

[ocnblu]

Well, it is definitely louder inside the cab than the factory system at highway speeds, and you can tell the timbre difference when it goes into 4 cylinder mode. Overall, it is not intrusive, really. I am happy.

It is wet here today, I think that may be just reflection off the lights in there. I haven't done anything with the grille.

Edited April 5, 2007 by ocnblu