Wicked 1988 Chevy Silverado Project Is Getting a Twin-Turbo 1,000 HP Duramax: Track Time Tuesday
Square body Chevy Silverado takes a different route with a massively powerful oil burning powerplant.
These days, LS-swapping trucks like the Chevy Silverado is all the rage, and for good reason. But sometimes, something different comes along that simply leaves us slack-jawed, and that’s precisely the case with this wicked 1988 Chevy Silverado under construction by the folks at Diesel Performance Specialties out of Weatherford, Texas. Rather than going the tried-and-true route, DPS decided they wanted to build one of the most impressive square-body diesel pickups on the planet, and they’re doing that with a bevy of modern parts.
That laundry list of goodies includes a twin-turbo 6.6-liter Duramax LB7 V8 diesel stuffed with a host of upgraded components including a set of Wagler Competition rods, Mahle pistons, a Callies crankshaft, a Wagler cam, SoCal Diesel valve springs, S&S Diesel Motorsport injectors, and an Industrial Injection Double Dragon CP3 fuel pump. Total output is expected to crack the 1,000 horsepower mark with ease, which should be enough to move this big Crew Cab pickup down the road with little trouble.
The modern diesel powerplant is mated to a built automatic gearbox from Nixon Transmissions, and sends its copious amounts of power to a Dana 60 front axle and/or an AAM 14-bolt rear axle. As for the vintage bodywork, it’s underpinned by a more modern 2002 General Motors truck chassis, which is fitted with Fox coilovers in the front and Fox shocks with air bags in the rear for a smooth ride that’s still plenty capable of hauling or towing heavy loads.
This older Chevy Silverado certainly looks the part, riding sky high thanks to a massive lift and gigantic wheels and tires. The build is capped off with custom bumpers, loads of off-road lighting, and a billet grille, while dual rear wheels drive home the point that DPS is trying to make – that this Texas-based shop is capable of building the baddest square bodies on the planet, ones that are every bit as capable as they are fun to look at.
Photos: Diesel Performance Specialties
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