2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD Video Review
What’s the baddest tow vehicle...
What’s the baddest tow vehicle around? Many say the ’11 Chevy 2500HD fits the bill.
It seems like the OEM manufacturers of late have been engaging in a who-has-the-baddest-tow-vehicles-around war. And we aren’t talking about payload capacities or anything like that. We are referring to pure power, pure torque, and pure evil.
While many OEMs can claim towing superiority, only one currently ranks as the undisputed heavyweight tow monster. That title for 2011 goes to GM and its mighty Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD Duramax diesel truck. It was with that intention in mind that Impulse Marketing & Media (IMM) set out to take advantage of what the factory had to offer—and make it better to showcase the company’s multiple talents and eagerness for high-end corporate vehicle builds. And what better way to showcase the towing prowess of the HD than to haul a ’51 Chevy Fleetline sedan on a Bear TrailerSports car hauler behind the truck? The trailer has 18-inch American Racing Dale Earnhardt wheels with Continental rubber.
In order to get the massive beast ready for show worthiness, the truck was treated to many enhancements along the way, including an all-new suspension lift, new paint, new wheels and tires, audio enhancements, and a host of other modifications that we will get into as we explore what makes this truck the great tow monster it is.
Theresa Contreras of L&G Enterprises...
Theresa Contreras of L&G Enterprises in San Dimas, California, applied the extensive PPG color treatment.
The ’11 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD began life as a bone-stock truck—with literally 21 miles on its odometer—before it was dropped off to the paint experts at L&G Enterprises in San Dimas, California, for the extensive PPG hues that now cover the exterior.
However, prior to the truck getting sprayed, it was given a cosmetic cleanup, which included shaving and filling the factory roof marker lights and removing all the exterior badging. Then it was off to the body shop for a thorough sanding to the bare metal before multiple coats of PPG Black were applied as the basecoat. After the Black came Vibrance VM4205 Orange, PPG Standard Big Flake VM4402 Silver, and finally many more coats of Deltron 2000 Basecoat 4.5 VOC Basecoat/Clearcoat—all expertly sprayed and applied by Theresa Contreras of L&G. To round out the exterior hues, Theresa then went back over the PPG Vibrance Orange and added several accent pinstripes to the hood and sides to finish off the truck’s brilliant new hues.
The final piece de resistance was the new exterior badging Theresa recreated simply by scanning the OEM logos into the computer and designing vinyl masks in their place. Once applied, the new factory airbrushed logos were then highlighted in layers of darker silver, black, and yellow, making the new airbrushing appear almost three-dimensional. The overall look is amazing, and the tailgate gets more than its fair share of rubbing from show-goers trying to figure out why the logo looks the way it does. Upon completion of the exterior, Recon Truck Accessories was called upon to add its Line of Fire 60-inch rear lightbar, which looks incredible combined with the smoked taillight lenses.
Street Scene Equipment developed...
Street Scene Equipment developed a brand-new billet grille for the ’11. This one was powdercoated black.
In place of the factory grille shell, Street Scene Equipment developed a brand-new billet grille to complement its ever-growing line of billet grilles. The difference between this version and the company’s other billet grilles is this one was powdercoated in all black in keeping with the exterior theme. Finally, a LEER 550 flat, over-the-rail, single-lever, lockable tonneau cover was added to protect valuable cargo underneath it. As if that weren’t enough, a color-matched bed rug made from high-density polypropylene foam and marine-grade fade-resistant carpeting was added as well.