someotherguy

Sounds like a severely overblown estimate. It didn't cost half that to fix mine and that included a full paint job. If you think the truck is fixable (and it looks like it is) and want to keep it, I bet you could get quality work done far below that estimate. Richard

For what it's worth, I bought mine as a total from the insurance auction and had it repaired. Used GM sheetmetal, got lucky and found a good used bumper cover, NOS rear bed corner cladding and tailgate cladding strip, emblems.. had all the other dents and dings fixed and whole truck painted. Probably have more in it than I'd like to admit but the truck is straight and super shiny. Richard

Sonofabitch man she just about near took out your house too.. WOW EDIT...WTF are you kidding me this was your 8K mile truck that you had put up for sale? Man, I feel so bad for you. That is terrible Edit again, wow I'm a retread. That post where you had it for sale at 8K miles was from 2007. You sure don't post much here! Richard

LOL...I will say it's possible there's nobody there that understands it's not an SS, just because it's a GM dealership doesn't mean there's any actual "car guys" there. SS's are 10+ years old now so anybody that might have had a clue from there has moved on to other jobs... If they were closer to me I'd swing by and show them what an actual SS is. Richard

By the way here's a VHO with the correct wheels on it, this is pretty much what that truck would have looked like except in black, and the tube steps are of course aftermarket.

That was cool of them to send you the RPO list. The RPO B4V is the key here, the performance edition package. I don't know a lot about them but from what little I do know, it's essentially an SS in disguise, in other words no SS body kit/appearance package, and emblems. It's got the 6.0 engine and should be 345HP like the SS...and it's a torsion bar suspension like an SS (or like a 4x4) even though it's RWD, not AWD. (the 2006-2007 SS's are RWD as well, 2005 was AWD or RWD optional, prior to that the 2003-2004 SS's were AWD only.) Likely the transmission is the 4L65E which is just a somewhat strengthened version of the 4L60E. It may have the 9.5" 14 bolt semifloating rear axle which is stronger than the 8.5" 10 bolt. If so it will have drum rear brakes instead of disc. That's what the RWD SS's got, too. Not 100% sure here but I believe this is the truck commonly referred to as the VHO, though I'd wait for input from the VHO guys and not take my word for gospel on that. If so then the 20" chrome wheels described in the RPO codes may have been stolen, or sold off by a previous owner. They're not the same design as the SS wheels. Richard

Well for starters it's not an SS though I'm sure that's obvious to anybody except the sales department that posted the ad calling it an SS. Not sure what all the SLP performance package is supposed to be but at least according to the VIN it did come from Chevrolet with a 6.0 in it. All the details they give on their ad are cut-and-paste and obviously not accurate to the vehicle so you'll have to go see it in person. If it's got an SLP package supercharger under the hood you think they woulda mentioned it. ? 137K mile truck for 11K but it's a factory 6.0 in a 1500, I guess that's not a terrible deal? Seems to be a well-optioned truck in good condition despite the miles. I'd check it for a repaint and closely inspect the quality of the paint. I do see some questionable things like why is the air bag dark gray instead of matching the interior color? Why is it sitting on stocker wheels with no center caps? If it was a theft recovery you'd think they woulda swiped the leather seats, etc. Richard

Buy a beater Corolla or something. then dump it when you're ready to move back.. Richard

It's cheap for a reason, so please read the post This is a VIPMOTOZ LED 3rd brake light / cargo light assembly that I had on my '06 SS, should fit all GMT800 trucks (1999-2006, 2007 Classic) but check first to be sure. It's in near-new condition and works fine. Includes the resistor box (I even managed to save & protect the double-stick on the back of it) that I guess is supposed to keep it from killing your cruise control but it didn't work for me, I found I still needed to tap in a 6ohm/50W load resistor (super easy and cheap) to keep my cruise working. The lens leaked some water inside and it took forever to dry out. It is dry now and there are no signs of moisture or any moisture damage inside. You will want to try sealing up the edges with clear silicone or something to keep water out. I have since replaced it with an OEM housing so I don't need this one anymore. Only $20 picked up near the Cypress/Katy area in Houston TX. I could ship it but by then it'd probably be closer to $30. I paid $60 for it new 2 years ago though prices have come down since then... Richard

Yeah I wonder where it's actually getting in. When I shook the water out it seemed like it was coming out of the edges between the lens and the black housing but who knows? It took forever sitting inside the house before all signs of moisture finally disappeared. Since then I've installed an OEM lens/housing with LED bulbs. I went with some 921 LED replacements off eBay from "Alla Lighting", the style where the brake lights strobe a few times before going solid. They fit the OEM housing pretty good with a tiny gap before the end of the bulb hits the plastic. The cargo lights are listed as 904's (it's still the same base and basic size/shape) and fit fine, too, and they're stupid bright. One thing I did notice since this OEM assembly has been on the truck a few days is the gasket still lets a little rainwater in, and the 3rd brake light bulbs sit right where it can drip down into their sockets. Since these LED's won't get nearly as hot as regular bulbs, I trimmed up a piece of clear plastic to go over the holes above the bulbs and taped it down with some foil duct tape. 100% can't see it at all and it doesn't interfere with the light from the bulbs, but won't let rainwater drip down onto them. I left my 6ohm / 50W load resistor tapped in to be sure my cruise control kept working, as that had been a problem when I first installed the VIPMOTOZ LED 3rd brake assembly. Dunno if I need it but since there does seem to be an issue putting LED's in as the 3rd brake light on these trucks, I left it in there. Richard

Well it's different for sure. Seems like too much of a mix of styles. The wide large diameter wheels and flares are more bro dozer and feel like it should be lifted. The tire letters and low pros are a ricer style that has migrated to modern muscle cars. If you dig it though that's what matters, you're the one that's gotta drive it! Richard

Yeah honestly I hate to sound discouraging or alarming but especially living in apartments where you may not be able to park close by, truck theft is out of hand over here. Even if you bought a beater work truck Silverado it's a theft target because they're easy to steal. The SS is a target because of its value (including just in parts); the beater is a target because it's easy to snag it and go do some crimes with it. Crime is outta control in this city and our super-liberal mayor, police chief, and DA are just making it worse. Richard

Man...tough call. A lot of that area is kinda sketchy. However, apartment living all around the greater Houston area is sketchy due to the number of places that take government money; you'd be surprised at even some of the "luxury" places that take it because the program actually pays more than 100% of market value if the property is considered to be in an affluent area. If there's any way for you to not bring your SS but store it somewhere secure back home during your stint here...they steal the shit out of those trucks. Richard

A week later and no response from vipmotoz and I can't get the rest of the moisture to dry out. I went ahead and ordered an OEM lens. I know the led unit is plainly advertised as 60 day warranty but you'd hope it would at least last a couple years. Don't think I'll be doing anymore business with vipmotoz if I can help it...pretty much everything that came from them didn't last worth a damn. Richard

Extra-cost option available on shortbed 1500's for a little while.. cost like $850 and didn't sell well at all, major flop for GM Richard

If you ask the dealer, allegedly different part.. SS front bumper is # 89045660 , Silverado bumpers are 89025748 (black, discontinued), or 19150310 (chrome) However.. if you look it up on LMC, they show their same part # for the plain primered bumper to fit a regular Silverado, and an SS. So I'm betting the difference is just the finish and the metal is the same. Richard

Not any big development but my VIPMOTOZ LED 3rd brake light started getting rainwater into it. It's been on the truck about 1.5 years, parked outside, and it rains here quite a bit. I guess I'm not really surprised or overly disappointed but I did write them an email explaining what's going on. No expectations that they'll do anything for me. I took it off and shook the water out and have it sitting in the house hoping it will finish drying out so I can attempt to seal around the edges with some silicone. On the upside I can say that for an aftermarket lens it has held up fine otherwise. No fading, clearcoat peeling, crackling, or anything of the plastic lens. Still pretty much looks new on the outside. Richard

Also still available from the dealer. Go to any dealer's parts website, and look under "labels" - get the part # then google it see if you can find a better deal. Richard

PM'ing you info now Richard

Welcome, Sounds like you've already squared away the major issue, sourcing a correct replacement engine. And yes, the LQ9 will usually set you back a bit because it's a desirable engine; not a typical 5.3 pullout that can be had much cheaper. What else does the truck need done? Got any pics? Richard

OK, so the Enchanted Garden brand or whatever Chinese thing the O'Reilly's had was just enough to get it done. Problem is nobody cared enough to ever grease the thing before using it so the ball bearing inside the screw insert was egg-shaped and pitted and the thing barely spun although I greased the crap out of it and the screw. I fought that tool for all it was worth to get these joints done. Since the only joint showing any issue was the passenger upper because the boot tore wide open, I wasn't planning on doing any other parts. Testing showed the driver side joints had zero slack. I ended up replacing the driver side upper anyway though because its boot was torn enough that it was oozing grease all around, and I had the parts and tool in hand, so they both got done. Didn't want to do full disassembly since other parts were fine, so I used my floor jack to support the LCA, left a gap, and tapped the spindle around the upper ball joint area letting the force of the torsion bar pop it loose. (Left the nut threaded on a bit so it couldn't go crazy.) Strap holding the spindle/caliper in place so it couldn't fall slack and put stress on the brake hose. Using the ratchet I just barely got it to crack the joint a little amount. Gave me room to squirt some PB Blaster in there and let it soak a bit, then I switched to a breaker bar instead. Moog Problem Solver K6540 going in, lubed the splines and hole in the UCA to help, be sure to align the dot facing the wheel. Installed, reassembled, greased... Driver side was a real pain in the ass, mostly I blame the tool for not allowing the cap to spin on its bearing. Had to make a cheater pipe out of a floor jack handle, but got it done. Another tip, using a ratchet strap under the LCA, hooked to the UCA to pull it down, kept it from moving while reefing on the press tool. Made it go better for sure. Richard

Yeah if the loan-a-tool set the parts house has will fit, and actually works, that's definitely an option. I just usually avoid that stuff because it's the same Chinese trash they sell in the store, that barely gets the job done if at all. I don't mind investing in tools but the set I really want is outrageously expensive for someone not in the daily business of wrenching. BTW the Moog K6540 that is $84 in the store at Advance, $87 at O'Reilly...is $39 through Amazon. So after tax, what woulda cost me over $90 for ONE of them locally, I ordered the exact same part, $84 for the pair of them. Even though only one failed, I'd rather replace both. Overall the suspension looks pretty decent so I'm not looking to do a bunch of work on it just yet. Richard

Discovered my Intimidator has a really bad upper ball joint; the boot tore and the joint went to hell. Lots of slack in it. Looking for a ball joint press kit that is known to fit the type used on the SS, and that I can score reasonably in a hurry so I can knock this out. I hate buying cheap tools that might break, but I also don't do regular suspension work so I may use this kit once every few years, ya know? Was considering OTC since a lot of their kits are US-made, but not the crazy big sets that are like $300, $700, etc. They've got one that's just over $100 part # 7249 just dunno if the adapters included are the right size. From the specs: "kit contains 3 receiver tubes (2-3/4 inch I.D. x 3 inch O.D., 2-1/4 inch I.D. x 2-1/2 inch O.D., and 1-3/4 inch I.D. x 2 inch O.D.) and 1 installing cup, 1 receiving cup, and 1 installing adapter" Thanks, Richard

That's great news. I figured the trip was too far for you to make for just a grille but it's cool you had a friend to help out on picking it up. Hope it's the right one; that was a screaming good deal on it compared to getting one from a dealer. It was a little confusing because his ad said 2003-2007, and a lot of the online references say the same thing. But a 2006/2007(classic) Silverado SS grille has the top bar, and the one in his picture does not, so that should fit 2003-2005 SS's. Richard

Don't assume just because the tires are balanced, that they're good. Try swapping front to rear and see if the shake changes how it feels. If it's shaking in the front you should feel it in the steering wheel. Richard