someotherguy

I'm sure you're already thinking it but test-fit it 100% before painting it. Use some painter's tape to hold it in place exactly where it's going to mount up. You don't want to be out paint money AND not be able to return it, if it doesn't fit just right. Richard

Happen to have the part #'s handy? Not having any luck looking them up on GMPD or Quirk. Richard

OK, some of y'all know I picked up an Intimidator SS from the salvage auction, with a crunched bed/tailgate/bumper. It's scheduled to hit the body shop hopefully next month, and I have kind of a tough decision to make. Should I cash up for the replacement Intimidator scripts ($300+) or leave them off, and just do the regular SS emblems that go next to the scripts - placing them in the "plain" SS positions? My motivation isn't simply the cash outlay as that's pennies compared to what I'm getting ready to spend repairing and repainting the whole truck, it's more that I hate spending that on emblems I don't really like. I dig the ISS wing, grille color difference (kinda), but not exactly an Earnhardt fan so the "Intimidator" script, DEI logo headrests, and his signature on the cluster don't exactly turn my gears. Headrests are an easy swap if I really want to bother, and the gauge cluster doesn't bother me so it can stay. The truck is a salvage title so it's not like I'm really hurting the value of a rare vehicle. Plus, it could always easily be "fixed" later by anyone who wanted to apply the correct emblems to it. Thoughts? Richard p.s. please note this is NOT a hint that I'm interested in selling any of the ISS-specific parts; if I take them off I will keep them in case I sell the truck later. Thanks

Looks great! I hear you about the amount of work to wax it. What was really a chore was washing/waxing my old '92 C1500 extended cab longbed, got that truck in the late 90's and Caddy clipped it, painted it Caddy white diamond. Had to wash/wax it in shifts, I swear. That's a lot of truck. Richard

Thanks...I'm probably gonna replace them at some point with some forged aluminum 22's, just waiting for the right deal to come along on some that look good to me. By the way it's officially your fault I just laid out bucks for a pair of Escalade handles (OEM). I'm not really a fan of much chrome but just the grab part being chrome is a nice little bit of contrast on an otherwise all-black area. My driver's handle needs replacing anyway before the truck goes to the body shop so it was time to do something. Richard

Don't wanna pic-whore your post, so here's a link to the Dubs right after I installed them -> http://www.SilveradoSS.com/forums/topic/88280-2006-silverado-intimidator-ss-resurrection/?p=984626- still kinda hard to tell the color though unless it's in person. Richard

Not bad! I went 22's and the gunmetal (though they almost look black/copperish) instead, but all the same, a good looking wheel for these trucks. Escalade/Denali handles? Richard

Got my tailgate lower trim strip new from Quirk Parts for $156, p/n 15178282, shipped total was $167. Might be out there cheaper but I was tired of hunting. RIchard

I'm with you on these in the rain. Right after I installed my ST II's I did a round trip from Houston to Austin and back (about 320 miles total) in a freaking massive downpour, torrential rains where people were wiping out all over the place going off into the medians, ditches, you name it. Crashes everywhere. Obviously I took it kind of easy in the weather but couldn't exactly slowpoke it, had to stay on schedule and get back in time too. They handled all that water really well other than the expected pulling around when I couldn't avoid big patches of standing water on the highway. Dry traction is OK too but even a stock SS can blow these right off the wheels, so I don't think I could recommend them for any kind of racing action. They're not meant to be a super sticky tire. They are however a good tire for a heavy vehicle like our trucks. XL load rated (in the size I got anyway, dunno about all of them) and designed as a sport truck tire from the start. Richard

Yeah I honestly don't know what happened with these headlights and taillights, this weird hazy film inside the plastic sucks. I didn't notice it until later so I felt like it was too late to try to return them and just said F'it... I may have to get a set of those LED tails though, diggin' em. Richard

Thanks for the link. I'm a little bummed to see they're VIPMOTOZ, I got some bunk headlights and taillights from them (OEM style.) So yours fit well, look good, and no hazy smoky film inside the plastic? Looks like the reverse light takes the stock bulb socket, yeah? I do kinda like that they're flush with the bed like older lights, instead of having that googly-eye look that the OEM lights do. What's funny is I didn't like the newer OEM lights when they came out, but they've grown on me. Dilemma... Richard

It installs with plastic rivets. Discussing it with another member he says if you try to bolt it, the bolts pinch the bumper cover up against the bumper bar behind it. I guess you could install using bolts if you use nyloc nuts and don't crank them down too far. Richard

I've dual'ed my sockets too, and was running some stupid bright switchbacks from DDM - http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/3157-33x5630-Dual-W-A For the taillights I've kept OEM sockets and running LED bub replacements back there, also high power - the 80W pieces from Autolumination. The corner bulbs have been swapped to LED's also. When the truck isn't running, they work fine, at the regular 12V battery voltage. Once it's running, they work at first, but eventually the white running light function starts to flicker and then eventually goes out. Running voltage is in the low 15's which I feel is too high, but after reading a lot of forums it seems somewhat normal for GMT800 trucks. I honestly expect it to be closer to right at 14V. Richard

When you've got that many LED's you're going to have some challenges making them work right. I've noticed these newer generation trucks are a lot more picky about it, too. Since converting my SS to all LED's externally, my turn signal indicators stay on dim, and so do my turn signals in the mirrors. Any slight voltage drop like running the power windows and the ones in the mirrors go out for a moment. Making switchbacks work right can be a real pain. I found on my old '94 that a modified flasher was fine for solving hyperflash, but once I installed the switchbacks, I had to wire the resistors back in to make them operate correctly. I still haven't made switchbacks work right on the SS, but it seems to be because the system voltage is too high (low 15's) and freaking them out. I've got some regulators but haven't made the time to try them out yet. Richard

As much as I dislike cast wheels (and I'm running some on the SS right now so I'm a sucka), those Boss wheels are pretty nice. Those are 20x8.5 in the front with 5.25" backspace, 20x10 in the back with 6.25" backspace.. 255/45/20 front and 295/40/20 rear, just about perfect. They worked real well on my black '94 that was about a 4/6~5/7 drop, too. (advertised drop #'s a little off as the C2500LD setup is a bit different than C1500) Richard

Ceramic pads do not wear rotors faster than semi-metallics; this is simply not true - exactly the opposite. Semi-metallic pads, especially the more aggressive ones, will wear the rotors faster. If there's a downside to consider with ceramics, it's that -generally speaking- they don't stop as well as semi-metallics. That's the trade-off for the very low dust you get from ceramics. Again though that's a very general statement and will vary depending on the compounds chosen. For example, I replaced some whatever-brand semi-metallics on my SRT8 (a 4400lb car) with Wagner ceramics and actually improved the braking, because the old pads were apparently some cheesy junk that got put on there when the previous owner didn't want to cash up for genuine Brembo pads. Now those Brembo pads are pretty stout for stopping but they do eat the rotors and do make tons of dust. Richard

Shoulda spent some of that money fixing his rusted out rear cab mounts. Richard

Lot of "350 SS" trucks out there, too. This was a '97 Suburban I had for a short while that someone had already put the red SS badges (from a 454SS or similar) onto the door moldings...you can kinda see them in this pic. It seemed fitting though as the Vortec 350 had been tossed in favor of an LS1. That big truck would scoot. Richard

The 3/4 clutches are weaker than the rest but there are upgrades on the market. If your guy isn't doing this then he is selling you short knowing you'll be back. Any builder knows the weak points in a 700R4/4L60/4L60E/4L65E (all the same family) and should at least offer you the option of addressing them to ensure reliability. Hardened sun shell, extra 3/4 clutches, performance servos, etc. It doesn't cost much more to make it stronger than stock. Richard

As the saying goes, you couldn't build it for that. That's where previous owner's modding goes in your favor if it's got the stuff you want on it. That investment is rarely recouped. Richard

Anybody got a nice pair of these? For some reason the slide-out pieces on mine have been snatched out and the ends of the visors are raggedy where that happened. Paypal ready to go... Thanks, Richard

Sucks, but no real loyalty with anybody selling a vehicle, whether dealership new/used or an individual. These kinds of sales go sideways so often that the best policy is take the money from the person holding it in front of you. Not trying to sound harsh but seriously, people change their minds constantly and if you don't do the deal right now, then who knows when the next one is coming along - that applies to both seller and buyer. It sounds like that one had a lot of misc. issues, some that could be a pain to figure out. I don't buy the A/C problem being related to the tune, not one bit, and it's surprising that the seller would try to characterize it that way. It's got how many miles and needs a ball joint? If it needs one, it needs them all - one failing is just a sign the others and likely other related parts are on their way out, too. Aftermarket sunroof with issues would scare me, who knows if you can get parts or information on it. Richard

Forgot I had snapped a pic: Richard

On my '06 they're right there in plain sight, where you would mount the lights. If you don't see them, probably not included on your truck. Richard

Dude's just a spammer with make-believe messages, y'all. Richard