An old friend is coming home

10/30/2023 – Some time ago, we sent our truck down to Texas, and family, where it would be the most useful. There it has remained, well maintained and in valued service, until this week ,when an offer was made for its return.

I love that truck. We bought it to accommodate our rural living, and near daily trips to Lowe’s, Home Depot or Hancock Lumber. It got us through deep snow, including up and down our steep mountain frontage road. Apply a little 4 wheel drive, and it could pull a stuck tractor out of a ditch.

My wife hated the idea of the truck, “Whose going to drive and park that big thing?”. Her, apparently. Never let a little woman drive a big truck, because you’ll never get it back.

What now?

It is a 2006 Chevy Silverado work truck. Super Cab with suicide doors, long bed, 5.3L Vortec, 4 wheel drive, 4 speed auto, with a posi 4:10 rear. It has no electronically controlled accessories, other than dual cabin AC. If you want a window to go up or down, hand cranking is required. Same for door locks. However, it also has the snow plow and tow suspension packages. How does it ride? Like a truck.

There are very few, and very minor rust spots on the underside. So when it arrives in Maine, the bed will be pulled, the chassis and suspension cleaned up. Afterward, onto the engine for a little more power. Nothing major, but enough to make that 5,300 lbs feel a little less.

Being a life long Ford guy, the LS1 Gen III is a little odd looking, but there is a wealth of good information… and a treasure trove of bad for pumping up performance. It seems 400+ HP is doable by basic mechanical means; upgraded cam and valve train, headers and intake. There is even more potential with power adders, both horse power and for more money.

400 HP, theoretically, would take the quarter mile E.T. from a review rating of 15.3 seconds, down to 13.8 seconds, which is a significant improvement. A little NOS for another hundred would drop E.T. to 12.8 and then there are turbo charging and supercharging options, or a big cubic inch crate engine and I would have another Farm Truck!..!!

Maine is a tough place to live… or fish, or hunt or go shopping, or get respect in a Lowe’s parking lot, without a beefy truck.

So I looked at the numbers to see if it is worth the investment. Kelly Blue Book suggests $6,400 Fair Purchase Price for a 2006 Silverado Work Truck. To get the 5.3L L59 to 400 – 450 HP, +$4,000 (Cam + Kit, intake and throttle body, upgraded injectors, headers and performance exhaust system, and my labor) None of which will add to resale value and not sure how long the M30 trans/convertor and transfer case would hold up.

Another perspective? A new Silverado Work Truck, that has almost the same equipment, but without an 8′ bed, without tow and plow suspension and connections, without locking 4:10 rear, is a $49,725 build. According to my calculations I am $43,325 to the good, because I don’t have to buy an inferior new truck, and that’s not even including those hidden documentation and registration fees.

It becomes obvious that going with the basic upgrade, $4,000 would be money well spent, almost a freebie. I just have to find an uncommitted $4,000 and I will be aces. In the mean time, I can just put gas in my truck, be glad it is home, and maybe run it through the car wash. There is plenty of time to research on line and think about a… 1,000 horse power build.