Not that it's obvious at all, but we love toys. Big boys' toys, to be clear, but nonetheless, toys. Moderation is out of the question so bring on the best! With that in mind, we at Diesel Power decided to set out to build a great daily driven toy, fully capable of mixing it up, performance-wise, with the best of the best, stump-pulling diesels out there, while still fully capable of transporting the family from point A to point B in fashionable style-but come the weekend, be able to pull the largest and most torque-consuming toys out there.
Steve Warner, who hails from Huntington Beach, California, knows toys. Not only is he the fearless leader of our sister publication, Truckin' magazine, he also serves as editorial director of Diesel Power and is the owner of the truck package you see before you. From the front grille to the rear bumper, Steve's got himself one seriously well-thought-out package. Under the hood of his '04 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD Crew Cab 4x4 is a 6.6L Duramax LLY turbodiesel
The color scheme you see here is not available on Chevy's option form, so don't go looking for it. After driving the truck for two months, it was time to get the exterior looking cool for the annual SEMA Show. Dropped into the capable hands of L&G Enterprises in San Dimas, California, Steve's white stocker came out rendered an exact duplicate of his color-matched boat. Throwing the right hues into the mix are House of Kolor Candy Red and Blue over the factory stark white. Before finishing in the paint booth, L&G also managed to get the headlight, turn signals, and taillights smoked, adding a bit more character to this impressive toy hauler. Enclosing the bed is a Gaylord's X-2000 tonneau cover, and protecting anything within the bed is a Wise Industries bed-rug kit. Finishing touches come from a Street Scene stainless Speed Grille insert and polished billet Bow Tie. Matching the tinted exterior lights is a deep window tint from Quality Window Tinting in Glendora, California
Lifting the painted exterior to new levels is a completely powdercoated suspension lift, courtesy of California Super Trucks in Riverside, California. CST's 6-inch lift and accompanying hardware was sent to Primo Powder Coating, in Huntington Beach, for a quick maroon match, before Off Road Unlimited in Burbank, California, got to play installer. With a 6-inch front lift completed, Steve turned to leaf-spring builder Deaver Springs, in Santa Ana, California, for a smooth-riding, towing-capable rear lift leaf pack. With the good ride quality came a slight decrease in load capability, so Mac's Spring Shop in Highland, California, was called upon for a complete rear helper 'bag air-ride-assist system. All of its brackets and hardware were powdercoated by Primo before installation. Dual Bilstein 7100 shocks with reservoirs reside at every corner, and rolling wares from Weld Racing Wheels and Toyo Tires play a big part in the beautification process of this cool hauler. Resting comfortably under the four corners are 20-inch Weld Velociti 8 wheels and Toyo Open Country 325/65R20 tires, making this lifted Crew Cab a super attention-getter. Adding to the safety for the long haul, ORU placed a Mag-Hytec rear differential cover in place for additional fluid capacity and better cooling. Since Steve is no giant, and neither is his wife, for ease of ingress and egress Amp Research motorized boards help in both departments
The Duramax 6.6L is naturally no slouch in the performance arena, but with the added weight of the CST suspension options and the reality of towing in the future, in went a Gale Banks Engineering Six Gun Tuner. The Banks kit touches everything from the intake to the exhaust and the intercooler to the gauges. With a six-position switch at the ready, from stock to 465 hp can be added at the twist of the dial. Freeing up just a bit more airflow and filtering capability for the big turbodiesel is a True Flow filter insert and tube. Mag-Hytec was called into duty once more to aid in the fluid process for the Allison five-speed auto transmission with one of its cool deep transmission pans that adds an additional quart of fluid.
Inside the luxo hauler, the mostly stock gray interior has just a bit of upgrade in the form of gray Classic Soft Trim leather seat covers with red, perforated leather inserts. Steve and his family have quite a drive to get to their favorite desert-water locales, so Audio Innovations in Glendora, California, set up the big Chevy with some extra entertainment features. In the dash, a Sony XAV-7W Media Center sets the main stage and directs its controls to the Sony Xplod DVX 11A DVD/CD/MP3 player mounted just below. Ramping up the signals to the speakers are a Sony Xplod XM-2200 GTX moving 1,200 watts and a Sony Xplod XM-4060 GTX pushing another 600. Fitted into the stock door speaker locations, Sony Xplod was once again called on for two pairs of its component system speakers. Making the bump, bump, bump is an Audio Innovations built subwoofer enclosure, behind the rear seat, firing a quartet of Sony Xplod, 10-inch, XS-L101 PS subs. For rear passenger entertainment, a pair of Sony XVM-H65 headrest monitors were slipped in, and as if those weren't enough, in the ceiling went a Sony XVM-R90D 9-inch flip-down monitor overhead entertainment system. So, as not disturb the driver, rear video viewing is aurally handled with Sony wireless headphones
Overall, with the help of the right people in the industry, Steve has himself one insane pair of toys. Being part of the "industry," as we say, Steve is subjected to some of the craziest toys on this Earth. With his will to be done, we think he has chosen wisely and was sensible with his selection of toys, but went into overload with optioned equipment to create the ultimate toy hauler.