Truck Tales - 2002 Chevy Pickup Upgrades

The folks at Magnuson Products...        read full caption The folks at Magnuson Products had just released their Radix Intercooled Supercharger for pickups that will really perk up that 5.3 Vortec engine while maintaining the warranty. Installation is easy, because it all bolts on from the top of the engine.

Here is the final installation...        read full caption Here is the final installation of the blower, which easily fits under the hood. The intercooler mounts a separate tank, cooler, and a pump that circulates the coolant to keep the hot air chilled for more power.

We performed a series of chassis...        read full caption We performed a series of chassis dyno-tests to get a complete before-and-after evaluation of the power for the record. The accompanying chart tells the final story. With the Dynatech headers, the combination of supercharger and exhaust mods was worth 120 rear-wheel horsepower. That's an increase of exactly 50 percent.

Next is dress-up and practicality....        read full caption Next is dress-up and practicality. Since I attend car shows, I end up hauling a lot of stuff. Lindsay Tire installed the BedRug, which keeps the bed clean and dent free. Jodi Hoebing at Pace-Edwards told me about the new Jack Rabbit sliding bed cover.

When you travel out of your...        read full caption When you travel out of your favorite radio stations' broadcast area there may or may not be another suitable station. I have been following the status of satellite radio for years and decided to use the Sirius. Now you can turn on whatever tunes light your fire or yell at six-plus channels of talk radio!

The Silverado SS is actually...        read full caption The Silverado SS is actually used for towing various vehicles from my shop to the alignment shop, dragstrip, or an autocross event.

No article in Car Craft would be complete without some performance testing. The truck turned a 14.20 @ 96 mph at Bristol last fall with the Magnuson Supercharger in place. This spring, after adding the Dynatech headers, the best time at Mooresville Dragway was a 9.40 @ 76 mph in the eighth-mile. As you can see, there was basically no traction in First gear. It actually hooks better on the street.

Yes, even a 5,000-pound behemoth can autocross! Of course you may not be competitive with all those flyweight cars, but just go out and have fun. During this event, the truck ran the course in 54.6 seconds compared to the quickest Mini at 48 seconds. Our Silverado bested a lot of smaller cars and won its class.