2002 Chevrolet Pickup Truck Performance Upgrades

The best-selling vehicles in the U.S. today are pickups. Just look around as you mosey down the highways and byways and you will realize that trucks come in every shape and size and are often personalized by their owners and reflect their owner's personality.

It is still true in many regions of our country that you can drink a man's liquor, you can steal a man's girlfriend, but don't be messin' with his truck!

The first step was to upgrade to a nicer set of wheels and tires. Wayne Brown at Lindsay Tire in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, installed the Ultra 17-inch chrome wheels. The Breman ground effects were also painted and installed at Lindsay.

The first step was to upgrade to a nicer set of wheels and tires. Wayne Brown at Lindsay T

So we buy that perfect truck, whether it be used or new, and immediately start making it our personal calling card. This might entail brushed-steel toolboxes for that work truck or a new set of ground effects for that new sport truck.

Follow along as I detail how I created my own Silverado SS to serve as a combination rolling performance platform and work truck. I have recently retired from the airline industry where I had 32 years worth of experience, but it was successful since my number of landings equaled the number of takeoffs! Since I was also a Navy pilot, I have always believed in operating the best and most powerful equipment available. I installed the Magnuson Supercharger, Hotchkis front sway bar, Tokico shocks, Dynatech headers, and a Pace-Edwards Jackrabbit cover. The rear sway bar had to be integrated around the Flowmaster exhaust so we employed Gene Childress' talents at Muffler Masters since he had the welding tools and heavy-duty drill.

My previous experience with Hotchkis Performance made me aware that the best handling upgrade is a set of tuned 171/48-inch Hotchkis sway bars and Tokico Trekmaster shocks, especially since I'm planning to tow with this truck. After combining the Hotchkis sway bars and the shocks, the ride and handling are significantly better than stock.
My previous experience with Hotchkis Performance made me aware that the best handling upgr
Note the staggered mounting of the Tokico Trekmasters and the well-engineered frame-mounted rear Hotchkis sway bar-this arrangement helps plant the rear tires. The Flowmaster exhaust is designed and tested for specific applications. The exhaust note from this system doesn't even hint at the estimated 480 flywheel horsepower the little 5.3 Vortec cranks out.
Note the staggered mounting of the Tokico Trekmasters and the well-engineered frame-mounte
You cannot call yourself a car crafter unless you tweak the power. With a supercharger, you need an excellent exhaust system, including the DynaTech headers and connecting pipe with a catalytic converter to keep it all legal.
You cannot call yourself a car crafter unless you tweak the power. With a supercharger, yo

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.
The folks at Magnuson Products had just released their Radix Intercooled Supercharger for
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.
Here is the final installation of the blower, which easily fits under the hood. The interc
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.
We performed a series of chassis dyno-tests to get a complete before-and-after evaluation

By The Numbers
	Stock	Magnuson	Dynatech
	5.3L	Supercharger	Headers
Rear Wheel HP	244 @ 4,600	350 @ 5,300	364 @ 5,800
Rear Wheel TQ	282 @ 4,100	393 @ 3,700	400 @ 3,200

Stock gas mileage: 14 city/17 highway

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.
Next is dress-up and practicality. Since I attend car shows, I end up hauling a lot of stu
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!
When you travel out of your favorite radio stations' broadcast area there may or may not b
The Silverado SS is actually used for towing various vehicles from my shop to the alignment shop, dragstrip, or an autocross event.
The Silverado SS is actually used for towing various vehicles from my shop to the alignmen

Parts List
Component	Manufacturer	PN
Front & rear antiroll bar	Hotchkis	2229
Front shocks	Tokico	GE2952
Rear shocks	Tokico	GE3685C
Supercharger kit	Magnuson	01-12-60-001
Headers	Dynatech	115-841300
Exhaust system	Flowmaster	17257
Bedrug	Bedrug	BR-C99SB-K
Bed cover	Pace-Edwards	TR2003/TR2005

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.