Street Trucks

The Intimidato­r

Attack of the Silverado SS Clone

- WORDS BY JOHN MATA JR. PHOTOS BY VICTOR LOPEZ

CHEVY ENTHUSIAST­S WHO HAVE A NEED FOR SPEED AND ALL-AROUND ON-ROAD AGGRESSION HOLD THE SUPER SPORT LINEUP OF BOW TIE CLAD VEHICLES VERY NEAR AND DEAR. The muscle cars of the past bearing the distinctiv­e SS badging let onlookers and would-be competitio­n know right away what they were rocking with. From upgraded interior trim packaging, more responsive suspension components to more power under the hood, Chevy SS cars are in a class all their own.

Throughout the years, Chevy truck fanatics have had the opportunit­y to join in on the SS lineage with special edition pickup models since the early ’90s, but none have been more popular than the release of the Silverado SS in the early 2000s. These trucks are true timepieces of style and performanc­e, and while there might not be too many for sale out there in everyone’s area, there’s always a way around that problem.

Once upon a time, Rolando Lopez, of Pharr, Texas, found himself searching for a truck of his own to build since he had some friends in a local club (shout out

R2R Truckings). Seeing his buddies working on their projects and spending time with each other at shows was enough to reel him into the action. Throughout the years, Rolando has owned a couple trucks that turned out to be show worthy, but his most recent project is the one that he has invested the most time and effort into.

When Rolando found his 2005 Silverado, it was already half built by someone else. While that can sometimes be an issue, he took it in stride by working with the modificati­ons he was cool with and changing things up where he saw fit. Now, most guys see the crew cab as a desirable model since they’re passenger friendly and offer a lot of interior space, but Rolando couldn’t take his mind off trying to give it some SS flavor, even though all the Super Sport Silverados came in the extended cab configurat­ion. The transforma­tion of his truck wouldn’t be impossible, however. It would just require some imaginatio­n and hands-on detailing to make it work.

To start the project, Rolando began with the chassis. Wanting his truck to look like a true SS Silverado, only a modest drop was in order. The rear of the frame was C-notched to allow for ample suspension travel, and the front was lowered using 2-inch springs. Wanting to run with a sporty wheel selection while still making a lasting first impression, Rolando selected a killer set of 26- and 28-inch Intro Retro wheels to fill in the remaining fender gap. He then found some Dunlop rubber to fit the wheels, and felt it necessary to upgrade the braking system with front Wilwood 16inch, 6-piston calipers—good call there.

Rolando was able to get his hands on an OEM SS body kit, which was honestly half the battle of ultimately accomplish­ing what he wanted with his Silverado. The kit was carefully molded and pieced

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