6 Chevy Silverado Do-It-Yourself Upgrades - Stylin' Silverado

Most folks are probably under the impression that it takes a custom shop to build a high-quality sport truck. One of the best-kept secrets in the industry is that you can build your own killer sport truck through the mail. Yes, you can buy brand-name parts at an affordable price, have them delivered directly to your door, and have the personal satisfaction of doing the install work yourself.

To prove our point, we contacted Stylin' Concepts of Independence, Ohio, to help us with some simple bolt-on upgrades for a new Chevy Silverado. Stylin' Concepts is one of the largest mail order companies that specializes in sport truck accessories and has been around since the sport truck phenomenon took root in the early '90s. The company handles all the major brands and prides itself on great customer service.

For our Silverado, we chose a handful of parts that most people are looking for. They're simple bolt-ons that are easy for the novice do-it-yourself enthusiast to tackle. Among the six upgrades we chose is K&N's new 77-series air intake, a billet grille from Precision Design, a billet "bowtie" third brake light from All Sales, a stainless gauge face lens and needle kit from US Speedo, and a Hypertech Power Programmer III. All of these parts came direct from Stylin' Concepts.

By the time we got our hands on this Chevy, the Silverado had already been fitted with a 6-inch RCD lift kit and BFG rolling stock. The rest of the add-ons were installed in an afternoon's time and are highlighted in the following stories. The end result is a clean-looking street truck for a minimal investment of time and money. If you're in the market for some simple upgrades for your truck, and at least have a working knowledge of how to use simple handtools, talk to the folks at Stylin' Concepts and let them tell you how easy it is to transform your ride from stock to custom.

K&N 77-Series Air Intake
One of the first mods any truck owner looking for more horsepower will make is the addition of an aftermarket air intake. Up until now, K&N has only offered its FIPK line of air intake systems in a black-plastic finish. The company's newest lineup of intakes, the 77-series, is geared for both performance and looks.

The 77-series FIPK intakes are built with show-quality polished 6061 aluminum. At 3.5 inches in diameter, the mandrel-bent tubing, combined with a conical-style K&N filter, delivers much more air to the engine than the stock setup. This translates into more horsepower and torque and improved throttle response.

Installation is easily accomplished with common handtools since the K&N 77-series intakes come with all the necessary mounting hardware and instructions. The following photos outline the install on our guinea pig Chevy fitted with the 4.8L engine. On the dyno, the addition of the intake netted us a solid 8 rear-wheel horsepower and 15 lb-ft of torque, through the stock exhaust system no less.

Back Signals
Chrome taillights are so played out that they even come stock on some vehicles. So how do you get the custom look? Try carbon-fiber corners by In Pro Car Wear. These lights rearrange the sequence of the bulbs. They will definitely give you that custom style while still being legal.

Fine Dash Works
Driving around with stock interior can get old really fast, especially at night, when your cluster is boring and drab. A change is nice to your eyes. US Speedo has some of the coolest dash inserts we've seen in a long time. They have a sleek, sexy look day or night. By day, the stainless steel has rugged styling; by night, they project your cluster in a variety of colors.

Stylish Third Brake
When the first third brake lights hit production vehicles, it was obvious they were an afterthought. Even though they are molded in on today's body styles, they still have that un-cool stock look. But what do you do with that gaping wound if you don't have the money to fill it in? All Sales Manufacturing makes an array of third brake light covers to give a custom fill to your truck. They are billet-cool and easy to install.

Plug-In Power
Power is rarely an easy bolt-on project. In fact, in most cases it's a lot of time and money. But thanks to the marvels of modern motors, a simple handheld computer can make a huge difference. Hypertech is known for its plug-and-play Power Programmer. Optimizing your fuel-injection program for your combination is the best bang for the buck. It will open up the engine and tighten up the transmission and allow you to compensate for oversized wheels and rearend gear swaps. Best of all, it doesn't take any tools to install.

Garage Grille
Good and easy bolt-ons are hard to come by. With grilles being one of the most common modifications, it's hard to make a choice. Precision Design has some of the coolest easy-to-install grilles to be had. Simple driveway installs are not a problem for Precision grills. Here's how the install went down.