FIRST Muscle Truck Ever: Custom 1990 Chevy 454 SS
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- čas přidán 26. 02. 2024
- They certainly don't make trucks like this anymore! This 1990 Chevy 454 SS not only has the 454 big block V8 under the hood, but also a custom paint job all around. ➡️ Don't forget to check out @MrsWizardsWays
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#carrepair #carwizard #carmechanic #autorepairshop #automobile #cars #car #chevy #chevytruck #chevyss #454 #454ss #chevrolet #chevrolettruck #90scars #chevypickup #custompaintjob #v8 #v8engine - Auta a dopravní prostředky
The lil red express and the warlock where the first muscle trucks I do believe
They were second. Early 60's Dodge Cutom Sport Special had 413 wedge and the late having a 365hp 426 wedge.
@@Sc2ner You beat me to it!
Then there was the Shelby Dakota, in the late 80's.
Thank you
Or perhaps the Dodge Dude.
The date code is on the inside facing sidewall on the tires. The outside is just showing the plant and option codes. Most white-wall or white letter tires have the full DOT/TIN on the white sidewall.
“How do they get such little horsepower out of such huge engines” Jeremy Clarkson --- it does have a beautiful paint job though!
It is a wonder to me that GM perfected the timing of the "leaky gasket" (and plastic parts) to coincide with the warranty expiration date. Yankee ingenuity!
@@oldrrocr its easy, they just stole the research done by subaru and bmw.
Peanut ports and low compression ratio !!
It's probably the most under-stressed powertrain GM has ever produced. So much torque the TH400 doesn't need to downshift to execute a pass, and if you were brave/dumb enough to hit the kickdown the rear tires would instantly light off. The Syclone was the serious performer. The 454SS is the redneck down at the Cars and Coffee burning donuts until the tires pop.
peanut ports , single exh! small bad flowing catalytic converter,2 barrel efi with protruding huge injectors(same as with the 305/305s of the era,they had the same cam same inj... calibration did nothing to save the 350,305s ran better until you started towing).The 454ss got the same 454 as the workhorse 3500 dually , its vocation was to tow in an era when diesels weren t popular.Its a beatyful truck and very civilized (especially for its era),and remember 1990 the revolution was all based on the 5.0L mustang , you know that tire blazing 15 second menace...
Had a buddy who bought one brand new to take his garbage pale to the end of his 1 mile long driveway. True story.
Wow! Guess it's like the guys today who buy a raptor as a commuter vehicle.
Did it take a half tank of gas to do that? I bet it did.
Glad someone is taking care of that truck. It's so cool. Just needs a few parts which is awesome for being nearly 35 years old.
This, to me, is still the greatest of all the muscle trucks. A big block Chevrolet engine in the lightest weight 1500 series truck? YES! And there was a lady in my area driving one about 20 years ago. She was (at the time) likely 55-60 years old, the truck still looked BRAND NEW and had a GLORIOUS sounding aftermarket dual exhaust.... And she barked the tires taking off from the light. It was beautiful. And I see a gentleman about the same age driving a GORGEOUS 1996 Corvette with its LT4 with an aftermarket exhaust rumbling through the same area a few days later, and he too, did the same thing. The 454SS truck is one of the few vehicles I would keep looking pretty much stock, and make mild upgrades for more power, but not go crazy.
People like what they like and don't like what they don't like. I am a truck guy. Sweet ride!🫡
My late brother had one like that (but in white color and tinted windows). He bought it in Mexico back in 1991. Here, it was called Silverado SS.
Even though the HP wasn't impressive just like Car Wizard said, the torque was a whole different beast!
Thanks Wizard, this vid brought to me good memories 😊 ❤
In Mexico it was called the 400 SS and there are still some around but they ask huge money for them.
Man I used to have an obsession for these trucks before I was 16. Test drove 7 of them but never was able to get one. Still love them today no matter how slow they are.
I remember seeing a 1990 SS 454 truck in a Houston showroom with a $5,000 gross profit add on. Some things never change with car dealers then as now.
That is a GORGEOUS truck. Its obviously had some minor restoration work done which is likely where the custom work was done. The wheels have almost certainly been refinished and the seats look like they've been redone and a few other tidbits in the interior. Immaculate truck though, beautiful paintjob. Kudos to the owner for giving the truck all the love it needs. I'm jealous.
LMFAO took me a minute to figure out what you meant by "BBC Power." 🤣
Haha no doubt it was on purpose
Yuck
When I was a young dude buying a used Camaro Berlinetta at the local Chevrolet dealer, they had a few of these ready for sale. October 1989, and at $20k they were way out of my price range and budget.
I am planning to reinstate a 1999 GMC Suburban with the 454 in it for towing this year. I’ll be sure to check out that intake issue you mentioned. Thanks! 😊
I got a 99 GMC suburban c2500 with the 454. 258k daily driver
I noticed mine is seeping from the front slightly...I don't leak oil though so I'm not gonna touch it 😂
My friends dad had one of these new. Put a lumpy roller cam, had the heads gone through, few other tricks. I'll never forget how long that thing would roast the tires after it hit second gear if you stayed in it. It would rip the tires off at pretty decent speeds if you jumped on it.
These were such a cool truck. I seen one one the highway a few years ago. Always wanted one. HP was low but still had decent torque. Thanks for a great memory!
What maybe 380?
@@flight2k5 probably somewhere around there, not sure
Internet says 385, you were close
@2k5 230hp {est were closer to 250-260} 385 lb-ft which for 1990 was not too shabby considering the majority of vehicles made only between 120-200hp, not many were more than that
@@SquirminHermanthe1eyedGerman it’s a joke
ultra simple to work on and pretty dependable - when trucks were affordable even a fancy tricked out one - the mileage sucks but less maintenance and cheap maintenance makes up for it #jb weld
Sure loved the sound on those old big blocks. The exhaust note I nice and not overly load.
My favorite pickup!!
I had a '74 Camper Special Chevy pickup. 454 with super turbine 400 transmission and a 4.10 rear axle. Four doors and an auxiliary 85 gallon fuel tank in the bed in addition to two saddle mounted 20 gallon fuel tanks. I replaced the stock overlap emission camshaft with an after market "torque" cam and improved the centrifugal timing. It already had headers and 2 1/2" exhaust pipes. The fuel economy increased from 6 mpg city and 8 mpg highway to 10 mpg city and 13 highway. Not fantastic but that sucker would pull tree stumps up.
Shit if you're gettin 6mpg, going up to 10 I'd wanna throw a party😂
Should have shown the instrument panel lit up...show blank plastic slabs is totally bad video...smh
You just described my friends truck. We use it to trailer cars, gather wood, etc. He once spun it a complete 360 on ice - all fun.
Hell, if you were lucky enough to have a switch-pitch transmission, you didn't need that deep of an axle ratio!!
I owned one of these! Fun truck, tons of torque. Went through lots of tires. Sounds killer with flowmaster super 40.
My closest neighbor has had one since as far back as I can remember. I bought my parents house couple years ago and he still has it. So going on 30 years
Eric The Car Guy has a cool Chevy pick up truck around the same year that is customized and quick. It was his dad's truck and he put in a whole new and different power train and other performance mods. Maybe you like to see online his truck?
I’ve seen it. It was a 1990 C1500 Sport originally built with the 350 and manual transmission, then had an aftermarket automatic for many years, until Eric’s dad brought it down to him. Sweet looking truck without the 454SS price tag.
I'll never forget the first GMT400 truck I ever saw, sitting on a Chevy lot as I was looking for a new truck. I ended up with a used Jeep CJ-7 and never owned a GMT400, still kinda regret that- even as the CJ was a great Jeep.
Trick Flow makes a head / intake / cam kit that will double the power numbers.😊
Love this era of chevy trucks. Even with a big block there’s still tons of room in the engine bay.
Paint job is really nice. Understated. Someone put in some work there. Sounds sweet, too.
I hardly think that 260 hp makes this a "muscle truck".
Back when these were new I met a man who had one and he loved it. But he made a point of saying that it wasn't all that fast, but boy did it ever tow his 30 foot boat around. Basically, the point of the big block V8's from American manufactures was smooth quiet TORQUE, not screaming horsepower, and it is known in circles that these engines were generally not as tough as small block V8's. These engines were supposed to be like electric motors, providing instant thrust with NO sound or vibration.
Great video!
The torque makes the muscle my man
@@samholdsworth420 People buy horsepower but drive torque my man-
230 hp @ 3600 rpm
My 99 mustang gt only has 260 hp! Ha.........I know, lame. That's why a kenne bell supercharger is on my list.
@@andys8718 There is a big difference with 260 hp in a 5000 pound truck and a 3400 pound Mustang....
I remember building a ton of these of the AMT models, I would make them hop, custom paint jobs and interior, just a little 5 year old kid sniffing paint 🤣 all day
Flashbacks to "old memory lane". Nice truck.
My dad gave me one of these for graduation in 1997. It would get 5-6 mpg and it ran 14.80s in the 1/4 with true dual exhaust and sticky tires. I sold it in 2018 before the obs prices got crazy.
Oh man, one of my favorites! My younger brother bought a new one & we destroyed the rear tires....many times! Just a good looking truck & I wished he had kept it ✌💖☮
I don't like trucks... But this one is an exception
That is beautiful, hands down!
That is one of the all time greats right there, thank you for the fantastic video of nostalgia. Had a 1994 Silverado Step Side with that same interior and 383 dropped in it. Never should have sold it.
This might've been General Motors first muscle truck, but not the first on the American Market. That award goes to Dodge lil'Red express truck in 1978. At the time, Car and Driver tested it as the quickest American made vehicle in 0-100mph.
1964 Dodge CSS was the first muscle truck 426 Wedge they ran high 12's in the 1/4 mile with slicks of the day that had traction of a 215/70 series modern trailer tire!
I have one of these, too. The OEM 454 jumped timing at 145K miles and bent all the pushrods. I installed a GMPP BBC 454; it's a Gen 5, not a Mark IV. So there are subtle differences. I also replaced the THM 400 with an R4 with an OD unit. Mileage around 9.6 MPG, but it's not my DD, so no matter. Smiles PG is more important! I also replaced the tires with BF Goodrich 285 x 55 x 15 on CenterLIne rims. It is an attention getter at gas stations, and around the neighborhood. It garners way more attention than my '06 Corvette. Since the new engine was installed, I've put 19K miles on it and about 5K on the R4. I don't care much for the PlaySkool type gauges, and like the later dashes with real needle gauges and tach. The later years also had an OD transmission, which the first ones should have come with, especially considering the 3.73 rear axle. The 454SS trucks are certainly iconic muscle trucks!
I put a 5.7 L Toyota engine on mine. 👍
The overdrive trucks had 4.10 gears
True, but the OD still reduced final drive ratio below 3.73. @@mauricecooper176
@@claiborneeastjr4129 but first gear was the same ratio so those trucks are a little quicker out the gate or they just spin the tires more
Right. So, really the best of both worlds! Mine will easily break those 285s loose in first gear.@@mauricecooper176
I had a coworker that had 2. A black one and a white one. Both were clean.
My neighbor had purchased one new at the time. The window sticker advertised it as having ten miles per gallon city and eleven miles per gallon highway but it would get up and go. We called those radial ac compressors. They were getting away from the axial compressors
Back in the 90’s when I worked for Schneider they gave one of these away to an employee. They had different trucks at every terminal
Came for the BBC content. Was not disappointed.
Everyone likes a BBC but most can’t handle it…. at the fuel pump….
@@RustyZipper The British Broadcasting Corporation leaves much to be desired, I feel your sentiment.
That 454 SS looks good
I always loved how those speedometers could wrap around.
cup holders were for drive in movies etc.
I put a Gear Venders 2-speed overdrive on mine, as well as taller rear tires. I liked the interior, the seats being darn comfy. If I remember correctly, you can lift out the drink holders in the center council to provide a decent handgun hidey-hole.
Bringing back memories here! My cousin had a white 454ss then traded it in for a Monte Carlo ss but these trucks definitely still have the cool factor. Crazy to think with such little hp how they were considered “muscle”.
I remember these competing with the Ford Lighting. Back in the 90’s these were cool “muscle” trucks and now, even though their horsepower isn’t that impressive, they still look great. Good luck finding one that isn’t completely trashed.
I was in high school in the mid 90’s driving a 1985 Grand Prix (150hp 305) which was totally gutless. I remember driving one of these 454 SS and an F150 Lightning and being overwhelmed by all of the power. 😂
@@jpete3027666 man, how many people had those mid 80’s Olds, Pontiac and GM cars with air shocks and Keystone classics. I graduated in 86 and those things were everywhere. They were great looking cars but that engine…..
14 bolt axle with 5 lug wheels. Now that's a special combo.
Yes, it is only vehicle to get it
ahhhh the flames that add at least 50 hp
Absolutely loved these trucks.
While you're at it pull the heads for some bowl work and gasket matching, clean the valves and make sure they're sealing, up grade the cam for a 220+ @.050 .5+ lift, and a very important 107LSA, may as well throw in a set of roller rockers. With my previous post this should double the HP and torque. I know but I couldn't help myself, all the best.
The last bbc, the 8.1 after this is absolutely amazing.
What a nice honest truck. The outside is nice and clean but, the owner didn't obsess over covering 24 years of underhood wear. It's been driven and is enjoyed rather than being another museum piece that only moves on a dollies.
Those trucks were all over NYC , everywhere, used as unlicensed tow trucks.
Your not towing much with a SS😂 you got the wrong truck bud
@waterloo123100 they definitely did they were all over the bronx at that time. I was a mechanic in the bronx at the time, too. I worked on many of them.
@@toecutterjenkins they don't have to payload to be a tow truck, it was probably a 2500 with the 8.0L
@JD-yx7be These were illegal unlicensed fly by night tow rigs in the Bronx. They didn't care about capacities.
I've been fixingbcars fornover 30 years. i know what they were. I've worked on them.
These trucks were setup with the cheater wheel lifts. Running in NYC pulling cars,repoin’ them. Don’t need to be a 2500.
Lil red express would like a word sir
I love these trucks, even if they are pretty slow by modern standards. I imagine some nice flowing heads and intake might liven it up significantly, as surely the heads are the limitation on that engine?
Eric the Car Guy's "Dad's Truck" darn near, but ETCG's has the Sport package and branding.
I was gonna post this but you beat me to it!
@@nknasi I thought ETCG might have driven to Kansas for a hot second.😁
yes I remember that series turned out great ,hers what my 91 looks like now czcams.com/video/-BDUuHcDqW4/video.html
I remember when these first came out and boy did I want one! It was definitely an eye catcher and it was still a useable, functional truck. That paint really pops!
My grandfather had a 454 3500 single cab chevy manual transmission 4v4 as his farm truck. It pulled all the hey and straw around the farm, moved equipment wherever needed, and then hauled the cows and sheep up into the mountains to graze for a few months out of the year.
It got 9-10 mph and that was it. No more no less but it got the job done. He had two additional gas tanks that sat along the sides of the bed so he could do long road trips when hauling live stock. Those were good times.
Because this was Utah it eventually rusted out and died a slow death as most Chevrolet trucks do thanks to salt on the road.
One of our friends bought one of these trucks to tow his boats, which included a rather large twin-engine job, but he wanted to get better mileage driving empty.
First, he threw an electric overdrive behind the Turbo 400. Then he yanked the whole tranny and put a 4L80-E in there with some external computer (he owned a transmission shop.) I'm pretty sure that the only two things that it ever did well was towing and drinking fuel... (I would have preferred any of the other GM Big blocks.)
The first muscle truck was dodges Little Red Express. In fact, Little Red Express was the first Muscle Car to emerge after they died off in the early 70’s since trucks didn’t have the same regulations as cars.
I was scrolling down to see how long it would take for someone to call this out and tell the truth.
Nope, it was the Dodge D Series HPP
I am trying to understand your comment about the early '80's since the Li'l red Express was a 1978 model.
@@mexicanspec typo. Meant early 70’s
Well that makes more sense.@@isaaccan3155
Lovely truck. Just lovely.
That’s one beautiful truck! I miss my 1990 Sierra 1500
Wish they made a truck this size today. They can even put a 2 liter turbo if they must.
Sharp lookin trucks for the day. Any color you could get, as long as it was Black. The Interior looks like something out of a 1970's Caddy.
Gunna guess whoever did the transmission mount broke the o2 sensor.
I've always been told "Theres no power like BBC power!". Seems even Car Wizard agrees. I tend to follow his advice, so I may have to try this "BBC" myself.
If you want to feel big block power find an old 70s one or the 8.1l in the early 2000s trucks. The 8.1 is a true torque monster
Once you go BBC you won't go back, or at least they say
Unfortunately the 8.1 was plagued with issues after a few years. Parts are expensive and there isn’t much aftermarket
I always love seeing cool Mercedes in here, could we all see G wagons on here too, I do love this old black pickup truck, she’s a beauty 1:08
BBC power 😂 I dont think he thought this through
or maybe he did, it is a black truck after all
Yes what's with British Broadcasting Network 😂
He probably fantasies over them.
😂😂
He knew exactly what he was doing.
Thank you that this truck doesn't have stupid huge tires and jacked up into the next time zone.
I had 1990 model first year of 454ss. The 1990 had a gen 2or 3 HO block i think its was with 400 turbo transmission.. The rear end was a special rearend made specific for the 454 SS truck. Mine had factory 411 postive traction. 3/4 ton 14 bolt center section with shorter axles custom made for the model. Impossible to find if issues arise. Thankfully it is very robust in strength. Mine jumped time sometime around 100,000 and bent valves in the peanut port heads. I replaced the intake with aluminum model from edelbroke for the throttle body injection and 396 close chamber heads . And a adjustable fuel regulator, bigger injector pods. Looking back it needed a better cam and replace the tbi with a performance carburetor.
He’s not wrong about the intake no matter what engine…had a ‘92 Yukon with a 5.7l and changed the original intake gasket at 220k.
It needed to be redone at 260k.
New intake and gasket it is. 😂
I had a '91 Chevy Sport truck. Non-SS, mine came with a 350 and a NV 5spd. Ended up swapping a 400sbc in with a 4.11 lsd in the back. I miss that truck.
Love the sound of that beast!
3:20 go to RA to check for an upgraded design compressor. I got a Santech style compressor to replace my GM HT6 which develops belly leaks, the huge o-rings needed to seal the front and back to the round middle housing. The Santech doesn't have these seals.
I had one in 90, only thing was it ate water pumps, starters and hoses. It came with a great warranty. But I sold it when it reached 70K miles and the warranty expired. Still loved it.
Back in '63, '64, and '65, Dodge offered the "Street Wedge". A couple of them had 413 cid, most of them got a 426 four barrel with automatic trans. my friend had a poster of one. I think his poster was a picture of a Max Wedge. He said you could order it in anything.
Brings back memories👍 my friend's truck would stop at every gas station.
Beautiful ride tho🤗
My dad had one, and I loved it!.... When I was about 15, 16, and 17 I would take it out for joy rides and sh*t, same with his Porsche 944 would take it out for a whip, a spin if you will! Haha
My R4 style AC Compressor only lasted about 4 years on my S10. Just replaced it the other day.
Next time, it's getting an LS swap, or a later model Vortec pulley system
Oh dear, and I made my first comment without seeing the video. That color......I love it. Dang what a sweet truck!
My 93 Caprice had one of those Harrison R4 A/C compressors and it made it all the way to the car's rusty demise at 312k. Original compressor. And yeah, it had a maroon interior!
These ended up around 255 hp, I think by 93 or so, still using TBI. Also I think the 4L80E came into the picture as early as 1991.
Awesome find, I remember one of these in my home town when they were new
Motor makes 230 hp at 3600 rpm. Anemic. Just a few go-fast parts will wake this engine up. Without taking the motor out, a cam and headers, new manifold and carb will easily get this thing in touch with 300 hp and well over 400 ft/lbs. A new set of aluminum heads would be tremendous. 350 hp and 450 torque is easily achieved.
I love your videos car wizard I grew up on a used car lot my dad was bud so I really love old cars
I had a 1984 GMC S-10 Jimmy with the 2.8 liter V-6 that blew out the manifold gaskets in 1993, no problem fixing them, but the valve covers leak like sieves, tried everything, ran until 2000 when my Type 2 Diabetes got so bad I couldn't feel the pedals, also the fuel gauge gave up the ghost around 1987-88, we tried 3 sender units in the tank, but still no go, I got reading good at figuring out the range of the tank.
Just rebuilt my 1978 chevy c20 truck 454, had the good oval port 781 heads cost me 2000$ with machine work. put 9 to 1 pistons in it, runs strong pulling 6k pound trailer.
Great CZcams channel!
Drove one of these in HS straight piped.
Nice truck!!
A GOOD Mechanic is really hard to find to the point I would almost be willing to drive from Dallas to Newton to get my OBS Truck worked on!
Stock that would be black with a red vinyl stripe on each side, and at the very end of the bed would have the logo that was on the front plate. I lived near Camp Lejeune and these were all over the place here, a bunch of themhere.
There were a few that were Maroon with black interior, not many. Most of them nowadays are in the JY's because, as wizard said, they were beat to death
I had one of the first years of that "pancake compressor" AKA the R4, and while I wish it was colder, it didn't fail in 100,000 miles...
I had a 1991 Chevy Silverado with the 350. Harrison made the AC compressor. I replaced three of them before I finally got rid of the truck after I had about 197,000 miles on it.
One of 100 or so auto builds floating in my mind is a lowered, extended cab 4x4 Silverado with full time conversion and a big block. The 454x4 SS Ext.
Thats a nice truck for being 34 years young ! It doesnt take much to unleash the potential from that engine !
Wow that truck takes me back to highschool.
Road tests from back in the day show a gmc Sonoma gt with a 4.3 was only .2 of a second behind the 454ss.....
Everyone comments the first was the dodge trucks with stacks (express/warlock) or the "dude" a wedge powered 60s truck.
But Chevrolet offered a big block short bed 1/2 ton from 67 forward.
Rally gauges were an option. Th400, 12 bolt with a posi...... So in 73 you could get a non smog 454, th400 and 12 bolt with big brakes.....in a 4000lb brick
BBC you know what I’m talk about
...oh yeah...British Broadcasting Corporation...
Those 454's in these trucks were absolute dogs....but, they are so cool. A 1/2 ton to come factory with a Big Block is just awesome. The 92-93 model years are the best ones to get. They had some front suspension changes and had the better analog gauges with actual needles. I could be wrong also, but I believe those years didn't come with the crappy smog pumps too.
I always liked these trucks.