SILVERADO - Everything You Need to Know | Up to Speed

The Chevy Silverado: A Legendary Pickup Truck

I'm a Chevyboy, Bowtie Brigadier, and I'm here to give you the lowdown on the most iconic pickup truck of them all - the Chevy Silverado. You know my ride? It's got Realtree camo seats, rockstar rims with that star in the middle, and a lift six inch. With this beast, I can pretty much go anywhere I want. Speaking of which, are you thirsty? I've got 30 racks and 90 likes in the back - all thanks to my trusty truck.

The History of the Chevy Silverado

The history of the Chevy Silverado begins with the iconic C and K series full-size pickup trucks. These models span four generations between 1959 and 2000, making them a staple in American truck culture. So, what sets the C and K series apart from one another? Well, it's quite simple - about eight letters, to be exact. The difference lies in the drivetrain: the C was rear-wheel drive, while the K was four-wheel drive. Chevy C/K trucks have been trusted steeds for anyone who makes an honest living hauling heavy payloads, including ranchers, farmers, fishermen, and even race teams.

A New Era Begins

In the late '70s, Chevy introduced the name Silverado as a trim level of their third-generation C/K truck. It was a bit classier with chrome trim and a snaz interior - let's make it a thing! But what really set the Silverado apart was its off-road ruggedness, which earned it a reputation as a rockstar truck. By the early '90s, GM realized that the landscape of the American truck market had changed with the introduction of import trucks in the '80s. These new entrants created a small truck market that Chevy needed to adapt to.

The Decision: Bigger or Better?

So, what would Chevy do? They already had the tiny S10 pickups on their hands, so they went bigger! That's right, folks - Chevy doubled down with the Silverado and decided to position it as the workhorse against which other trucks' workhorses would be measured. The stakes were high, but Chevy was confident in its new creation.

A Personal Connection

Hey guys, hang on - we'll be fixed any minute now. But I want to take a moment to talk about how my love for cars started. It's 1998, and I'm just realizing I want cars. I'm living with my dad for the first time in six years, and I find a picture of a Chevy Silverado in a car magazine that changes everything for me. This is where it all began - my journey as a car enthusiast, and my appreciation for the iconic Chevy Silverado.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(crowd noise)- Yeah man, I'm a Chevyboy, Bowtie Brigadier,Bowtie Brigade, First Sergeant,General Staff Sergeant.You know my truck's gotthem Realtree camo seats,them rockstar rims withthat star in the middle, uh.Yes, got a lift six inch.I can pretty much go(snort) anywhere I want.Yo, you thirsty?I got 30 rack and 90 likes in the back.(spit)(laughter)This is everything you needto know to get up to speedon the Chevy Silverado.(energetic gaming music)The history of Chevy's Silverado beginswith Chevy's iconic C and Kseries full size pickup trucks.The C/K models span fourgenerations between 1959 and 2000.So what is the differencebetween the C and the K series trucks?About eight letters.(laughter)It was the drivetrains.The C was rear-wheel drive.And the K was four-wheel drive.Chevy C/K trucks were trustysteeds and were well lovedby anyone who made an honestliving hauling heavy payloads:ranchers, farmers, fishermen, race teams,farm farmers, fish racers, etc...We'll do a whole episode on the C10 pickupbut this is about the Silverado.So we're gonna skip ahead a bit.In the late '70's, Chevyintroduced the name Silveradoas a trim level of theirthird generation C/K truck.It was a bit classier withchrome trim and a snaz interior,hashtag #snaz.Let's make it a thing.But maintained the offroad ruggednessthat was earning therelike the rock reputation.By the early '90's, themboys 'n girls at GM realizedthat the landscape of theAmerican truck market had changed.Import trucks had createda new small truck marketthrough the '80's.And Chevy knew that theyhad to go one of two wayswith their new truck line.Smaller and more fuel efficient?Or bigger and more badass?So what would they do?They already had the tiny S10 pickups so-They went bigger!Bigger!(shouting)(beep)Hey guys, hang on.Hurry up.We'll be - don't worry, it's goingto be fixed any minute now.(beep)- Chevy doubled down withthe Silverado and decidedthat while the other guys wereall chasing their tales makinglittle baby (bleep) trucks,they would position theSilverado as the workhorseagainst which other'sworkhorses would be measured.In 1998 through the 1999model year, a bigger,badder Chevy truck, theSilverado, finally made iton to the scene.Okay, guys- I want topaint a picture for ya.It's 1998, I'm just realizing I want cars.I'm living with my dad forthe first time in six years.I find a picture in a carmagazine of a Chevy Silverado."Dad, I want this truck!"And he's like, "Sure."He was a liar.I couldn't- We couldn't afford that.Anyways, one of thefirst cars I ever wanted.I thought it was cool as shit.I lived in Kentucky.Back to the story.The Silverado was settinga new standard for trucks.It was bigger, faster,stronger, and smarter.Bigger, faster, stronger, smarter.The Silverado 1500 got bettergas mileage than the F150,made more power than the Dodge Ram,and could tow more than either of them.(tires burning out)After proving itself tobe America's best truck,the Silverado earned MotorTrend's Truck of the Year award.Sure, they gave it to theMercedes M-Class the year beforeand the Aerostar Minivan in 1990,but that's besides the point.The top of the food chain, large adult sonof the Chevy truck line-upduring this generation wasthe 3500HD which standsfor heavy hog- hashtag #heavydog.Let's make it happen.And get ready all you diesel nerds,here's the thing you've been waiting for.Duramax!(exhaust spewing)The 3500 heavy dog waspowered by a 6.6 literDuramax diesel V8and cranked out 360 hrsprsand 650 pound feet of turk.This big boy could towalmost 17,000 pounds,and haul around 5,000 pounds in the bed.That's enough to carrymy two buffest horses,Dice and Carlin.But what if you don'tneed to haul heavy stuff?What if the only thing youneed to haul is (bleep)?Enter the Chevy Silverado Super Sport,a 345 horsepower beast, poweredby Chevy's 6 liter LQ9 V8.It came with a fourspeed automatic gearbox,all wheel drive,and had an aggressivefour ten gear ratio for-basically burnouts.It was a burnout truck.(tires burning out)(tires squealing)By 2006, it would comewith more cool upgradeslike performancesuspension, 20-inch wheels,and even a limited edition Intimidator SSwhich I will talk about-right now.Dale Earnhardt was one of the winningestand most badass race cardrivers in American history.The very sight of Dale inthe rearview was enoughto make you quiver with fear.Catching a glimpse ofthat legendary mustacheintimidated the competitionin to submission,thus the Intimidator.In 2006, five years afterDale's tragic death,Chevy honored his memory withthe Intimidator SS edition.This sport truck only came in Onyx Blackand had a whole bunch ofsick appearance upgradeslike a rear spoiler on a truck,headrests emblazoned with an imageof Dale winning against a big E,and Intimidator badges all over.Handling was improved.It had bigger anti-roll barswith the locking 3.73 diff in the back.You know what that means, right?Big old smoking burnoutswith both tires spinning!Do it for Dale!I really like this guy andeverybody should watch NASCAR.(tires burning out)As fun as race inspired trucks are,they're not the reasonmost people buy trucks.Most people, who buy trucks, buy trucksbecause they're roughand ready work doers.And that brings us to perhapsthe most iconic Silveradothere is, the Z71.I know you've seen the iconic Z71 badge.I'm about to tell you cute,little babies what it means.Originally, Z71 was just an internal codefor an options package.For ordering purposes,the Z71 package camewith upgraded Bilsteinshocks, skid plates,and an offroad ready locking rear diff.(tires spinning)To their complete surprise,the Z71 sold like hotcakes.And why wouldn't they?The fact that the mostpurpose built versionof Chevy's most purposebuilt truck further provedthat when you wanted areal truck workhorse,you got a Chevy.(tires spinning in mud)Chevy had also been runningtheir like the rock addsfor over a decade.And by 2004, nine yearsafter Post Malone was born,I guess they figuredthey'd made their point.Chevy's new umbrella sloganfor all of their vehicles was-- Chevy Silverado,an American revolution.- And they tried toexpand their market share.Chevy offered it as ahybrid in 2004 dubbed-the Silverado Hybrid.The Silverado Hybrid wasalso the first mild hybridwhich used an electric motor just to helpwith starting up, charging batteries,and powering accessories.So, it wasn't really one.The second generationSilverado was everythingthe first generation was and more.It de-butted in 2007 and got a more plush,more upscale interior,with a revised exterior,with smaller panelgaps, and tighter lines.It sat atop an entirely new frameand completely revised suspension.The new frame improved bodystiffness by a massive 92%,a bigger transformationthan Christian Bale goingfrom The Machinist to TheDark Knight in under a year.The new 6.2 liter, 403horsepower Vortec V8was now available tomake the new truck fasterand haul more libs.The new, sleeker body designoffered better fuel economywhich was getting more importantwhile America entered the Great Recession.Speaking of fuel economy,you can finally get a six-speedautomatic transmission,a much welcomed upgradeover the previous gen'sdog of a four-speed.Welcome to the 21st Century, Silverado!(peppy country music)Chevy aimed to make it even better.2014 saw the introductionof a brand new Silveradoafter the second gen's seven year run.The third generation K2XXSilverado came on the scenewith updated body work, bettergrill, bigger wheel arches,and a host of new trims and engines.What else were youexpecting, it's a Chevy?(tires burning out)For the third gen Silverado, GM did awaywith the Vortec family of V8sand introduced the Ecotec V6s and V8s.They made more power, baby!With this generation, Chevymade a bunch of changesthat increased the strengthand dropped the weightof the new Silverado.They used aluminum inthe hood, engine block,and massive control arms to save weight.Ask your grandpappy ifhe ever thought the hoodof a Chevy truck wouldbe made out of aluminum.And he'd say, "Who are you?""Give me my nurse."This was also the first timethe Silverado had a modelwith high luxury, highspec, and high class.The High Country came with abeautiful leather interior,all the amenities you could want,and because it's a Chevy, special badging!(tires burning out)The biggest developmentwith the third gen Silveradowas the massive amountof special editions.Whoo boy, were there special editions.There was the Texasedition, Alaskan edition,Rally edition 1, Rallyedition 2, Blackout edition,Midnight edition, Midnight HDedition, Custom Sport edition,Realtree edition, Redlineedition, Special Ops edition,High Desert edition.Oh my god, I think that's it.But wait, you forgot aboutthe Costco Sport HD edition,the LT, the LTZ, the Z71.Oh my god, it's gottabe the most- cause mightas well talk about history.It was all kinds of trucksfor all kinds of people.This year Chevy debutedthe fourth generation,T1XX Silverado.It has an even more aggressive front end,more muscular wheel arches,Robocop-inspired headlights,and a healthy mix of engines.This one is also the first time Chevyhas put a 2.7 liter turbounder the hood of a Silverado.This turbo four cylinder engine getsas much as 22 pounds of boost.This little puppy cranks outs 310 hrsprsand 348 pound feet of turks.Just like before, if you've got a pulse,they got a Silverado for you.And don't lament theloss of the Z71 packagebecause they still got twos of them,Trail Boss and Custom Trail Boss.It's got a fricking lift, offroad tires,and of course a skid plate.And it doesn't stop there,the 2020 Silverado will be even bigger.And for al you coal bros, you pervs,the old Duramax dieselV8 is gonna give you910 pound feet of torquethrough a new Allison ten speed.Keep'em coming, Chevy!(spits)(crowd noise)Thank you so much forwatching Up to Speed.If you guys didn't watch it,we wouldn't get to make it.Some of you guys have reached out to usand been like, "Hey, I'dlike to send you somelike cool or weird stuff."So we've addressed that,we now have a PO Box.Send weird and cool stuff to Donut Media,PO Box 64669, Los Angeles, CA 90064.If you liked this video,click that Like button.If you don't want tomiss any in the future,hit that subscribe button.My name is James.To follow me on Instagram,go to @jamespumphrey.To follow Donut onInstagram, go to @donutmedia.Watch these two videos.You like my shirt, go to donutmedia.com.I love you!(growl)