Sports trucks are crazy-popular right now, though Chevrolet seems to be lagging behind Ford and Ram. However, there used to be a time when a Silverado was king of the pack. Don’t believe me? Just check out what’s under the hood of this 1990 454 SS pickup… well, the name gives it away, but you won’t be disappointing either way.
Everybody knows about popular early sports trucks like the F-150 Lightning. Unlike the modern Raptor, these were low, light, had V8 engines and muscle car-like handling. The GMC Syclone and Typhoon came a little before Ford, but they might not have existed without the 454 SS and its success.
This was a pretty interesting time. In the late 1980s, pickups became statement pieces at the drag strip. Having the best parts on your V8 half-ton lugger was becoming popular. Dodge and Shelby had teamed up to create the Shelby Dakota, and Chevrolet fought back well with this 454 SS in 1990, based on their new Silverado, introduced two years prior.
The 454 SS had a very short production run lasting until 1993. And where the Syclone fought with a turbocharged V8, this was all-motor. The 454 big-block was purpose-built to smoke rear tires, make a lot of noise and send you down the quarter-mile with intent.
Official numbers, which were probably underrated, say this 7.4-liter made 230 horsepower and 385 lb-ft. Nowadays, Chevy gives you as much power from a 2.0-liter turbo. But back in 1990, a Camaro IROC-Z produced 245 hp and 345 lb-ft. And this power was inside the lightest full-size C1500 GM that could roll off the assembly line: short box, single-cab, and two-wheel drive.
The 454 SS also handled well for its era, being lowered on Bilstein shock, fitted with a thicker front sway bar, quicker steering rack and meaty 275/65 R15 tires. Of course, the one we have here, being sold by Vanguard Motors, isn’t riding on 15-inch wheels. It’s got custom alloys from Raceline, 20″ at the front and 22″ at the rear with 285/35 Yokohama tires.
Shouldn’t the 454 SS be black?
All 1990 examples of the 454 looked the same. They were black outside with red interiors. Not this one, though. It underwent a full restomod which included a respray in pearl green or candy apple, whatever you want to call it. Over 1,000 hours of work have gone into the bodywork, which was done some years back at Body by NEX Hot Rods LLC in Gravetter, Arkansas.
Everywhere you look, there are subtle upgrades, like the shaved trunk handle, fog lights integrated into painted bumpers, or clear headlights. The panel gaps also look suspiciously tight for a Chevy of that era. $25,000 have reportedly been spent on the interior and it shows with all the custom tan leather and aluminum dashboard inserts.
Vanguard doesn’t have the original details for the engine, but we can see it’s undergone a rebuild. The 454 engine block is cast on 01/17/90, so it’s accurate for the truck, but is now a 462 cubic-inch with polished billet aluminum valve covers and air cleaner, March Performance serpentine belt pulley system with polished aluminum components, braided line sets, and Hedman ceramic-coated tubular headers and a large radiator with twin electric fans. The Edelbrock polished aluminum intake manifold makes this look carburated, but it’s fuel-injected and makes 400 hp.
If you grew up in the 1990s, you probably think this is cool and want one. Only 17,000 of these were made, and this is probably one of the most custom examples. Back in the day, one of these would set you back just under $20,000 new, but because so much work has gone into it, the candy pickup is going for $89,900.
