When trucks were first invented, they were simply a means for farmers and industrialists to complete whatever task at hand, that justified the ownership and use of a pickup. Whether it be hauling the pigs to market or heavy equipment to the work site, they were initially intended to be essentially a tractor with hauling capabilities and the ability to achieve highway speeds.
Overtime, however, they’ve created a following and a fanbase for customization and performance upgrades. Throughout the decades, there were dedicated performance variants of pickups that were intended for sheer straight line speed from the manufacturer; the GMC Syclone and Chevy 454SS immediately come to mind.
One of the great things about the modern full-sized GM pickups is the platform in which they are based.
When compared to their forebears of the ’80s and ’90s, the stock output paired with the engine platform lends an unlimited amount of tunabilty and we’re seeing it more and more today, almost too the point that creating a dedicated performance truck would be redundant.
Trucks like the GMC Sierra depicted here are a perfect case in point. Having left the factory with a GEN-V LT-based powerplant, the sky is the limit on what kind of performance upgrades you can perform on them. In this case, an aftermarket turbo kit (and a massive intercooler) have been installed in this particular example and it helped transform the truck from a 15-second daily hauler, to a low 12-second “sleeper” that’s laying waste to F-bodies and other LS-powered vehicles alike.
Although the specific details are a little sparse in the video from BigKlieb34, the results of turbocharging the 5500-lb truck are impressive nonetheless.
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
