Custom ’06 Silverado SS Clone

The truck you see before you is a revving, tire-burning example of just how strong the performance truck scene in Texas currently is. Now, building badass pickups is nothing new for Texans—let’s make that point very clear. For decades, we’ve had the privilege of featuring countless builds from the Lone Star state, and there is a certain style that comes from this particular region we (and our readers) have grown to love. 

There’s an old saying that proclaims everything being bigger in Texas, and when it comes to the custom trucks out there, that certainly is the case when looking for huge billet wheels. Large diameters and wide lips are practically the norm out there, which makes a hell of a first impression when seeing how low they like their trucks too. While an aggressive stance and impressive wheel selection may be enough to “wow” just about anyone in the crowd, a loud, rumbling engine underneath the hood just seals the deal for the true performance truck fiends out there.

Beto of Houston Performance Trucks, a community-based social media page that has brought the local (and global) truck scene together, enjoys a ‘bagged ride height, big billet wheels, but it really is the performance factor that truly gets his motor going. If you want to get a peek into the product of Beto’s passion for these trucks, check out @OnDgas on Instagram and OnDgas.com online. There you’ll see the collaboration of real, everyday builders and truck enthusiasts get together to discuss and learn about everything related to building killer pickups.

When the time came to start on another personal truck project, Beto ran with the same source of inspiration a lot performance truck enthusiasts look to for motivation—the Chevy Silverado SS. Even though he planned to take his truck way past where the factory model left off, the styling and performance prowess of the Super Sport version of GM’s classic American pickup truck was at the heart of build.

Beto bought his ’06 Silverado back in 2014 and slowly got it dialed in to where it is today. Within a three-year period, the truck has been through many changes in multiple phases. It was first static dropped on 24- and 26-inch Savini wheels, which he enjoyed for a little while. But the need to take the truck even further, lower and faster was far too strong to ignore. Beto then began planning for a bigger and better metamorphosis that would turn the Silverado into a better representation of his taste in custom performance pickups.

The static drop kit was tossed into the scrap pile, and air-ride components were soon introduced to bring the Silverado down as low to the ground as possible. To capitalize on the lower ride height, Beto then chose a set of 26- and 28×12 billet Intro wheels to take up residence underneath the truck. The combination of the truck’s new stance and rolling attire made a huge difference in the truck’s overall appearance, but there was still more work to be done to reach the image Beto had for his Chevy.

The build just wouldn’t be complete without adding some serious performance gains, and the LS3 power plant and ProCharger setup ensures that Beto has the muscle to rip it up at the track or on the street (when the cops aren’t around).  

The truck’s factory paint just wasn’t cutting it, so Beto planned to change things up to the Blue Metallic color the SS Silverado was available in for just one year. To take the SS theme even further, a factory-issued body kit was also painted and bolted onto the truck’s exterior. The fresh paint really was the finishing touch Beto was looking to add to his Silverado, aside from a supercharged LS engine. Yep, the build just wouldn’t be complete without adding some serious performance gains, and the LS3 power plant and ProCharger setup ensures that Beto has the muscle to rip it up at the track or on the street (when the cops aren’t around).

Even though this truck looks fast (which it really is), Beto’s SS clone is mainly his show truck that just happens to have a race theme to it. He does have other pickups that he races with at the performance-centric events he hosts in Texas throughout the year. He has eight of them to be specific, so there really is no shortage of high-speed fun in his future.

Beto and his friends have proven to be important players in the country’s custom truck scene, not just in the region they’re in. There will be no slowing down in their progress, weird quarantine guidelines or not. That is a fact that you can bank on, and something that can certainly inspire you to start your own new project truck or push the one you’re currently working on across the finish line.

TRUCK SPECS

 Owner 

Beto HPT
2006 Chevy 1500 Silverado SS
Houston, Texas 

Engine

• 2013 6.2L LS3
• Kooks Headers
• 3-inch Magnaflow exhaust system
• F-1R ProCharger supercharger system
• 8-ft. lbs. boost / 757 HP to the wheels
• 4L80E transmission by Juan Transmission
• Circle D Specialties torque converter

Body/Paint

• Factory GM paint
• SS Body kit

Chassis/Suspension 

• Shop: All Star Customs
• Ekstensive front ‘bag kit
• Rear coils

Wheels/Tires/Brakes 

• 26×9 & 28×12 Intro Wheels

Interior 

• Shop: Enrique Interior
• Black upholstery with contrasting blue stitching