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Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab Truck

Below is an enthusiast article written by the automotive experts at Diesel Power. Nothing is cooler than seeing a lowered Crew Cab dualie with a mile-long enclosed trailer in tow blazing down the interstate. There is something about a low, long dualie that entices people, even those who are not truck enthusiasts. A low-slung dualie that lay

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2002 Chevrolet Silverado Costs of Ownership

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Value Rating

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IntelliChoice Value Rating

The chart above shows the purchase price versus ownership cost for each car from a specific vehicle class. The cars with better than average ownership cost/purchase price correlations are the best values, and these best value cars are represented by the dots below the curve. (i.e. the cars that have a lower ownership cost compared to its purchase price.) Those cars, which are worse than average or poor values, appear above the curve.

One way to view the graph is to draw a vertical line through any purchase price. You may see several dots that fall on this line - each of which is a car with a similar purchase price. However, notice the difference in ownership costs of each car represented by the vertical position of the dot. Two cars with the same purchase price can have thousands of dollars difference in ownership costs. This is what separates "good value" cars from "poor value" cars.

What is a good car value?

A "good car value" is one whose cost to own and operate is less than expected. The lower the cost to own and operate a car compared to what is expected, the better the value of that car.

But how do we know a car's "expected cost"?

For each car in the class, IntelliChoice plots the car's purchase price against the total five-year cost to own and operate it as determined by IntelliChoice research. Each dot on the above chart represents a specific car. Generally, we find that as the purchase price of the car increases, the cost to own and operate that car increases. This is why the dots on the graph tend to rise upward and to the right. This phenomenon also makes intuitive sense - as the purchase price rises, financing costs tend to rise, as do insurance, depreciation, taxes, and most other car ownership costs.

This is an important concept. It's normal for car ownership costs to rise as purchase price rises. Therefore, we can't just establish one "average" ownership cost number for each class, since cars in the class have different purchase prices. (This is why the "Relative" shown on each chart is different for cars in the same car class.)

Using statistical techniques, IntelliChoice "connects the dots" to form a curve that defines, for this car class, the relationship between the car's purchase price and car's ownership costs. This curve is our "expected cost" curve. The curve defines, for any car in the class, the five-year ownership cost that we would expect to see at each possible purchase price. If every car in the class were an average value, then all the dots would fall exactly on the curve. However, it's rare that any dot is exactly on the curve. Some dots are a little higher or lower, and some are a lot higher or lower. The dots that are a little lower are better than average car values, while the dots that are a lot lower are excellent car values (A dot that is a lot lower than the curve has ownership costs much lower than expected for a car of its purchase price). Conversely, a dot a little higher than the curve is a poorer than average car value, while a dot that is much higher than the curve is a poor car value.

Value is a relative term, not an absolute term. It is performing better than the logical expectation.

So is a Mercedes-Benz E320 expensive to own and operate? Certainly in an absolute sense. Most other cars cost less. But, when its cost to own and operate is plotted against cars with comparable invoice prices, the E320 costs less. So the E320 is not expensive to own and operate - it is a good car value. The Mercedes does not have low ownership costs, but it has low ownership costs for its invoice price.

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Article From Diesel Power Magazine

Tuskarado

Wicked Crew Cab Dualie / all contributors: Bob Ryder
photographer: Allyson Harwood, Dan Ward
/ Article provided by: Diesel Power Magazine

Nothing is cooler than seeing a lowered Crew Cab dualie with a mile-long enclosed trailer in tow blazing down the interstate. There is something about a low, long dualie that entices people, even those who are not truck enthusiasts. A low-slung dualie that lays frame gives an illusion of being lower than possible. The initial purpose of a dualie is to serve as the ultimate workhorse, with a greater payload and towing capacity than other trucks.

Doug Ganschow, a tinsmith from Montrose, Michigan, has been an avid custom truck, street rod, lowrider, and drag racing enthusiast for the past 20 years. Needing a tow vehicle for his business, Doug purchased an '02 Chevrolet 3500 Silverado Crew Cab Dualie. Before its first tank of gas was consumed, Doug delivered it to the team at Pro Fabricating in Montrose.

Pro Fab is responsible for the majority of the modifications. Starting with the undercarriage, an Air Lift Dualie Air Kit lowered the front 10 inches by replacing the stock control arms with Air Lift upper and lower control arms with 2B-8 airbags and Reflex gas shocks. To protect the undercarriage while 'railing, a skidplate was bolted up to the crossmember. The rear suspension was lowered by the crew at Pro Fab by removing the factory leaf springs, then installing the Air Lift four-link system, Air Lift lR-9 rolling lobe, and Air Lift 'bags with 1/4-inch-diameter port valves. The rear framerails were C-notched and bridged, and a Panhard bar was installed to eliminate any lateral movement. The four-link suspension bars and Panhard bar were chrome-plated by Component Coating in Bridgeport, Michigan. The Air Lift rear suspension system drops the rear 14 inches from stock, allowing the framerails to be grounded. Doug's dualie rolls on a set of Foose Spank Dualie 16x6-inch wheels wrapped in Goodyear Wrangler LT215/85R16 rubber.

The choice of power is an eight-cylinder Duramax Diesel 6.6L, which delivers plenty of torque and power for towing. To help increase airflow, a K&N Air Charger intake system was installed. Pro Fab sculpted the engine cover, which was painted by Mike Brabrant. The intercooler tube was coated with Cermakrome by Component Coating. On the other end, a Gibson Exhaust system helps deliver greater horsepower and torque, increasing the exhaust gas flow.

To achieve a more aggressive profile, a Pro Glass ram-air hood was installed. Stull Industries is responsible for the Billet grille flanked by a pair of Projector headlights. The pair of factory rear taillights had their black trim removed to give them a more sporty look. A steel-grafted roll pan smoothes the rear end's complexion. To give the door handles a stealthy look, they were simply painted red. To keep an eye on rearview traffic, a pair of Street Scene sport mirrors were installed. The front factory bumper license plate holes were welded up. The Pro Fab crew cut out a pair of airflow vents in the bumper then filled them with billet bars to match the Stull grille by Pro Fab. To lower the front end's leading edge, East Coast Customs installed a front spoiler. A pair of side panel skirts were fabricated to achieve a lower-than-low look and mask the dualie's framerails. Then, the front fender flares were removed.

A fiberglass tonneau hugs the bed framerails to smooth the dualie's tail edge and increase fuel mileage.

The talented team at Bewley's Body Works, in Indianapolis, painted the top half of the truck black, bordered by airbrushed tusk-like graphics.

The interior dash and console was sanded smooth then painted red. Little's Upholstery in Indianapolis reworked the factory charcoal cloth seats with red perforated leather inserts. The door panels were covered with the same stylish cloth and leather treatments. The earth-shaking entertainment center is headed up by a Pioneer Mobile AVH-6500 DVD digital server with a 6.5-inch motorized touch panel display. The power is supplied by Pioneer PRS-X720 Car Audio Amplifiers to each subwoofer, with a Pioneer Premier PRS-X340 200-watt amp feeding each door panel speaker. The installation was performed by The Other Guys, in Midland, Michigan, and the aluminum work between the amplifiers was done by Pro Fab. There's a total of eight speakers in the cab, including two in the front and rear doors, a pair of subwoofers under the rear seat, and a pair of tweeters to round out the mix.

Tuskarado took only six months to complete. Upon completion, Doug took it for a 98-mile testdrive, then he hooked his 26-foot enclosed trailer behind Tuskarado and left for the 2002 SEMA Show, in Las Vegas, nearly 2,000 miles away. After our photo shoot, Doug hooked up his enclosed trailer and began his 2,000-mile return home, without a glitch.

If you're going to build 'em, build 'em to drive.

Airbrushed tusks are banded around the Tuskarado's body line.

The factory charcoal-gray cloth seat inserts were replaced with red perforated leather.

Impressive oval-shaped exhaust tips exit the aerodynamic skirt just in front of the rear wheel opening.

A healthy Duramax 6.6L Diesel features a K&N Air Charger. The intercooler tube is Cermakrome-coated, and the trick custom sheetmetal engine cover was produced by Pro Fabricating.

Hidden behind the rear seat are the two powerful Pioneer Premier PRS-X720 amplifiers producing 700 watts to each subwoofer. The other Pioneer Premier PRS-X340 amplifier supplies 200 watts to the door speakers.

The dash and other trim pieces were sanded smooth then painted red to match the exterior's paint color. Airbag switches were conveniently mounted on the center console tray. A billet shift lever and billet pedal covers add to the performance decor. The main focal point is the Pioneer mobile AVH-6500 DVD digital server with a 6.5-inch motorized touch panel display.