1990 Chevrolet C1500 Silverado 454 SS (2 Door Half-Ton PickUp Truck)
By 1990, the American manufacturers were churning out hundreds of thousands of pickups that were well equipped, comfortable and functional. Performance had basically disappeared until this little truck came along. The Chevrolet 454 SS Pickup changed everything that year and influenced the entire market going forward. What had been missing in the pickup truck market came on strong in 1990 with this truck…. Muscle!
The 454 SS was an instant success. In 1990, its first year of production, Its window sticker price of $18295 fell far short of the actual selling price which was significantly higher than the sticker price. With the release of this pickup, America’s need for speed which hadn’t been seen in nearly 2 decades, was well on its way to a long-awaited comeback…. and this time, it included Super Sport pickups!!
Chevy took their C1500 2dr short bed pickup truck and created the 454 SS. Only 10,000 of these trucks were built. Each came with a special option package called the B4U. This option package was only available in Onyx Black with red cloth interior. The 454ci 230hp TBI OHV engine was standard on the 454 SS. It was quick enough to punch out 7.7 second 0-60mph times. Very impressive in 1990 especially for a pickup truck. This pickup was in Mustang GT territory. Gas mileage suffered a bit (10mpg) due to its massive power plant but no one was buying this truck to save on gas. No one! Not then and not now!!
The engine is the original 454 big block which was completely & professionally rebuilt and bored .40 over. A Performance Hot Cam was added. The tranny is a brand new 3 speed Turbo 400 with a rebuilt shift kit. The 14 bolt rear end casing has an Eaton Detroit TrueTrac Differential with a 3.73 Posi. The motor work was done by Promar Precision Engines of Paterson NJ and has 3 years remaining on a 5 year warranty. The entire engine & drive train has been recently and professionally rebuilt and includes receipts and photos of every bit of it.
Features include air conditioning (converted to 134), power windows, power door locks, tilt wheel, cruise control, needleless gauges and AM-FM stereo with cassette player. The original radio has been replaced with a new Kenwood model KDC-BT375U with ALL today’s features including a disc drive (shown in photos), Sirius radio, CD player and more. The speakers were also upgraded.
The B4U package also included the Outside Appearance Package and the Performance Handling Package. The Outside Appearance Package added the 454 SS decals, the front Air Dam hood, fog lights and blackout trim. The Performance Handling Package added Bilstein gas shocks, quick ratio steering box (new) front & rear disc brakes and heavy front anti-roll stabilizer bars. It came with separate coolers for engine oil and transmission fluid and had a heavy-duty radiator to keep the engine bay comfortable. The 6-slot rims are also part of the package. A rear sliding window in the cockpit was standard on the 454 SS.
What you see there in the bed of this 454 SS is called a Bed-A-Crane. In the 70s & 80s, they were installed as a means for a tow-truck driver to race to a scene of a car accident to get the tow. It was literally first come-first serve. The first man to get there, gets the job so, the race was on. The Nickname for these guys and their trucks was “NYC Wreck Chasers” I have attached a link below. If you are interested in learning more about this little known part of automotive history, just click the link or; you can simply Google the phrase “NYC Wreck Chaser”. There are dozens of articles on the subject. Enjoy!
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/29/nyregion/a-tow-truck-driver-who-races-to-the-wreckage.html
The lift can easily be taken out by removing the 6 bolts in the bed of the pickup. We can remove it for you at no additional cost or you may keep it as is. It is in perfect working order. A licensed Tow Truck operator can use it for quick & easy repossession work which was also its purpose back in the day. The original liftgate is included with the sale.
Most of the 454 SS pickups did not survive the punishment they endured. This one not only survived the decades but was restored to near perfection with mostly original parts. Come and take a look. You will NOT be disappointed.
