Getting Dustin’s Duramax Back in the Saddle

I’m going to be honest with you; the idea of writing this feature still feels like a pipe dream. I’ve been really blessed in my life and had a LOT of really cool experiences, but building something worthy of being published in a magazine is an honor that I didn’t know I would get to experience. And I gotta say, it’s pretty freaking cool.

What you’re looking at here is my truck, a 2007 Silverado 2500HD. Now let’s get this out of the way right away—this truck is not a museum piece. Heck, between you and me, I would hardly even call it a show truck. This one has its fair share of battle scars. The frame could use a sandblast and coating, the bedsides are starting to show some rust, and when you get up close, the paint has enough imperfections to quickly tell you the story that this thing isn’t just looked at; it’s here to work. And work it has.

When we bought and built this truck, the intention was simple: I wanted to build something that could work and still look good doing it. After all, when all your friends have broken project/race cars, someone has to have a reliable tow rig, and that someone just happens to be me. That’s why every part, from the wheels and tires all the way to the Boost Auto switchback tow mirrors, was hand-picked for the build to give us the best of both worlds. We learned a lot over the years, but I’d like to say we did a pretty okay job. Anyways, enough of that; let’s talk about the build.

I bought the truck in January of 2020. At the time, the truck was basically stock. It had a set of aftermarket mirrors on it, an S&B intake that had stripped hardware on the filter cover, and a DSP5 switch with unknown tuning. Outside of that, it was stock as stock comes. Looking back now, it’s insane to me to think about. Like any good wheel and tire guy, my first set of wheels and tires was in the shop before I even brought the truck home, and I wasted no time getting this thing on a set of 20x10s and 285s.

That setup didn’t last long, however, as in May of 2020 we installed the lift kit, a 4.5-inch BDS. We wanted to keep things tall enough to clear a 14-wide but still reasonable enough that we could still squeeze this thing under a gooseneck trailer. Over the next 5 years this truck would go through several phases, from street tires and stock bumpers to its current look, which may be my favorite.

Starting from the ground up, the truck sits on a set of 24×14 TIS Forged wheels wrapped in a set of 35×15.50R24 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/Ts. It’s a big wheel and tire setup for a lot of folks, and it gets some hate, but that’s okay; I built it for me, not the opinion of the Internet. The 4.5-inch BDS lift kit still lives in the truck (for now), but more on that later. Rounding out the suspension is a set of McGaughys floating traction bars. For a daily driver, I REALLY like these traction bars. They’re floating, so they’re not quite as rigid/solid as a weld-on traction bar, which means they ride a bit better; however, you do give up a little bit of that rigidity for comfort. Life is all about trade-offs, right?

Standing tall at the front of the truck is a wicked-looking bumper from the folks up at GridIron Bumper Corp. in Canada. Jesse and his team do an incredible job of building bumpers for these trucks, and it gets a ton of love and attention every time I post it. Nestled into the bumper is a pair of Morimoto 4Banger fog lights, which give me more than enough light to do what I need to do at night. Then there are the AlphaRex headlights, which are also plenty bright and give a great light throw. And of course, we can’t forget the rock lights nestled in the wheel wells. While there are only 12 of them in there for now, we’ve got plans to bump that rookie number up very soon.

Keeping up with the “tow and show” idea, there’s a set of Air Lift Company LoadLifter 5000 air springs over the rear axle that I’ve undoubtedly overloaded at least once or twice in my life. Pair that with an onboard WirelessOne air compressor system, and you’re set. Rounding out the bed is perhaps my favorite modification on the whole truck, a Limitless Manufacturing Tri-Fold tonneau cover. These things aren’t the lightest in the world, but what you give up in weight you gain in rigidity and flexibility. More than once I’ve strapped something oversized on the top of the cover and hauled it down the road.

I could talk about this thing forever, and to be fair, there are probably a hundred stories to tell about hauling cars across the country, massive burnouts at my wedding, and simple country cruises on a summer night. When I bought this truck, I had no idea how much of a cornerstone in my life it would be. This truck has taken me places that I never would have gotten to experience otherwise. It taught me some hard but valuable lessons, and overall it has become such a staple of my life that I don’t know if I could ever sell it. It’s been such a privilege to build this thing over the last few years. There’s a whole host of new parts to go on it, so make sure you stay tuned for the next steps in a future episode, and, of course, you can always keep up with the build on Instagram at @Dusti_LBZ.

While I can’t say what’s next, I can leave you with this. There’s something fundamentally inspiring about writing an article on a childhood dream. From seeing my first Cateye Silverado at just 10 years old to owning my very own truck featured in the biggest and baddest diesel magazine in the world, this thing has been a treat, and we’re just getting started.

2007 Silverado 2500HD

Owner
Dustin Korth

ENGINE & POWERTRAIN

• Banks Power intake
• FASS Fuel Systems 165 GPM
• Banks Power rear differential cover
• Tuned w/ DSP 5-switch
• (3) Banks Power iDash Data Monster pillar pod gauges

CHASSIS & SUSPENSION

• 4.5-inch BDS lift kit
• 24×14 TIS Forged Wheels w/ floating caps
• 35×15.50R24 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T
• Kryptonite Ultimate Front End Package
• Red-Head steering gearbox
• AMP Research Power Steps
• McGaughys floating traction bars
• GridIron Bumper Corp. front bumper
• Limitless Manufacturing Tri-Fold tonneau cover
• Gen-Y hitch
• Air Lift Company LoadLifter 5000 support bags
• Air Lift Company WirelessAir compressor system
• Kleinn Automotive USTL 730 train horn kit
• Boost Auto tow mirrors w/ switchback lighting
• Black billet grille insert
• Billet Bowtie emblem

Lighting

• Alpharex Nova Series headlights
• Morimoto 4Banger fog lights
• (12) Morimoto rock lights
• Recon 2007-2013 cab lights
• AlphaRex taillights