Chevrolet C1500 454 SS

Background

A black 454 SS built to look like a clean, period-correct street truck and run like a drag car.

Chassis & Rear Axle

• QA1 front control arms
• Front and rear anti-roll bars upgraded with uniballs
• New steering box
• Rear axle narrowed with Strange bearing carriers to make room for drag slicks
• Wilwood rear disc brakes conversion with internal handbrake
• Got Torque axles for C-clip delete
• New rear shock brackets and Viking coilovers all around
• Rear leaf spring sliders with custom mounts
• Caltrac traction bars

The whole suspension is fully adjustable and set up for drag racing.

Engine & Systems

The big-block race engine, originally built in Germany, got a light refresh at Erkki Engineering, local big block specialists. We built a new fuel system around a new fuel tank, converted all the hoses from clamps to AN fittings, and made a custom oil pan with trap doors and extra capacity, to keep up with the G-s this car is pulling. The headers got custom heat shielding, and the battery moved from the engine bay to the back of the truck.

Interior & Safety

The custom roll bar was built in cooperation with Harris Weldworks. To go with it, we made a new polycarbonate rear window with custom seals where the tubes pass through, and stiffened the cab mounts. Inside there's a Kirkey race seat with Sabelt harnesses, and the truck got an FIA master switch.

Result

Best run so far came at the Estonian Drag Racing Championship final round in August 2026. The build isn't finished yet, and next up is a MaxxECU Race GEN2.

Quarter mile: 10.951 s @ 200.3 km/h (124.4 mph)

60 ft: 1.564 s

330 ft: 4.501 s

1/8 mile: 6.986 s @ 158.4 km/h

Power: 503.5 kW (675 hp) @ 5625 RPM

Torque: 936.1 Nm @ 4225 RPM

These power numbers are at the wheels!