Inventory Listing

One owner truck with pro-built 454 making 430 horsepower and 533 pounds of torque. Ice cold A/C, immaculate original paint, steel cowl hood, gorgeous interior. One of the best and ready to rock!

Yes, you read that correctly, this is a ONE OWNER truck, purchased new in 1990 by the same guy whose name is on the title today. As a result, it’s beautifully maintained and since it was purchased as a toy, not a daily driver, the paint and bodywork are immaculate. The sole deviation from original specs is a steel cowl induction hood, which works at least as well on this truck as it does on an early Camaro, giving it the last bit of aggression to round out its look. And yes, aside from the hood, it’s 100% factory paint that’s in outstanding condition having never been hit or rusty and if this truck has seen rain, it was only in an emergency. More recently, it was treated to a spray-in bedliner which keeps the truck’s utility intact and looks great doing it.

The only interior was a special Garnet Red bucket seat setup that makes the 454 SS strictly a 2-seater. A/C, power windows and locks, a tilt steering column, cruise control, and a sliding rear window are included and everything works properly except the cruise. The A/C is cold enough to store slabs of meat in the cab and while the standard gauges monitor the engine’s vitals, there’s a large Auto Meter tach up on top of the dash. There’s also the original AM/FM/cassette stereo system in the dash. The bucket seats are comfortable and supportive and show almost zero wear.

About 1000 miles ago, Jim Bowen Racing Engines in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania built an all-new Gen III 454 and built a race-quality stormer that literally DOUBLES the output of the original engine. The block was fully prepped and relieved and it was stuffed with a Scat 4.250 stroke steel crank, Scat I-beam connecting rods, and Keith Black forged aluminum pistons with Total Seal rings and HP bearings throughout. A full roller timing set spins a mechanical roller lifter cam pushing hardened pushrods into roller rockers up top. The heads are aluminum oval port units that have been professionally prepped before being bolted down with a fresh set of ARP head bolts. The cool thing is that they kept the stock intake system, including the fuel injection setup, as well as the cast iron exhaust manifolds, so it looks almost completely stock and starts and idles just like a stocker! The net result, even with the original intake and exhaust, was 430.2 horsepower and 533.3 pounds of torque. Yes, nearly TWICE the original horsepower figures.

Of course, all the ancillaries were upgraded at the same time, so there’s a high-flow oil pump with a welded pickup, a new alternator, fresh high-torque starter, and a giant radiator up front that doesn’t get sweaty even on the hottest days with the A/C blasting. A custom exhaust system was fabricated using oversized pipes and a single Flowmaster muffler that splits into twin polished exhaust tips that exit just behind the rear wheels. The TH400 3-speed automatic transmission was also rebuilt and beefed up, while the original 3.73-geared rear end needed no help. There’s so much power on tap that each shift of the transmission doesn’t result in the engine slowing down but rather the rest of the truck being yanked up to speed to match the engine. On the other hand, it’s docile enough for your mother to drive to church. It has an awesome mechanical lifter soundtrack up front and a deep baritone rumble out back that is always pleasant and never overpowering, so you can take a road trip with the A/C blasting and arrive refreshed. It’s very quick off the line, even with traction limitations, but it’s even better on the roll where the gears keep the engine in the sweet spot of its powerband. I don’t know that I’ve driven many vehicles that are faster from, say, 50 to 80 MPH. Even better is how well it rides, thanks to a stock suspension setup with lots of new parts, and it wears unique 454 SS chrome wheels wrapped in fresh 275/60/15 Goodyear radials.

The preservation and care it has received would make it worth every penny of the asking price, but with a fresh, pro-built, high-performance engine under the hood, it’s the biggest performance bargain we’ve ever offered. It includes the original owner’s manual and paperwork as well as two spare SS wheels that were removed and replaced with NOS pieces simply because they weren’t as nice as the rest of the truck. Prices are all over the map with these trucks, and they range from abused beaters to, well, exceptional machines like this that have not only been carefully driven and maintained, but treated to expensive, high-quality upgrades that don’t compromise usability one bit. This is the one to own.