Paid In Full: Kason Baker’s Show-Worthy 2005 Silverado 2500

The reality of life is that some people are more blessed than others. Some people were born into wealth that allows them to have what they want, but the rest of us are forced to do it the hard way. For Columbus, Indiana, native Kason Baker, it was earned with determination and hard work. After years of work and saving up, he’s finally turning his dream into a reality.

Life threw Kason all sorts of curveballs early in his life including serious back surgery and the passing of his father. With all odds against him, he stood strong and kept digging. He knew that he wanted to do good for himself so he did what anyone with adversity would do, he went to work. He started raising and showing pigs to make money and this is how he bought his first truck.

“Early in life, it was tough. I knew that I needed to step up and work hard for the things that I wanted because they weren’t going to just fall in my lap,” Kason said. “I needed a first truck. I did what I had to do.” Now, Kason has continued this work ethic and this has resulted in a truck of his dreams and a house of his own to go home to.

Getting older, Kason went on to attend Lincoln College of Technology where he would earn knowledge in the field of diesel mechanics. As his knowledge grew in this space, the drive to build something of his own followed right behind. Now, Kason has something that he’s been toying with and he’s proud of it. This is his 2005 Chevrolet SIlverado 2500 HD.

What Do We Have Here

Finding a truck in the exact form as you want is pretty hard, but Kason managed to find this truck with extremely low miles. This 100,000-miles Silverado is clean enough you could eat off of it. Under the hood is the famous 6.6-liter LLY Duramax engine. Like any of us, he couldn’t just leave it as is. He had to put his own little touch on it.

Under the hood he did a few upgrades including a LBZ intake tube, he made the EGR disappear, installed a Banks Power Ram Air intake system, and upgraded the exhaust with a Flo~Pro 3-inch downpipe and 5-inch exhaust pipe behind it. To match the upgrades he’s done, he had the truck custom tuned with EFILive with five different tunes to choose from. To monitor the truck’s vital signs while driving, and to monitor the FASS 165 lift pump pressure, he hung one of Edge Products‘ CTS2 monitor on the pillar.

Since the Silverado’s have a bad rap of poor suspension parts from the factory, Kason knew that upgrades were imminent. He continued to save until he could outfit the truck with new upper and lower control arms, ball joints, idler arm, and pitman arm from Kryptonite Products. Keeping the upgrades coming, the exterior was set up with some Auxbeam headlights, taillights, parking light, cab lights, and all of the interior lights.

Speaking of the interior, Kason enjoys quality sound when it comes to the radio, hence the Rockford Fosgate door speakers and tweeters. This is matched with a Kenwood head unit and twin Rockford Fosgate 12-inch subwoofers and 600-amplifier.

Making our way outside, Kason’s LLY features a Gator brand Trifold tonneau cover and a six-inch RCX Suspension lift kit. For wheels and tires, the truck has a set of polished American Force AKA wheels measuring out to 22-inch by 12-inch. The wheels are wrapped in Suretrac 33-inch by 12.50-inch RT tires. Other exterior features include Boost Auto towing mirrors, Chevrolet Escalade door handles, Reaper traction bars, and white LED rock lights surrounding the truck.

When asking Kason about his future plans for this truck, he was excited to tell us. “My main plan for this truck in the future is to continue to attend shows. I like cleaning the truck up and I like the show atmosphere,” he said. “Other things I would like to do are install a set of compound turbochargers and cut through that 1,000-horsepower threshold. I would like to attend a big show like SEMA one day.”

With Kason’s future plans of starting his own business in landscaping and lawn care, with enough patience and work, this dream is very realistic. Aftermarket companies are making it so easy to make big horsepower numbers that I really see this happening. What are your thoughts on this LLY? Would you change anything about it? Let us know in the comments below. For more coverage from truck shows and diesel truck events, be sure and stay tuned here at Diesel Army.

About the author

Artie Maupin

Artie Maupin is from Southeast Missouri and has an extreme passion for anything diesel. He loves drag racing of all kinds, as well as sled pulling competitions.
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