It was more than 20 years ago, that Rich Strube built his first truck. It was something that he could play with, and at the same time, he had launched his shop; Richies Truck and Auto. Since then, he has owned a number of custom trucks. We recently caught up to him and couldn’t help but take notice of this 2005 GMC Sierra 3500 Crew Cab Dually.

The truck started out as most of his trucks do; he would use it occasionally for hauling parts and equipment around, but really, it was his driver and weekend toy. He was doing the normal mods and having some fun with the truck. On weekends you could find him on the drag strip or at the sled track. Unfortunately, Strube ended up bending the frame in 2007 at a local sled pull.

After tearing the truck down and fixing the frame, Strube decided, that if he was into the truck this much, he might as well build it. And that is exactly what he did. Over the course of the next year, he picked up a few sponsors and the guys at the shop spent a ton of hours putting together a show-stopper. As luck would have it, he ended up breaking the crank in 2008.

So, Strube decided to tear into the engine and build it as well. Once built, the truck served as a great show vehicle for him and his company. They had put together a truck that turned heads and really reflected the quality of craftsmanship the shop produced.

While at an event in 2013, Strube once again, lost the engine in his GMC Sierra. So, he was at a crossroads; does he once again build the engine or does he double down and really go for broke?

The block and crank were sent to NGM Diesel in Maryland. Once they got it, they ended up boring the block out to 402.6 cubic inches and made sure the crank was balanced for the new rotating assembly. Strobe opted for 16:1 Mahle Motorsports pistons which would be connected to a set of Carrillo rods. This combination has proven to be up to the challenges he has thrown at them.

For an oil pump, Strube opted to use a Melling unit which is fed via the pickup tube that runs to the bottom of the Banana Pan oil pan. The rest of the short-block consists of a Crane Cams cam with a custom grind spec’d by NGM diesel. The OEM water pump has been tig welded to ensure the wheel stays on the shaft. Strube also opted to upgrade the motor mounts to Merchant Auto’s mounts.

Up top, Strube opted for a set of Wagler Competition heads with their CNC stage-2 porting job. The intake valves are 4mm larger and the exhaust was increased by 2mm. To control the valves, a set of Crane Cams rockers are moved around by the Hamilton Cams pushrods. The entire head assembly is held down with ARP head studs.

To fuel the GMC Sierra, Strube called the guys at Dynomite Diesel Performance (DDP) and picked up a set of 60-percent over injectors. To keep the injectors fed, a FASS Platinum 150 GPH lift pump was installed and plumbed into an Industrial Injection 138-percent over CP3 pump.

In addition the the under hood Rigid Industries LED lights, Strube added them under the truck as well.

To feed the fire, a Danville Performance Billet 72-mm 4094VVT was modified with a HX40 exhaust housing. To keep the drive pressure in check, Strube used an external 38-mm TiAL Sport wastegate. The charger can peg Strube’s 60 psi boost gauge (which happens regularly), so he isn’t exactly sure how much boost it can actually produce. But anytime the air is being compressed that much, it is going to heat up. So, a Haisley Machine intercooler was installed to bring the temperatures back down.

If the intercooler starts falling behind, then the Banks Power Double Shot water-methanol system kicks in. Currently, Strube is running straight water to keep the EGTs under control when towing some of his other show vehicles up long grades.

To assist in keeping things running cool, a Flex-A-Light fan was added. Not only does this allow Strube to have maximum flow at low RPM, but it frees up the huge amount of drag the factory fan produces (netting a few more ponies to the ground). In addition to adding the electric fans, a Mean Green high-output alternator was installed.

Behind the engine, is an Allison transmission that was completely overhauled by Richies Truck and Auto. They gutted the transmission and added the full Suncoast Converters treatment. For a torque converter, Strube opted for a 2,200 stall from Suncoast as well. Once everything was together and back in, Strube did something pretty different. Instead of hooking the transmission up to the factory harness, he opted to run the transmission on a standalone controller from ATS. That let Mark Broviak at Danville Performance just worry about the engine tuning via EFILive.

To ensure that the GMC Sierra doesn’t have any front-end issues, Strube is running a set of Cognito Motorsports upper control arms, Kryptonite tie rods, and he has braced the frame. To give the truck the lift he wanted, Strube opted for a 7-inch Superlift paired with a set of Bilstein 5160 shocks. After sled pulling for years, Strube knew that the front axles needed to be upgraded. So, he went with a set of Yukon axles in the front and rear.

The rear was lifted with 5-inch blocks and one set of springs was pulled out. This helped soften the ride and with the addition of Fabtech 2.25-inch reservoir shocks, the truck rides great. To give Strube back his payload capacity, he opted for a set of Firestone Ride Rite air bags. Since the truck is still used for towing, Strube wanted to make sure he could stop so the braking system was upgraded with a front and rear kit from SSBC.

Strube wanted to make sure that the frame would never bend again, so he welded supports and gussets along the entire length of the frame and a cross member where the air bags mount. He also made a set of traction bars to help transfer the weight as well as prevent the rear axle from wrapping under high loads.

With the truck lifted this much, small wheels just wouldn’t look right. A set of forged aluminum Rickson Wheels LTS 19.5×6.75-inch wheels were installed along with some 265/70R19.5 Goodyear G124 tires.

If the lift and tire package isn’t enough to set the truck apart, Strube added a Putco stainless grille shell along with Iron Cross front and rear bumpers painted to match. Some of the subtle things he added were 2006 GMC towing mirrors, a billet GMC emblem in the grille, and swapped out the tail lights for a set of Recon LED tail lights. He added a Truxedo tonneau cover.

The GMC Sierra has an interior that is pretty loaded, so Strube focused on the stereo system. He added a double din Pioneer head unit. The head unit is a DVD player and also has a touch screen. The Pioneer feeds an Alpine 750-watt amp. Four 6.5 Rockford Fosgate door speakers and six Piezo tweeters by Harman-Kardon belt the tunes that Strube listens to on long drives.

All said and done, Strube is proud of his truck and what it has accomplished over the years. His best quarter-mile time with the current 865 horsepower engine is 12.9 at 107 mph. Not too bad for a truck that is almost five tons!