One Slick Silverado: Joe Edenbeck’s Two-Tone LBZ Duramax

It was such a fun experience visiting Virginia for the first annual Hollyrock Customs Summer Diesel Showdown. The racetrack was incredible, the sunsets were beautiful, and the new east coast trucks that we haven’t seen before were gorgeous.

As a matter of fact, we found one of the cleanest trucks on the coast and we had to get the scoop. Check out Joe Edenbeck’s two-tone Silverado that will for sure catch your attention on the road.

South Hill, Virginia native, Joe Edenbeck has been around and driving diesel-powered trucks for the past ten years. “All of my friends have or had them and I’ve been driving one for my work for over eight years,” Edenbeck said. “After driving one for work, being around my friend’s trucks’, the itch to get my own was at an all-time high.”

We all know once that itch starts, you can't shut it off. It's a slippery slope and Edenbeck is another victim. He isn't the first and won't be the last.

“Lucky for me, I have a job that pays me well enough that I can afford and follow that dream of having and building my own diesel truck that stands out,” Edenbeck said. “I searched for weeks for the one and when I finally found what I thought was it, I drove three hours to find out it had been sold the day before I arrived.”

“Feeling a little upset that the truck I wanted was no longer available, I continued my search. Luckily, I didn’t have to go far,” Edenbeck continued. “That’s when I found this truck. I immediately fell in love.”

Believe it or not, Edenbeck actually drove this truck to the event and competed in the Friday night test and tune to prepare for Saturday’s Outlaw Diesel Super Series 7.70 Index.

Faded LBZ

Edenbeck’s new love, coined Faded LBZ, is a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado with a custom paint job. This Silverado features a white to silver birch fade that stands out to any other Silverado. The original cost of this truck was $25,000 and has at least that invested already. Edenbeck has been into this truck for four and a half years and like any of us, the build isn’t complete.

“I’ve just always been around these trucks and even cars and it just comes natural to me to modify it,” said Edenbeck. “Who doesn’t love a clean fast truck? It’s the most fun to pull up beside cars and outrun them in a 7,000-pound pickup truck.”

Inside and out, top and bottom, it doesn't matter. This truck is clean.

Most builds aren’t done problem free. For Edenbeck, that statement is made true. After only owning the truck for a month, the truck suffered from blown head gaskets. At first, it was panic and denial. After much consideration, thinking about the cost of repair at a diesel shop, Edenbeck went after it and tackled it himself.

As you probably know, it’s a scary thought knowing your truck is down. It’s an even scarier thought at how much it will cost to repair. It’s cool to see someone green like Edenbeck tackle such a big job. It was all worth it now as it is running great and he saved nearly $3,000 doing it himself.

“I just wanted to buy and build something that was mine. I wanted more power than I had and I wanted to have one of the nicest trucks around town,” said Edenbeck. “I have done pretty much everything to the truck myself besides building the transmission and the tuning. I’ve spent many a night crawling all over this truck from top to bottom getting it how I want.”

Luckily for Edenbeck, his support system is always there for him in this long, drawn-out process. “I am very lucky to have Sam, my girlfriend, as she has always been very supportive of this build and my other hobbies. She was a trooper and went with me even to have this transmission built and goes to nearly every event I attend.”

Lucky for us, just outside of Virginia Motorsports Park, a small, historic, downtown area was perfect for an area to have a photoshoot with this beaut.

Like any other build, this one has gone through its phases. It has had virtually every kind of suspension you can think of. It’s been leveled, lifted, lowered, stock, and lowered even more. When Edenbeck bought the truck, it came with a new uninstalled lift kit which he inevitably put on later on. As the need for speed increased, he knew that the truck didn’t need to be lifted anymore. Now, years later, it is getting lower and lower.

On the exterior, wanting it to be as nice as possible, Edenbeck took these parts seriously. Color matched front and rear bumpers, billet front grille, Truxedo low-pro bed cover, and that sweet custom paint job. All of these mixed together made for a beautiful finished product that Edenbeck can be proud of.

Edenbeck likes to display the decals of each of the companies that have helped him get the truck where it is today.

Under the hood, which actually is Edenbeck’s favorite part of the build, is just as pretty as the exterior. This 6.6-Liter V8 Duramax is covered in powder coated parts and goes just as much as it shows. With the heads off during the new gasket install, Edenbeck went back in with a new valve job on the cylinder heads and they are held down with ARP‘s head studs to prevent the leaking gaskets in the future.

This Duramax also features an LML driver side exhaust manifold, ProFab Performance two-inch up pipes, three-inch MBRP Performance downpipe, five-inch Magnaflow Performance exhaust, exiting with a seven-inch tip.

It’s pretty clear that Edenbeck cares about aesthetics as much as he does performance. All of this powder coat makes you want to strip your own down and have it done.

For air, Edenebck relies on a Stage 2 Danville Performance 3794 68-MM turbocharger with HSP Diesel plumbing. The HSP parts include a hot and cold side pipe, Y-bridge, intake manifold, coolant tank, and a forward facing thermostat housing.

For the injection system, Faded LBZ has a set of 60-percent over fuel injectors and a 10-MM CP3 pump from Lincoln Diesel Specialties. This truck runs crisp and clean thanks to the custom tuning from Mark Broviak at Danville Performance.

Edenbeck loves all of his HSP Diesel parts as they function and fit perfectly.

With all of these extra ponies, Edenbeck was in need of a transmission that was able to obtain the power this truck was capable of. This Duramax is backed by a Limitless Diesel Performance-built Allison 1000 and is rated for 750 horsepower. Drivetrain upgrades include a Fleece Performance lock up box, Limitless 1078 2,300-stall torque converter, and was all put together by Evan at Limitless Diesel Performance.

With lowering and lightening in mind, he knew he would need better brakes. Slowing this truck down at the end of the track is a set of Power Stop drilled and slotted rotors with their evolution brake pads and an upgraded LML brake booster with stainless braided lines.

On the chassis, he went ahead an installed some custom lightened cross members, three-inch drop shackles, Cognito Motorsports traction bars, center link braces, tie-rods, and like the other parts, they were all put on himself. While riding low, the trucks comfy ride is still there with the help of Rancho Performance 9000 shock absorbers.

Everyone knows that a truck can look great, but the wheels are the finishing touch. With much consideration, Edenbeck went with a set of 20-inch by 10-inch Hostile Off Road Rage wheels wrapped in 305/55R20 Nitto 420S tires.

Faded LBZ features silver and grey leather interior with color matching interior trim pieces with gauge bezels that hold his Cobalt EGT, Boost, Lift Pump Pressure, and his Edge Products CTS2 monitor.

This truck has been through a lot over the years and according to Edenbeck, it probably isn’t done. “It was just basic bolt-ons, tuning, exhaust, and other upgrades and here we are,” said Edenbeck. “I enjoy the truck as it is, but who knows, maybe a bigger turbo is in its future.”

We can’t thank both Joe and Sam for taking the time to meet up with us and give us the story on such a beautiful and unique build. To stay up to date with Joe and his build, be sure and check out his Instagram page. Stay tuned to Diesel Army as we strive to bring you the best diesel truck content available.

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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