Reader’s Rig: Josh Moore’s Custom 2015 GMC Denali 2500HD

Sometimes, inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes. For Josh Moore, it started with a 1986 Honda CMX250 Rebel motorcycle. Moore was determined to turn a bike that was bound for the scrap pile into a well-oiled machine. Well, he did just that, he brought it back to life and sold it to fund his next project. After he found his way around a few bikes, he felt mechanically inclined enough to step it a notch.

He purchased a 1996 Toyota Tacoma and immediately began modifications. He started a prerunner-style build utilizing wide fenders, and a 6-inch Skyjacker lift with Fox shocks. He drove the prerunner all through high school and recognizes it as the turning point in his life. From there he challenged himself with several different builds that included anything from off-road rigs to pavement princesses.

Denali

“The inspiration for this particular build featured here was to try something simple and clean,” Moore explains. “I built and pulled this truck apart three different times to get it, in my opinion, right. The build began with a white and chrome FTS lift. After one winter, the salt on the Chicago roadways destroyed the chrome.”

Josh kept the factory Denali interior with some upgrades in the entertainment department. Additions include a black suede headliner and a Phoenix Android Radio w/GMC Tesla replica screen.

“When spring came around, I pulled off the lift and mechanical parts for powder coat and paint,” Moore continues. “I chose to go black as an alternative to the chrome. After this was completed I realized the body of the truck just simply didn’t fit the lift color scheme anymore. I pulled off all the chrome accents and painted them white. I also pulled the headlights, taillights, and cab lights, and color-matched them to the truck’s paint code. Still, I felt something was missing, so I pulled the grille and hood. After the new parts were installed I was happy with the look and stuck with it.”

From afar, you would never be able to tell the amount of work Josh has put into his truck. His preferences were to keep it classy with mild external appearances. Under the hood is a different story, all business. For wheels and tires, Josh went with a set of American Force Blade S8 series 22-inch wrapped in Fury Country Hunter 40-inch tires.

 

Suspension And Accessories

So let’s dive into Moore’s final version of his 2015 GMC Sierra Denali 2500HD Duramax! The truck features a 10-inch Full Throttle Suspension lift, reservoir mounts, and rear blocks powder-coated gloss white. To create a little;e contrast, the leaf springs feature alternating gloss black and white rear leaves. Like the rear suspension parts, the front also features a trick powder coating treatment in contrasting black and white.

The rear benefits from Air Lift 7000 series airbags with white powder-coated brackets and gloss black rear axle housing with gloss white Mag-Hytech rear diff cover. Other goodies include Hornblasters train horns and a set of AMP Research Automation steps. 

As a United States Marine Corp. veteran, Josh is all about attention to detail, and no details were missed on the suspension and chassis. The undercarriage was powder-coated white and black to match the exterior.

With any build like this, one way to set it off is with lighting. This Denali has two dozen C4 Off-Road lights. It has twelve Warhead cubes and twelve Land Mines. In addition, the truck also has SupremeRetroz GMC 1500 Denali taillights that are color-matched, a GoRecon third brake light, and cab lights that are also color-matched. Finally, a pair of Legends Offroad headlights have been color-matched, and Morimoto black fog lights help light up the night.

Denali

Moore's job takes him all over the United States working on pipeline projects. He never really knows what the situation will be when he arrives, nonetheless, he's got plenty of "vision" to see what lies ahead. The Royalty Core RC4 grille makes mounting LED light bars nice and simple.

 

Performance

The Denali has a fully deleted LML Duramax with a Dmaxstore Stage 2 – 1,000-plus horsepower engine with Callies crank, Callies AF cam, CP Carillo rods, Mahle pistons, SoCal flywheel, ATI damper, ARP flexplate bolt, ARP harmonic damper bolt, and ARP head studs, and a Wagler billet water pump.

The engine also features a PPE lower oil pan, Durastar Performance valve spring kit, SoCal chromoly pushrods, and Fleece Performance‘s compound kit with a Borg Warner s475 over a Danville Stage 2 Garret valley turbo. Feeding the mill is a set of  S&S LML 80-percent over injectors and an AirDog II 4G 165 lift pump. Nothing is stock appearing on this rig, so why should the engine remain “factory”? To that end, a PPEI SOTF performance tune and a 5-inch Jamo exhaust with DCS Fab 10-inch custom Duramax tip round out the power. Behind that is a Stage 2 Inglewood Alison transmission sending the torque to Yukon 4.88 front and rear gears. 

Marines are known to be rough and rugged, so Moore built his truck the same way. As a project coordinator, Moore travels throughout the country from project to project and needs his truck to be reliable. This department is ever-changing says Moore, "there are always more things that can be done to enhance the truck's performance and capabilities."

 

The Denali’s Future

Moore mentions he is not quite done yet with modifications to his GMC. He plans to add some aesthetics to the GMC including Flog Industry Bumpers and a new SAS front end. He is also always on the hunt for more power and performance should he need it. Although many in the industry want to buy the biggest and latest trucks from the factory, Moore is perfectly content with his 2015.

When a build gets to this extreme is it ever truly finished? As it sits it looks good, but it is far from being finished. Either way, the truck sits it is still a great build.

This truck is both clean and functional, and hard not to want to check out up close. What do you think about this black and white GMC Denali? Tell us in the comments below!

About the author

Eddie Maloney

A resident of Las Vegas, Eddie has been involved in drag racing most of his life. Currently an NHRA tech and photographer, he has served 17 years in the military.
Read My Articles