tom henry racing silverado
02-04-2007, 01:06 PM
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Muscle Truck History
Traditionalists may prefer muscle cars, but few will deny the emergence of muscle trucks as a significant influence on the automotive enthusiast community.
Half-ton pickups with big engines are not new. As far back as 40 years ago, American car companies offered trucks with their largest engines, however, It was not until fairly recently that manufacturers began to market specific, performance-oriented, light trucks. The first attempt at this on a high-volume basis was the Chevrolet 454SS. Introduced in 1989 as a 1990 model, it combined a 1500-series, straight-cab, short-bed, pickup with the 454-cubic inch Big-Block. In fact, it was the Big-Block Chevrolet mystique and a pickup being the only product Chevrolet sold with that engine which made the 454SS so appealing that an astonishing 13,748 of them were sold in 1990.
After such success, Chevrolet sweetened the package for '91 with a lower-restriction exhaust system, gaining 25 horsepower (to 255-hp, with an, astonishing, 405 lbs/ft. torque) then added the new, 4L80-E four-speed automatic transmission and lower, 4.10 gears. While muscle trucks are more powerful, today, in the early-90s, a pickup with 405-lbs/ft. torque and 4.10 gears was quite a sensation. Sadly, a sagging national economy and perhaps the saturation sales of the 1990 model had deliveries of the 454SS in the next three model years totaling less than a quarter of the first year’s sales. The 454SS was quietly discontinued at the end of 1993. The truck, itself, might have been a flash-in-the-pan, but the idea persists.
Chevy’s success bolstered efforts already underway over at in-house competitor, GMC, to offer the ’91 Syclone and ’92 and ’93 Typhoon, performance versions of the S/T-platform’s pickup and utility, with a 280-hp, V6-turbo/all-wheel drive powertrain which was leading-edge stuff for trucks in the early-’90s.
Chevy’s SS inspired Ford to offer its first-generation SVT F150 Lightning in the 1993-1995 period and a second Lightning in 1999 with a 360-hp, supercharged engine which was, then, bumped 20-hp in ’01. Dodge has gone wild in this market with the SRT-10, a seeming, over-the-top and obscenely-expensive truck powered by a Viper-derived, 500-hp V10.
Chevy got back into the performance truck segment in 2003 with the Silverado SS. While it has a peppy, 345-hp engine and 380-hp is expected for 2005, the SS has an extended cab and just about every option in the book including all-wheel-drive. In the opinion of some truck magazines and enthusiasts, that left the SS overweight and overpriced.
Some hard core, performance truck fans would rather have a derivative Silverado SS concept Chevy displayed at the 2002 SEMA Show: a decontented, two-wheel-drive, straight-cab, short-bed. The lack of such a product in the Chevy Truck line created an opportunity for “second sticker” projects like the THR Supercharged Silverado.
The THR Silverado Story
Tom Henry Racing’s first product was the Tom Henry SS Camaro. Fifty were built in the 2001 and 2002 model years. Each had an LS1 engine, performance-enhanced with aftermarket parts to either 350-hp (automatic) or 380-hp (manual). Major options were a 435-hp engine on six-speed cars and a Baer brake upgrade. When Camaro production ended at the end of ’02, Tom was left with nothing to build so he looked for alternatives. His first choice was the Silverado pickup. He and the techs at his dealership began developing the THR Supercharged Silverado for introduction in 2004 and his intent was to reinvent Tom Henry Racing as the "Hot Rod Truck Headquarters."
As with the Tom Henry SSes, the emphasis with the Silverados is on performance and value. The genesis for Tom Henry Racing trucks is a basic, 1500-series, straight-cab, short-bed with either the 4.8L/manual or 5.3L/automatic powertrain and a 3.73 locking rear axle. Henry orders some convenience stuff, like: power windows and mirrors, tinted glass, midlevel
.
interior trim, tonneau cover and color-keyed grill surround on these trucks, but big-ticket items like extended cabs, all-wheel drive, “Quadrasteer”, leather seats, towing packages, off-road suspensions and On-Star are either options or not available at all.While centrifugal supercharges are popular in lightweight, high-performance, street cars (Corvettes, Camaros, Firebirds, Mustangs, etc.) a Roots supercharger is a better choicefor a street-driven, or street-strip, high-performance truck. To make pickups weighing-in at near 2 and a half tons go like stink from stoplight to stoplight requires torque–lots of it and all across rpm range. For that, a Roots, which makes a lot of boost in the mid-range and holds it past peak power, is the perfect choice.
A THR Supercharged Silverado has the Magnuson “Radix” Roots-type supercharger at its core. The basic Radix architecture was developed by the Eaton Corporation for use in original equipment applications by GM, Ford and other manufacturers. To be used by O.E.s, it has to meet stringent reliability/durability targets, so the Radix, which uses many Eaton parts, is going to be dependable. In fact, Magnuson Products offers a 3-yr/36,000-mile limited powertrain warranty on the superchargers in THR trucks.
The only modifications to either of the engines in a Supercharged Silverado are the supercharger assembly and a THR/Stainless Works low restriction exhaust. In THR trim, according to Magnuson Products’ chassis dynamometer, the 5.3L/auto. puts out 387, SAE-corrected-horsepower at the rear wheels and and the 4.8L/man. makes 373. A general rule with late-model, rear drive powertrains is: 22% parasitic loss through an automatic drivetrain and 18% through a manual so, at the flywheel; those engines are making about 500- and 455-hp. and 545 and 470 lbs/ft torque, respectively!
Driving the THR Silverados
Even though it has less power, some pick-up enthusiasts see the THR Silverado with the supercharged Vortec 4800 and the five-speed manual transmission as more of a "driver's truck" because its stick-shift is more fun to drive. One magazine road test writer told us that, in his opinion, even though the blown four-eight was 40-50hp down on the five-three, with the five speed’s extra gear, if one got the launch technique down and had enough traction; the quarter-mile performances of the stick-shift and the automatic trucks might be close.
Unlike some aftermarket-supercharged cars and trucks, with the THR Silverado, the technicians at Tom Henry Racing and Magnuson Products have strived to get this package's engine controls calibration, its injector sizing and fuel pressure properly matched to the supercharger. In easy driving around town, most people find a THR Silverado's drivability as refined as that of any stock Chevy pickup and a good part of that refinement comes from proper calibration. The Radix supercharger uses a “bypass” valve which further improves light-throttle drivability and increases off-boost fuel economy. On the other hand, when you beat on these engines, they respond quickly and run hard. There’s no misfiring. No detonation. No inconsistencies in power delivery. Be it part throttle or wide-open, THR and Magnuson seem to have done their calibration homework
Once they pop the hood, those who appreciate fine-looking machinery will notice is that the physical appearance and packaging of the Radix blower is nicely done by the Tom Henry Chevrolet techs. It almost looks factory-installed. To the untrained eye, the only obvious reference to the aftermarket supercharger is a Magnuson logo embossed on the intake air duct.
No doubt, the 4.8/5-spd is a hoot but, if you want maximum push-back-in-the-seat; then you need the blown, Vortec 5300 in your THR pickup. Many will buy that because of its 500-hp and the four-speed automatic. While some hardcore drivers like rowing a five-speed around, drag racers, especially the bracket racing set, will have an easier time at launch and better consistency with the automatic. In addition, many truck buyers are going to want the convenience of an automatic on the street. If there’s a “negative” with the blown five-three, it’s that, if you think the four-eight-five-speed burns the tires; the bigger motor positively nukes them.
Muscle car or truck, one thing we all crave is the exhaust rumble of a Chevy V8 hot rod. Tom Henry Racing partnered with Stainless Works, an Ohio manufacturer of performance exhaust systems, to develop an all-stainless-steel, low-restriction, “cat-back”, exhaust for its Silverados. Not only does this exhaust provide the lower restriction needed by the Radix blower but, at some engine speeds, its sound is a throwback to the muscle car era, no doubt because its mufflers are of a “chambered” design, reminiscent of those used on some late-’60s/early-’70s Chevy musclecars. The throaty rumble at low rpm, turns to a V8 howl up-high. That combines with supercharger intake noise at high throttle openings and the feel of acceleration such that the truck is great fun to drive.
Traditionalists may prefer muscle cars, but few will deny the emergence of muscle trucks as a significant influence on the automotive enthusiast community.
Half-ton pickups with big engines are not new. As far back as 40 years ago, American car companies offered trucks with their largest engines, however, It was not until fairly recently that manufacturers began to market specific, performance-oriented, light trucks. The first attempt at this on a high-volume basis was the Chevrolet 454SS. Introduced in 1989 as a 1990 model, it combined a 1500-series, straight-cab, short-bed, pickup with the 454-cubic inch Big-Block. In fact, it was the Big-Block Chevrolet mystique and a pickup being the only product Chevrolet sold with that engine which made the 454SS so appealing that an astonishing 13,748 of them were sold in 1990.
After such success, Chevrolet sweetened the package for '91 with a lower-restriction exhaust system, gaining 25 horsepower (to 255-hp, with an, astonishing, 405 lbs/ft. torque) then added the new, 4L80-E four-speed automatic transmission and lower, 4.10 gears. While muscle trucks are more powerful, today, in the early-90s, a pickup with 405-lbs/ft. torque and 4.10 gears was quite a sensation. Sadly, a sagging national economy and perhaps the saturation sales of the 1990 model had deliveries of the 454SS in the next three model years totaling less than a quarter of the first year’s sales. The 454SS was quietly discontinued at the end of 1993. The truck, itself, might have been a flash-in-the-pan, but the idea persists.
Chevy’s success bolstered efforts already underway over at in-house competitor, GMC, to offer the ’91 Syclone and ’92 and ’93 Typhoon, performance versions of the S/T-platform’s pickup and utility, with a 280-hp, V6-turbo/all-wheel drive powertrain which was leading-edge stuff for trucks in the early-’90s.
Chevy’s SS inspired Ford to offer its first-generation SVT F150 Lightning in the 1993-1995 period and a second Lightning in 1999 with a 360-hp, supercharged engine which was, then, bumped 20-hp in ’01. Dodge has gone wild in this market with the SRT-10, a seeming, over-the-top and obscenely-expensive truck powered by a Viper-derived, 500-hp V10.
Chevy got back into the performance truck segment in 2003 with the Silverado SS. While it has a peppy, 345-hp engine and 380-hp is expected for 2005, the SS has an extended cab and just about every option in the book including all-wheel-drive. In the opinion of some truck magazines and enthusiasts, that left the SS overweight and overpriced.
Some hard core, performance truck fans would rather have a derivative Silverado SS concept Chevy displayed at the 2002 SEMA Show: a decontented, two-wheel-drive, straight-cab, short-bed. The lack of such a product in the Chevy Truck line created an opportunity for “second sticker” projects like the THR Supercharged Silverado.
The THR Silverado Story
Tom Henry Racing’s first product was the Tom Henry SS Camaro. Fifty were built in the 2001 and 2002 model years. Each had an LS1 engine, performance-enhanced with aftermarket parts to either 350-hp (automatic) or 380-hp (manual). Major options were a 435-hp engine on six-speed cars and a Baer brake upgrade. When Camaro production ended at the end of ’02, Tom was left with nothing to build so he looked for alternatives. His first choice was the Silverado pickup. He and the techs at his dealership began developing the THR Supercharged Silverado for introduction in 2004 and his intent was to reinvent Tom Henry Racing as the "Hot Rod Truck Headquarters."
As with the Tom Henry SSes, the emphasis with the Silverados is on performance and value. The genesis for Tom Henry Racing trucks is a basic, 1500-series, straight-cab, short-bed with either the 4.8L/manual or 5.3L/automatic powertrain and a 3.73 locking rear axle. Henry orders some convenience stuff, like: power windows and mirrors, tinted glass, midlevel
.
interior trim, tonneau cover and color-keyed grill surround on these trucks, but big-ticket items like extended cabs, all-wheel drive, “Quadrasteer”, leather seats, towing packages, off-road suspensions and On-Star are either options or not available at all.While centrifugal supercharges are popular in lightweight, high-performance, street cars (Corvettes, Camaros, Firebirds, Mustangs, etc.) a Roots supercharger is a better choicefor a street-driven, or street-strip, high-performance truck. To make pickups weighing-in at near 2 and a half tons go like stink from stoplight to stoplight requires torque–lots of it and all across rpm range. For that, a Roots, which makes a lot of boost in the mid-range and holds it past peak power, is the perfect choice.
A THR Supercharged Silverado has the Magnuson “Radix” Roots-type supercharger at its core. The basic Radix architecture was developed by the Eaton Corporation for use in original equipment applications by GM, Ford and other manufacturers. To be used by O.E.s, it has to meet stringent reliability/durability targets, so the Radix, which uses many Eaton parts, is going to be dependable. In fact, Magnuson Products offers a 3-yr/36,000-mile limited powertrain warranty on the superchargers in THR trucks.
The only modifications to either of the engines in a Supercharged Silverado are the supercharger assembly and a THR/Stainless Works low restriction exhaust. In THR trim, according to Magnuson Products’ chassis dynamometer, the 5.3L/auto. puts out 387, SAE-corrected-horsepower at the rear wheels and and the 4.8L/man. makes 373. A general rule with late-model, rear drive powertrains is: 22% parasitic loss through an automatic drivetrain and 18% through a manual so, at the flywheel; those engines are making about 500- and 455-hp. and 545 and 470 lbs/ft torque, respectively!
Driving the THR Silverados
Even though it has less power, some pick-up enthusiasts see the THR Silverado with the supercharged Vortec 4800 and the five-speed manual transmission as more of a "driver's truck" because its stick-shift is more fun to drive. One magazine road test writer told us that, in his opinion, even though the blown four-eight was 40-50hp down on the five-three, with the five speed’s extra gear, if one got the launch technique down and had enough traction; the quarter-mile performances of the stick-shift and the automatic trucks might be close.
Unlike some aftermarket-supercharged cars and trucks, with the THR Silverado, the technicians at Tom Henry Racing and Magnuson Products have strived to get this package's engine controls calibration, its injector sizing and fuel pressure properly matched to the supercharger. In easy driving around town, most people find a THR Silverado's drivability as refined as that of any stock Chevy pickup and a good part of that refinement comes from proper calibration. The Radix supercharger uses a “bypass” valve which further improves light-throttle drivability and increases off-boost fuel economy. On the other hand, when you beat on these engines, they respond quickly and run hard. There’s no misfiring. No detonation. No inconsistencies in power delivery. Be it part throttle or wide-open, THR and Magnuson seem to have done their calibration homework
Once they pop the hood, those who appreciate fine-looking machinery will notice is that the physical appearance and packaging of the Radix blower is nicely done by the Tom Henry Chevrolet techs. It almost looks factory-installed. To the untrained eye, the only obvious reference to the aftermarket supercharger is a Magnuson logo embossed on the intake air duct.
No doubt, the 4.8/5-spd is a hoot but, if you want maximum push-back-in-the-seat; then you need the blown, Vortec 5300 in your THR pickup. Many will buy that because of its 500-hp and the four-speed automatic. While some hardcore drivers like rowing a five-speed around, drag racers, especially the bracket racing set, will have an easier time at launch and better consistency with the automatic. In addition, many truck buyers are going to want the convenience of an automatic on the street. If there’s a “negative” with the blown five-three, it’s that, if you think the four-eight-five-speed burns the tires; the bigger motor positively nukes them.
Muscle car or truck, one thing we all crave is the exhaust rumble of a Chevy V8 hot rod. Tom Henry Racing partnered with Stainless Works, an Ohio manufacturer of performance exhaust systems, to develop an all-stainless-steel, low-restriction, “cat-back”, exhaust for its Silverados. Not only does this exhaust provide the lower restriction needed by the Radix blower but, at some engine speeds, its sound is a throwback to the muscle car era, no doubt because its mufflers are of a “chambered” design, reminiscent of those used on some late-’60s/early-’70s Chevy musclecars. The throaty rumble at low rpm, turns to a V8 howl up-high. That combines with supercharger intake noise at high throttle openings and the feel of acceleration such that the truck is great fun to drive.
02-04-2007, 01:06 PM
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The THR Silverado's suspension and steering are appropriate for everyday street use. In addition, its four-wheel disc brakes, combined with GM’s “dynamic rear proportioning” system (uses ride height sensing and the ABS computer to modulate rear brake pressure in maximum braking situations when the truck is lightly loaded) perform well. If the stock discs aren¹t enough for you, Tom Henry Racing has a snazzy, Baer Brake upgrade available as an option.
Color-wise, you can have anything Chevy offers on a Supercharged Silverado. No matter what the color, all get the THR “treatment” of 20-inch Goodyears on American Torque Thrusts, stainless steel exhaust with polished, dual, outlets, a tonneau cover, tail gate spoiler and color keyed front bumper. THR interiors are nice, but not so fancy the truck loses its value. Tom Henry Racing takes the stock seats and recovers them with houndstooth inserts and adds a custom headrest. If you remember Chevy Camaros of the muscle car era, you’ll remember houndstooth seats.
Another classy touch is THR’s replacement of the the stock IP gauge cluster with one out of a Cadillac Escalade SUV which is, then, customized with the distinctive Tom Henry Racing logo silkscreened onto the silver face of the tach. When you open the driver’s door you’re reminded by a THR serial number plate that you’re driving a unique pickup truck.
So...how quick is one of these blown Silverados? Well, no one at Tom Henry Racing has had one at the drag strip, yet, mainly because we haven't had a truck on the lot long enough for it to get broken in enough so we can race it. That said, Hemmings Muscle Machines wrote, "...looking at the test weight and Magnuson Products’ claims of performance from their supercharger kits, we think the THR Supercharged Silverado with the 4.8, with the blower calibrated for seven psi boost and the driver doing the right stuff on the starting line, ought to run the quarter in the mid-to-high-13s with a trap speed around 100 mph. Zero to sixty ought to be in the mid-to-high-fives. The 5.3/automatic will be a bit quicker."
Color-wise, you can have anything Chevy offers on a Supercharged Silverado. No matter what the color, all get the THR “treatment” of 20-inch Goodyears on American Torque Thrusts, stainless steel exhaust with polished, dual, outlets, a tonneau cover, tail gate spoiler and color keyed front bumper. THR interiors are nice, but not so fancy the truck loses its value. Tom Henry Racing takes the stock seats and recovers them with houndstooth inserts and adds a custom headrest. If you remember Chevy Camaros of the muscle car era, you’ll remember houndstooth seats.
Another classy touch is THR’s replacement of the the stock IP gauge cluster with one out of a Cadillac Escalade SUV which is, then, customized with the distinctive Tom Henry Racing logo silkscreened onto the silver face of the tach. When you open the driver’s door you’re reminded by a THR serial number plate that you’re driving a unique pickup truck.
So...how quick is one of these blown Silverados? Well, no one at Tom Henry Racing has had one at the drag strip, yet, mainly because we haven't had a truck on the lot long enough for it to get broken in enough so we can race it. That said, Hemmings Muscle Machines wrote, "...looking at the test weight and Magnuson Products’ claims of performance from their supercharger kits, we think the THR Supercharged Silverado with the 4.8, with the blower calibrated for seven psi boost and the driver doing the right stuff on the starting line, ought to run the quarter in the mid-to-high-13s with a trap speed around 100 mph. Zero to sixty ought to be in the mid-to-high-fives. The 5.3/automatic will be a bit quicker."
02-04-2007, 04:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Quik
yea thats up the road a few miles from me. i seen those trucks a year ago. he used to have tom henry's camaro SS
i actually considered buyin a TH silverado, then i saw the sticker on a used one wit 15k miles on it... $28,000 and to be honest wit you i wasnt that impressed wit the way it looked at all, it looked like they took a sport red metallic rcsb, threw some ss wheels on it and some painted door handles and called it a day... all the ones ive seen drivin around here looked bad ***, they had the stripes and hte painted to match bumpers... not the one i considered buyin for some reason
12-06-2016, 09:26 AM
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I've never seen another either. I recently called tom Henry Chevrolet to see how many were made, they said that they were no set documents but less than half a dozen were made. I need to take more pictures of interior and badges.