2006 Chevy 2500HD - The Durtymax Special

It’s not every day that we see a tow rig blasting through the dunes, especially since they usually get left behind with all the gear and trailers back at the campsite. As you’ve probably guessed by now, we’re really big fans of fullsize trucks here at OFF-ROAD magazine, so when we spotted Austin Lessel’s 2006 Chevy 2500HD Duramax diesel ripping through the dunes at blazingly fast speeds—with paddle tires, no less—we knew we had to catch up to him to get a better look at his awesome crew-cab Duramax.

2006 Chevy 2500Hd The Durtymax Special Drivers Side Shot

To make room for the big 39-inch BFGoodrich Baja T/A race tires, Austin went with a pair of FiberwerX trophy truck fiberglass bedsides and had them seamlessly painted in the original paint color by Premier Auto Body in Santa Maria, California.

To make room for the big 39-inch BFGoodrich Baja T/A race tires, Austin went with a pair o

After drooling over it for a few minutes, we realized that this was no ordinary tow rig but rather a heavily built truck meant for one purpose: tearing up the sand dunes with authority! Austin wanted to build a competitive diesel prerunner, so he enlisted the help of Mike James and Steve Fike at Dirt Designs to build a one-off long-travel front suspension to allow the big Chevy to soak up the hard landings and monstrous whoops that it would soon encounter. Most people would call it done at that point, but Austin isn’t most people; he wanted to have enough power to propel the Duramax prerunner through the dunes with relative ease so he called up Rob Coddens at ATP Trucks in Eagle, Idaho, and had him create a custom EFI Live tuning for it after he installed a PPE lift pump and AFE intake. With 550 horsepower on tap, it’s no wonder the Duramax can kick up a rooster tail the size of a small house.

2006 Chevy 2500Hd The Durtymax Special Side Shot On Dunes

We weren’t the only ones who thought this was one of the coolest trucks around. It gathered quite a crowd at both the Off-Road Expo and the SEMA show a few months ago, and it’s easy to see why—a modern crew-cab truck with a hopped-up diesel pumping out 1,000 lb-ft of torque and enough suspension travel to soak up an endless amount of whoops isn’t something you see every day.

Austin tells us he’s not done with his Duramax prerunner just yet and has already upgraded the rear shocks to 4.0-inch King Kong six-tube bypass shocks with a fully TIG-welded bed cage to keep the rear end under control during hard landings, especially since one of his future plans calls for a twin turbo setup for an even bigger kick in the pants. All we can say is that Austin built himself one of the wildest diesel prerunners to ever hit the dirt.

Mike James and Steve Fike at Dirt Designs built the one-off custom long-travel front suspension to handle the stresses of jumps and whoops as well as the heavy weight of the Duramax diesel engine. The spindles and A-arms are fully boxed, made of TIG-welded chromoly steel, and feature internal gussets for superior strength. A set of 10-inch-stroke King 2.5-inch coilovers and 10-inch-stroke King 3.0-inch three-tube bypass shocks keep the front end floating through the whoops delivering 20 inches of wheel travel while a pair of King 2.5-inch hydraulic bumpstops smooth out brutally rough landings.
Mike James and Steve Fike at Dirt Designs built the one-off custom long-travel front suspe
Since the front end needed more extensive protection than the stock bumper could offer, Austin had Kyle Padlina fabricate the front 2-inch chromoly TIG-welded tube bumper with an integrated aluminum skidplate.
Since the front end needed more extensive protection than the stock bumper could offer, Au
Since night runs through the dunes are inevitable at Pismo, Austin made sure he had enough lighting to be able to make his way through the dark dunes once the sun goes down. He called up Damon Flippo at Rigid Industries and ordered a pair of LED lightbars, one of which is mounted high atop the chromoly tube bumper out of harm’s way while the other is mounted on the front of the roof just over the windshield to light up the night.
Since night runs through the dunes are inevitable at Pismo, Austin made sure he had enough

The only thing better than power is a lot more power, and that’s just how Austin approached his build. Since the Duramax prerunner has to be fast while spinning 39-inch tires, Austin called up Rob Coddens at ATP Trucks and had him create a custom EFI Live tuning for his truck to work with the PPE lift pump and AFE intake to pump out 550 horsepower and a stump pulling 1,000 lb-ft of torque. A Trailer Products trophy truck fiberglass front end was narrowed to fit the Silverado body and to make room for the wider front end, and we think it looks plain cool! Every truck should be built enough to need a trophy truck front clip.
The only thing better than power is a lot more power, and that’s just how Austin approache
The rear suspension features a long-travel custom Deaver spring pack along with 10-inch-stroke King 2.5-inch two-tube bypass shocks that deliver 16 inches of wheel travel that help the rear keep up with the front through the rollers. A pair of Synergy limiting straps keeps the shocks from pulling apart when catching major air off a razorback. There’s nothing more fun than blasting up a dune face with gobs of horsepower and paddle tires! The Duramax prerunner has 39-inch BFGoodrich Baja T/A race tires at all four corners, but the paddle tires come out to play when Austin hits the dunes. Here you can see the two spare 39-inch BFGoodrich Baja T/A race tires strapped to the rear of the bed to help keep the truck level while sailing off the lip of a jump.
The rear suspension features a long-travel custom Deaver spring pack along with 10-inch-st
Unfortunately, the rear wasn’t as beefed-up as the front, and the stock upper shock mount decided to let go in grand fashion after one too many jumps as one of the 10-inch-stroke King 2.5-inch bypass shocks pierced through the bed’s floor and almost nailed the spare tire. Needless to say, some bugs were still being worked out.
Unfortunately, the rear wasn’t as beefed-up as the front, and the stock upper shock mount

Specs
Vehicle: 2006 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Duramax
Owner: Austin Lessel
Chassis: Stock frame with Dirt Designs engine cage and bed cage
Engine: 6.6L LBZ Duramax diesel, AFE intake, PPE lift pump, 5-inch straight pipe, custom EFI Live tuning done by Rob Coddens at ATP Trucks
Transmission: Allison A1000 six-speed automatic transmission
Rear axle: AAM 14-Bolt rear differential, 4.10 gears
Suspension: Custom long-travel suspension built by Mike James and Steve Fike of Dirt Designs delivering 20 inches of wheel travel, fully boxed and TIG-welded spindles and A-arms, 10-inch-stroke King 2.5-inch coilovers and 10-inch-stroke King 3.0 three-tube bypass shocks, King 2.5-inch hydraulic bumpstops, custom Deaver leaf springs in the rear, 10-inch-stroke King 2.5-inch two-tube bypass shocks, now delivers 17 inches of wheel travel (currently has TIG-welded bed cage with King Kong 4.0 six-tube bypass shocks)
Steering: Heim steering joints
Brakes: Stock
Tires/wheels: 39-inch BFGoodrich Baja T/A race tires on 17-inch Method Race bead lock wheels
Interior: EGT gauge, EDGE CS tuner, MasterCraft 3G suspension seats in front and rear, Crow harnesses
Other parts: Trailer Products trophy truck one-piece fiberglass front clip narrowed to fit Silverado, FiberwerX trophy truck bedsides, painted by Premier Auto Body, 2-inch TIG-welded chromoly tube bumper built by Dirt Designs, Rigid Industries LED lighting, Optima battery

2006 Chevy 2500Hd The Durtymax Special Rear Bed Cage

Update!
The factory shocks mounts weren’t really up to the task of severe off-road use the last time we saw Austin’s truck. Since then, he had a bed cage built into his truck that incorporates a beefed-up shock mount, and although he lost the use of the bed floor, the bed cage holds two fullsize spares mounted upright and in a lower position for a lower center of gravity. Thanks to Dirt Cinema for the pictures of the updated rear.

2006 Chevy 2500Hd The Durtymax Special Rear Bypass Shock

Since the rear shocks needed to be replaced, Austin decided to upgrade to massive 16-inch-stroke King Kong 4.0-inch six-tube Bypass race shocks for all-out adjustability and more wheel travel to dial in the rear to keep up with the front. Austin tells us the rear is working much better now and through even the biggest whoops Central Callifornia has to offer.