Feature: 454SS Reunion

A Day To Remember
By Eric Barber


The day after the Sport Truck Shootout 2002, a small contingent of 454SS North American Truck Club members headed north out of Bowling Green to the build plant that produced all the Chevrolet 454SS trucks (1990 to 1993) in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Once at the plant, each member knew that his ride had to look its best to sit in the parking lot of its birthplace and seen by the United Auto Workers Local 2209 (www.local2209.org) on their lunch breaks.

The trucks arrived to a section of the executive parking lot blocked off and waiting for them. Once the trucks were positioned, the detailing began. Inside, the 454SS NATC members were led through an atrium that contained many of the Fort Wayne assembly plant's commemorative vehicles. We were saddened to see not one 454SS among the collection.

We then visited the portion of the line from chassis assembly through final assembly and testing of the current Silverado pickup truck. We must have looked like a bunch of kids in a candy store as we watched the new Chevrolet and GMC trucks being put together. Each member imagined what it must have been like with a row of 454SS trucks on the same assembly line.

As the tour ended, we were already planning another tour of the facility after the next Sport Truck Shootout. The tour would commemorate the 10th anniversary of the last 454SS truck rolling off the production line. As a final request, we asked if they'd mind the addition of some super-heated rubber on their parking lot as we left. Smoke filled the air as the trucks made their runs one by one down the lane toward the exit. The last few drivers had a hard time finding their way out through the thick, gray smoke that hung in the air. For further information, visit www.454SS.com.