The classic formula for any hot rod is to take the biggest V8 engine available and drop it into a relatively small, lightweight chassis. General Motors understood this, but rather than starting with a car, it applied the formula to its recently-debuted GMT400 truck platform. The 454ci big block V8 was normally found in heavy-duty full-size pickups, but starting in 1990, GM dropped it into a 1/2-ton short-bed model and called it the 454 SS. This menacing muscle truck was sold under the appropriate RPO code "B4U" and came with a variety of performance and handling upgrades. Its success forged a new market segment for trucks like the SVT Lightning and Ram SRT-10.













