Oppo pop quiz - Trailblazer SS

"themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles" (themanwithsauce) 01/23/2020 at 20:52 • Filed to: None

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While talking about how GM doesn’t do anything “weird” or “fun” with their crossovers and SUVs anymore, I mentioned that I miss the trailblazer SS. But based on the reception, it seems a lot of people forgot that the trailblazer SS existed. So I ask you, denizens of Oppo, do you a) know of the trailblazer SS and b) remember what changes got made to it over a standard trailblazer. Try doing it without google. I’m curious to see what its legacy is.

interstate366, now In The Industry > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 20:54

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1. Yes

2. GS400 as opposed to the base model’s GS300

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 20:54

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LS6

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 20:58

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I didn’t know it was a thing so here’s a straight up guess. Some type of LS motor, a beefier transmission (some flavor of 4L80e), lower/tougher suspension, and a worse row rating. Also, it took 93 and got 12 mpg.

InFierority Complex > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:00

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All I remember is that I would choose the Trollblazer Aero instead . Not that it’s a choice I’m going to make ever.

HammerheadFistpunch > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:02

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Was behind on a just tonight. I thought to myself “that’s gotta be pretty fun to drive... To o bad you have to live with a trailblazer to get it”

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > HammerheadFistpunch 01/23/2020 at 21:04

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That.....is pretty much the best desciption of one. Cause yeah, its a streetfighting trailblazer......but it’s still a trailblazer.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 01/23/2020 at 21:05

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Yes to all, but it also got an LSD, beefier chassis bushings and connections, as well as bigger brakes. 

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > InFierority Complex 01/23/2020 at 21:08

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I’d try to hunt down a 9-4X before a trollblazer Aero myself, but that’s just because I would never actually own an SUV like that so I can get as hypothetical as I want.

CB > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:08

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Bigger engine, big wheels, Playskool interior.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > CB 01/23/2020 at 21:11

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Yes, yes, and while true, that wasn’t what made it different.

Add in more brakes, more suspension, and a limited slip diff.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:13

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I can answer with a firm no; the only Trailblazer I know is the scuffed up beater that desperately needs some Armor A ll to bring out its only notable feature: tying the tinted taillights into the bumper/scuff guard.

That said, a brother of a friend of mine just bought a bedliner’d overlanding wannabe one with a full custom leather interior , and not a cheap one at that.

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:14

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POP QUIZ, HOT SHOT

LastFirstMI is my name > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:15

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Subpar  SUV with an LS.... Doomed to disappoint us because it wasn’t a Syclone/Typhoon

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:20

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A modern Trailblazer SS is what I was hoping this would be. But instead we got 7 levels of “blah” wrapped in a moderately aggressive exterior.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:21

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Sure. SS fanatic here.

6.0L LS2 with a solid 400HP
GM managed to coax some lifetime out of the 4L70E transmission.

The pick of the litter (which they actually DID build) was the Saab 9-7x version with a nicer interior and suspension and basically the same 6.0.

The drag racers got some great times out of the TBSS.

I don’t see GM doing this anymore with sad Blah-mobiles (and new platforms) underpinning what passes for mid-size SUVs these days.  Nobody’s getting wood for a a Traverse SS...

dogisbadob > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:22

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oh wow I thought they only came in black :p

Those red and white ones seemingly only exist in pictures

Too bad there was no EXT SS tho because a 3-row LS6 would be awesome as fuck, made only slightly less awesome by the shitty interior

Tohru > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:22

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The Trailblazer SS got the 5.3L LS in it. They’re very frequently stolen in the Detroit area for the drivetrain - they’ll be found abandoned complete, minus engine, trans, and ECU

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:22

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They never actually shipped that, did they?  Only announced it as Saab was on life support?

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:24

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It should have gotten 4L80E, but it was a beefed up 4L60e— renamed 4L70E.

It was better, but the guys running cams/boost north of 500HP would destroy those gearboxes.  It should have gotten the 4L80

Discerning > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:24

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Ah, the TBSS. I wanted one and test drove one but scared myself away by stories of people blowing up the stock 4l65e from the stock torque of the LS2. Shame the tranny can’t easily be swapped for a better unit like a 4l80e if you have an AWD one due to the goofy arrangement . The interior sucked, but it was pretty quick.

I still remember watching videos of the purple minivan pting bus lengths on vipers and corvettes.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 01/23/2020 at 21:24

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it was a beefed up 4L60e— renamed 4L70E.  I think that’s the most power the General ever put through a 4L60.

Textured Soy Protein > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/23/2020 at 21:24

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A few made it out until the wild. But they went on sale only a few months before Saab's demise so not many were sold.

Discerning > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 01/23/2020 at 21:25

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4l65e... and it was pretty fragile actually

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:25

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I know it has a 6.0 or 6.2, and that there’s also a Saab 97x Aero that is the same thing. 

Textured Soy Protein > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:25

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I know enough about it to know it could use a couple more gears in the transmission.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/23/2020 at 21:25

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LS2 I think.  6.0L, with the larger bores and 243 heads.  Aluminum block still though.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > HammerheadFistpunch 01/23/2020 at 21:26

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It’s funny that, for a rare option, you still see a lot of them. I figure people are holding on to them.

If my choice is that or a newer Traverse?  I’m driving what I have.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Textured Soy Protein 01/23/2020 at 21:31

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OOooh, yeah, I’d forgotten. Wasn’t it a platform share with some new Cadillac coming down the pipe? New SRX or something? Details escaped me— just knew it was a unicorn.

Here’s the one I’m sorry they never got out the door... XWD Aero

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Tohru 01/23/2020 at 21:38

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6.0L V8, thankyouverymuch!

But yeah, they are a cheap source for a running vehicle with a big corvette V8. Or an easy yank-and-gank for the chop shop.

Tohru > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:46

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my bad. the regular trailblazer got the 5.3L then as an option, IIRC.

shop-teacher > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:49

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Yes, I remember them. They had a 6.0 liter V8, AWD, and a slightly lowered/stiffer suspension.

I’m a truck guy, and a GM truck guy at that , but I never warmed up to the Trailblazer. My mom had one for four years while I was in my mi d 20's. I rode in it a fair bit, and drove it a few times , and while I couldn’t put my finger on why ... I kinda of hated it.

The Trailblazer SS though, those were pretty cool.

PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 21:50

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I remember it seeming like a way for GM to compete in the space once the srt8 GC was released but I can’t be sure on the years of the TBSS.

WK srt8 was 06 -10 I believe.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 22:01

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Probably as close to a successor to the Typhoon as will ever happen.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > HammerheadFistpunch 01/23/2020 at 22:12

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Hey, I’m just staring at the Registration Screen for Cruise Moab... are you going down there this year? Figured I’d take that swapped 93 FZJ.

HammerheadFistpunch > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/23/2020 at 22:30

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Never have . Thought about, but I don't really like big groups

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > HammerheadFistpunch 01/23/2020 at 22:55

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I hear you— one assumes it draws a big crowd. I’ve always wanted to go... once. I’m sure I’d learn a few more trails from the pros anyway .

The schedule may not cooperate, but I’m pondering.

HammerheadFistpunch > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/23/2020 at 23:17

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is it not already full?  it usually fills up stupid fast.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/23/2020 at 23:41

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Bigger/more powerful engine, some drivetrain upgrades, and a much higher price tag. You still get crap GM interior, crap GM build quality, crap GM reliability, and you look like the neighborhood drug dealer after they went to the rent-to-own wheels place.

Since t he SS trim really means little with Chevy, much like their other “storied” sport trim levels, 99.99% of people that see this car don’t even realize there’s anything special about it.

QCGoose > shop-teacher 01/23/2020 at 23:43

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You could also get the SS in 2WD. The AWD was slightly quicker off the line, but the RWD models were quicker and faster through the traps.

WullahBlack > CB 01/24/2020 at 03:09

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Jesus, you sound like you write for car and driver

feather-throttle-not-hair > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2020 at 04:03

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My friend has the Saab version.

Paul > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2020 at 06:05

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I own one.and wouldnt own any other suv.i recently had the need of a veh to take family members to doctor visits .was looking into a tahoe or escalade but stumbled accross the ss .happy days are all i have to say.handles lile a sportscar has every option as a escalade but yet small enough to still be able to enjoy 

Thisismydisplayname > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2020 at 07:05

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6l LS2 and could be had with AWD or RWD, and they eliminated the roof rails for a clean look.  The dead giveaway was the wheels.  But the better bargain was the Saab 9x aero, as it was a traliblazer SS with a nicer interior.  And since the brand was orphaned, and folks didn’t realize what they were, they were many times less expensive than the trailblazer.  

Thisismydisplayname > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/24/2020 at 07:09

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LS2, thr LS6 was only found in the corvette Z06 and the pre 2007 CTS-Vs. that was a nice motor, but the LS2 was torquier down low. I had the LS6 in my ‘05 V and it was a  glorious revver.   But the LS2 has more grunt and they went to those for the Vs in 2007.  Same as the GTOs.

Thisismydisplayname > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 07:11

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The Saab was the better choice as you got a better interior.  And the prices were better after the brand was being orphaned.  

shop-teacher > QCGoose 01/24/2020 at 07:12

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Ah, that I didn't know. The Silverado SS of that era was AWD only ... I'm pretty sure.

Jerunamo > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2020 at 07:25

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Love my 2007 TBSS. This thing's a beast!!!

Jerunamo > Tohru 01/24/2020 at 07:25

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6.oL LS2 buddy!!!

DFELT > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2020 at 08:01

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Love my 2008 SS, best awd, 6.0 V8, fun fast and thirsty. Yes GM could have done a better interior, but still a fun nice SUV , not CUV to own.

L ast of the mi d size body on frame fun autos that fit us tall guys. Clearly stands out from the millions of regular I6 powered trailblazers.

Mike > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2020 at 08:32

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The trailblazer SS came with a 6.0 LS2 engine an “upgraded” 4l60e transmission which was a 4l70e 4 speed. It also featured a giant 14 bolt rear end with a limited slip differential. It made 400hp/tq.

Aesthetically the bumpers were different, 20" aluminum wheels, and optional  3ss leather seats with suede inserts.  

Viperw1 > LastFirstMI is my name 01/24/2020 at 09:03

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The SS the SS love the typhoon and cyclone in the dust on every pull !

Snuze: Needs another Swede > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2020 at 09:10

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My dad talked about getting one these for years but would never pull the trigger, I think his main reason was they got like 14 mp g highway and required premium fuel, and he just didn’t want to feed it . Well, that and it would end up being my mom driving it 90% of the time and she wouldn’t appreciate it.  

That said, it was a true muscle SUV. These things were seriously quick, and honestly I thought they looked pretty cool. I see a lot of people hating on the interior - I only rode in a regular TrailBlazer once, on a short trip, so I don’t remember much, but I don’t remember the interior being awful, though maybe not up to the standards of the rest of the truck. 

Notamethlab > Discerning 01/24/2020 at 09:14

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With time we as a society have made it quite simple to swap in a 80e. And keep the stock awd system. Or you could always throw I'm a 4x4 tcase and run too. 

Notamethlab > shop-teacher 01/24/2020 at 09:16

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They had awd for a few years. You could also get rwd

Shift24 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2020 at 10:44

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Variant of the LS2 (less hp than the LS2 GTO) with 4l7 0E that with any power added would decide to no longer shift. For some odd reason in my mind it was available in AWD but Im pretty sure that could be the Sil verado SS.

OPPOsaurus WRX > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2020 at 11:07

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Holy crap, I saw one of those on the highway yesterday.  I wanted to take a picture but it wasn;t going t work with me driving and traffic and all the other savage animals trying to cut me off

Gone > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2020 at 11:36

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Everything else is covered. Always thought the grill change was a neat detail.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > HammerheadFistpunch 01/24/2020 at 12:09

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SIGH. Yeah, it is now. I should have registered the first time I checked it. Waiting List Now...

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Registration for Cruise Moab 2020 is sold out.

To put your name on our waiting list, please click here .

To make sure you receive notice about future Cruise Moab events, sign up for our email list .

AfromanGTO > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2020 at 14:47

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Why not mention the Saab version of it?

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2020 at 14:52

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5.7L LS engine, AWD, appearance package and lower profile tires.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > AfromanGTO 01/24/2020 at 15:33

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It was a conversation about how GM doesn’t have enough “fun” with their crossovers now, and just plays it too safe. Having a hi-po motor in a Saab makes sense since it is a luxury car and has a big price tag. But the trailblazer was the mall crawler supreme for the family that just had their second kid so the Malibu is getting a bit cramped. It was bought with a steep discount and easy finance terms and had a generously sized rear tailgate that was perfect for putting all those “My dog is smarter than the 8th graders at McMeguille Middle Elementary High” stickers on it.

....So they gave it corvette power and let it start hunting punks in 90's F-bodies who made the wrong assumption at the stoplight.

Mariner12 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2020 at 16:32

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I love my heavy girl! 

Nick > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2020 at 17:57

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I had a black 6.0L SS and loved it!  4.10 gears made it so damn fast.  

BeaterGT > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2020 at 20:41

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Friend of mine has one with a built motor and nitrous. Easily runs 10s.  This was also almost 10 years before SRT Jeeps were a thing too.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2020 at 21:12

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I had a Trailblazer LT as a hand me down before my 4Runner. I honestly should have kept it. It was reliable other than the 4L60E, but that would be cheaper to rebuild every few years than the 4Runner is. It was comfortable, it was quick, and it was decent on gas. I’d love to have one now as a third vehicle, but I’d go for a 9-7x, because they are nicer and cheaper.

Boxer_4 > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 22:11

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The numbers aren’t solid, but it’s claimed that ~814 were built and sold.  

I took this picture a few years ago.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Boxer_4 01/24/2020 at 22:37

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Wow. That’s nothing.

It’s sure too bad...  their pipeline was far more interesting than Buick’s when it all came down.

RobQc > Tohru 01/25/2020 at 02:00

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Actually the trailblazer came standard with a 6cyl. 4.2 and the 5.3 was and option on mostly the the extended versions and rarely on the regular 5 passenger one.

RobQc > Thisismydisplayname 01/25/2020 at 02:20

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The TBSS has the LS2 engine and its pretty much the  same  engine from the vette 395 hp and 400 torque. Yes they could have done better and made lots of improvements  but they didn't. 

rockingthe2 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/25/2020 at 19:17

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These also had the nice intake manifold that works great on LS swapped C10's. the ‘vette intake manifold had higher HP, the truck manifold had higher torque, the trailblazer ss manifold had both.