Hi-Po Sierra

MICHAEL CERVI’S 1,300-HORSEPOWER 2004 GMC SIERRA

- Chris Tobin

There is always something special about your first vehicle—most of us that have sold or lost our first set of wheels wish we could have it back. Michael Cervi bought his first vehicle at the age of 18. The 2004 GMC Sierra 2500 HD was in great shape and he enjoyed the truck for nearly 10 years before deciding to get serious with it about a year ago, performing a restoration and beefing up the heart of the beast. The 25-year-old HVAC and refrigeration technician is great friends with the staff at HSP Diesel and can regularly be seen helping out in their booth at events around the country as he crosses the border from his home in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Cervi’s restoration brought the truck back to and beyond its new condition with a full frame-off adventure that included painting the frame and all the chassis components satin black. While the cab, bed and front end were off the chassis he took the time to make improvements rather than just cleaning it up and making it look good. In the rear he and Tim Miller from HSP reworked the shock mounts to run a pair of double-adjustable bearing mount QA1 shocks on the rear side of the axle nearly vertical to help him tune for the drag strip. They also fabricated a set of traction bars to keep the leaf springs from twisting when he hammers on the loud pedal and unleashes around 1,300 horses of Duramax fury.