bidly - the truck that wouldn’t quit

Every builder has one project that seems determined to fight them every step of the way. For us, that truck was Bidly.

Named after my good friend Billy, who picked the truck up for me, Bidly looked like the perfect find on paper: a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado Classic with the desirable Cateye front end, a factory sunroof, a low-mileage L33 High Output 5.3L, and all the right options. Unfortunately, it also had just about every problem imaginable.

When Billy went to pick it up, he sent me a video of the truck barely running. It sounded like it was firing on only five cylinders, the catalytic converters had been cut off making it unbelievably loud, and it could barely move under its own power enough to crawl onto the trailer. It wasn’t exactly the triumphant beginning we’d hoped for.

What looked like a bargain quickly became one of our most challenging GMT800 projects. Years of sitting had taken their toll. The list of repairs seemed endless—brake and fuel lines, brakes, hub bearings, shocks, transmission cooler lines, steering components, body panels, lighting, suspension repairs, and countless other mechanical and cosmetic items. Ryan McCauley of McCauley’s Performance spent many hours helping bring the truck back to life.

Slowly but surely, Bidly transformed into exactly what we had envisioned—a clean, sharp Cateye that looked as good as it drove.

After the sale, the new owner reached out with a concern about oil consumption. Rather than simply wishing him luck, we asked him to bring the truck back. We installed GM’s updated valve cover design, added an oil catch can, and performed a complete induction service. Standing behind our work doesn’t stop when a truck leaves the shop.

To the best of my knowledge, Bidly is still out there running strong today. It may have been one of the toughest builds we’ve tackled, but it also reinforced something we believe at Signature Series Rigs: the hardest projects often become the most rewarding, and doing right by the customer is just as important as building a great truck.