Chevrolet Silverado completely freezes after it falls into a lake
- This Chevrolet Silverado was frozen solid after it fell into a lake
- It was rescued by rebuild expert Alex Palmeri
- Despite having ice everywhere, he thinks he can fix it
Published on Jan 26, 2025 at 4:00 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jan 22, 2025 at 10:01 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
This 2015 Chevrolet Silverado was frozen solid after it fell into a lake – but it was rescued by a rebuild expert who was determined to get it back on the road.
The Chevrolet Silverado LTZ had done just 50,000 miles when it ended up having an unfortunate run-in with an icy lake in Wisconsin.
The Chevy was completely frozen and, after being hoisted out, was branded a write-off by its insurers.
However, one car enthusiast decided to take a chance on the Chevy.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
The Chevrolet Silverado had to be hauled out of a lake
Alex Palmeri, from the Legit Street Cars YouTube channel, has taken on more than his fair share of tough rebuilds and restorations.
He’s previously tackled this broken 1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II, which came with plenty of unexpected challenges, and this Dodge Hellcat, that he quickly dubbed the Smellcat.
So when the opportunity arose for Palmeri to bag this 2015 Chevrolet Silverado for $5,300 he took it – even though the car was labeled a write-off.
At first, Palmeri was hopeful that it was only the Chevy’s backend that took a dip in the water but after spotting water droplets behind the vehicle’s digital cluster he realized that it had got into the cabin, too.
This also meant the seats were covered in mold and blocks of ice had filled the cup-holders – and that was just the start.
The Chevy was completely filled with ice and water
The 2015 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ rolled off the production line with a 5.3 liter V8 capable of producing 355 horsepower but this was now completely seized due to its time in the lake. Ouch.
As he took a closer look at the vehicle he found ice just about everywhere he looked, from the sparkplugs to the intake valves, into the exhaust manifold, and even the ignition.
Palmeri turned up the heat at his auto shop and watched on as the ice melted and began to flow out of the Chevy.
The transmission was completely waterlogged, as were the exhaust system and the oil tank.
But despite all of that, Plameri still managed to get the engine to spin – and he’s got high hopes for a complete restoration.
If anyone can get this Chevy back to life, surely it’s this guy.
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
