Simple and clean are terms we use all the time around the office when building daily drivers; however, sick and crazy are typical terms we use when describing show trucks. This is one of the many reasons we liked this 2001 Chevy Silverado owned by Matthew Patton of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, because it's a show truck and is very simple and very clean. Finishing the truck at the ripe old age of 19, Matthew says it's hard to believe the truck has come as far as it has in such a short time. Honestly, we're kind of baffled as well because our trucks weren't nearly this nice when we were in our teens.
Starting with a 2001 Chevy Extended Cab, Matt did things the unconventional way and did the paint and body on the truck first, a lesson he now admits created challenges later on in the build. Teaming with Fisher's Automotive in Baton Rouge, Matt shaved the taillights, tailgate handle, third brake light, and side steps and added Corvette door handles. The biggest addition to the body occurred on the front end, where Matt added new fenders, hood, headlights, grille, and bumper from a 2003 Cadillac Escalade. Out back, the rear roll pan was molded into place and triple-color 16-inch LED light strips were added. With the body nice and straight, Matt delivered the truck to Dusty Deloune of Baton Rouge for some pigment revitalization. Filling his spray gun with PPG dark green and old-school flake, Dusty applied the paint hues to the body, giving the truck a whole new look. When the sun hits the paint just right, the flake jumps off the exterior and the truck lights up.
Moving to the interior, Matt covered the seats with sandstone and dark green Katzkin leather seat covers. The dash was removed, smoothed, and painted to match, along with the center console and door panel accents. Whiteface Escalade gauges were installed in the dash cluster and a triple A-pillar pod houses the air gauges. Providing the audio/video for the truck is a Kenwood in-dash DVD player with navigation, Pioneer Premier mids and highs, and two Pioneer 12-inch subs under the back seat. Powering the system are two Rockford Fosgate amplifiers and a yellow-top Optima battery in the bed. Mike's Audio and Matt performed the audio work.