James Cranford's `05 Chevrolet Colorado caught our eye--twice. The second time, a staffer saw it at a tiny show. The Colorado triggered a sense of relief. It was a bright spot in a show that had offered very few feature opportunities. This was followed by dismay, once he realized the truck was already in the can. Luckily, though, it was our can, as another Truckin' editor had photographed the Colorado at Gator Drag. That was a good move. Why? Because this is a cool truck.
We like the paintjob on this Colorado; specifically the bold, two-toned PPG colors of Peacock Red and black graphics, which are broken up a bit by a flash of silver along the beltline and a diamond-plate design on the hood. The black, diamond-plate-styled crosshatch pattern runs atop the cowl on the hood and is split by a silver-spike graphic spruced up by yellow pinstripes. Pretty
cool. The grille is painted black and brightened by a shiny billet Bow Tie. The rear was customized with a roll pan and two LED brake lights were worked into the tailgate skin. The rest of the body was shaved smooth, thanks to the lopping off of the third brake light, door handles, tailgate handle, and factory taillights. The tailgate was welded to the body and sport mirrors replaced the stock versions. The bed and tubs under the hood were sprayed with red bedliner.
The inside of the truck matches the exterior well. Just about everything inside the cab was touched. The dash was sanded smooth and painted to match the red body color, with a bit of black around the instrument cluster and around the A/C setup, the Kenwood DVD head unit, and the monitor in the center of the dash. (Black-painted--and real--diamond plating shields the passenger side of the dash). The center console was re-fabbed with fiberglass to accommodate a large LCD, four gauges, and switches for the air ride system. The red, shiny surfaces were studded by Memphis Audio component speakers and crossovers for those drivers. Billet Specialties punctuates the red and black interior with a silvery billet steering wheel. Red carpet lines the floor, while the headliner retains the factory flavor. Behind the black leather seats lie four subwoofers, two amplifiers, and a capacitor--all from Memphis Audio--arrayed in a clean presentation in and above a red fiberglass enclosure.