After making our 2000 Silverado project truck sit nice and low with the help of an airbagged suspension, the next step was to take the truck from Master Image Customs to Unrestricted Auto Trends in Lake Elsinore, California. Jake and Al Provoost, along with Angel Esqueleto were going to make the body as smooth as it was the day it rolled off the production line and look even better than the engineers could have ever imagined. This was a massive undertaking, as the truck was a former work truck and the body had seen better days. It hauled everything—concrete, rocks and wheelbarrows—from jobsite to jobsite with little care in the world as to what it looked like. With less than two months before its debut at the SEMA show, a lot of work still had to be done.
| With everything complete, you would never know that this was the same truck. It started out with every panel having damage to it and left straight as an arrow and ready for the 2011 SEMA show.
The first step was to acquire the products necessary for the transformation. We made our first call to PPG where we ordered the primer, Silver basecoat, Blue Metallic basecoat, Yellow basecoat, and clearcoat. 3M was next, and we ordered all of the needed sandpapers, blocks, masks, and tape to remove the almost 10-year-old original paint, and mask the truck to receive its new colors. This being my first custom-painted truck, I had no idea the amount of work that needed to go into making this truck look great again. Not only was I taking photos of the process, I was also learning how to do bodywork, weld, and prep for paint. It was an incredible experience, and the results speak for themselves. Follow along to see how we turned this work truck into a full-fledged show truck.
13. Once Jake had the graphic taped out, it was sprayed with PPG Yellow and left to cure. After it was dry to the touch, we mixed a custom blend of gold flake with clear and covered the whole graphic.
| 2000 Chevy Silverado ppg Yellow Paint
Our Honest Opinion
I couldn't believe how nice this truck looked when it rolled out of the paint booth. It was almost like it wasn't the same truck. This was a real learning process for me; I learned everything from bodywork and painting to welding. After finally cutting and buffing the paint with 3M's three-step buffing process, we smoothed the clear and made it shine like a diamond. The gold flake shimmers when the sun hits it, and the PPG Metallic Blue looks as though it is dancing. The next and final step was interior and audio, and then it was on to the SEMA show. Check back next month to see how we transformed the interior.
| 26. The Truck Covers USA rolling tonneau cover (PN: CR-201 $1,795.00) was dropped into the bed and the rails were clamped down to the bed rails. The biggest thing to watch out for is the gap between the two rails, but the instructions explained exactly how to do it in perfect detail.
