This isn't a story about a custom-truck enthusiast, where his truck was built on TV. Nobody tricked the owner or showed up to his house and told him that his truck would look ridiculously stupid after they were done. Kulvinder Mattu's truck is a real-world custom mini-truck that got its start as a bone-stock '05 Chevrolet Colorado. And after a couple of years of saving his money, he was ready to embark on the journey of custom truck building. So, he headed over to see Adam Berg and the crew at Settintrendz just outside his hometown in Kerman, California. After looking through some of the photos of the work that the crew from Settintrendz had done, and then flipping through some magazines, Kulvinder decided that he wanted to go a little further than a typical 'bag job and paint.
The list of exterior modifications is pretty moderate and includes shaved door handles, and upper and lower Precision billet grilles. Back on the bed, they molded in the roll pan and shaved the tailgate handle and fuel-filler door. They also recessed the license plate and relocated the tailgate handle to the inside of the tailgate. The truck was then treated to PPG Silver and Red, applied by the guys at Settintrendz. Then, Adam stepped into the booth to apply the engine-turned silver leaf, then he pinstriped with gold and black one-shot paint.
Under the smooth and shiny exterior, the truck's chassis has been treated to its fair share of modifications, as well. Up front, a pair of Slam Specialties airbags was installed with a set of 22x8-inch Boyd Coddington wheels and Toyo tires. In order to clear those big front wheels, the inner fenders were removed, and the frame was Z'd 1-1/8 inches. Out back, the guys at Settintrendz fabricated a custom three-link, along with a weld-in monster notch and another pair of Slam's airbags. Before the rear set of Boyd Coddington wheels could be stuffed into the wheelwells, the axle needed to be shortened a total of 3 inches. The air system runs a pair of Air Zenith compressors, a 7-gallon storage tank, and a set of Parker 1/2-inch valves, making easy work of raising and lowering this hauler.
Inside the Colorado, you'll find a few changes, including paint, a lot of red ostrich, and plenty of audio. On the paint side of the equation, you'll find it on the dash and door panels. All of the sanding, filling, and mods to the plastic interior were done by the crew from Settintrendz. When it comes to the red ostrich, there is plenty stretched over the headliner, the top sections of the door panels, and the factory bucket seats. The rear bench was modified so the custom-built sub enclosure would fit underneath, and both were wrapped to match the front seats. In the audio department, the sound originates from the Panasonic head unit, which sends the signal to the MTX Thunder amp and powers the Audiobahn and MTX speakers.
It took six months to get everything together and to get Josh's truck finished. When it was done, the truck was rolled into the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where it proceeded to grab a lot of attention.
It just goes to show that you don't have to have a famous-named builder to design a trophy-collector. All you need is an eye for good style and some help from your friends and family. And for their help, Kulvinder would like to thank his parents and sisters for support and believing that he would finish the truck, all his friends who helped along the way, and the guys at Settintrendz and AVS for making the build of his first custom truck such a successful one.
THE 411
Owner/hometown:
Kulvinder Mattu / Kerman, California
Year/make/model:
'05 Chevy Colorado Crew
Engine/drivetrain:
220hp, 225-lb-ft 3.5L Vortec 3500 / K&N Filtercharger / Flowmaster three-chamber exhaust / narrowed rear axle 3 inches / Optima RedTop battery / relocated battery, fuse box, ABS brake controller, and radiator overflow / painted intake manifold, fuse box, and radiator cap
BY: Adam Berg at Settintrendz / Fresno, California
Rims:
Front & Rear: 22x8-inch Boyd Coddington Shadows
Tires:
Front & Rear: 265/35R22 Toyo Proxes S/T
Suspension:
FRONT: Modified upper control arms / two Slam Specialties HE-7 airbags
REAR: Custom-made three-link / Slam Specialties RS-8 airbags
ACCESSORIES: Eight 1/2-inch Parker air valves / 1/2-inch air line / two Air Zenith compressors / seven-switch AVS controller
CHASSIS: 1-1/8-inch Z'd front frame clip / step notch
BY: Adam Berg at Settintrendz / Fresno
Body Mods:
Shaved door, tailgate handles, and gas door / molded AVS roll pan / AVS tailgate handle relocator / upper and lower Precision billet grilles
BY: Adam Berg at Settintrendz / Fresno / Hot Rod Shop
Custom Paint:
PPG silver and red two-tone / engine-turned silver leaf / pinstriped with one-shot gold and black
BY: Settintrendz / Hot Rod Shop
Interior:
Seats, door panels, and headliner have red ostrich inserts / relocated the hazard switch and replaced it with a Dakota Digital air gauge / painted instrument cluster, vents, center dash bezel, and door panel switch / rear seat was raised to accommodate the sub enclosure
BY: Adam and Michael Berg of Settintrendz, in Fresno
Audio/Video:
Panasonic In-Dash 2-DIN 6-1/2-inch widescreen color LCD monitor/DVD receiver / four Audiobahn 6-1/2-inch components mounted in the stock door locations / two MTX Thunder 4500-series 10-inch subs / custom sub enclosure wrapped in gray leather and red ostrich
BY: Michael Berg of Settintrendz, in Fresno