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Chevy S-10 Makeover - Ultimate Update
Retro Colorado?
February, 2009
By Lance Martz
With the introduction of the newest compact trucks from GMC and Chevrolet, there will be a whole new breed of enthusiasts who will love to modify them and make something special of the new pickups. While we can't wait to see all that is being done to the new trucks, we can't help but wonder about all the thousands of S-10s out there rolling the streets that are stuck in another time, with the looks of a generation that has been forgotten about by their makers. Enter Devious Customs and its penchant for making things happen in very short order. The company recently took a first-generation S-10 and grafted an '05 Colorado front fascia onto it. The result from this sheetmetal surgery left behind a truck that people try to guess at (like the bow tie isn't a dead giveaway, right?). In any case, the conversion is so astounding that we asked the crew to take photos along the way so we could turn the transformation into a tech article to tease your custom tastes. Follow along as Devious shows how it made the old S-10 look like Chevy's newest compact-truck offering. For more information, contact Devious Customs using the information in the source box.  1. First off, Devious started...  1. First off, Devious started with a truck that thousands have loved for years now, a first-generation Chevy S-10. With the hood and front fascia radiator out of the way, this truck will soon take on a whole new personality. |  2. You're going to need new...  2. You're going to need new fenders, but only pieces of them. Unfortunately, you have to buy them whole. |  3. & 4. You'll also need a...  3. & 4. You'll also need a few other factory parts as well to make the transformation complete. The new Colorado fenders will need the Colorado hood, headlights, grille, and lower lights. |  |  5. Shown here is a rough idea...  5. Shown here is a rough idea of the area that has to be cut from the original fender to mate to the Colorado parts. |  6. Unfortunately, we couldn't...  6. Unfortunately, we couldn't get Devious to slow down and get photos of the fenders actually being cut, so you'll have to live with shots of the final cuts that were made to the stock fenders. Amazingly, Devious didn't use that much of the factory Colorado fenders. |  7. & 8. Next, the pieces of...  7. & 8. Next, the pieces of the new fenders were positioned where they would eventually be welded together using body locating pins (called Cleco pins). Now you can see how little of the Colorado fender actually was used and how much of the first-generation fender remains. |  |  9. Up to this point, the fenders...  9. Up to this point, the fenders were pretty much taken care of, with the exception of the few Colorado mounting points that needed to be accommodated. Luckily, this S-10 is also getting a custom tubular radiator support, which will take care of all of those concerns nicely. |  10. To build the new radiator...  10. To build the new radiator support, the pieces that compose the final assembly had to be mocked up. This allowed Devious to make provisions for all the mounting tabs and ensure that everything lined up correctly. Notice the tape on the headlights and grille, as well as the tape holding the headlights. It's a good thing to only buy parts once. Scratched plastic sucks. |  11. The first few tubes of...  11. The first few tubes of the radiator support were built off the center hoop. The center hoop is where the radiator will be mounted, so it was constructed first, followed by the bent tubing that will allow for the fender, headlight, and grille mounting. |  12. Making sure everything...  12. Making sure everything stayed square, the fenders were bolted to a cross strap that was tack-welded to the radiator support hoop. This will ensure that the front end stays where its supposed to and the final results are perfectly fitted. |  13. & 14. Continuing along,...  13. & 14. Continuing along, more tubes were added to the main hoop to allow everything to be bolted up with maximum support. Other tubing was added to allow the lower fenders to be bolted up and the whole radiator support to be a bolt-on affair. |  |  15. & 16. Throughout the process...  15. & 16. Throughout the process of building the radiator support and mounting assembly, fitment was checked to make sure everything was going according to plan. |  |  17. & 18. It was time to give...  17. & 18. It was time to give the truck a front bumper once again. Notice the wood blocks on the floor. They're just tall enough to allow the bumper to sit on them at the height needed to build bumper brackets. |  |  Since the front-end conversion...  Since the front-end conversion is going on a truck that was never designed to look this way, Devious went beyond the call of duty and custom-built a lower valance for the Colorado bumper being used. Steel wings were first fabricated on each side of the bumper. |  A closer look reveals the...  A closer look reveals the lower lip, which was added to give the front bumper a more designed appearance. Cleco pins held the pieces of sheetmetal in place while the front bumper was being built. |  Once completed, the new pieces...  Once completed, the new pieces that make up the lower half of the Colorado front bumper were welded to the upper half of the Colorado bumper, making it a single unit. That, friends, is how you teach an old truck some serious new tricks. |
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Toyota Tacoma Research
Read detailed reviews on the all new Toyota Tacoma and compare it with other vehicles you may be thinking of buying. The Tacoma comes with a V6 standard engine and goes for a suggested retail price of $24,595.00. It can seat 4 people comfortably. Also check out the Chevy Colorado and the Ford Ranger.
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