Words: Fuelish Media
Photos: Fuelish Media
Building a truck that stands out from the crowd takes a bit of creativity and imagination. Many people copy styles from others, and the results are never groundbreaking. One thing we’ve learned is that originality is a big factor in the impact that your ride has on others. However, doing so in a tasteful fashion is also a must.
Having an imagination like no other, Chad “Cantcolor” Carothers is a person that is always finding new ways to express his visions. Leaving the East Coast after high school, he landed in SoCal in pursuit of his art. Chad’s style quickly gained a huge following through action sports, fashion and custom-painted footwear. While the demand for his custom kicks has recently grown to consume a large portion of his career, his need to create continues to grow, spawning ideas for badass rides that transpire into reality.
Chad has owned many different custom vehicles ranging from race-inspired BMWs to classic American iron. Lately, trucks have been the popular subject matter as he previously finished a supercharged ’14 Silverado that was lowered on a custom coilover suspension with 26” billet wheels. After completing this sport-minded pickup, Chad decided to build a similar truck with a twist. This time around it would be a lifted version of the truck, which would make him feel like he was riding a great white shark through the sea of cars on the road.
Dubbed Sharknado, the project started when Chad purchased this ’17 Silverado 1500 Z71 4×4 from a local dealership. He wasted no time in customizing it and immediately tore apart the interior, which would later receive some of his unique artwork. In the meantime, the 24×12 one-off KMC XD forged monoblock wheels were formed and became a big part of the build.
Just look closely at the photos to notice that these brushed wheels were then hand-painted before getting powder coated in candy red by the team at New Year Metal Finishing in Santa Ana, CA. They are also wrapped in Atturo Trail Blade XT urban all-terrain tires that were laser etched with matching design on the sidewalls. Allowing these new rollers to fit, the truck was made taller with a custom lift that utilizes Rough Country parts and Fox 2.5 remote reservoir coilover shocks, most of which were hand-painted as well.
Adding performance to combat the slowing effects of the large tires, the engine was boosted with an Edelbrock E-Force supercharger and K&N Blackhawk intake. Next, the exterior was covered in a flat white wrap before the bed was coated in a red bedliner that now features his custom art and aluminum center strips. Finishing things off, many pieces of the interior were painted red or white with matching artwork. The seats were reupholstered in Roadwire leather covers to continue the red theme. The focal point of the interior is the headliner, which was covered in a white canvas and showcases a complete mural of Chad’s art. The end result is an urban beast that’s a true rolling masterpiece unlike any other.
GEAR: ’17 CHEVY SILVERADO 1500 Z71 4×4
WHEELS/TIRES
- 24×12 one-off KMC forged monoblocks in brushed finish with custom art and powder coated candy red by New Year Metal Finishing
- 325/45R24 Atturo Trail Blade X/T with laser-etched artwork
SUSPENSION
- Custom 7” lift kit
- Rough Country spindles, control arms, front cross members, rear blocks, rear shocks and trailing arms
- Fox 2.5 coilovers with remote reservoirs
- Wilwood 14” 2-piece brake rotors with 6-piston calipers
PERFORMANCE
- Edelbrock E-Force supercharger
- K&N Blackhawk cold-air intake
- Gibson 4”exhaust
- B&M rear diff cover
- Hand-painted radiator cover
EXTERIOR / ARMOR
- Custom front skid plate fabricated by N8Z Fab
- Custom red bedliner with C10 aluminum strips and custom artwork
- Grille Craft MX Series mesh grilles
- Avery flat white vinyl wrap
- Decals by Jay at South County Stickers
- Powder coating by Rene and Beto of New Year Metal Finishing
ACCESSORIES
- Custom painted headlights with HID projector conversion
- Factory hooks powder coated red
- Custom painted pair of Timberland boots to match the interior
INTERIOR
- Roadwire Leather Interiors red seat covers with perforated inserts
- Door panels and dash painted in red and white with custom artwork
- Headliner covered in white canvas and custom hand-painted mural
- Kicker component speakers
- Fatmat sound dampening material
