Deep Navy

[ocnblu]

Well I went ahead and did it. I got myself back into a truck. It's a 1LT 4X4, 3.7L 5 cylinder with 3.73 G80, power/convenience package, fullsize spare and trailering package, Deep Navy with Ebony 60/40 seat. Traded the Cobalt in today. Decided not to wait for a factory order.

Edited April 24, 2010 by ocnblu

[Camino LS6]

Congrats Ocn!

I knew you couldn't last much longer.

Gorgeous color.

[A Horse With No Name]

Fantastic color, love your truck...

Sorry to see the 'balt go...but this is what you want so....congrats!

[ocnblu]

Thanks, gentlemen. Yup, the "wish list" has already started. The slide-in bedliner is history very soon, for example.

[Intrepidation]

So is it like Deja Vu from when you last bought a Colorado?

Nice truck though, I prefer the extended cab body style over regular cab.

[ocnblu]

Yes, the controls are familiar, and that's fine with me. Kinda like a Dodge pickup customer felt from 1971 to 1993.

I am liking the improvements over my '04, even if they are few. Satellite radio, side airbags, chrome accents in and out, extra padding on the door armrests, 22 extra horsepower, better looking wheels, etc.

Yes, the extended cab is nice because I can throw stuff behind the driver's seat and keep it locked up.

Hopefully this one is as good as my '04 was.

[A Horse With No Name]

I like the extra HP and the side airbags...

[daves87rs]

Love the color! Makes me miss my S10...

[Blake Noble]

Love the color! Makes me miss my S10...

In a strange way, it makes me miss mine as well.

Quite an accomplishment too. While it did a great job of saving my ass in my first wreck, I hated that truck.

You did buy a manual, right ocn?

Edited April 25, 2010 by whiteknight

[ocnblu]

I certainly would have, but the manual transmission is no longer available with the 5 cylinder engine.

Yup, I really like the color, too. It was between this or the Steel Green, and no one had one with the options I wanted locally. I like the fact it is a non-metallic color. It's a classic, old-school color.

Maybe I'll put this in the C&G Garage.

[A Horse With No Name]

Please do, blu....and yes that green is fantastic on that truck also!

[ocnblu]

That green is going to be available on the 900s for 2011.

Status of the "wish list": I've found a bed rug with bowtie logo for $275 at gmpartsdirect.com ($375 everywhere else), Firestone Destination A/T tires (aggressive tread design for the 4X4 look I want and a very high consumer rating) for $99/ea at Tire Rack, a bugshield and vent visors, tri-fold soft tonneau cover like I had on the Sierra and a hitch receiver-mounted step. Next up is getting a price on the small-style, black plastic grained OEM wheel flares. I might also price out a set of OEM side moldings. Sheesh, it's like heaven accessorizing a pickup truck. Yeee haw!

[Z-06]

Congrats truck guy. We now have three people who went from cars to trucks.

Yeah GM discontinued the manual trans option on the 5-cylinder when they increased the displacement from 3.5 to 3.7 in 2007. Too bad it could not compete with the V6 6-speed option of the Tacoma and Frontier.

[ocnblu]

Thanks, Z-06!

Shoot, always check your local dealer before ordering anything online thinking you're going to save money. Local Firestone store quoted me $27 less for 4 Destination A/T tires than Tire Rack quotes including shipping to my house.

[A Horse With No Name]

The modifications begin...keep us posted, dude!

[ocnblu]

You know GM made those small flares in smooth, painted style too. I wonder what those would look like, painted Cyber Gray (to match the lower bumper trim) or Gold Mist (a pale silver-gold to match the bowties). If anyone cares to, please post your choice of plain black textured, or painted one of the two colors mentioned (or pick a color yourself).

[gm4life]

You know GM made those small flares in smooth, painted style too. I wonder what those would look like, painted Cyber Gray (to match the lower bumper trim) or Gold Mist (a pale silver-gold to match the bowties). If anyone cares to, please post your choice of plain black textured, or painted one of the two colors mentioned (or pick a color yourself).

I would go with a painted set in the factory color, then again I am boring. Actually I do personally like Colorado's without them. Or a set in gray to play off of the two tone look would be cool. Anyways sweet truck, and I would love some more photographs of her!

Edited April 25, 2010 by gm4life

[A Horse With No Name]

Agree on body color...

[ocnblu]

Thanks, gm4life. And yup, body color would look good. When I was thinking about a contrasting color, I was remembering the Trailblazers were available with contrasting color wheel flares for a two-tone look.

[vonVeezelsnider]

The Gray Flares would really only fit in the color that matched the bumper IMO.

Nice truck!

[daves87rs]

Agree on body color...

+2

[caddycruiser]

Nice! Not the green...but WHAT a looker in Navy! What dealer up there did you get this one from?

Welcome back to the GM truck club. They've made small but dramatic improvements to the looks of these trucks since intro, and though no one knows about them, they seem like great runabouts. Having had one before, hopefully this one turns out just as well for you.

Trucks=accessory central. The one thing I'm still trying to avoid, in every way, with the monster Avalanche. Doing well so far...but I like your list for the Colorado already in a day

Roger has said we need to get our Summit White trucks together for a shoot...depending on when, we just might need a little blue too

Edited April 26, 2010 by caddycruiser

[Robert Hall]

Nice color...if you want to go wild with mods eventually, maybe something like this:

or this:

[ocnblu]

Mr. cruiser, thanks! I got this one from Hondru Chevrolet in Manheim, a small town dealership. They made an initial offer, I counter offered... they met my requirements, so I signed.

Wow Moltie, those are some wild 355s... not sure I want to go quite that far, but that 4X4 does give me some idears...

Edited April 26, 2010 by ocnblu

[GMTruckGuy74]

Congratulations ocnblu! Welcome back to the truck club I'm sure this GMT-355 will top your last one in reliability and worry-free miles. I love the color choice (dark blue is my favorite color), though I have to say I wish it was a GMC I wish you nothing but happiness with your new rig!

Caddycruiser - you're right, a little dark blue will look nice with the white trucks

[A Horse With No Name]

Nice looking trucks, guys...

[regfootball]

blu, I love that truck. Congrats! very nice looking ride!

[Camino LS6]

I don't think I'd do flares on that truck - it looks good clean.

[daves87rs]

I like the 4x4 look...

[ocnblu]

Since that first-day photo was taken, I've done a couple of things:

- took off the nasty front license plate bracket (it left two small holes in the lower fascia, but they aren't glaring)

- replaced the tires with stock-size 235/75R16 Firestone Destination A/T blackwalls, a much more aggressive tread pattern AND a more comfortable ride than the cheap, stock Wrangler S/Ts

- put on a tri-fold soft tonneau, similar to the one on my Sierra

- took out the worthless slide-in liner and replaced it with a BedRug

Next up, I think I want to take the Colorado nameplate off the tailgate and replace it with a big bowtie from a GMT900, centered on the gate. That existing factory emblem has a very nice small chrome-rimmed gold bowtie that would look great at the beltline near the lower rear corner of each of the quarter glasses. And I still want to either put the factory SMALL flares on (maybe paint them bodycolor for maximum stealth), or the factory molded mudguards... just for the fact that the tires stick out past the bodywork, especially at the bottom rear, making it vulnerable to flying mud and stones. Not sure what the solution should be... I am not usually a fan of mudflaps but I really want something on there to keep it cleaner from road spray. One of those hitch receiver-mounted tubular steps in stainless steel (about a foot wide). And finally, I want the ubiquitous bugshield (for stone chip protection on the front of the hood), and ventshades (for their sheer usefulness).

I swear, there is nothing like sitting up high... and I love the feeling of solidity when crossing railroad tracks. I sooo missed driving a pickup truck. More photos forthcoming (maybe this weekend) and I still want to post it in the garage. Thanks again for the kind comments!

Edited April 28, 2010 by ocnblu

[vonVeezelsnider]

- took off the nasty front license plate bracket (it left two small holes in the lower fascia, but they aren't glaring)

Bumperplugs.com

Tried it on my Impala when I had the front bracket off... perfect match.

[ocnblu]

Thanks for the tip, vonVee!

[caddycruiser]

Bumperplugs.com

Tried it on my Impala when I had the front bracket off... perfect match.

That, or little flat plastic push pins from the hardware store. Local dealer fixed (2) of our dealer traded cars that way, after getting the bracket off.

Sounds great otherwise, nice accessories already. I know what you mean now about sitting up high. It's great. An adjustment after something as "crisp" as a G8, but crappy steering wheel adjustment ratchets aside, I'm so comfy now. Europeans & other mini car lands, just don't understand

[ocnblu]

Lo and behold... the road back in to the campground is gravel. My tires picked up stones. On the way home, I heard a periodic "TANG" as the stones flew out of the tires and onto my bodywork. I have a horrible (tiny) chip in a rocker panel, and one on the edge of the rear bumper. I simply cannot have my new truck getting chipped up.

So I am buying touch-up paint, small grained gray molded OEM flares in a set of 4 as an accessory part number, and the GM Accessory mudguards. I was looking at a couple of Canyons today on the lot, and the splash guards appear easy to install. The flares are just two-sided tape and push pins, no problem.

I also got my bugshield and ventshades put on.

I've noticed a lot of ppl looking at it... must be the color that makes it stand out, as I've not seen any on the road yet... although I've seen a couple on the lots, both GMC.

[SAmadei]

Lo and behold... the road back in to the campground is gravel. My tires picked up stones. On the way home, I heard a periodic "TANG" as the stones flew out of the tires and onto my bodywork. I have a horrible (tiny) chip in a rocker panel, and one on the edge of the rear bumper. I simply cannot have my new truck getting chipped up.

That's why I couldn't ever buy a new truck.

Trucks are for work, and are going to be driven through the brush and trees in my yard. I can't believe how hard it is to find a local beater Chevy/GMC pickup for cheap that is inspected or will pass inspection. Darn things never sink below $1500 unless they are mortally wounded.

[ocnblu]

Yeah, I want to be able to travel off pavement without worrying, so flares and flood maps it is. Besides the campground in Carbon County, a lot of the roads up in Tioga County around my brother's cabin are gravel, and when I go up to visit them, I want to not worry about my paint job.

[caddycruiser]

The luggy Bridgestones that came standard on my Z71 Av and that I got rid of, were known for rocketing every little bit of anything down the sides. Ping, ping, dong, boom, chip. Thankfully I kept it to a minimum, the truck has painted flares but still, and every front side section is wrapped in 3M clear protection. Now that those tires are gone, I've already been happy with the complete lack of "ping ping" leaving a gravel driveway or otherwise.

A truck is a truck, but when new and expensive, it's nice to keep some paint intact. Good choice in the flares and flaps, hope they're on soon. I've been debating flaps for the Av because of things that still do spray a bit, but just don't like the look...they'll be fitting on a Colorado, however.

Thursday I was driving home and saw a new '10 navy blue Colorado Z71 crew cab turn onto the road in front of me. Nice looker, really nice, with the 17" chromes. Looking around, I then started seeing some late builds they're putting leftover 18" chrome Hummer H3 wheels on as an option--another sharp look, especially with the blue. But very Hummer, for obvious reasons.

[ocnblu]

Yup, that's the Spring Appearance Package, consisting of the 18" chrome wheels off the Hummer H3 (which I find to be not attractive on the pickup, and the blank center cap seems cheesy), and a soft tonneau cover from GM Accessories. My dealer has a black extended cab with the package. On the Z71, I prefer the 17" chromes to these. They should have used the GM Accessory 18" chrome rims (with a more open spoke design) if they wanted an 18" rim rather than these knockoff H3 units. Just my opinion.

[caddycruiser]

Yup, that's the Spring Appearance Package, consisting of the 18" chrome wheels off the Hummer H3 (which I find to be not attractive on the pickup, and the blank center cap seems cheesy), and a soft tonneau cover from GM Accessories. My dealer has a black extended cab with the package. On the Z71, I prefer the 17" chromes to these. They should have used the GM Accessory 18" chrome rims (with a more open spoke design) if they wanted an 18" rim rather than these knockoff H3 units. Just my opinion.

Agreed. The one I saw Thursday with 17" chrome wheels looked much more fitting. The Hummer wheel setup looks like something someone did after the fact. Too Hummer, big, shiny, but yeah, something is off.

[knightfan26917]

Saw this when you posted it on Facebook, but again ... awesome, ocn ... and CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Looks sweet!

Cort | 36.m.IL | "Mr Monte Carlo"."Mr Road Trip" | pig valve.pacemaker * 07/24/2010=ChitownMeet #3 *

MCs.Caprice | models.HO.legos.CHD.RadioShows | RTs.us66 = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"My ticker's ticking like they say it should" ... Montgomery Gentry ... 'Lucky Man'

[ocnblu]

Well thank ya, Cort.

[ocnblu]

Here are some pictures of my new truck, taken today at Lancaster County Park.

Edited May 15, 2010 by ocnblu

[caddycruiser]

Awesome.

Amazing the difference a few exact accessories make to an already great looking truck.

[ocnblu]

Thanks, Mr. cruiser. Yeah, I was trying to make it look its best without going overboard.

[ocnblu]

Damn you, YouTube. I've been watching Colorado aftermarket exhaust vids all morning over there, now I want a K&N intake and some sort of exhaust. I've been bitten!

[caddycruiser]

Damn you, YouTube. I've been watching Colorado aftermarket exhaust vids all morning over there, now I want a K&N intake and some sort of exhaust. I've been bitten!

Hah! YouTube and owner forums...they'll do it to you...my post-G8 credit card charges every month could write a book about it. "I need that too..."

[GMTruckGuy74]

Great looking Colorado there ocnblu!! I especially like the shots at the covered bridge. Trucks and bridges, what a great combination.

[knightfan26917]

Love this shot, ocn!

The town where I went to college has a covered bridge ... loved driving through it when I was there.

Cort | 36.m.IL | "Mr Monte Carlo"."Mr Road Trip" | pig valve.pacemaker * NoreastrTrekRT=Aug2010 *

MCs.Caprice | models.HO.legos.CHD.RadioShows | RTs.us66 = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"Take a drive along the beach" ... England Dan & John Ford Coley ... 'I'd Really Love To See You Tonight'

[z28luvr01]

Wow, I'm loving the pics and the truck. I'm now hearing a very similarly configured 2006 Canyon SL calling my name.

[ocnblu]

Thanks Mr. z.

Cool! Let us know if you get it.