My first batch of truck mods

After some intensive research on where I wanted to get my auto customization done, I decided to go with Dipped Auto Works. If you missed it from last week, I opted to purchase a lower trim on my new pick-up truck of choice because I felt like going with a higher trim was a waste of money – I could get everything I wanted on the truck aftermarket for a fraction of the price, and I didn’t even want a lot of the features of the highest trim model anyway.

I had a general idea of what I wanted, and the guys at Dipped Auto Works helped me finalize my plans. This was a two-day project; this photo is of the end of the first day:

Dipped Auto Works doing a body color match on the chrome grille

I essentially got my truck looking a lot sleeker without having to add on a sport/all-terrain package or getting upgraded wheels. Overall, this is what I ended up getting done so far:

  • Front chrome grille painted red quartz tintcoat (body color) around the edge and black on the inside – it now resembles the grille of the all-terrain trims. I personally think chrome only looks nice on black luxury vehicles and only as trim pieces and accents; I wasn’t a fan of the entire grille being chrome.
  • Side chrome trim pieces and rear chrome bumper painted red quartz tintcoat. Again, I think the shine of the chrome fits well with all-black luxury vehicles, but it seemed a little out-of-place on a deep red mid-size pick-up truck.
  • Wheels painted glossy black. I’m not a fan of sacrificing functionality for appearance, so I had no interest in actually upgrading my wheels from 17″ to something larger, as shrinking the amount of actual tire you have compromises ride quality. I also think having massive rims on a pick-up truck looks a bit silly. So, I stuck with my stock wheels, but just got them painted black.
  • Brake calipers painted red quartz tintcoat. This is something that the guys recommended, and they offered me a huge discount on it because the wheels on my truck would already be off anyway for painting, so it would be a lot easier to get it done. My wheels have relatively thick spokes so it’s not as easy to see the calipers compared to a sports car, but they’re still noticeable.
  • “Canyon,” “SLE,” and “V6” badges removed. Red quartz tintcoat is a premium color, so I see no reason to cover up more of it with random chrome pieces on the side and rear of the truck. I think that lack of chrome also makes the overall body of the vehicle look sleeker and cleaner.
  • 20% VLT ceramic tint on all side windows, clear ceramic coating on windshield. 20% is the legal limit in Nevada on the front windows for those with a medical exemption; there’s no limit for the darkness of rear windows, but I did 20% all-around because I already had privacy glass on the rear, so it ends up being far darker than 20%. I don’t want to sacrifice visibility out my front windshield, so I got a clear coating over it just for the ultraviolet and infrared protection.

I snapped some photos after I brought it back to our garage. The first photo is a full-profile shot from the front, the second photo shows a close-up of the recolored grille (I couldn’t get a better angle because of the garage door), the third photo shows a close-up of the recolored wheels and calipers, and the fourth photo shows the truck from a rear angle.

After initial batch of modifications

Close-up of grille with color-matched border and black inside (originally chrome)

Close-up of painted black wheels and red quartz tintcoat brake calipers

View from rear-left after first batch of modifications

If you’re not too familiar with what the stock 2018 GMC Canyon SLE looks like, I have a dealership-provided photo in one of my previous blog posts, “I bought a truck.”

The modified tail lights is something that I did myself earlier – I bought a pair of Razer Auto glossy black tail light covers and applied them myself using the included adhesive.

 

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