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Posted:
Friday, January 26, 2007 (7:00 AM HST)
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It's amazing how tricked-out a ride can look just by paying attention to the small things. Paul installed Stylin' Concepts billet wipers that really set-off the look of his 1997 GMC Sonoma.
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PAUL SMITH'S
Seductive Sonoma
By
Elmo
Kekaa
Honolulu
Streets Magazine.
EWA
BEACH HI. — How can any ride be called seductive you ask?
First of all, everyone knows that the color green
holds some sort of mystical power that seems to elevate your libido.
Now if you happen to be anywhere near Paul Smith's deep metallic green Sonoma while it's moving in and out of traffic, you'd notice a warm and fuzzy feeling beginning to come over you very rapidly. It could be so strong that the sensation would almost seem to free your most suppressed and restless psyche even faster.
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Paul
even customized the stainless and billet antenna by cutting it down to a total height of six inches. Just another subtle detail that would go unnoticed unless pointed
out.
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Paul didn't know it when he bought his Sonoma brand new in 1997 it would later become the talk of the town and a trigger for such compulsions.
It's definitely a tricked out ride but if you look close you'll quickly notice it's much more than just a dazzling pickup. And although quite attractive, you'd never know the amount of detail and hi-performance parts it had unless you happen to get Paul to pop open the hood.
The engine is a hi-performance 4.3 V6 and Gibson
ceramic coated headers help make it breathe easy by dumping its exhaust into a single
Flowmaster. From there, it spirals into two large 2½-inch pipes exiting through a set of stainless-steel tips. That's why it sounds like a monsoon going by.
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All of the billet pieces under the hood were custom made by Jimmy from Advanced Metalcrafting. Paul made the templates and Jimmy cut and polished the pieces.
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And speaking of monsoon, it's got an Alpine CD/Receiver, Amp, and an MTX sub/woofer that when turned up could rattle even the tallest buildings in Honolulu.
Getting back to the engine; Paul used Taylor wires for
passin' the spark and added two 12-inch electric fans that keep his powerplant cool.
March Performance under-drive pulleys spin a 140-amp chrome alternator, and a yellow Optima battery provides the juice.
Mated securely behind the
hi-perf motor is a GM 4L60E transmission fitted with a shift-kit, which puts power to a positraction rear coupled with 3.73 gears.
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Mark at Island Color in Honolulu stitched and pleated the interior using teal and
gray tweed.
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The suspension is pretty direct. It's a factory dropped ZQ8 performance package that includes sway bars, gas shocks up front, and a special three-shock system in the rear.
The rims are American Racing 16 x 8 Nitros and tires are Goodyear Eagle GS-C, P245/50/ZR16. Paul says both front and rear wheels work great with the ZQ8-
suspension.
What makes his ride really amazing is the list of modifications he made to the inside of the cab.
The upholstery was done in Teal and Grey tweed. The same was carried over to the bed and underside of a color matched fiberglass lid made by Gaylord's. Paul also designed and crafted the "initials circle" that instantly pops out at you when the bed cover is opened. Another neat piece here is the rear spoiler. It's an early Pontiac hatchback item that was cut down for a low streamline appearance.
Paul said about the interior, "I wanted the seats and door panels to have the rolled and pleated look." A strange choice for a late model pickup but it turned out exceptionally well and has got to be one of the best features of all. Even the dashpad was custom made to match with the rest of the trucks theme.
Billet is almost everywhere you look. On the dash, grab handle, coat hangers and the rear view mirror. A brushed stainless steel dash kit was also installed around the AC vents, doors and console. Polished stainless doorsills and kick plates nicely pull the whole interior together. Paul also tastefully fitted an Olds Bravada console and painted it to match the interior.
Like everything else on his truck, Paul tweaked the paint. He started with the factory emerald green color and added blue pearl, topped with microsequins and slightly bigger flake. Several coats of clear were then applied and rubbed out to a slick shine. He also designed his own graphics, which seem to gracefully ark across the sides like a rainbow gently fading into a blue/green and golden sky.
"This truck gets driven DAILY," said Paul. "Speedo reads 81K. It gets nothing but the best and will continue to do so, as long as I own it."
You'll never have to look far to find Paul Smith and his "Seductive" Sonoma. They're usually riding into a Hawaiian sunset
together somewhere on
Honolulu Streets.
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©2007
Honolulu Streets Magazine: All rights reserved.
This article may not be copied, published or reprinted
without the express written permission of
Honolulu
Streets Magazine. |
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