The RealTruck Chevy Crawlerado Presented by Duralast Is Coming to 4x4 Garage!
Watch Episode 6, airing October 14!
We're entering the middle of this year's build season forMotorTrend'snew video series,4x4 Garage. First, we took a 1988 Ford Bronco from zero to hero in order to survive onMotorTrend'sOverland Adventure event. Then, we dove into a 1978 Jeep Cherokee Chief to give it modern LS power at Wood's Off Road in San Marcos, California, along with plenty of assistance from Filthy Addictions Offroad and Kory Holmes of Holmes Fabrication. Now, we're covering something a whole lot more ambitious. We got wind that our buddy Ian Johnson was going to be building a Chevy Colorado-based rig for Ultimate Adventure sponsor, RealTruck, to use on this year's UA2022 event. Where the first two builds focused on improving already existing vehicles, the "RealTruck Crawlerado" is truly making something from nothing. Well, from a pile of parts, at best.
It all starts with a $300 junkyard Chevy Colorado cab Ian nabbed from a local scrapyard. He built a custom frame out of rectangular and round tubing, slapped the junkyard cab on it, and then host Christian Hazel came to the Big Tire Shop in Tennessee to lend a hand. Episode 6 covers the initial plans for the build and what it'll take for it to survive in the rarified off-road air of Ultimate Adventure, then the gang gets to it and starts chopping, grinding, welding, and wrenching. Follow along as this junkyard pile of parts gets treated to some fast fabrication, some really killer off-road components from RealTruck, Rugged Ridge, Offroad Design, Radflo, Yukon, Falken Tire, Method wheels, and more.
And if you enjoy Episode 6, presented by Duralast, which airs October 14 on MotorTrend+, MotorTrend on Demand, MotorTrend's Youtube channel, Amazon Prime, and here at motortrend.com, be sure to tune into Episode 7 of 4x4 Garage, airing on October 21, to see the grand finale. Will the Colorado make it to Ultimate Adventure in time? Tune in to find out!
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Photos also by Jon Melton
Christian Hazel is Editor In Chief of Jp Magazine, the world's largest and oldest Jeep-only publication. He's a life-long gearhead whose interest in anything mechanical or automotive took hold when he was just a little brat and hasgrown in interest and scope ever since.
His career as an automotive journalist began in the late 1990s when he joined the staff of Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazine, eventually becoming Technical Editor before transitioning over as Technical Editor and then Editor In Chief of Jp magazine. He has written for numerous Source Interlink Media titles including Four Wheeler, Diesel Power, 4x4 Garage, and others as well as contributing to SEMA newsletters and serving as industry and marketing consultant to various OE and aftermarket manufacturers.
His body of written work is as vast and varied as his list of project vehicles, with editorial stories ranging from full throwdown shootouts, new product and vehicle reviews, entertainment pieces, competition articles and videos, and in-depth technical reviews, installations, and how-to stories.
You're more likely to find Christian behind the wheel of a vintage Willys, Kaiser, or AMC-era Jeep than a brand-new, shiny modern model. For Christian, form follows function, patina trumps paint, and Jeep is more a lifestyle than a brand name.
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