In 2006, it seemed that everyone wanted an SUV. Today, of course, the small cars are in demand.
But for a select group, pimping out SUVs continues to be the rage. Tommy Detrich of Detrich Paint and Body in Pasadena, MD, is one of them. Detrich’s first SUV was 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche that was scouted at a large car show where representatives from world-renowned car audio company Kicker saw the behemoth. A subsequent deal was struck in which Detrich received a whopping $40,000 worth of Kicker audio equipment to place in the 2003 Avalanche provided Detrich heavily promoted the vehicle.
In a plot twist, this paint man from Pasadena decided he would ditch the 2003 Avalanche and build a 2007 Avalanche around the donated audio system. Asked why he didn’t stick to the script, Detrich said he wanted to make an impression to show the company that he wasn’t just looking for free product, but that he meant business.
Calling on friends and fellow installers Glen McKinney, John Bruning, Randy Lang, Justin Fishel, and Steve Fairall from Premium Electronics, Detrich bought his new Avalanche and then informed the team they had three weeks to put it together. After removing the seats, plastic trim pieces, door panels, and headliner, McKinney, who builds demonstration cars as a side gig for Honda’s SEMA booth, began by mocking up select interior components with fiberglass. McKinney laid down black suede, wrapping the headliner, dash, and A-pillars.
Fairall is the electrical mastermind behind the bruising $40,000 sound system. Similar to demonstration walls you find at a car audio store, Fairall installed a multi-button switch panel molded into the center console, allowing Detrich to stage any speaker set or subwoofer in complete isolation from the rest of his system. Fairall wired the system so that by deactivating a switch, power is effectively cut to the amplifier assigned to any set of speakers.
“There’s enough stereo equipment in here for four cars,” said Detrich.
A Playstation 2 was inserted into a cut-out in the dash. The AC/heat controls were relocated to the passenger’s side dash and a fiberglass bezel was molded into the dash, housing a 15” Directed TV LCD screen. An Alpine DVD head unit was installed one tick north where the vents used to be. Another headliner dropdown TV in the car works off multiple video sources and is wired for split screen viewing.
While Detrich doesn’t take credit for building the entire car, his area of expertise shines through in the 26” chrome wheels that pull the entire SUV together. When mining new ideas, Detrich toasted his former red Avalanche by adding red faces to the wheels of his new black one. But rather than take the easy way out and slap on a coat of paint, Detrich used a mesh technique that added a shadowing effect to the fronts of the wheels. By taping off the wheel and leaving the faces exposed, he was able to sand down the offending areas with heavy grit sandpaper. After spraying the primer and basecoat, he pressed mesh lining to the faces and lightly sprinkled black paint over the mesh. Removing the mesh created a black grid pattern emerging over the red.
“You use an etching primer to help the paint bite into the chrome. It’s basically designed to keep your metal from corroding. It has a lot of adhesive properties. Then you lay your sealer which is a sprayable primer, then you lay your basecoats, then your clear coats.”
Detrich said the attention he receives from the SUV keeps him doing what he loves. He has an entirely new rebuild in mind for the future.
What do you drive?
2007 Chevrolet Avalanche.
Why do you drive it?
Honestly, if I think I had the money that I could afford to drive a Lamborghini I think I’d still drive a Chevy. I just like American cars. I’ve always been a truck guy more than anything. I like big rims and big trucks.
What makes this SUV so special?
It’s clean. It’s elegant. Even though it’s an Avalanche, it doesn’t look like one. Guys with Escalades come up and say if I knew the Avalanche looked that good done up I would have saved myself about ten grand and got an Avalanche. The Escalade had too much chrome on it. I’ve never won anything less than best truck at car shows. I’m basically Kicker’s demo vehicle from New York to North Carolina.
What is your most memorable driving experience?
Driving it down to Ocean City at 3:00 in the morning after we did the work.
What was your first vehicle?
It was an ‘89 Toyota pick up. It had a stereo in it before I was 16. By the time I graduated high school, it had a Kicker system and a paint job.
What’s currently in your CD player?
I love all kinds of music. You can catch me listening to Nickelback. I’m a pretty big Outkast fan. Their music sounds awesome in this stereo.
And your first ticket? What was it for?
I can’t even tell you. I know I was 16 when I got it.
Check Out My Stats:
Audio: Alpine DVA head unit, Tsunami wire capacitors, five Wesco SVR batteries, dual Ohio Generator alternators, Kicker SXRC amp remote control, two Kicker soloX 18” subwoofers, four Kicker L7 subwoofers, six Kicker 1250.1 amplifiers, two Kicker 900.4 amplifiers, four Kicker ss 6.5” mid-range bass speakers
Visual: 15” Directed LCD flip down screen, 12” Directed LCD screen in dash
Interior: suede dash, door panels, headliner, two-tone leather and suede seats, custom red stitching, gloss/flat black painted trim pieces
Wheels: 26” Foose DF6
Exterior: SSBC big brakes, E&G Classics grille, custom Plexiglas and steel tonneau cover, Cadillac door handles and running boards, tinted tail lights.
