Those who have ever built a show vehicle know that the easiest way to grab attention is to be the first to do what others have not. We have all seen tricked out Yukons and Escalades with rims bigger than their owners' egos, but Matt Long of Kustomwerks took a different path and indeed walked it a bit further when building his 2003 GMC Envoy. Numerous weekends and countless hours of "spare" time have spawned this smoothed, shaved, and airbagged creation that lays its Corona Gold body deep in the proverbial weeds. Sure, Matt bolted up a set of bigger-than-life rolling stock, 20-inch and 22-inch, fore and aft respectively, but chances are that you probably won't see much more than half of them because they are tucked high in the wheel wells. Needless to say, this yields a much more impressive final product than simply slapping a set of dubs or deuces on a stock height SUV. Move the Crowd
No show vehicle would be complete without a crowd-pleasing audio system to balance things out. At Kustomwerks, Matt and crew yanked the Delco "system" in favor of a wealth of Memphis and Pioneer audio components. A Pioneer DEH-435 tuner/CD player and Memphis 16-EQP4 equalizer/crossover were mounted behind the Envoy's factory radio bezel, which was painted gold to match the exterior. The audio signal was then fed through Memphis Blue interconnects to the two Memphis M Class amplifiers, which deliver a combined 1400 watts at 4 ohms. A 16-MC3004 four-channel drives the components in the kick panels and rear doors, while a Memphis Belle 16-MC1300D five-channel drives the front door speakers and the subs. Feeding the two voltage-hungry amplifiers is a 1-farad, 20-volt capacitor connected with 1/0-gauge flat power and ground cables.
Up front, custom-fabricated kick panels house a Memphis M Class 15-MCSQ5.25 component set. The 5.25" mids and 1" blue silk tweeters are secured to fiberglass inserts, painted gold to match the exterior. A pair of 6.5" Memphis 15-MCSQ6.5 midbass drivers complements the kick panel components in their own gold fiberglass enclosures in the front door locations. A matching set of gold fiberglass enclosures on the rear door panels houses a pair of 4" Memphis 15-MS4 Multi-Sync coaxials, which provide the rear fill. The bezels that surround each of the inner door handles were also sprayed gold like many of the other interior panels.
Cargo Cult
The Envoy's cargo area is now consumed by a large flowing amprack that starts up against the rear seat and rolls all the way back to the tailgate. Just behind the rear wheel arches is a pair of custom-built gold fiberglass subwoofer enclosures that each houses a pair of Memphis M Class 15-MC104 10" subs. The gray vinyl trim panel that surrounds the amplifiers also wraps around the quartet of subs to highlight the gold fiberglass work beneath. While some may knock Matt for "wasting" the Envoy's available cargo space, about the only thing that this vehicle will be transporting is trophies, which will certainly fit in the back seat.
Just like the rest of the Envoy's modifications, the audio installation has been executed flawlessly. The finished product is radical, yet subtle in that all of its elements work together. The gray vinyl trim panels blend perfectly with the factory interior, while a perfect amount of Corona Gold accents recall the exterior. Finishing touches include air pressure gauges molded into the center console and dash bezel, a clear acrylic steering wheel, and an aluminum Kustomwerks logo that adorns the center of the amprack. Eye catching to say the least, this Envoy drops jaws just as easily as it drops to the ground.
OWNER PROFILE
For just over eight years, Kustomwerks of Union City, TN has been on the cutting edge of building radical show vehicles. Fabricators Eric Arrington and Matt Long are the driving force behind the wild rides that bear the Kustomwerks logo. While they specialize in exotic air suspension systems, one look at the elaborate fiberglass work in Matt's Envoy confirms that they are equally capable of performing trick audio installs. According to Matt, they do not do many "mild" installs, but instead they focus more on the custom jobs that require the use of their fabrication skills.
The Envoy represents a coordinated effort between GM and Kustomwerks to build a show vehicle to be displayed at the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas, and also serves double duty as a demo vehicle for Memphis Car Audio, which supplied the majority of equipment used in the installation. This opportunity proved to be a challenge requiring many long hours and late nights to complete. Those individuals and sponsors who have contributed to the project are most certainly pleased with the finished product.
Eric and Matt are in the process of acquiring their next project vehicle from either Ford or Dodge. Matt insists that there will be at least one Kustomwerks vehicle at the 2004 SEMA show, and based on the level of craftsmanship in the Envoy, we will all be looking forward to their next creation.
MEMPHIS CAR AUDIO
It's All About The Music
The city of Memphis has a musical heritage that runs deep. Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, Isaac Hayes, Jerry Lee Lewis, Otis Redding, Carl Perkins and Al Green are just a few of the music legends that kicked off their careers in Memphis.
Memphis Car Audio's company headquarters is located smack dab in the middle of all of that.
"Our brand name is a constant reminder that music is really what this business is all about," explained Arthur Fulmer III, whose grandfather founded the company now known as Memphis Car Audio. "Marketing and product cosmetics are important, but for the consumer, it all comes down to music and performance."
The Arthur Fulmer Company began in 1919 and has manufactured a variety of products over the years, including motorcycle helmets and computer software. In the mid 1960s the company introduced its first car audio product, a four-track tape player, one of the first add-on stereo products available to American drivers.
Car stereo was a thriving industry by the mid-'70s when The Arthur Fulmer Companies introduced the Fultron brand of car audio gear. The Fultron line would grow to include head units, amplifiers, speakers, equalizers and more.
By the mid-'90s the Fultron name and its products had become dated. A major product overhaul and a name change occurred in the late '90s. The new brand was called Memphis Car Audio.
In recent years the company has specialized in amplifiers and speakers. The company's signature products are the M Class line of speakers, subwoofers and amplifiers. Memphis pioneered Class-D amp technology and multi-synchronus speaker design (removable tweeters that can be mounted separately).
Memphis Car Audio products are sold nationwide, but you won't find them in mass merchant superstores or on the Internet: its products are sold only by authorized 12-volt specialists. --Steve Gibbs
TECHBOX
Wheels/Suspension
·Boyd Coddington Shadow 20x8 front, 22x10 rear
·Dunlop 255/35/20 front, 285/35/22 rear
·Art Morrison Independent Front Suspension with Air Lift Extreme Airbags
·Ford T-Bird Independent Rear Suspension with Custom Tubular Upper and Lower Control Arms and Air Lift Extreme Air Bags
Performance
·Custom-made cold air intake
·Modified oil pan to clear rack and pinion
Body
·Shaved door handles, gas door, roof rack, license plate box, tailgate handle
·Precision Billet Grille