Robert Goodman likes Korea. The Air Force service man is in the middle of another tour on the Asian peninsula. When he's not doing his part to defend American interests, he's busy tending to his own: this '02 Chevy TrailBlazer. We bumped into Robert at the Fremont Street Experience during one of our Truckin'-sanctioned truck extravaganzas. His TrailBlazer's low-key style was easily outshined by Fremont's aerial blitz of lights, camera, action, but his SUV is not about visual bling: It's about audio slam.
Fast-forward a couple of months. Robert was weeks away from leaving for Korea. He'd been there before, that's where he met his wife. His wife was staying behind during this tour-and so was the TrailBlazer. This photoshoot was its last hurrah before Robert locked it up until his return to the States. He was proud of what he built but was already looking forward to the electronic goodies he might find in Korea's streets where low-priced, high-tech goods from the country's many factories mysteriously make their way to opportunistic merchants.
A glance at this inscrutable SUV doesn't reveal too many of its secrets. That's because the wiper cowl, mirrors, the grille insert, the rooftop luggage rack, the lower side bars, and the Street Scene front bumper valance are tied together by the same copper/pewter color scheme. Dropped by a 2/4 DJM kit, the TrailBlazer rides on 22-inch Alba Force wheels trimmed in 265/40R22 Toyo Proxes S/T tires. A Street Glow Gold Series red underbody kit lifts the TrailBlazer on a raft of light, while the tips of the MagnaFlow dual exhaust jut from behind each rear tire. It's a low-key setup, until the hatch pops open and the mountain of audio components makes its presence known.
Six 10-inch Rockford Fosgate RFP4210 subwoofers, three Precision Power amplifiers, and two FRC4306 6-1/2-inch triaxials stud the silver, fiberglass enclosure in the back. The PCX440 PPI Power Class 40Wx4 amplifier powers all the speakers, while two PCX1250 PPI Power Class 250Wx1 amps feed the subs. Five red neon lights and four strobes weave around the enclosure. An Optima YellowTop battery is in the spare tire space underneath the vehicle.
Up front, Louis Vuitton lines the seats and headrests. A Pioneer AVH-P6500DVD in-dash DVD multimedia A/V receiver heads up the audio and video system. Four Boston Acoustic Pro Series component sets are in the factory speaker locations. A PS2 replaces the passenger-side airbag. Performance Teknique monitors blast video entertainment: four ICBM-9261T 7-inch monitors are in the headrests; two more 7 inchers shine through the rear side windows, and one 15-inch flip-down hangs from the ceiling. Switches for the lighting effects and audio components are in the center console. Monster Power wires all the audio and video components together.
Under the hood, all the plastics were painted to match the body colors, including the K&N air intake system and throttle body spacer. Two Optima RedTops nudged out the OE battery, and a vinyl and Luis Vuitton cover lines the inside of the hood.
Robert won Best Mild SUV at Truckin's Las Vegas Nationals in 2004, as well as First and Second place in seven other shows. And when he comes home, he'll no doubt blaze a new trail with his TrailBlazer.