1996 Chevy Tahoe Custom - A Hoe by any Other Name

At first glance, this may look like a brand-new custom four-door Tahoe that had just been released to the custom-truck world. It is new, inside and out, but the skeleton holding all of the new hardware on it is actually a show-truck veteran. Rob Vasquez picked up the '96 four-door from its previous owner and customizer, Freddy Rodriguez, for some hard-earned cash, and then he proceeded to spend the next four months tearing it down and rebuilding it. Why did he rebuild a perfectly good truck? As Rob said, "Anyone can buy a built truck, but not everyone can rebuild it and make it his own." We can relate to the need for personalization and the end result was well worth the trouble.

Draped in BASF Hip-Hop Red, Dave Flint and Jose Garcia, of Pristine Image Custom Paint and Body in Houston, didn't waste one drop of red pigment. Red is the theme of the truck, and in case you didn't notice, the truck is in fact red. Dave applied the BASF paint to the entire body, every interior panel, the sub wall, under the hood, and even the dash was pulled and painted. Painting the truck was the reward for all of the metal fab work that the Tahoe underwent, which included shaving the door handles, welding the entire back end shut, and to ensure the paint went on evenly, the crew at Pristine actually ground the body to bare metal. Another trick body mod is the gas door that was cleverly hidden behind the also-hidden 12-inch LED taillights, which are located in the D-pillars.

With the body cut and buffed, the oh-so-red Tahoe was ready for a new set of wheels, as well. Stuffed under the Chevy are 22x10-inch Boyd Coddington Slayer billet wheels with 265/35R22 tires wrapping each hoop. Then, Xtreem Rydes in Huffman, Texas, performed the 3-1/2-inch body-drop and the full air-ride suspension setup. A mildly modded 350ci features JBA headers, a Flowmaster exhaust, and a K&N air filter.

Inside of the red doors lies tan Bentley carpet that provides the base for the gator-covered Escalade seats and awesome gator-leather headliner. Arjona Upholstery in Pasadena, Texas, took care of the interior treatments. The occupants are also treated to a Pioneer DVD head unit, Kenwood and Fosgate amps, along with a back wall, built by Riviera Services, that houses six 10-inch JL Audio subs. The 13-inch flip down mounted to the headliner and Playstation 2 provides additional entertainment.

Bought one way, then built another is a classic theme that has been running through the custom-truck world, ever since the invention of Bondo. Rob decided to make it his own and turned a sick Tahoe into a clean ride that has no problem turning heads.