After building a list of custom rides that included an import, a lowrider, and even a custom truck, Robert Robinson, of Covington, Georgia, looked to find that diamond in the rough. For the owner of a do-it-all custom shop, Auto Extremes, in Covington, this particular ride was something he always wanted to find and then cut up. The vehicle of choice was a two-door Tahoe. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, when you live in the humidity-stricken state of Georgia, rust is a problem and finding a Tahoe that wasn't a mud-covered 4x4 isn't an easy task. After a long search, Robert tracked down his next project and began the buildup. What happened next no one could have foreseen, but it makes the story even more interesting.
A well-known custom car aficionado, rapper T-Pain is a resident of nearby Atlanta and a friend of Roberts. Checking up on a custom ride at his house, Robert arrived in the 'bagged and body-dropped Tahoe, and in his own words, "I didn't leave with it." Making him an offer at first sight, the pink slip was handed over and a freshly-built two-door Tahoe was added to T-Pain's auto collection. What makes this Chevy so special that it stopped a famous rapper dead in his tracks? How about a rare body style that was cut up to lay body over 22-inch billet wheels and enough body mods to make even the most novice of car people turn their heads? Now you get the idea. Here's how it got to the jaw-dropping level you see on these pages.
Finding a Tahoe that was stock-floor body dropped 4 inches by its previous owner using 2x3-inch rectangular tubing, the crew at Auto Extremes focused on getting a new air-ride suspension under the body. Devious Customs' upper and lower control arms team up with DJM spindles to lower the front end and add to that Slam Specialties airbags- the front had no choice but to be on the ground. Out back, the factory rearend was narrowed 6 inches using Moser axles and Auto Extremes welded in a custom four-link. Slam 'bags were once again used and Toxic Shocks smooth out any bumps in the road. Wanting a hot-rod look for his project, Robert opted for billet wheels in the form of SLC65 wheels from Billet Specialties. Twenty-inch hoops up front are wrapped in 255/35R20 Nitto NT-555 tires and out back, 22x10-inch wheels were mounted inside 295/30R22 Nitto rubber. The look is just what the team at Auto Extremes was hoping for-undeniably sick. Keeping things safe, SSBC big brakes were bolted onto each corner, with 14-inch rotors up front and 13-inch discs in the rear.
Looking to make this Tahoe a showstopper, Robert spent countless hours on the Chevy's bodywork. Gone are the door handles, gas door, taillights, and the traditional opening doors. Replacing all those pieces are electric door poppers that open the doors in a suicide fashion, a gas filler located in the rear of the interior, and hot-rod oval taillights that were grafted into the steel roll pan. All of those mods would have easily shot the Tahoe over the top, however, Robert wasn't finished and he built a sheetmetal interior floor with incorporated wheel tubs to make onlookers stop in amazement. Other tricks performed on the Tahoe included: shaving the roof rack, shaving all of the emblems, and molding in a smoothed roll pan. CCS Customs, of Conyers, Georgia, was then recruited to apply the PPG paints.
A sheetmetal rear floor has...
A sheetmetal rear floor has everyone scratching their heads and a large air tank keeps the 'bags full of air.
Out back, 22-inch Billet Specialties...
Out back, 22-inch Billet Specialties wheels and Nitto tires tuck hard under the fenders thanks to a custom four-link, Slam 'bags, and a stock-floor body drop.