Dreamteam 2 - 1984 Cadillac Hearse

PASSENGER PRIVACY, SORT OF

Go out with a bang. In show business and day-to-day life, you want people to notice when you're gone, when you've left the building. So for the season finale of Unique Whips, Will Castro and the install team at Unique Autosports in New York had to think big: a big celeb client, Tony Stewart of NASCAR fame; a big ride, a 1984 Cadillac hearse; and bigshots of the ICE world--Steve Brown of Alpine, Gary Biggs of JBL and Dave "Fishman" Rivera of Metra. With this car audio dream team leading the build of the highly unusual vehicle, the season finale would be one that keeps you eagerly awaiting the next season.

Rivera has been known for his crazy customizations, so the unusual divider between the driver and passenger compartments should come as no surprise. Castro wanted a big TV, and since Rivera's Ford Expedition ("A Grown-Up Fish," May '06) had a 26-inch screen, Rivera wanted to go bigger. Using two Fish Drive motors that can lift 300 pounds apiece, a steel frame incorporating a Proview 32-inch plasma TV and JBL C608GTi component speakers motorizes up and looks like a single piece with its molded fiberglass panels. "When I motorized that thing up," Rivera reveals, "Tony just went nuts ... he couldn't believe the size of the TV." When the wall is down, grilles in the housing let the speakers play into the limo and a sandblasted Unique logo reveals light from the TV. Rivera took pains making the equipment easily serviceable, which, along with all the cameramen up in his face, was the hardest thing about the build.

MINI BOTTLES, BIG BASS

In addition to its other amazing features, the Smoke DeVille also has something up its sleeve to set it apart--a hidden liquor cabinet, presumably for emergencies. Providing instant access to the stash, the Caddy emblem built into the sub smoothly motorizes out.

You'd think this mini bar was also Rivera's work, but it proudly belongs to Biggs, the audio competition champ. The bar wins points, but the main statement behind the seats is the massive 10ft3 enclosure. "Since the hearse had taken on a serious hot rod feel," Biggs explains, "I wanted to build a large and aggressive enclosure that would fill the back end with ground-shaking sub bass!" Built to hold four custom chrome JBL W12GTi woofers, the vinyl-wrapped box takes up all the remaining space in the Caddy. As a special touch, Biggs saved a piece from an earlier install in his famous Buick Regal ("Grand Master Buick," Apr. '04). "[A]s soon as you open the tailgate," he enthuses, "you get greeted by Mr. Skull."

YANKING IT OUT

Before Brown began with the dash, the entire crew had a field day ripping out the original one, as well as the rest of the interior. Since this hearse was destined to be a limo, you'd think ICE would weigh down the passenger "compartment," but Stewart wanted the driver as well as passengers to be able to enjoy a great system. This, of course, was no problem for Brown, who is known for his extreme transformations (check out his AlpineSinister 6 on page 28). "I knew going in that I wanted to build a completely custom dash from scratch," he states. He started with an MDF skeleton frame with space for two pairs of JBL 6 1/2" C608GTi speakers, six gauges and two Alpine 10.2-inch PKG-1000 monitors.

THE UNIQUE TOUCH

Biggs also lent his input for the amprack. Installer Rowland had never built a system with more than three or four amps. This system features six! With space tight in the hearse, the amps were mounted onto the rear side panels from the back seats to the tailgate. For the entire hearse, Chet of Unique handled the extensive wiring that included Tsunami component RCAs, power wires, battery terminals, fuse holders and speaker wire. "I bet there was three miles of wire in that car," Biggs exclaims, "and when we fired the system up, we did not have a single problem!" Lastly, Unique's Bujo and Pat reupholstered everything, from the seats to the carpet and headliner.

UNVEILING

The very last day of shoot, Stewart came to the shop to check out his new ride. The guys showed him how to use the ICE-heavy system. "His reaction to the car was terrific," Brown concludes, "and he couldn't believe the amount of work that we did in such a short time." Check out the build yourself when it airs on SpeedTV in June.