Gary Biggs' Buick Regal Circa 2003 - 20th Anniversary Showcase - Web Exclusive

Powering up all the drivers in the vehicle is a quartet of Kicker KX800.2 amplifiers. The first powers the tweeters, a second handles the midrange drivers, the third tackles the front subwoofer, and the last drives the SPL subwoofers. All four are mounted in the trunk area in a one-piece tub that mounts to the trunk opening. Like the rest of the fiberglass bits, it was painted to match the car. An oval pod was created for the trunk wall with a skull molded into it. The amplifiers feed signal to the speakers using Tsunami speaker cable.

Power is what keeps this system going. A Powermaster 200-amp alternator was mounted on custom brackets in front of the motor. Zero-gauge cable was routed through the frame rails to the rear of the vehicle where it meets up with two Optima Orange top batteries. Originally, these batteries were only available in Japan, as they were built specifically for the import market. The two batteries were mounted upside down and housed in a steel frame under the passenger side rear bumper.

After several years of success in the competition lanes, Biggs decided to turn it up a notch and disassemble the entire vehicle. The car was literally rebuilt from the ground up by Biggs and good friend David Grim. The rebuild included suspension custom fabricated with Air Ride Technologies air bags, Baer brakes fitted in all four corners, and 18-inch Colorado Custom wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich tires. The frame received a coat of candy apple red paint and the body received a dose of tangelo color paint with graphics by Doughboys. The motor, a Chevy small block 383 stroker, uses a host of parts from Demon, NOS, Edelbrock, and Hooker. It was built by Viper Machine and puts out some serious horsepower. The interior seats were wrapped in ultra leather courtesy of Southeast Auto Trim.

Though this Buick has gone through many transformations, the latest is undoubtedly the best. It's easy to see why Biggs is such a powerhouse in this sport.

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Keeping the frequencies playing just right is a pair of Rane ME30 studio equalizers. Both pieces have been converted to run at 12 volts. Biggs knows that there are other equalizers available specifically for the car, but he loves the feel of the sliders when tuning is taking place. A Rane AC23 three-way crossover (also converted to operate at 12 volts) sends signals to the amplifiers. All three Rane pieces are mounted between the two subwoofers in the rear. Their housing is made of fiberglass and painted silver to highlight the area.

If you've followed Biggs' career you know that he is a huge sound quality nut. The first step in achieving the proper sound meant removing a good portion of factory metal behind the kick panels to allow for additional air space. A steel frame of 3/4-inch steel tubing was welded into the car and " billet aluminum was used to construct the baffle in which the mid and tweeter would mount. "Steel and aluminum are much stronger than wood and fiberglass," Biggs explains. "Once they are welded in place they will not swell, warp, or bend." All this work gave him approximately one cubic foot of airspace for a pair of JBL 508GTI 5-1/4" components.

The original dash had many sharp angles (a deterrent to good sound) and looked cosmetically outdated, so Biggs designed a new one. The new dash minimizes reflections from the speakers. Auto Meter gauges were installed above the radio in a pod, which floats within the opening and is backlit with neon. Finishing off the dash are fabricated grille panels for the top and bottom, which are the same as those used for the kick panels.

The Regal uses two subwoofer systems, one for sound quality and the other for SPL. Biggs placed a Kicker Solo L7 10" subwoofer up in the right front firewall where the air conditioning unit normally sits in a perfectly round enclosure to help minimize any internal cancellation. For SPL, Biggs constructed an enclosure directly behind the front bucket seats. It occupies 14 cubic feet of space in the rear of the car and into the trunk for a pair of Kicker SoloX 18" subwoofers. This set is used to bring the volume to ear shattering levels.