| MTX HONORS AMERICAN HISTORY BY CONTRIBUTING TO HEROES TRUCK |
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The 2004 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show was full of the hottest customized vehicles the industry has to offer. If you were at the SEMA show, you probably saw the most eye-catching truck you have ever seen sitting outside the central hall. Dale Ison's American masterpiece of automotive artwork wouldn't be complete without American-made car audio products from MTX.
Ison invested his life savings when he started this project in 1999. Builders Jon Watts and Steve Garvie have put more than 50,000 man-hours into building this truly "All-American" tribute to America itself. Most people would stop and stare at this awesome vehicle just because of the paint, but Ison took it even further. He lifted the truck to stand tall as if it were a soldier. Front and center in the cab of the truck, you'll notice StreetWires accessories and American made mobile audio products by MTX playing the patriotic music used in the display.
"The people who helped make this truck what it is are hard-working normal people. There are no fortune 500 companies or high profile people behind this project. Just normal blue collar people and down to earth companies coming together to create this great machine," says Dale Ison.
Custom paint is usually considered a significant piece of a complete customization, but the word "custom" just doesn't do justice to the artwork that was laid on the body of this 2004 Chevy truck. Mickey Harris of Cosby, Tennessee spent 1200 hours laying down the paint on this automotive masterpiece. A scene from 9-11 is painted on the top of the tonneau cover, the tailgate portrays the New York City skyline with the Twin Towers and the side of the truck is also custom painted with images of Vietnam, Albert Einstein, past presidents, and American eagles.
The paint travels inside the truck among a fiberglass wall of 10" MTX Thunder8000 woofers. The door panels house an 8" MTX woofer and 2 pairs of MTX separates. In the bed, a motorized amp rack displays seven MTX amplifiers putting out 7,000 watts of power, 2 StreetWires fused distribution blocks, and 2 StreetWires in-line waterproof ANL fuse holders.
After you notice that your jaw hurts from hanging open for so long and you realize that you have already spent close to an hour taking all of this truck in, there's still more. Ison put an Escalade front-end on the truck, fabricated a polished stainless steel tubular chassis, and built a fire breathing 540 cubic inch motor complete with 871 BDS fuel injection and 871 BDS bird catcher sticking out of the hood. And we still aren't done. A custom fabricated hydraulic system raises and lowers the entire body of the truck to display the shiny chrome chassis. The tonneau cover is hinged so that it opens the opposite way of a typical tonneau cover which gives a nice view of the 9-11 image of fire fighters hoisting the American flag up amongst the rubble of the Twin Towers.
Ison and his truck have been invited to the Pentagon to be displayed for military personnel and government officials to enjoy and he also plans on taking it to Ground Zero to show respect to the men and women who lost their lives in the 9-11 tragedy. Ison states, "I have turned down a $1,000,000 offer because that's not what this is about. This is a tribute to the Heroes of the United States and American history." |
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