Street Rod-Style Outlaw Suburban

American whiskey is classic bourbon that has been filtered through sugar maple charcoal and aged in charred-oak barrels. Like the Jack Daniel’s whiskey that Anthony Thibodeaux has showcased throughout the interior of his ‘71 Chevrolet Suburban, the custom classic has been years in the making and features a fine paint scheme showing the heritage and styling of the aforementioned Southern staple. The barrels that Jack Daniel’s ages its whiskey in are ultimately used for the production of Tabasco hot sauce on Avery Island off the coast of Louisiana, home to Anthony and his paint business, Pro Paint Collision & Customs.

The Suburban began as a project that Anthony and his dad started when Anthony was in high school. It’d been wrecked and had its share of rocker rust rot. The project was never finished, though, and he ended up selling it.

About six years ago, Anthony was searching for a new project. He always liked C-10s, but saw too many being built and wanted something a little different. So, he repurchased the Suburban and began working on it again.

The large frame was Z’d 2 ¾ inches up front, and then it was body dropped 1 ½ inches with a 2 x 4-inch tube frame crafted from the firewall back, leading to a 4-link setup with Slam Specialties RE8 ‘bags. A Ford 9-inch rearend was narrowed 8 inches and outfitted with Wilwood disc brakes and Moser axles before 24 x 10 Intro V- Rod wheels wrapped in Sumimoto 295/35 tires were added. Up front, Ride Tech arms mount Belltech drop spindles and Slam Specialties ‘bags as well as 22 x 8.5-inch V-Rods.

For power, Anthony went with a classic big-block for plenty of torque and horsepower. A 1970 454 was brought over to Dimmick’s Auto in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to be machined and bored 0.30 over, outfitted with domed pistons, a Comp Cams camshaft, Chevelle cylinder heads that were ported and polished and Comp Cams rockers, lifters and springs. The front accessory drive consists of an Edelbrock high output water pump and March pulleys. An Edelbrock intake manifold topped with a Holley 650-cfm carb and Billet Specialties air cleaner top things off. Sanderson headers expel the gases through a custom-built stainless steel ceramic-coated 2 ¾-inch Magnaflow exhaust system, while Zirgo fans keep things cool. The big- block is backed up by a 1995 700R4 transmission controlled via a Lokar shifter.

With the suspension and power handled, Anthony’s next step was to transform the rust laden old body into a slick street rod. Of course, this was right up Anthony’s alley. As owner of Pro Paint Collision & Customs, his talents include custom bodywork and slick paint schemes. Everything that could be shaved was, including the door handles, bumper bolts, taillights and gas filler. The third door was given the suicide treatment, and the rear hatch was welded shut, while ensuring that the top could still be opened. Finally, a 48-inch LED strip was flushed into the gate above a custom handmade roll pan. A 1967 C-10 front end was used with a cowl hood for a more classic look. Then the Suburban was blocked smooth before Anthony laid down two-tone DuPoint KIA White and Ford King Ranch Brown. Anthony and Dago’s followed that up with airbrushed wood grain trim before covering it in Standox clearcoat.

Anthony had a few ideas up his sleeve for the interior and worked with Kyle “Mongo” Hix of His Design out of Oklahoma. Hix Design sketched a masterful creation that blended street rod styling with wild west outlaw details. Hix crafted a custom set of seats, a flowing center console and a dash pad wrapped in brown leather and accented with metal trim, and amplifier mesh for the speaker grilles. A full wool headliner with brushed trim complements the rear hatch area that features a Pro Paint leather logo and a collection of miniature Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel bottles. Hidden inside of the center console is another collection of bottles, a JL Audio subwoofer and a Derringer pistol to protect the hooch. Vintage Air keeps things cool, and a JL Audio sound system run through a Retro Sound head unit provides the tunes. Finally, a smaller version of a 1961 Impala steering wheel finishes off the interior.

Anthony Thibodeaux, with the help of Hix Design, Pro Paint and Collision, his wife Katie and daughter Jaycie, his dad Tony and brother Josh, and all of his friends and guys in the club Relaxed Atmosphere has created a truly custom Suburban blending street rod styling with an outlaw edge. ST

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ANTHONY THIBODEAUX

1971 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN SULPHUR, LA
RELAXED ATMOSPHERE

TRUCK SPECS

ENGINE

• 1970 454 BORED 0.30 OVER
• COMP CAMS COMPONENTS
• MARCH PULLEYS
• HOLLEY CARB
• MAGNAFLOW EXHAUST

SUSPENSION

• Z’D 2 ¾ FRONT
• 2X4 TUBE CHASSIS
• 4-INCH NARROWED 9-INCH
• SLAM SPECIALTIES RE8 AIRBAGS

BODY

• SUICIDE THIRD DOOR
• REAR HATCH
• HANDMADE ROLL PAN
• DUPONT KIA WHITE AND FORD KING RANCH BROWN PAINT
• AIRBRUSHED TRIM

WHEELS

• 22X8.5 & 24X10 INTRO V-ROD WHEELS
• 265/35 & 295/35 SUMITOMO TIRES

INTERIOR

• CUSTOM BUILT BY HIX DESIGN
• VINTAGE AIR
• PAINLESS WIRING
• JL AUDIO SYSTEM

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