Originally Published by
Truckin Magazine Volume 32 No.11
(Anyone got a remote? Which one? The one to the 18 monitors in the back window and 8 in the bumper)Santa Barbara Upholstery in Las Vegas handled the chore of wrapping everything in black suede and yellow leather. Seats, headliner, door panels, dash, kick panels, back wall--everything that could be wrapped, was. Some 16 months after its initial startup, ALL4SHW debuted at the inaugural Shawn Ealy Designs Birthday Bash at the Hooters Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas, and with over $400,000 invested in the uber-project, Mike says it is time to show it off.
Gawking spectators leave a trail of drool as long as the Las Vegas Strip when Mike Chavez unleashes his 2004 Hummer H2 on unsuspecting tourists. Confused by the bright lights, constant distractions, and bling wheel are rolling, wheather day or night. When Asked why he build this insane vehicle, Mike just laughed and pointed to the Hummer saying: "To give people a taste and look of living in Vegas." Glitz, glamour, and over 100 TVs to light up any casino, we think Mike went above and beyond his goal in creating this $400K rolling lifestyle machine. Someone please cue the bad Elvis impersonator.
It all started around Christmas of 2004, when Mike decided to give his Hummer H2 a makeover from the bright yellow existance it had since leaving the Towbin Hummer dealership. Starting with the suspension, Mike contacted the pros over at the Custom Shop, in Las Vegas, for an entire polishing and powercoating of the undercarriage. While in the capable hands of the Custom Shop, each piece of the Hummer's suspension was removed and the body was actually lifted off the frame. The entire frame was smoothed and then polished for a shine that is incomparable. Each piece that wasn't chromed was powdercoated yellow to match the over-the-top theme Mike had in mind. While at the Custom Shop in Vegas, the factory 6.0L V-8 recieved JBA headers, a Corsa after-cat exaust system, and a duel Powermaster 200-amp alternator setup. Completing the task of adding good looks and performance to the Hummer, the team bolted-on a set of 26x10-inch DUB Big Homie wheels wrapped in Pirelli tires, complete with Power Slot rotors bringing the added weight to a halt. Completing the new bolt-on transformation, the guys at the Custom Shop installed a set of Lambo doors, providing the Hummer with even more eye appeal.
Delivering the Hummer to one of the hottest young artists in Las Vegas, Shawn Ealy took temporary possession of the project with the request to add some "Vegas" to the exterior. Shawn, who started Shawn Ealy Designs, is a well known airbrush artist in the Vegas area who went completely off the chain on this project, unleashing the fury of color and graphics on the metal surface. Using Vegas as his sole influence, Shawn applied murals of the Strip on each side of the Hummer, with guest appearances by the Flamingo casino, the Bellagio and its water fountain, the Luxor pyramid, and the famous "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign with the requisite burlesque girl inviting you back every time. Bright displays of gambling, cards, roulette, and, of course, dollars are present all over the H2. When we mention dollars, not just the symbol of commerce, but rather real currency that was applied to the metal canvas and then cleared over, Mike estimates over $800 worth of paper money is on full-time display on the exterior of his expensive ride. A virtual mind trip is had when viewing the Hummer, with scenes of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas replaying over and over in your mind. Shawn's incredible attention to detail when airbrushing is impressive, to say the least, with designs transitioning from one to another seamlessly. Paint extends to the underside of the hood, where another mural lies along with painted doorjambs, and painted, hand-built stands for the Hummer to rest on at shows. The hood underwent some major fiberglass surgery thanks to Aliro Ortiz and Duane Thomas of Audio Express, in Las Vegas, who turned the hood into a platform for 12 monitors and a huge H2 logo. Shawn expertly applied his airbrushing to the hood as well, with a menacing skeleton throwing dice in the same manner Mike threw money at Shawn for the amazing paint.
Monitors were briefly mentioned earlier, and there are several of them to talk about...108, to be exact. If 108 sounds a bit over-the-top, with Mike you should expect it. Enlisting in the help of the crew over at Audio Express in Las Vegas, a couple of ideas were tossed around before the massive monitor order was placed. Now residing in, on, or close to the Hummer H2 are 98 7-inch Audiovox monitors, eight 10.4-inch Accele Vision screens, one 15.2-inch Audiovox flip-down in the suede headliner, and one 7-inch Kenwood DVD head unit in the stock location. If you have time, the running list of monitors breaks down like this: 12 in the hood (10 facing forward, 2 facing rearward), 4 in the suede housing on top of the wiper cowl, 4 under the front chrome bumper, 8 in the back bumper, 3 in the dash, 3 in each front door, 2 in each rear door, 1 in each rear side mirror, 3 in each rear side window, 7 in a headliner-mounted enclosure, 2 in each headrest (facing forward and backward), 1 in the rear center console, 2 inside the headliner's door edge (per side), 3 in the front headliner edge (directly in front of the sunroof), 10 in the rear hatch area, 18 in the back window, and completing the arsenal of visual stimulation, 1 large flip-down (in between the sunroof and the overhead enclosure) is in place. Keeping dozens of guests entertained are two PlayStation 2 units, a Kenwood DVD player, and for good measure, a Trac Vision satalite providing DirecTV to the Hummer. Besides the arsenal of monitors, a barrrage of audio is also present in the Hummer. Creating the sonic boom is a wall of six Rockford Fosgate 15-inch subs. Powering the wall of punishment is an equally impressive back wall of four Rockford Fosgate 2,000 watt amps painted to match the yellow H2. Other audio frequencies can be heard from four 8-inch midbass drivers mounted in a suede enclosure under the rear seats, Boston Acoustic components in the stock locations, and Boston Acoustic Neo Type-M tweeters sprinkled throughout. Powering all of the chaos are six Lightning Audio dry-cell batteries, five Lightning Audio circuit breakers, three power inverters, and the two 200-amp Powermaster alternators. Keeping everything secured is a remote-start Viper 791XV two-way alarm. Special thanks must go out to Aliro Ortiz and Duane Thomas for their buildup of the Audio Express audio/video system.
Showing this people-magnet off is not a difficult task, though escaping the driver's seat without being mobbed is a challenge. If you've never been to Sin City and you're wondering if Vegas is completely over-the-top like this rolling casino on wheels--yes, yes it is.
-Truckin
