Welcome back to our Stateside Shop Tour, as we venture across the U.S. in search of unique shops across all 50 states. We’re focusing on the shops that do work on Bow Tie cars, and this week’s stop puts us in Meridian, Idaho, with Ace Autobody & Customs.
The shop is geared toward customers with cars undergoing insurance collision repairs. AA&C keeps things aboveboard with its customers, however, thanks to a handy guide on its website called “10 Things To Know.” It lists 10 helpful tips for folks unfamiliar with the process, ranging from busting myths about insurance claims procedures, to advice on what to look for in a shop (i.e. certified unibody repair equipment, genuine OEM parts usage, and so on).
Yet the more interesting side of AA&C has to be its project cars. With more than a dozen completed builds and another six in progress right now, there’s never a dull moment in the garage. We spoke with the owner, Clint Phillips, about one of their current projects, a 1972 Suburban, to learn more about the shop’s modus operandi and creative side.
Pictures document the wealth of work already done to the SUV, which is now a far cry from its original self after Phillips had his way with it. It’s emerged as a show vehicle that’s the pride of both Phillips and his shop, having been extensively reworked from its two-door SUV body to become a four-door pickup truck.
“We bought a 1968 truck cab out of a junkyard and cut-off the back half of the cab. We then welded that onto the Suburban, so the front 60 to 70 percent is Suburban, and the back part is Chevy truck,” explained Phillips. “We tried to keep as much of the Suburban as we could. The four-door truck’s rear doors are from the Suburban, but we added the rounded window frames from the original truck doors, and left the front square like Suburbans are supposed to be.”
For the better part of five years, Phillips has been tinkering with the Suburban, and has himself and a select few to thank for how it turned out. “A friend of mine, Doug Bachelor, and I did the paint,” he said. “It’s Synergy Green from a 2010 Camaro, and the white is Cadillac Pearl White. We gave it a faux woodgrain airbrush below the beltline, and did an airbrushed Chevrolet ‘badge’ on the tailgate too.”
The Suburban uses an 8.1-liter V8 engine from the 2001 through 2009 era. It’s mated to an Allison transmission and rear axle from a 2006 GMC 2500, while the front axle is a Dana 44 from a late-model Jeep Wrangler. “I bought a transfer case, which we’re working on now to get wired up and working,” said Phillips.
Looking back, Phillips is quite pleased with how his project has progressed, but that doesn’t mean everything is perfect. “I would go back in time and change the drivetrain to something with an LS engine and transmission,” he said. “We were stuck for a year or so trying to get the Allison transmission working. I called a lot of mechanics and did some rewiring and computer reprogramming to get it all to work and get the truck moving.”
Like many shops we’ll probably find in this stateside tour, the bread-and-butter side of the business helps keep the passion alive. From Suburbans to Corvettes to Camaros and more, Phillips and his team are holding it down the right way over at Ace Autobody & Customs. Check out more of them on the website, and keep it locked here on Chevy Hardcore as we keep making our way across the map. Next stop: Montana!