Red Alert | ’95 Chevy Tahoe

It’s not difficult to see the benefits of owning an SUV. Copious amounts of secure cargo space and plenty of room for passengers are among the biggest, but one thing that can’t be ignored is that they look amazing when slammed! Jose Reyes had all of these things in mind when he went on the hunt for an SUV with which to haul his family to shows, and he really lucked out when he found this ’95 Chevy Tahoe for sale a few years ago.

One of our favorite mods on Jose’s Tahoe was already made when Jose bought it — the ’06 Silverado front end! This switcharoo involved grafting the ’95 and ’06 fenders together and retains the original body line for maximum flow.

The big red SUV already had a lot going for it, such as the stock floor bodydrop, ’bagged suspension (using Ekstensive Metal Works parts), and the ’06 Silverado front end, but as often is the case, there were some issues with it that had to be attended to. For one, the electrical system was a mess, especially when it came to the air ride wiring.

The original taillights would have looked terribly outdated on this Scarlet Red Tahoe, and luckily for Jose these modern LED aftermarket taillights were an easy upgrade!

Over time, Jose — along with his son and friends — fixed those problems, along with some other less-than-ideal parts of the truck. In total, it would take two years’ time and an additional $25k to get the Tahoe where he wanted it. At one point, even the engine got swapped out for a newer, built 355-CID mill that originally came out of a ’98 truck, and a modified Monster 4L60E transmission was also tossed in to improve reliability and performance. The factory throttle body injection system was even improved with an Edelbrock Performer TBI intake manifold.

While the Tahoe was back under the knife, Jose figured it was a good time to also make some other updates, such as installing the Billet Specialties Sniper steering wheel and the Handmade Seat Co. bomber seats, which were upholstered in red leather by Danny Figueredo at Imperial Customs. Jose tackled the job of building the custom sound system himself, which included custom door pods and custom kick panels, as well as a custom subwoofer and amp enclosure. Components include a mix of an Alpine head unit, Rockford Fosgate amps, and Focal speakers. Many of the interior panels, including the dash, were painted Scarlet Red to match the exterior, which was obviously worth the effort put forth!

Of course, it’s the exterior that carries the initial impact, thanks in no small part to the slammed stance and Scarlet Red paint, which is amazingly a decade old now! But, it’s those 24×9 and 24×10.5-inch US Mags Desperado 5 billets that really shine with their glorious twisted spokes and low-profile 275/25R24 Wanli tires! If you take a close look, you’ll also notice the cross-drilled and slotted rotors and red brake calipers, which were powder-coated by JLM Powder Coating.

Big, smooth, and polished — exactly how we love our billet wheels! The 24-inch US Mags Desperado 5 wheels Jose chose for his Tahoe are definitely on point!

There are a few more things that Jose would like to do with the Tahoe before he feels comfortable enough to call it “done,” including a possible repaint with graphics and some other minor details, but he’s in no hurry since it’s obviously amazing as-is. When we asked Jose what he liked the most about his Tahoe, he proudly said, “Bagged and bodied SUVs are cool, and everyone always wants to ride in it!” So do we!