Only the best in the business are lucky enough to feature their custom builds in the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center every year at The SEMA Show (Specialty Equipment Market Association), the largest automotive trade show in the world. VIAIR distributes air compressors to automotive companies all over the globe ranging from off road to air suspension, and we always have a presence at The SEMA Show! With over 80 VIAIR-equipped vehicles displaying at this year’s show, here’s a few of our top selections.
The Black Knight Raises Up
The Santiagos’ (Damion, Charlinda and Phoenix) “Black Knight” Chevrolet 1500 is a flagship build well known in the community. What started out as a basic lifted truck in 2016 soon turned into a way to give back to those less fortunate. They began a 501c3 non-profit organization “Raized Up” with a mission to give back and “raise up” their community. This non-profit organizes car show fundraisers for children and families in need, brings awareness to community issues and provides holiday meals to veteran families. This massive but gentle beast runs a McGaughy Suspension 9” Lift modified for full independent air ride featuring a custom bed display with dual VIAIR 444C compressors in Stealth Black and a custom spiked knight helmet. This build also features a Hornblasters’ Bandit Air horn setup which is powered by a single VIAIR compressor, as well as custom powder-coated and sick speed-spiked 24×14 Fittipaldi Offroad FTF 15 forged wheels to complete the look.
Tinman II Kustoms 2-Door Dazzler
No stranger to the spotlight, Luke Merrill of Tinman II Kustoms did not disappoint with his 1940 2-door sedan “Tinmama” for SEMA Battle of the Builders 2019. This contest pits top builders against each other within the highest categories of creativity and craftsmanship to show off their modified custom vehicles. Merrill finished top 10 in Young Guns in 2017 & 2018 and Top 40 overall in the SEMA Battle of the Builders. This year, his extraordinary build was featured in the Yukon Gear and Axle booth inside Central hall and was revealed on the first day of SEMA in front of dozens of anticipating fans. Luke dedicated his hotrod build in honor of his mother, who always dreamed of cruising to shows when she was younger. This vehicle sat in Luke’s garage untouched for the last 25 years until now. Luke built this vehicle in his backyard garage with complete frame off restoration from scratch and without a single body panel left untouched. He put in over 5,000 hours of labor and uploaded countless hours of footage to his Youtube channel for his followers to view. Riding on a 2017 mustang IRS and 1970 Nova independent front, the trunk setup features an Air Lift Performance 3P Air Management system paired with dual VIAIR compressors and a custom-mix paint job of pearl metallic base/clear named “Sinful Seaweed”.
Deadsled Kills at SEMA 2019
This 1951 Mercury “Deadsled” (owned by Mike Lavallee) was featured at The SEMA Show 2019 in North Hall at the Kicker Audio booth. It was built by Tim Baille, who was known as the 2018-2019 Installer of the Year and runs F7LTHY Fabrication Laboratory, a premier fabrication and welding shop for custom hot rods, supercars, and everything in between. Renowned for his TRUE FIRE™ airbrush technique, Mike Lavallee of Killer Paint, gave the sled a one-of-a-kind look that stood out during the SEMA show. F7LTHY Fabrication Laboratory’s custom detailing and interior work put this build over the edge! This classic ride is equipped with dual VIAIR compressors and sports a full KICKER Q-Class audio system including four 10-inch, Q-Class subs that provide the bass while four sets of Q-Class component speakers deliver the mid and high range sound.
This was another epic year at the SEMA Show, and we’re looking forward to being at the SEMA Show again! To view more coverage of our SEMA 2019 experience, take a look at the photos here.
