Jeff chuckles when he thinks back to his childhood. Jeff was born with customization in his blood. Not even his bike was left stock. New wheels, different handle bars, upgraded gears and decals were just some of the modifications that Jeff recalls. As a kid he always had a boom box in his house, walkman in his pocket and a TV in his room. Jeff loves his gizmos and gadgets. At the age of 16 Jeff got his drivers license. This could only mean it was time to buy a car. Jeff had a limited budget for his first car so he shopped around to get the best bang for the buck. After a few weeks of research a 1991 Chevy Cavalier Z24 found a new home in Jeffs driveway.
Over the next year Jeff saved up as much money as he could. Being new to the car audio / performance industry Jeff found himself initially lost. He gathered up magazines, went to a couple shows and gathered a few ideas. Jeff had big dreams and a small budget. He went to 3 local shops before one would work with the ideas / budget that Jeff had. The budget for this system was $1,200.00. Back then this was considered a substantial investment into the audio system of a car. Jeff smirks as this may have been his first system but certainly not his last. “The vein was tapped” Jeff says… From that moment forward none of Jeff’s cars would be left stock. The $1,200.00 system only lasted 6 weeks before it was upgraded to a system worth over $5,000.00. And so it began!
By 2002 Jeff had become a pro within the industry. Since the 1991 Cavalier Jeff had done systems in a 1994 Chevy Cavalier Z24 Convertible, 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP, 1995 Grand Cherokee Limited and 2001 Chevy Corvette C5. In a way you could say these were all practice for what was yet to come.
Jeff bought the 2002 Ford Explorer XLT V8 4.6 liter in May of 2003. “The real reason I bought this car was to be used as a winter car,” Jeff smirks. I really needed a winter car as I couldn’t drive my 2001 Corvette C5 in the snow and the work van just wasn’t cutting it. “I swore to myself that I would not make any modifications to this car.” It was a winter car that would be used to drive in the snow. He was so certain of this that he even went out and bought the license plate “ALLSTOCK”. His friends all laughed at the plate knowing Jeff a little better then he knew himself. Within 4 weeks the vein was pumping, Jeff just couldn’t hold back... he couldn’t resist… the modifications started.
Over the next year the car was torn apart, modified and changed in every which way. The funny part (Jeff smiles) is that I couldn’t even drive the car over the winter. It was in pieces at several different shops getting work done. The license plate “ALLSTOCK” quickly came off and the license plate “TWO MCH” went on. Jeff competed in the U.S. and Canada for 1 full year undefeated. Finding a place for all his trophies was his latest concern. For most people this would have been enough.. not Jeff. Even though he had not been beaten by anyone that year, Jeff wasn’t 100% happy with the installation in the car. With each system you do, you learn a little bit more about what you like and don’t like, what works and doesn’t work. It was now time to take things to a new level. Jeff wanted to build a system that would combine everything that had worked in the past with everything he always wanted to do but hadn’t had the chance thus far. It was time to go extreme, raise the bar and set a new standard within the U.S. and Canadian market.
Knowing this was going to be his biggest project to date, Jeff contacted his long time friend Reuben Barkin of Branded Studios (www.brandedstudios.com) to help manage the project. Reuben comes from a very strong marketing and advertising background. He has also been involved in the car audio industry for many years which makes him a huge asset to the project. Jeff sat down with Reuben and they started brainstorming ideas. Initially the main goal was to just integrate a motorized 42” plasma into the existing install. This on its own would have been a very impressive feat. Fortunately this was just the tip of the ice burg (no pun intended) when it came to Jeff and Reuben’s brains storming session. Fitting the plasma was only the first goal of many to come. And so it began.. Let the ICEPLORER come to life.
