It's not so hard out here to get pimped

Bloomington car lovers don't need Xzibit to pimp their rides. They do it themselves. Ten-switch hydraulics, custom paint and window designs, crushed velvet interior and enough bass to wake up Martinsville are featured in rides pimped right here in Bloomington. \nFor more than 10 years, members of Bloomington car club, "The Player$," have been traveling to car shows to show off their rides. Many of them have been obsessed with cars their whole lives, buying their first show car at age 16. The love of bikes started at age five for Doug Smith, 26, manager of Ackerman Auto Detail who rode dirt bikes before he could get a street bike. \nAckerman Auto Detail and Shakespearience Car Audio are stationed next to each other on North Jackson Street, near 17th street, to pimp Bloomington's rides. Shakespearience Car Audio provides amps, security systems, remote start and CD changers in addition to speakers, and Ackerman's flyer advertises itself as complete reconditioning specialists who do interior and exterior detailing. \nBloomington resident Brian Clarke has spent the last decade transforming his '94 Mitsubishi Eclipse into Vegas on wheels. A thorough, vivid paint job on the hood depicts his car on the Vegas strip in front of the fictional "Player$ Hotel" with great detail. Almost every inch of the car is decked out in the Vegas theme, with dice and cards etched into the windows by Visual Alterations' Chris White, who also did the vibrant paint work. The newest addition is a shamrock cut out of canvas on the rear window. \nIt was no surprise that Clarke's self-made, crushed velvet dice design won the trophy for best interior at Phi Kappa Sigma's philanthropy event. The green and black velvet puffs out of the car as it thumps chest-rattling bass and rocks 10 different ways with its custom hydraulics. \nClarke says the car doesn't ride that smoothly because of all the work he has put into it, but loves the way it looks. \n"I've been adding to it whenever I can," Clarke says. "I've been in over 100 shows and I think the car is finally just how I want it." \nEager to get the car back on the road after having been in storage all summer, he blasts the sound system to deafening levels. With two 12-inch subwoofers and two Rockford amps from Shakespearience Car Audio, the car is rocking even when the 10-switch hydraulic system is off. \nBloomington's audio guru Joe Richards, 29, who manages Shakespearience Sound, has given his car the pimping it deserves. His white 1971 Chevy Impala Custom has truly become customized since Richards started work on it when he was 16. A 10-switch, four-pump hydraulic system bounces on wide white wall tires, which he says make the car just right. \nHe used his audio expertise to hook up two 15" subwoofers, two amps and four other speakers hidden throughout the black swirl velvet interior. Richards did all of the paint, stereo and hydraulic work on the Impala himself and says he drives the ride as much as possible. He's had the car for 13 years, and has won a number of awards despite only showing it for three years. \nRichards estimates they do custom work on one car a week at Shakespearience Sound. Just last week he did custom sub and amp work on a Subaru STI and a Mercedes AMG. He enjoys restoring cars so much he plans to completely redo his seemingly perfect Impala this winter. \n"I'm ready for something new," Richards says. "I'm always looking for a new challenge." \nDetailing in Bloomington is fairly common. Smith says they do over 40 details a week in the summer and had a stretch of eight months where they did 500 jobs. \nSmith brought his '03 Suzuki 750 yellow motorcycle to the show and popped wheelies and raced up and down the parking lot, exciting spectators. The thrill of the crotch rocket comes with a couple of setbacks though. Smith says he has had to go to defensive driving class four times and has had driving privileges suspended three times. He wasn't even caught cruising at top speed, claiming he has peaked at 150 M.P.H. \nIU students are part of the "ride pimping" as well. Freshman Neil Mohan has been working on the audio for his 2002 black BMW car for two and a half years. He has created a dynamic sound system, with two 12-inch aluminum subs and 14 speakers all together. \nWhile Richards and Clarke are concerned with flair, Larry Wells is more concerned with what's under the hood. His yellow 1966 Chevelle Super Sport won best in show at the Phi Kappa Sigma auto show due to its power and style. The Super Sport packs around 550 horsepower under the hood, with enough chrome to pimp half a dozen rides. \nHe bought the car in 1977, used it in drag racing in the '80s, and took it off the frame in '97 to do a complete restoration. Wells is protective of his car and wanted to make sure he had someone who shared his passion before he gave him the project. \n"I've been a paint and body guy for 48 years," Bob Lake told Wells. "And if I could go back and do it all over again, you know what I'd be? A paint and body guy." \nWells was convinced Lake was right for the job and allowed the Bloomington resident to be a part of the restoration. He used numerous custom built pieces, a vintage air conditioning system and a custom tri-coat florescent paint job to give the car its flourish. Lake takes on three antique cars a year and is currently working on a '67 Firebird convertible with a '68 Mustang planned next. As summer approaches, the cars will start coming out of storage, cruising the streets of Bloomington. If the hydraulics and sound don't catch your eye, look for the cast metal, brass plated "Player$" signs on a couple of the tricked out rides.