The Ghoesst – A 1968 Phantom Tahoe
Brandon Sisco of Barrett-Jackson Garage built this one-off 1968 Chevy Tahoe concept vehicle he calls “Ghoesst.” He has one small request however; do not refer to Ghoesst as a Blazer! “It’s called a Tahoe because it has a longer wheelbase than a Blazer, a non-removable hardtop and it doesn’t share a single body panel or any other dimension with the popular k5 blazer” Sisco said.
Instead, this metal magician used only C10 parts and a Suburban to get the result that you see before you.
As is the case with most car builders, their hamster wheel is always spinning. The Tahoe’s owner, Jason Ellis of Visalia, California has a passion for the 1995-99 two-Door Tahoe’s and owns several of them. Brandon and Jason have been friends for years and they wanted to build a Tahoe as if Chevrolet did so from the factory back in 1968.
They toyed with the idea of putting a modern spin on an old K5 Blazer but the dimensions and visuals never seemed quite right to Brandon. Then one day, as if the Chevy Gods were speaking to him, he envisioned using an old Suburban. The lines just made sense.
A rendering of Ghoesst was provided by Travis Pruis of CTP Concepts. Initially, the C-10/Tahoe was intended to be red with tan interior. But when Travis sent an outline of the Tahoe over it was drawn on a white background and the change was made right then and there to an all-white exterior and blood red interior.
The first order of business was to shorten the suburban and by shortening, we mean cutting three feet out of the middle! To get the proportions close to Brandon’s liking he also moved the rear wheels back almost 10 inches. Stock suburban doors have a square frame so Brandon used C10 truck doors to make the Ghoesst’s B pillar flow more like a Chevy Nomad. This was done during the process of chopping 1.5” out of the front and 2” out of the rear roof to give it that slight rake Brandon was looking for but it also keeps the roofline level at the same time.
A GSI Machine and Fabrication subframe was used in the back while Brandon took care of the front end. Baer brakes on all four corners help stop the Intro Exposed 5 Series Flow wheels with custom grey centers. RideTech air suspension was used for its superior ride quality and killer stance when laid out.
The mastermind behind the interior was Frank Ceballos of Ceballos Customs. It was here that Frank handcrafted and stitched the beautiful combination of red leather, carpet, and suede throughout the entire cab. Even the headliner has inserts to give it that classic yet custom look. The level of detail speaks for itself.
Shane Jensen massaged and finished the body in Audi Ibis White while Brandon custom made all the aluminum trim surrounding the slick Tahoe. The bumpers are a combination of four C-10 bumpers cut and welded top to top to make them similar to a Camaro.
For trouble-free cruising, a Chevrolet Performance crate LSA, backed by a 4L70-E was the easy choice for performance and reliability. With 556 horsepower and 551 lb.-ft. of torque at the owner’s fingertips, this Tahoe was built to break necks and look good doing it.
The Tahoe gets its name from being white like a ghost, the “OE” from Tahoe and the SS from its drivetrain. Please don’t call it a Blazer.
