TMI SEMA 2017
SEMA 2017 had a little bit of a spilt personality. While the Tri-Five Chevrolet market has always been a favorite, it seems over the last few years it’s really begun to pick up steam again. Throughout the months prior to the Big Dance, we took notice while at car shows to see what people were building. What’s old is new again, and that saying is no different for cars. Trends come and go but the Tri-Five has always been a popular platform. Similar can be said for trucks. We saw a need for popular trucks like the C10 and F100. So while we were at those shows we noticed that a lot of well-built trucks had shown up. That building scheme was reflected at SEMA as well, lots of hot rods, muscle cars, Tri-Fives and trucks
What we did was bring three amazing Tri-Fives to SEMA 2017 and had them center stage in our booth. We brought a rag-top ‘55 Wagon, a classic cruiser ‘56 and a Pro Touring ’57. From a patina’d wagon, to a gleaming show car, all the way to a mean track machine, the TMI Products SEMA 2017 booth had it all.
In addition to a brand new Tri-Five Line of products, we brought an amazing ‘68 El Camino and a baby-blue Square Body. But we didn’t stop there! A full line up of office chairs was debuted too! Now your office can match your Hot Rod in the garage!
‘55 And Still Alive
The first of the three Tri-Fives was our ‘55 Wagon. This wagon had a rough patina exterior, with everything else new inside. Under the hood a built LS that keeps the car moving down the road and the wind blowing through the rag top. Yep, you read that right! The wagon’s roof was cut and a sliding ragtop was installed. Does that make it a convertible? You be the judge.
On the inside was a complete interior makeover to also highlight the new products available. The ’55 was dressed in Distressed Brown Vinyl and Buck Distressed Vinyl with stainless grommets and white stitching that all play off each other for a classy yet performance look. With the seats finished, TMI went ahead and created matching door panels, dash pad, console and carpetfinished off this ultra-cool ‘55. This wagon was so hot that Hot Rod magazine shot it for the cover!
Low Down Cruiser
In the middle of the Tri-Fives was our yellow ‘56. This car has an attitude and was built to cruise all day long. Imagine hitting the Main Boulevard and cruising to the local burger joint. Don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s slow! Under the hood is a built LS with plenty of power just waiting to go. Air ride suspension gets the car sitting nice and low while the smoothie wheels give it a nostalgic look.
Sport AR interior brings the inside right up to modern standards though. In the front is a set of Pro-Series buckets in matching Sport AR pattern. A two-tone color combo was chosen and stitched on the molded door panels. A set of buckets for the rear were chosen with a waterfall console to give this ‘56 that high-end look. Super Chevy loved it so much they shot it to grace the pages of their magazine.
‘57 Bel Air Brawler
Just like a ‘69 Camaro, it’s hard to build a ‘57 Bel Air in a way that hasn’t been done and will catch somebody’s eye. We managed to do just that for SEMA 2017. This ‘57 has a lot of modern touches to it such as the choice of wheels, but surprisingly has some old school touches. For example you’d expect an LS power plant, but this Bel Air still rocks a SBC - however there is a blower shoving air into it for max horsepower.
To contrast the white exterior, a complete Sport FXR interior was stitched up in a vibrant red color. This interior featured molded door panels, four bucket seats and two consoles. The rear console is the iconic TMI waterfall console. We even went a step further and developed an entire trunk kit to make sure the trunk looks just as good as the interior of the car! Just like the other Tri-Fives in the booth, this car was shot for Super Chevy magazine.
1968 El Camino
Having a complete Chevelle product line, it only made sense to round it out and develop an El Camino line. This Elky was used to develop molded door panels that have a Sport R pattern on them. The rest of the interior is a set of Pro-Series seats with a Sport GT pattern.
This Elky was made to cruise and features a lowered stance with disc brakes at all four corners, with a healthy LS under the hood to keep the smiles-per-gallon flowing. The blue paint job makes it stand out in a crowd from anything else at the show.
‘73 C10 Square Body
Remember when we said what’s old is new again? Well this ‘73 C10 is our old C10 from SEMA 2015! You might remember this truck front and center and colored in Maroon. We loved the truck but felt it could be better. Plus, we wanted to develop more parts for it. You know, a gearhead is never really finished with their rides.
After stripping the paint off, we decided to pay homage to the original color scheme that was offered and went with Calvary Blue (FJ Cruiser color) with bright white stripes on the sides all the way around. On the inside we opted to ditch the gray interior and go with Pro-Series Sport Bucket Seats in XR Pattern, Regatta Blue vinyl with Grey and Black Plaid inserts, Sport XR molded door panels, color/design matching dash panel, sun visors, TMI billet Sport Steering Wheel, multi-piece German Square Weave Carpet in charcoal, and color matching shift boot. Even though it was the same truck, it was all new again and received even more attention!
With the launch of our Tri-Five line, the bar was raised again for during SEMA 2017. The question was could we raise it again for SEMA 2018? During the week we already spotted some other rides that gave us some inspiration.
