How to Beat a Bad Rap

“FEELING BLUE” HAS A DISTINCTLY NEGATIVE CONNOTATION. Heartache and sorrow are usually the two emotions evoked by the phrase, but this reaction isn’t the standard for everyone. Arnaldo Castillo is just one guy out there in the sea of billions of people who sees things drastically differently. To him, blue isn’t the color of despair, rather, the hue has come to symbolize success. While most rats in the race chase green, Arnaldo (a business owner himself) fell for a color that best recalled the determination that he demonstrated in making it all happen. We’ll cover this ground as the story unfolds; for now, a little history lesson behind how this all came to be is in order.

As a kid, Arnaldo looked up to his older brother the way many younger siblings do. Arnaldo saw him do things that would inspire future passions; namely, all things that revolved around building custom trucks. “My brother had a ’97 Silverado that he spent lots of time working on,” says Arnaldo. “Watching him modify it triggered something inside of me that wanted a truck like his one day. He built his truck the way he wanted, but I knew that when I got older I could do the same thing to my very own truck—and I could mold it to meet my personal expectations and taste.” The Castillo brothers spent a lot of time together during this period. Arnaldo reminisces fondly about those times, “He would take me everywhere with him. From the grocery store to washing his truck, I enjoyed every bit of it, and it was something that was truly special to me. We bonded. We talked about everything, and even though his truck was the center of it all, it was all much more than that.”

Arnaldo was big into building model cars during his younger years, but if you were to ask him now, he would’ve never guessed that he’d end up doing it on a grander scale to make a living. Even back then, he dreamed of one day owning his own body shop, but who doesn’t aspire to work for themselves and run a profitable business? Even if the business only produces a modest income, the freedom and satisfaction that comes from being your own boss surely makes up for the lack of big money. “Thanks to the support of my loving parents, I was able to open the doors to my very own body shop when I was only 20. I pushed myself to work extremely hard and spent endless hours completing the finishing details with every job I took in.” Arnaldo dubbed his shop “Draztik Changez,” which couldn’t be a closer reflection of his life’s work. Before he opened up shop, he had paid his dues at a Chevrolet dealership as a body man; so, with a good grip on what physically needed to be done, he jumped right into learning the other facets of becoming a shop owner as he went along.

Even though Arnaldo may be somewhat new to the world of business ownership, what he lacks in years, he makes up for in his understanding of the value of promotion and what it can do to increase the visibility of his craft. He already had possession of an ’08 Silverado that he drove off the lot brand new and only mildly customized. It was static dropped with a 4/6 McGaughy’s kit, then lowered to a 9/13 stance when low just wasn’t low enough. Arnaldo realized that he might as well just ’bag the truck at that point, seeing as daily driving might start to get inconvenient and annoying. He devised a plan to figure out the air system, along with a whole arsenal of mods that would eventually add up to a full-blown build.

He figured that handing out business cards and creating social media posts could only take his business so far. What he wanted for himself was an actual driving example of the type of the work he was capable of pumping out within the confines of his shop space. This was the perfect opportunity to build upon the success he had tasted as well as to take what he had seen his older brother do years ago to another level with a truck that he could call his own.

“In the middle of 2013, I sent my truck to Static, a custom suspension shop in Houston, for the air suspension work. While it was there, I had them shave the bed pockets and create the sheet metal bed for it. We then ordered the custom US Mag wheels once we had a better idea of the maximum size we could realistically fit. Once that was taken care of, I took the truck back to my shop and started on the painting process.”

Here’s where the story returns to Arnaldo’s silver lining surrounding the color blue. When browsing through different paint samples, he stumbled upon a DuPont color that jumped right out at him: a Ming Blue swatch that wasn’t on the wild and crazy side of the color spectrum. In fact, its cool, calm hue could possibly pass as a factory color on its own, but Arnaldo put his spin on it to pull off an impressive mixture. “I threw in a darker pearl, which gave me a finish that I was, and still am, really excited about.” It wasn’t just any color; it spoke loud and clear to his taste and now covers the truck he built to represent his shop. What better way to follow in his brother’s footsteps? And what better sales pitch could he create than his own customized ride?

The completion of his truck isn’t the sole reason why this experience has brought him such joy. The road leading to this point has truly been the reason for celebration. His parents and family, as well as his girlfriend and friends, all rallied behind him as each goal he set was not only reached but surpassed. “Ever since I got my hands on my driver’s license, I wanted to be featured in a magazine. Having this opportunity is an added bonus to the already incredible ride the last few years have been for me.” Too bad this isn’t what the majority of us experience when we go through the blues, but it’s good to know the phrase can beat a bad rap.

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNER

Arnaldo Castillo
2008 Chevrolet Silverado
Houston, TX
Draztik Truckin’

ENGINE

• 5.3L Vortec V-8
• Spectre cold air intake
• PaceSetter headers
• Full MagnaFlow exhaust system
• Computer tuned
• Two-piece performance driveshaft

SUSPENSION & CHASSIS

• Shop: Static
• McGaughy’s drop spindles
• Custom lower control arms
• KYB shocks
• Airbags
• Rear 2-link kit by Static (designed to lay 28s)
• Moser axles
• 4.10 gear ratio

WHEELS & TIRES

• 26×9 and 28×10 US Mags Hustler wheels with polished lip and brushed face
• 275/25R26 and 295/30R28 Pirelli and Falken tires

BODY & PAINT

• Shop: Static (body)/Draztik Changez (paint)
• 2012 HD hood, grille and front bumper
• Full sheet metal bed
• Bed pockets shaved
• Billet door handles
• Anzo LED taillights
• Custom fenders under the hood
• Clear headlights
• DuPont Ming Blue paint
• Painted engine bay accessories
• Graphics by Coupland Signs
• Pinstriping by Pablo Vidaurri

INTERIOR & STEREO

• Shop: Enrique’s Sunroof and Custom Interior
• Black leather seat upholstery with blue accents
• Black headliner
• Dashboard painted by Draztik Changez
• AVS switch box
• Custom center console
• Sunroof
• Pioneer 4200 head unit
• Rockford Fosgate wiring
• Infinity Kappa three-way speakers
• Three Alpine Type-R subwoofers
• Hifonics amp for highs, mids and subwoofers
• Two 7-inch video monitors
• Optima Red Top battery

SPECIAL THANKS FROM THE OWNER: “Thanks to my girlfriend, parents, brothers, Enrique’s Sunroof and Custom Interior, and Static for all the help along the way.”

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