Embracing the Art of Truck Customization!

When it comes to what catches peoples’ eyes when they first see a truck, you can pretty much bet the paint has something to do with that. Sure, the truck can have some crazy mods or cool wheels that you notice first, but if it wasn’t for the truck’s finish, it wouldn’t stand out so much. 

For me, paint is one of my most-looked-at parts of a truck, or any vehicle for that matter. As a detailer, I look for flaws, swirls, and clarity of any paint. It has become normal for me to look deeper into it than a lot of people do, so the cooler the paint work, the more it stands out. This goes for simple single-color paint or a crazy graphic paint job. If it’s done right and maintained correctly, it will stand out. Even with my personal builds, which may all have factory paint due to them being brand-new vehicles, I still choose colors that have some kind of flake of flip flop to the color when the sun hits it. Even though it’s a brand-new vehicle with brand-new paint, taking the time to polish the paint out and add a good, high-gloss coating to it brings the paint to a whole new level than anything fresh off the showroom floor. If you take pride in your truck and want it to look its best, polish the paint or take it to a detail shop that can do that for you. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 50-year-old, clean paint truck or a new daily. Get that paint shining and protected so it lasts a long time and looks its best.

As a detailer, I look for flaws, swirls, and clarity of any paint. It has become normal for me to look deeper into it than a lot of people do, so the cooler the paint work, the more it stands out. 

Since paint is such a huge part of any build, I wanted to dedicate an issue to it. If you notice as you flip through this issue, every feature truck in here has some form of graphics or airbrushing. None of them are single-color paintjobs. To tie in the paint theme, there’s even a tribute article to the late Tom McWeeney who recently passed away, but was a driving force in the custom paint world for decades. There’s also an article that breaks down some of the common paint terms, so if you are new to the truck scene, it may help you understand the lingo when friends discuss various paint styles.

Until next month, keep those truck builds coming along, get out to shows or various automotive events to show the next generation of custom truck enthusiasts why we love this industry of ours.

Brandon Burrell

bburrell@engaged.media |@burrellimages on all social media