How to Build a Custom Truck

An old truck waiting to restored and customized.

Although most people look at trucks and equate them with practical utilitarian uses like hauling lumber and helping people move, some people look at trucks and see far more potential than simply hauling stuff around. Customizing trucks is almost as popular as customizing cars. There are plenty of different ways to go about customizing a truck, from upgrading the engine and wheels, to installing a completely new interior and painting the exterior with a one-off paint job.

Things You'll Need

• Socket set and ratchet
• Specialty automotive tools

Instructions

1. Customize the exterior. By definition, almost all custom trucks have a modified exterior. Depending on the look you are going for, you can go wild or stay on the conservative side. There are companies that make extensive body kits. One common way of customizing a truck is getting a custom paint job. You can also remove all of the exterior trim and shave items like the door handles for a cleaner appearance. If it’s a classic custom truck though, you can retain the chrome for a retro look. Many owners finish off the exterior with custom graphics like flames or stripes down the surface of the truck.

2. Install custom wheels and tires. Complement the custom paint with larger-diameter and wider wheels and tires. Low-profile tires on a truck can give a very custom appearance. There are many, many different wheel choices to choose from too, including chromed, painted and polished finishes as well as deep-dish, three-piece and other wheel styles.

3. Modify the suspension. Unless you are building a custom off-road truck, in which case you will want to retain a high ride height for clearance, a lowered suspension will help your custom truck look the part. This can be accomplished a number of ways. You can convert the suspension to use coilover shocks and springs for multi-adjustability, or you can install lowering springs. You can also convert the suspension to use air bags, which will allow you to really attain a ground-scraping ride height, another trademark of many custom trucks.

4. Modify the interior. No custom truck is complete without some type of custom interior. Most trucks come with bench seats, so you can replace these with a pair of bucket seats for a real custom look. You can also simply have the original seats reupholstered by a shop that does custom interior work. Using an unusual material like Alcantara (a form of ultrasuede) will make it look even better. Install a custom carpet kit, an aftermarket steering wheel and aftermarket alloy pedals as well.

5. Upgrade the engine’s performance. Most custom trucks are based on American brands, which usually come with powerful and torquey V-8s already. Modify these with a free-flow exhaust and headers, a bigger carburetor and other bolt-on modifications. Many custom trucks also feature engine swaps, where the original engine is replaced by a far more powerful and bigger engine.

References

• Custom Classic Truck Magazine: Features
• Mini Truckin' Magazine: Features