10 Favorite Custom Trucks from the 2021 Lone Star Throwdown
When it comes to custom vehicles, Texas has been a heavy hitter for quite some time. As far as new truck sales numbers go, no other place compares to the Lone Star State and that translates into more custom versions that can be found there. Texas has been a go-to stop for seeing some of the wildest trucks, and this goes for both new and classic versions.
Back in 2012, Todd “Radar” Hendrex and Lonnie Ford saw the need for a three-day show and came up with the idea of the Lone Star Throwdown (LST), which continues to be held at the very same venue, the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Conroe, TX. The first year was a hit and the event has grown every year since the beginning.
Not only is LST known for having the most custom trucks in the America, the competition is very stiff as the custom billet awards made by Philbuilt Designs are very limited. The most coveted award of the show was the 63lb Best of Show award named “BAE 5.0,” which went to Fred Bishop’s ’71 Ford F100 that debuted at Dino’s Git Down a few months back.
As we walked through the show, we found 10 other vehicles that made heads turn, too.
10. Steve Green’s ’72 Chevy Blazer
Classic Chevy pickups have been on fire as of late and it was a bit refreshing to see a custom SUV of the same era. Steve’s Blazer was transformed with ’68 front sheet metal, airbagged chassis and LS2 engine under the hood. It also sits on a set of 22-inch Raceline wheels with Nitto Invo tires.
9. Brad Maddox’s ’92 Dodge W250
Classic Dodge pickups are not very common and it’s awesome to see them done up. Brad’s W250 sits on a custom KM Metalworks12-24-inch adjustable suspension that lets it sit on a set of 24x14-inch Stealth Forged wheels with Nitto Trail Grappler M/T tires. This beast is also powered by a 5.9L 6BT Cummins turbo-diesel engine to get it up to speed quick.
8. Justin Keith’s ’93 Chevy ZL1
’88-’98 “OBS Chevy trucks have gained a lot of popularity over the last year or so. This bodystyle started the Sport Truck movement and Justin’s truck is a modern version of customs you would see back in the day. It has a modern supercharged LT4 engine and to help keep deliver the power is a QA1 coil-over suspension with Nitto NT555 G2 equipped billet wheels.
7. Brandon Ramirez’s ’64 Chevy Suburban
The pairing of shops Tre5 Customs and Ikandy Paintworks has been a winning combo lately. Brandon’s SUV is the latest in a line of banging classics that have spent time at these shops. This Suburban lays down thanks to a GSI airbagged chassis and even has a 550hp Don Hardy built LS3 engine. Our favorite feature of this build is the custom dark silver paint that gives it a modern flavor.
6. Marcos Chavez’s ‘68 Ford Bumpside F100
Texas natives of Ekstensive Metalworks Play host of the Texas Metal TV show and have been known to build some of the wild trucks over the past few decades. One of their latest subjects is this Ford pickup that received a full custom chassis to let it sit over 24x9 and 24x15-inch billet wheels. As if that wasn’t enough, it is powered by a supercharged Coyote engine.
5. Hunter Clark’s ’79 Ford F250 Crew Cab
Custom classic Ford pickups of this era are not so common and four-door versions are even harder to find. Elevating this truck is an airbagged, lifted suspension to clear the 24-inch Fuel Offroad wheels with Nitto Trail Grappler M/T tires. On the inside is seating from two donor OBS Fords and up front is a 5.9L 6BT Cummins turbo-diesel engine.
4. Chris Pate’s ’68 Chevy C10
Though Chevy C10s are just about a dime a dozen these days, not many are as unique as this one built by Alamo Customs. It’s slammed with a Porterbuilt suspension to tuck the 22-inch Intro billet wheels with Nitto NT420S tires. The body has been completely slicked out and the one-piece front clip even has a custom center-opening hood that covers the 383ci Chevy small block engine. Chris also owns Mobile Toys Inc, which was the shop responsible for the one-off interior.
3. Anthony Florance’s “Caterkillar” ’28 Ford Model A 2-door Sedan
Yes, this vehicle is not a truck, but it totally blew us away! Built by the team of Welder Up, this bare-metal hot rod is more like a rolling art piece with numerous custom touches. It also powered by a 3126 Caterpillar 6-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that was robbed from a heavy equipment vehicle. Up front is a pair of Fuel Offroad wheels with Nitto Trail Grappler M/T tires to steer it and a rear set of tracks push it forward and pay homage to the industrial inspiration of the build.
2. Dave Schneider’s ’65 Chevy C10
We’re pretty sure that this truck was the loudest vehicle at the show. The supercharged 427ci Chevy V8 was ear-piercing and very hard to ignore or even hear our friends talk over. Besides having the ability to blowout our ear drums, it also dazzled our eyes with a mean stance over a set of Nitto NT555 G2 covered billet wheels.
1. Chris Mull’s ’63 Datsun Pickup
LST has strong roots in the minitruck scene and this Datsun takes these trucks to a whole other level. Starting with a super rare truck, Chris made sure this truck was slammed like most minis with a custom airbagged suspension.
Like all other restomod vehicles, this truck has a newer powerplant, which is a SOHC KA24E engine from a (S13) Nissan 240SX.
What sets this truck apart from the others is the classic theme and attention to detail. Chris told us that the hub caps on the 18 and 20-inch Centerline wheels were made for the Brazil market and he bought them off someone in Peru. These are so rare that finding replacements are close to impossible. The list goes on with the subtle and rare touches on this one-of-a-kind mini. This truck proves that the build level for vehicles at LST is at an all-time high.
