Texas Metal

Bill and the team try to outdo themselves with a radical redesign of 1950 Ford F5 COE, starting with a bed unlike any they’ve built. The shop begins its first shot at remaking a '69 Corvette Stingray by building a custom chassis.

In Texas, you don't just go big, you go bigger. The team does that on the year-long 1950 Ford F5 COE build when the client asks for a last-minute Cummins diesel engine swap. A twisted graphic wraps up a months-long 2001 Ford F350.

Bill knows all too well that families are the lifeblood of the custom truck scene. A customer wants to transform a 1965 Ford Falcon Club Wagon into a fully custom family cruiser. A 1966 Cobra replica gets reinforced.

Bill and the team fix another shop's mistakes when a 2017 F-350 is hauled into the shop broken and undrivable due to a botched lift. Plus, a client insists on the ultimate tailgating BBQ trailer with custom everything.

Bill looks to the year 2073 when the owner of a '73 El Camino challenges the shop to transform his vehicle into the Ride of the Future. The city wants a custom bumper on a 2020 Freightliner tow truck that can push 45,000 pounds.

A 1937 International Harvester gets a big old Cummins 12-valve diesel engine that's as heavy as the truck itself. A 2005 Chevy Colorado gets a new lease on life as a nitrous-infused drag truck.

Bill and the team get their chance to finish a 1968 Chevy C10, which they've turned into a unibody by welding the body and bed into one piece. An old dump truck rolls into the shop as the biggest truck they've ever customized.

A 1996 dump truck is the largest truck the shop has ever customized. The guys go extra heavy duty to create a military-styled mega-truck. A lowrider enthusiast wants a custom air ride and LS swap for his pristine 1934 Buick.

Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell arrives with the body and parts of a 1949 Cadillac, and the crew is honored to create a ground-up build for the local legend. Plus a 1940 F-100 build snowballs into a much bigger job.

NFL Hall-of-Famer Earl Campbell made a career mowing down defenders. The guys take the same hellbent approach to rebuilding his 1949 Cadillac. They also customize a van for a disabled motocross rider so he can drive again.

The team revamps an old school '34 Buick into a modern day lowrider. After months of rebuilding the body and making a custom frame for Earl Campbell's '49 Cadillac, the Hall of Famer challenges the shop with a last-minute wrinkle.

This year's over-the-top build has Bill and crew lifting a 2020 Chevy Silverado 5500 more than a foot with a custom heavy-duty air suspension. The guys also prove their Texas mettle by radically overhauling the utility bed.

From his dad buying the property in 1976 to erecting nearly 20,000 square feet of shop space, Bill Carlton shares details behind the origins of Ekstensive Metal Works.