Loading...
Specializing in one-of-a-kind custom builds, Bill Carlton and the crew of Houston's Ekstensive Metal Works deal with rowdy customers, challenging projects and tight timelines while working on everything from muscle cars to monster trucks.
2020
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.
The team goes bigger on the yearlong 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 due to a botched lift; 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 1959 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.
2018
A client wants Bill to set the bar for custom SUVs with a 2018 Yukon Denali. The guys get busy with handmade chassis, body mods, interior, and twin turbos. Ekstensive goes full gangster with a 1948 Mercury, remaking the car from the inside out.
The 2018 Camaro ZL1 is already a high performance sports car, but the owner wants Bill to make his even badder. The guys are happy to oblige, starting with a handmade aluminum chassis and interior. Also, a new client wants his Sierra Denali frame dropped.
2017
Bill and the guys customize a brand new 2017 F350 with less than 600 miles on it. They lower it with their handmade air ride and add a one-of-a-kind gooseneck hitch. The owner of a 2014 Porsche 911 wants her sports car to sound as good as it looks.
After a remodel in the 90's, a purple '55 Chevy truck is in need of a modern update. Ekstensive doesn't disappoint creating a timeless and classy truck with a modified hood and scoop, a hand-made interior and new wood bed.
Bill and the gang are back under the hood of the 2018 Camaro ZL1, rebuilding the engine before a visit to the dynamometer; and Ekstensive tries to turn a patinaed '49 GMC pickup sleeper truck into keeper truck.
Bill and the guys are known for their custom metal work, but the transformation of a 1940 International Harvester water truck into a mobile barbecue pit tests all their skills; a 1986 C-10 is a family heirloom that's remade for future generations.
Bill and the guys take a good C10 to a hundred with custom touches from inside to out including one of one interior and bed; Ekstensive makes a dream come true by modifying a 2018 Dodge Demon for an under ten second quarter mile run on the track.
Ekstensive's built a lot of trucks, but never a Ford Bronco until now; Bill and the guys transform a rusted '68 Bronco roadster into a high-powered off-roading truck with a supercharged engine, handmade dash, roll cage, and waterproof interior.
Rusty and riddled with bullet holes, Bill's neighbor hands over the crumbling shell of a '52 Ford F4 Milk Truck. The guys unleash their best fabrication skills, and turn this 60+ year old milk truck into a one of a kind, dazzling diesel street rod.
The wrecked shell of a 1970 Suburban car hauler tests Bill and his metal geniuses as they transform it into a high end diesel, low, long bed, crew cab dually. Ekstensive makes a lifted and loaded F150 for Boots for Troops, a military charity.
Bill pushes the shop's creativity with his own build of a 2018 Yukon Denali XL. The luxury SUV is their tallest build ever with a custom lift, straight axles & a supercharger. The 1970 Suburban gets a handmade chassis & body with a custom fourth door.
A big Impala guy from Houston wants to take the old shell of a '66 C-10 and combine it with the best of a 60's Impala. It's one of one, ground up build with a completely hand-built chassis, body mods, 6.2L engine, and a hydraulic bed.
A restaurant owner asks Bill to customize his auction bought '61 Cadillac. The boys at Ekstensive bring the heat inside and out with fully custom interior, suspension, wheels and tires. An eye catching '63 C-10 gets its twin turbo engine all fired up.
The owners of a run down '63 Grumman bread truck want it transformed into the ultimate t-shirt vending machine. Bill and the guys drop the giant truck to the floor with custom body modifications and a bar themed interior.
Hip-hop artist Slim Thug wants his rusted '59 Cadillac brought up to the dress code of the rest of his car collection; the Ekstensive crew creates an eye-catching, black-on-black-on-black Cadillac roadster that would make the Batman jealous.
A longtime customer wants to make a statement by lifting his stock 2017 F250 Platinum 4x4; the boys from Texas are happy to oblige with a handmade 22-inch lift on 42-inch custom tires.
Bill and the guys transform a wrecked 2017 Ford F-150, turning the hunk of parts into an angry-looking, one-of-one prerunner; the crew builds a custom air suspension bike trailer for a longtime customer.
2022
Bill and the gang split a '60 Willys Jeep and overhaul a '98 AMG G-Wagon.
The guys begin to custom fit a '69 MGC for wrestler and actor John Cena.
Bill is tested by a '28 Ford Rat Rod, a '42 Ford pickup and a '75 C10.
The crew blends old and new to radically redesign a client's '74 Eldorado.
The team works their magic to customize a brand-new International wrecker.
Bill changes things up when a 2001 Hummer H1 needs serious reinforcements.
Actor John Cena is amazed by the transformation of his British classic '69 MGC into a custom-built masterpiece with all-American trimmings. Also, the team has to get creative building a chassis and bed for a '60s Jeep Willys entirely from scratch.
The Mecum Auction comes to town, and Bill runs four vehicles across the block with shocking results. The team starts their next monster build, a custom all-tube buggy. Building an indestructible cage requires all their fabrication skills and then some!
When the hometown Houston Astros ask for a custom van that brings the party, the Ekstensive team swings for the fences on their 2022 Ram ProMaster van. Bill gives an unfinished '68 C10 one of their most innovative suspension and chassis designs to date.
Bill takes the '68 C10 into uncharted territory with over-the-top fabrication and an epoxy river bed that tests their skills like nothing before. A 2018 Ram dually can't handle heavy loads, so the team comes up with a unique setup to get it back to work.
Bill refuses to hold anything back on the '68 C10, as it finishes in a Texas-sized flourish looking unlike anything they've ever customized before.
The team custom builds the buggy of Bill's dreams, a 1,500-horsepower vehicle, entirely from scratch.
2024
Bill balances custom and function when he tackles a working 2023 Ram that needs to deliver on the road and stand out at the tow show. A new client plans a surprise customization on her dad's '49 Ford F-1, which is more rust than wrecker.
Bill Carlton and his interior guru John Burgess are happy to take a trip down memory lane transforming an '89 Bronco II super low and extra loud. In a shop first, the team builds a custom frame for a '49 Ford truck with independent rear suspension.
Like a lot of kids growing up, one of Bill Carlton's favorite cars was the Pontiac GTO, so he's more than excited to put his spin on a 1968 GTO. Meanwhile, one of Ekstensive's biggest builds, the '52 tow truck, finishes super strong.
It's not everyday Ekstensive Metalworks gets to customize a 2005 Ferrari F430, but the entire team must pull out all the stops to make this Italian sports car one of one; the '68 GTO gets a new, handmade coilover suspension setup.
In what is one of the most intricate metal projects they've ever built, Bill and his team hand make a one-of-a-kind engine bay for the '68 GTO out of steel and aluminum.
Over time, the trucks coming out of Ekstensive Metalworks keep getting bigger and bigger.
Once Bill sets his mind to something, there's no going back.
After months and months of elaborate metal work, Bill and the fabrication team reach the final sprint on a one-of-one '68 GTO, built for two brothers.
Bill Carlton must find the balance between handmade metal work and the designs of two Ford trucks.
If you're going to get a build at Ekstensive, you can't expect to get your coffee from just any old coffee shop.
With dozens of awards on their walls, crowds of adoring fans, and a long waitlist, Bill Carlton and his Texas team always have their hands full with rowdy customers, challenging builds and tight timelines.
A while back, a customer asked Bill to rebuild a rusty '49 Ford truck as a gift for her dad. The team has given it their all to finish a one-of-one, hand-built masterpiece with a Coyote engine -- and one of the best presents a dad could ever imagine.
2023
A pristine '60s Willys transforms into something bigger, meaner and louder.
Ekstensive Metalworks knows how to go really big, but what happens when they need to go extra small? An antique 1953 tanker tests Bill and the guys as one of their biggest builds to date, while a family golf cart gets radically remade into a wheelie poppin', high-speed electric demon.
A new customer challenges Bill with his fully customized '37 Ford Coupe, which he wants restored to its factory look; as one of their biggest builds yet, the '53 tanker proves again and again that the bigger the truck, the bigger the build.
As Bill says, you never know what new build is going to roll into the shop. This time, it's a beloved 1964 Rolls-Royce with a rusty secret. Meanwhile, the team finishes the final fabrication as they prepare to ship out one of their biggest builds ever, the '53 tanker truck.
Bill loves a good challenge, especially when it's a build he and his team have never done before; while they transform a one-ton 2022 F-350 into a Baja-style Raptor, they rebuild a 1964 Rolls riddled with structural damage from the ground up.
When the outside doesn't match the inside on one of Bill's favorite muscle cars, a 1972 'Cuda, the team hatches an innovative plan for a modern, handmade redux; Bill and the team tear down a 1952 GMC wrecker to build it into a tow and show truck.
Bill is hard on his trucks, and that's especially true of his Baja-style 2017 F-150 race truck; after one too many jumps, Bill is ready to wake it up one more time; the team designs a one-of-one suspension for a 1952 wrecker truck.
Bill thought he'd done it all until a 2022 Ford Lightning rolls in and becomes Ekstensive's first custom air ride with an all-electric drivetrain. The team stays old school by dropping a classic '52 Wrecker to the floor with a supercharged LT4.
Bill sees a custom-made opportunity to turn a smashed 2022 Jeep Gladiator into a one-of-one custom truck. The side-by-side scene has exploded in Texas, and Ekstensive gets a shot to show what they've got with a brand-new Polaris Ranger XP 1000.
Bill goes back to his roots building mini-trucks with a 2023 Polaris Ranger, adding a custom camper and dancing bed; Ekstensive has built its share of ground-up builds over the years, but nothing like the metalwork on the 1952 Wrecker.
What was already one of Ekstensive's biggest ground-up builds ever goes even bigger on the '52 tow truck, as Bill and his team fabricate a custom hot rod wrecker truck unlike any other. The team takes the stock out of a 2023 GMC Denali with a custom lift.
After Ekstensive finished his '69 MGC, actor/wrestler John Cena surprised the shop with parts of an iconic '37 Bugatti Type 57. Now it's Bill's turn to surprise John with an audacious design choice. A stock '23 GMC Denali goes bigger, badder and dually.
2021
A long-time client wants to improve upon a near-perfect '68 Ford Ranger. The team is up to the task with an all-new custom chassis, handmade interior, rebuilt bed and Coyote 5.0 engine swap. Plus, the guys check off new custom upgrades on a '75 Bronco.
A 1996 Impala throws the guys a curveball when they discover it's an imposter. The team makes it better than ever, with custom body fabrications, rear subframe and handmade interior. Also, Bill gives back a fully-custom 2019 Ram to a Northside neighbor.
Bill's no stranger to truck builds getting bigger than originally planned, so it's no surprise when a 1971 Suburban goes even bigger with a custom lifted air suspension and interior. Plus, a nearly finished 2006 Kodiak needs just one more custom upgrade.
With all its wiring and computerization, not many shops would try to drop a new 2020 Denali dually all the way to the floor. To get it done right, Bill and his team make one of their longest custom chassis ever. Plus, Ekstensive gets a diesel pro-mod drag car back on the track.
Ekstensive turns a stock 2020 Denali dually into frame-dropping, show-stopping work truck. As a final touch, Bill handmakes articulating speakers for the bed. Bill takes a family's minds off their brush with a tornado with a custom 2019 Polaris Ranger.
A '64 Lincoln has been collecting dust for years. Bill and the guys bring this classic back by making it a custom "one weather" roadster with a late-model Coyote engine and handmade interior. Plus, the Sling-Ray is a custom automotive sensation, but Ekstensive has what it's been missing.
A 1971 Suburban returns to the shop for ‘Phase Two,' wanting more power and even more custom metalwork. When a client finds parts and pieces of a ‘68 C10, Bill and the crew set on a new course on a ground-up build unlike any they’ve ever done before.
Bill gets déjà vu on a 1985 Chevy C10 square body. After a long history of building custom C10s, he and the team try to outdo themselves with a handmade chassis and air ride, interior and bed. After a near brush with disaster, Ekstensive makes a 1923 T-Bucket street safe.
A local client wants to surprise his dad with a custom '46 Ford Coupe. Starting with little more than a car skeleton, the team builds it from the ground up. With a history of surprising his wife with custom vehicles, Bill goes classy and supercharged with her 2021 Escalade.
When Ekstensive needs a new shop truck, Bill and the guys go sky-high with a lifted '21 F-450 King Ranch capable of hauling a trailer packed with over 20,000 pounds. With most of the '46 Ford Coupe body beyond repair, the team has no choice but to build from the ground up.
The guys hit the home stretch on the '46 Ford "Blue Thunder." Ekstensive powers up Bill's all-tube buggy with a 1,500 hp Cummins diesel engine, and actor John Cena drops off a '69 MGC, wanting nothing less than to change the game with his British classic.
