How To Give Your Truck The Concours Treatment: A Guide For Newbies

The word “truck” can refer to something as small as a pickup or as large as a tractor-trailer unit. But one thing that unites many truck owners is the love for their vehicles.

Many truck owners will spend thousands making sure their workhorses are in showroom condition.

It’s a well-known fact that plenty of trucks get entered into “Concours” events. In a nutshell, they are places where vehicles get judged according to their condition, features, and looks. Some truck owners just restore old models to their former glory, while others add some 21st-century technology.

Do you want to build a Concours-ready truck? If so, this handy guide is for you! Here is what you need to know:

Buy the right vehicle

Any truck can get turned into a fine Concours example. The trick is choosing a model that isn’t as common as French Fries. One of the ways to get a Concours judge’s attention is by showing off an unusual or rare model.

The best thing to do is start your search on classifieds websites like http://trucks.autotrader.co.uk/. From there, you can find out which trucks are plentiful, and which ones are hard to find. One word of warning though – make sure you don’t buy an obscure example!

After all; the last thing you want to do is get something where spare parts are hard to source.

Restore the body and paint

Now that you’ve got the truck you want, the next step is to work on its appearance. When you show your pride and joy at a Concours event, the first thing people will look at is your truck’s exterior.

It’s an accepted fact of life that trucks put up with a lot of abuse over the years. As a result, the body panels and paint on them will look pretty bad. That’s why you need to get any panel dents and rust repaired, and a few coats of shiny new paint applied.

Refurbish chrome items

You’ll often see chrome (or chrome-effect) mirrors and radiator surrounds on trucks. Over the years, their appearance will look “weathered.” To get your workhorse ready for Concours events, you need to add some bling to it!

Because chroming is such a specialist job, you need to have the pros refurbish any chrome items for you. It’s not a cheap exercise, but the results will be more than worth it.

Retrim the interior

You don’t need me to tell you how truck interiors can get worn and broken over time. Make sure you allocate some of your restoration budget towards getting your seats and interior retrimmed. Some folks stick with the original colour schemes and materials while others go down the custom route.

Consider getting some advice from a few people before choosing one of those options. The last thing you want to do is spend money on a retrim that looks awful!

Fix the engine

Last, but not least, you’ll need to spend some time fixing any problems with your truck’s engine. Once everything is running fine, give the power plant a good clean to make it look like new. You shouldn’t have a single particle of oil or dirt under the bonnet.

Good luck!

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