With a WyoTech graduate already on staff, West Coast Customs knew WyoTech could deliver the skilled technicians needed to get the job done. Set to work and learn alongside the talented West Coast Customs crew while on camera for TLC’s Street Customs, these students would receive the opportunity of a lifetime. The task at hand was the ground-up restoration of a 1955 Ford F-100 pickup for Stallone himself, as well as the build-up of two duplicate trucks. All three vehicles had to be completed in just three weeks.
Upon receiving the request from West Coast Customs, the WyoTech-Laramie campus carefully screened the students designated to graduate with top honors in the Collision Refinishing and Street Rod and Custom Fabrication programs. Owen Lubenow, Rusty McClintock, and Matt Myers were the students chosen by the faculty based on the quality of their work, their campus and community involvement as well as their ability to represent the WyoTech brand. According to Owen Lubenow, “I was speechless when I heard I was chosen and pretty excited that I had the opportunity.”
“Working with Wyotech was great for West Coast Customs,” said Ryan Friedlinghaus, CEO West Coast Customs. “It was impressive to see the students’ skills fresh out of school. We gave them a pretty big project and a tough deadline. Rusty, Owen and Matt really stepped up as part of the West Coast Customs team and got the job done.”
In addition to the metal fabrication work, the former students helped install a 347ci Ford engine from ATK Engines, outfitted with an Edelbrock Total Power Package, into Stallone’s personal truck for an impressive 428.5 hp and 411 ft.-lbs. of torque.
