Type to search

Show trucks are heavily modified truck builds that are less about practicality or performance and more about how much you can do to your truck.

What is a Show Truck?

2021 SEMA Show Truck - LB Motorsports on youtube.com
2021 SEMA Show Truck - LB Motorsports on youtube.com

Have you ever seen a truck that’s been so extensively modified that you think “That is insane. How is that even practical?” These trucks are sometimes referred to as Show Trucks. They’re a special truck culture where owners add new bumpers, custom parts, crazy suspension kits, big wheels, and every accessory available to their truck to make it so outlandish that it’s hard not to take notice. This ludicrous amount of modification is only furthered by the theme that these owners then employ through the use of special paint, vinyl graphics, chrome, powder coating, anodizing, and excessive LED lighting all around.

Why do people do this to trucks? What’s the point? Well, it’s right there in the name. Show Trucks are made almost exclusively to show off at truck meets or big events like SEMA. Sure, there are a few out there using these rolling art pieces as their daily, but they have a heck of a time getting around. All these mods are less about performance and more about the look. In the end, they can’t go too fast (especially around corners) and their turning radius is barely existent.

Show Truck - route66trucks.com
Show Truck - route66trucks.com

There may be some gripes about the Show Truck crowd and their builds, but there’s no denying the popularity of this truck modding culture. Let’s check out the different types of Show Trucks you may run into and all of the different components that get thrown onto them. Maybe you could build your own! I mean, if you’re into these things.

The Different Show Trucks

Show Trucks come in a couple different forms. I’m not just talking Ford F-150s, Chevrolet Silverados, RAM 1500s, and their heavy-duty counterparts though. Some are so high off the ground that you need to do some free climbing to get in the cab. Some are so low that the rear differential pops through the truck bed. And then there are the Show Trucks that try to do both and end up at a weird angle

Lifted Show Trucks

Lifted Show Truck - CodyMillsPic on youtube.com
Lifted Show Truck - CodyMillsPic on youtube.com

Lifting a truck’s suspension is a classic modification. It gives you more ground clearance for rock climbing, more room for bigger tires to go mudding, or it can give you some prerunner performance. Show trucks go a different direction though when it comes to their lift kits. Show Truck lift kits are all about being as high as possible and looking super nice. They feature a lot more chrome and colored components than any truck that’d be crawling over rocky trails. Everything from the giant springs to the sway bars to the bolts are colored. Every part of the lift kit is color matched to the rest of the truck’s tons of aftermarket components to fit a certain theme.

Most people that pick up a lift kit throw on some larger tires too, but not these Show Trucks necessarily. Instead, most feature giant wheels that can exceed 30 inches in diameter fitted with low profile tires. The wheels are meticulously polished up and cared for before, during, and after events. Fitted to the wheels are either low profile truck tires or even stretched street tires to achieve their desired look. That look they’re trying to achieve is essentially less tire covering the sight of their expensive suspension that’s hoisting the cab over four feet off the ground.

Slammed Show Trucks

Slammed Show Truck - slamdmag.com
Slammed Show Truck - slamdmag.com

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the lowered or slammed Show Trucks. These trucks take on lowrider influences and make for a peculiar look when you’re so used to seeing normal or lifted trucks everywhere. They either feature some bags so they can lower all the way to the ground when parked or have been dropped with a static suspension so they tend to drag while driving.

Having been lowered to this extent, you’ll sometimes see that the fuel tank now resides in the truck bed and the whole rear assembly can be seen through a hole in the bed too. Speaking of that truck bed, there are some lowered trucks that throw some hydraulics on the bed. Instead of lifting the hole frame to pop the vehicle like normal lowriders, they detach the bed from the frame and make it dance in the air.

In similar fashion to the lifted Show Trucks, these slammed trucks feature giant polished wheels with low profile tires that have been tucked under the fenders and sometimes given that stanced look with the excessive camber. There’s less of the aftermarket pieces for these lowered trucks. Instead, they either keep the exterior stock, have some visible patina, or paint it up like a true lowrider with impressive paintjobs.

Squatted Show Trucks

Squatted Truck - WhistlinDiesel on youtube.com
Squatted Truck - WhistlinDiesel on youtube.com

Trophy trucks sometimes have a little bit of this squat look to them, but it’s to help their approach angle when hitting jumps. This squatted truck trend takes it to a whole other level and any handling or performance benefit is nonexistent. However, of all of these different Show Trucks, this one is probably seen driving around the most while also probably the hardest to drive. Visibility out of the front windshield is obscured by the dramatic angle of the vehicle, so drivers either only see more of their hood than the road or have to stick their head out the side window.

Now for the latest truck trend, squatted trucks. Originally known as the “Carolina Squat”, this Show Truck takes a lift kit and only lifts the front portion of the truck and then proceeds to lower the rear end. This results in the nose of the truck being pointed at the sky and the rear renders close or covering the rear wheels giving off that odd squatted look.

Getting Every Modification Available

These truck builds are all about throwing money around, so no expense is spared when it comes to installing every aftermarket piece available. Some of these mods are to give the truck a more aggressive look, while other parts are there to help showcase the suspension underneath even more. Here is a list of some of the different modifications you can find on these Show Trucks that aren’t the suspension or wheels.

Aftermarket Bumpers

Aftermarket bumper - route66trucks.com
Aftermarket bumper - route66trucks.com

The first piece of the show truck puzzle that seems to always be changed after the suspension is the bumpers. The stock ones just won’t do. Usually, these aftermarket bumpers are more durable and feature additional tow hooks, a bull bar, or allow for additional lighting (more on that in a bit) to help out on the trails. When they’re floating five feet off the ground though, they’ve become strictly for the edgier look. For the most part, it seems like Road Armor has this area covered, but there are plenty of other aftermarket bumpers out there that can be found on these Show Trucks.

Custom Grills

Custom Grill - BUILT DIESEL MAFIA on youtube.com
Custom Grill - BUILT DIESEL MAFIA on youtube.com

Why keep the original manufacturer brand on your truck when you built this Show Truck to be what it is? That’s the mentality behind these custom grills. Toss out the Ford, Chevy, or RAM logos in favor of the truck build’s new name or a social media handle. Plus, having a different grill pattern adds to the uniqueness of these Show Trucks’ look.

Aftermarket Beds & Bed Accessories

Modified truck bed - BUILT DIESEL MAFIA on youtube.com
Modified truck bed - BUILT DIESEL MAFIA on youtube.com

For some of these Show Truck builds the only thing left stock is the cab. Truck beds are commonly modified with cargo boxes, audio systems, custom rails, or even just ripped off in favor of an aftermarket flat bed.

Smoke Stacks

Truck with smoke stacks - AACstyle on youtube.com
Truck with smoke stacks - AACstyle on youtube.com

A majority of these Show Trucks are diesels, so rolling coal isn’t uncommon. This trend typically coincides with a smoke stack instead of your standard exhaust. A smoke stack is a big exhaust pipe that sticks out behind the cab in the same way old school semi-trucks had their exhaust pipes set up. This allows all that black soot to shoot upwards out of the smoke stack. Hybrid owners love to see that.

Lighting

Show truck with lighting - dreamworksmotorsports.com
Show truck with lighting - dreamworksmotorsports.com

Lighting is a huge component to the Show Truck crowd. They have LEDs running throughout their grill, add a lightbar across their roof, have a lightbar on their hood, lighting on the side mirrors, new headlights, new taillights, and other LED lighting added just about anywhere else they can. The biggest part of Show Truck lighting is on the underside though. You don’t spend the amount of money that these guys have on that undercarriage and not make it the star of the show. This isn’t your typical neon underglow that tuners use, it’s essentially LED spotlights that help give onlookers a good look at what’s been done to this truck.

Vinyl Stickers & Wraps

Show truck with a wrap - dreamworksmotorsports.com
Show truck with a wrap - dreamworksmotorsports.com

Another typical addition is aftermarket brand stickers or full-on vinyl wrap advertisements across these Show Trucks. These builds are showing off parts at car shows a lot, so they typically put the brands that are in use on the side of the truck and may have received a discount for their build for doing so. Some of these Show Trucks are also advertising the brand that built the truck. It’s pretty easy marketing when the target audience comes directly up to you. There are also just some people that like to make their truck their own with a vinyl wrap design to separate it from the rest of the trucks at a show.

Are You Building a Show Truck?

You need to have a certain taste to really enjoy these Show Trucks to their full extent as they are not for everyone. If you enjoy the look of these American bosozoku trucks, then by all means make your own. There are even a number of used Ford, Chevy, GMC, Dodge, RAM, or even Toyota trucks that have been given the show truck treatment that you can find listed for sale on Carsforsale.com. These builds don’t stay in the same hands forever, the teams behind them typically move onto the next project once they’re satisfied with their current Show Truck. Just try not to have a “bluetooth driveshaft”, any missing bolts, or no engine under the hood like some I’ve encountered at car shows that had to be brought in on a trailer. It’s just a money pit sculpture at that point, isn’t it?

Related Pop Culture Articles

This ‘71 Ford Bronco Keeps It Real (Original)

Rarified Air – ‘62 Chevy Bel Air Bubble Top

Everrati: Redefining Automotive Icons

Tags:
Jesse McGraw

Jesse McGraw brings his life-long car obsession into his writing. A fun childhood that involved growing up around race tracks, working on a rusty ‘99 Dodge Dakota held together by zip ties, and collecting Hot Wheels developed into a strong appreciation for automotive history. If there is an old, obscure, or rare car, he wants to know about it. With a bachelor's degree in Web Development & Design from Dakota State University, Jesse can talk shop about car or computer specs, focusing on classic cars, imports, and car culture.

  • 1

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *