How DOES one decide to build a carbon fiber truck?
- Teri Mattek
- May 12, 2024
- 4 min read
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right." -Henry Ford
Welcome truck guys, Ford enthusiasts, project junkies, carbon fiber fans and curious creators. Welcome wives who have lost their husbands to the mistress in the garage.
Meet Kurt.
Mid-40's. Happily married. Dad of 2 boys.
Hard-working. Even tempered. Coached his kids high school rugby teams.
Looks forward to his "solitary" week in the woods each November.
Plays Sheepshead & cribbage.
Loves fast cars and Captain Morgan. A guys' guy.
Meet the truck.
She's a 50-something Ford Bumpside. Sky blue. Rough around the edges. The circle of life has most certainly occurred in the front seat. She's seen some things.
This truck is currently the object of Kurt's affection. And she's getting a makeover. She has been stripped to raw frame and is getting rebuilt with all the bells and whistles.
And then she'll be dressed with a perfectly glossy, bumpside shaped outfit made completely of carbon fiber.
The build began in January of 2023.
She's slated to hit the pavement the summer of 2024.
That's one and half years to take this 50 year old, crusty blue-haired cast-off to a sleek, sexy, head turner.
I imagine many of you are reading that again, doing a double take. My dates are accurate. This means Kurt clearly intended to hole up in his shop for 18 months, rarely to be seen in public.
He even skipped Sunday Fundays of beach and boating for this girl....
Fun Fact:
Kurt is an extremely skilled carbon fiber fabricator.
27 years of honing in the art of hand laying every piece of carbon fiber to be a seamless sea of perfect weaves. He leads his team at their family owned business, Brothers Composites, in the small Midwest town of Sheboygan Falls, WI.
Now, the assumption is that the mass of our readers will have been drawn in by having a familiarity and interest in carbon fiber. However, assumptions are in poor taste and knowledge is power, so let's have a quick lesson.
Carbon Fiber (per Webster)
n.
: a very strong lightweight synthetic fiber made especially by carbonizing acrylic fiber at high temperatures
also : a material made from such fibers embedded in a resinous matrix
a high-performance automobile with a carbon fiber body
The Backstory
Kurt began his career in carbon fiber as a 17 year old work-study student. He drove 25 miles every day after school to cut patterns at a composites shop who specialized in race car parts.
Like many kids facing high school graduation, Kurt was completely unsure what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. So instead of heading off to college where he figured he'd party his way into expulsion, he decided to keep working, save some cash and figure it out from there.
Fast forward to 2020. Kurt is still in the biz and a top talent in the industry.
But no one knows who he is.
He was actually ok with being unsung. He's not one for being in the spotlight. It's the inadequate appreciation he took issue with. He'd made carbon fiber bodies that gleamed on the Jay Leno show, and built cars that have aggressively raced through the streets on the big screen.
You'd be more than familiar with his work.
Here's where the story gets interesting...
Most would not consider quitting their jobs and starting a company during a pandemic a great idea, but occasionally, timing isn't in our hands and decisions need to be made. Kurt, plus 2 of his brothers, left the company they were working for in February of 2021 with nothing but talent and experience in tow.
With the support and enthusiastic encouragement of a good friend, the cumulative knowledge of his brothers, and a massive leap of faith, they ventured out to start their own business.
Brothers Composites was born.
The fledgling company needed to grow their clientele by throwing their name in the hat. The industry was hyper-focused on the post fabrication of cars. No one had really gone down the path of truck bodies yet. In an effort to make some waves, the team at BC scored a Ford Bumpside, and in their downtime, they restored the entire body and gave it a few little touches of their own.
That body was debuted at Holley Ford Fest in Bowling Green, Kentucky, September 2022. The truck was just a shell. No engine. No seats. No glass. But the pretty parts, their art, was on display.
Of course, people came around and the inevitable statement was reiterated:
"It's a wrap."
Those 3 words would normally make the team cringe.
But no one on the BC team cared. Because it happened.
Awards were awarded.
Skill and talent were recognized.
Brothers Composites was on the map.
With a growing customer base, projects that paid the bills became priority, and the BC Bumpside was put on the back burner.
Kurt however, was finally in a position in his life to build a personal vehicle. Something he has wanted to do since he was old enough to wreak havoc on dirt bikes. And this is where the story truly begins.
I have a vested interest in telling this.
Kurt is a humble man who never looks for recognition.
He is proud of his work, but is not prideful.
As a business owner, his goal is for everyone to succeed.
The story of his mistress, is a tale currently shared in private friendly circles.
(although she will be a marketing tool for Brother Composites)
But I am the first love in Kurt's life, his wife, and I am ridiculously proud of him.
She may have monopolized his time for the last 16 months (and counting), but I'm not the jealous type. I will be happily boast the story of his success publicly.
And then I will take my revenge on her on the pavement...
Stay tuned!
#carbonfiber #carbonfiberbumpside #fordbumpside #carbonfiberbody #brotherscomposites #garagemistress #aftermarket
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