Sunset Customs Restores Your Skateboard Trucks

We all have them beat-to-shit trucks sitting in bins collecting dust. And eventually, we’re gonna get around to doing something with them, right?

Wrong! Stop kidding yourself!

So what’s the solution to this?

Sunset Customs is your only solution to bring back those crusty Tracker Ultralights or Gullwing pro 3’s that look like they just survived nuclear fallout. Sound familiar?

I only wish I had come across Anthony Stotler at Sunset Customs sooner. After getting rid of most of my old skateboard trucks, I saw Facebook posts showcasing Anthony’s impressive restorations and wished I had gone to him.

So I had to reach out to Anthony to get the scoop on Sunset Customs and help get the word out to anyone interested in having your trucks restored by this truck magician!

SPS- Where did you grow up, and what was your skate scene like?

Anthony- I grew up in Catonsville, MD, near Baltimore. We had a great scene with lots of sick places to skate. We skated mostly Inner Harbour(Baltimore) and Landsdowne Bowl, which are still there and kept up by the locals! Shout out to “Cave Dave, Corey, and the crew” I would suggest going and checking it out if you’re ever on the East Coast! We skated local schools and took jump ramps we built with stolen wood. Who didn’t steal wood to build ramps, right?

SPS- Do you collect vintage skateboards as well?

Anthony- I do. I think it’s cool to keep relics alive and preserve history by collecting them! My favorite decks I own are my Staabs and Zorlacs! Just something about holding your favorite decks in your hands takes you back to that time period, the exact moment you landed a trick you had been working on forever with that deck!

SPS- Where did you come up with the idea to start restoring skateboard trucks?

Anthony- It was during Covid… Imagine that! My friend owns a body shop, and I went to his shop with a pair of old indys. I asked him what we could do with these, and after some brainstorming, BAM, I had the idea was born! I had a complete blast that day, creating something that was amazing and fun to do at the same time! I absolutely love what I do!

SPS- Take us through the process to get these fantastic results.

Anthony- First, I disassemble the trucks and figure out what will need to be replaced, including bushings, kingpins, nuts, and washers. Next, I work through different grades of sandpaper to achieve that showroom shine! I then prime the trucks and carefully inspect to see if anything needs to be resanded or filled in lightly.

After this stage comes to the paint, which I apply a few coats to make them durable like the factory finish they once had! The trucks then get a clear coat that gives them more protection and that shine. After giving them a full inspection, I replace all the old hardware with new ones, including new pivot cups!

SPS- How long does this whole process take to restore them?

Anthony- Really depends on the truck damage itself. Some take a few hours, but some take a few days to complete. Comes down to trucks not cooperating, waiting on certain colors, and access to the paint booth, I run into all kinds of situations, but I’ve been able to handle anything thrown at me, with such awesome rewards of the finished product!

SPS- What’s your favorite truck brand to restore?

Anthony- G&S trucks are my favorite, They just really pop with color after being completed, some of my best work so far has been restoring these!

SPS- There has to be some struggle when restoring trucks, right?

Anthony- Unfortunately, yes, some grind marks are really hard to polish out when doing polish jobs. Sometimes trying to match colors customers want through pics over the internet or text can also be challenging without the correct paint codes. It challenges me, making it extra rewarding after the customer is happy with the work!

SPS- So you do truck polishing as well without paint?

Anthony- I do. It’s always rad doing something that wasn’t polished before. G&S, Gullwings, Grind Kings, they always come out so sick!

SPS- Where do you wanna take Sunset Customs in the future?

Anthony- I wanna keep moving forward and be able to keep doing this for a long time! My client base is steadily growing faster and faster, and we have trucks being sent out overseas as well. It’s a really good feeling to do something you love and enjoy and share it with the world! I really wanna restore a pair of trucks for a Pro skater. That would be a big bucket list checkoff!

SPS- So how does one go about getting trucks restored by you, and what’s it gonna cost?

Anthony- You can contact me on Facebook, Anthony Stotler. When a customer contacts me, we go over the cost it’s gonna take. It is hard to price services because every truck is different on the restorations, but I’m super fair with my pricing. Just ask around on Facebook groups by the guys who got work done by me!

SPS- Well, there ya guys have it, all the info needed to get your crusty Trackers back into pristine factory shape. Anthony, thanks for your time and for providing us with some killer restorations!