The shop took off, thanks to the support of his loving family, and he became a one-stop shop, performing custom award-winning hydraulic setups, paintjobs, and frame-off restorations. Many award-winning cars were born out of LM Customs, like "Pocket Change," "Chico '64," "Puro Ese," and "Outcast." Luis' personal cars did not stray far behind these classic rides either. After modifying his '57 Hardtop into an El Camino look-a-like, Luis received numerous awards for most unique car, before ultimately retiring the car in order to work on his '64 Riviera. The Rivi was featured a few years back in the pages of LRM, and it got a great response from the readers, thanks to its candy red paintjob, custom made grill and airbag setup. After having the shop in the same location for over 17 years, Luis had to move his shop to a larger location. The shop always stayed busy, until Luis fell into a coma for a month, due to a rare lung disease. The doctors believe that the coma could be linked to his constant exposure to paint fumes while painting cars, so all you aspiring painters out there take heed, and please use all precautionary measures and safety procedures when crafting your masterpieces! During his hard times in the hospital, he received visits from many of the ULA members from Dallas. After hearing about his illness, ULA set up different fundraisers, including car shows, car washes, and the club even raffled off a custom paintjob that was donated by Joe Ruiz.
Luis dedication to the culture he loves is evident in the amazing rides he has helped to build and the lives he has touched along the way. He would like to extend his thanks to his family, the Dallas ULA, and especially his shop workers for keeping up the LM Customs tradition while he has been ill. Luis is honored to be part of such a close-knit family, and is also working on getting better so he can get back to doing what he loves. Luis has genuine respect, admiration, and love for his culture, which makes him a true leader in his community, and someone who is rightfully looked up to by many in the Lowrider world, both young and old. All of us at Lowrider Magazine wish him a speedy recovery, and we know that he will continue to bless our culture with many more amazing paintjobs & craftmanship in the future!