Luis Morales Custom Painter - LM Customs Dallas, TX

Public Preception, Persona, Profile, Reputation, Stature The state of Texas holds a reputation in the United States for being "a whole other country." That slogan, adopted from the state of Texas' tourism commercials, is true for a variety of reasons; the state is simply larger than life in all aspects. From everyday lifestyle, to the world of sports and entertainment, Texas certainly holds its own distinct place within the land of the free. Known for its world class BBQ, Texas is also home to some of the best Lowriders and Lowrider builders in the world. As the second largest state that supports Lowriding, many Texans view Lowrider Culture as a lifestyle, not just a hobby. With many different builders located all over the Lone Star State, we hooked up with the legendary Luis Morales, a premier builder, and one of the oldest supporters of the Lowrider Movement in Texas.

Luis Morales was born in a small city called Valle Hermoso, located on the outskirts of Matamoros Tamaulipas. His father was a butcher and his mother was a stay-at-home mom, who held the daunting task of raising eight kids. Luis' father would cross the border everyday to go to work, while his family lived in Mexico. The company Luis' father worked for moved to Dallas, TX, leaving him no choice but to relocate the family to the neighborhood of Pleasant Grove, located in the Chicano side of town in Dallas. Luis' neighborhood became a part of his inspiration for Lowriders, although he has always had an affinity for automobiles, thanks to the many hours he spent as a child helping his older brother work on Semi trucks, and prepping them for paint. Luis' life changed for the better forever when he met his wife, Ester, in high school. After their whirlwind romance, the couple had their first child, Magali, when they were just 19 years old, and they welcomed the birth of their second child, Luis Jr., the following year. Being such a young parent, Luis felt the responsibility of fatherhood immediately, and began to work full time with his brother. The two siblings were successful enough that they opened up a Big Rig Paint and Body Shop, where they prepped the rigs and painted them to great detail. This ultimately shaped his skills as a builder, and helped him become an expert in auto customization.

Luis first Lowrider car show experience was back in 1978, when he attended a local show and became instantly infatuated with the custom paint and graphics he saw. Luis felt that the candy paint, custom graphics, and flakes made the paintjobs one-of-a- kind, and he wanted to become a part of that world. Luis decided to take his daily driver, a '57 Chevy Hardtop, as his first project, customizing it little by little during the afterhours when his shop was closed. Soon enough, he chopped the top and added a hydraulic pump to the front end of his car, while painting it a rich, candy gold. The car was a certified attention getter whenever Luis would cruise it down on Buckner Blvd., a strip located on the outskirts of Dallas where the police officers would leave the cruisers alone. In 1981, he started his car club with close friend Jose Piña called "Los Hermanos Del Barrio". The car club was well known all over the city for having clean cars and for attending all the local car shows, representing carnalismo to the fullest. The year 1982 saw Luis emerge as one of the first Hoppers to compete at shows, and he was hitting a whopping 14 inches, a mark unheard of back in those days. The last car Luis hopped was a double pump '86 Regal that was hitting 86 inches by the second hit of the switch. Car Club members and Luis' personal friends saw the genius he had for building and painting cars, so they kept him busy with requests to help them with their respective projects. Working late nights on his friends' cars proved too much to handle, especially with a growing family to take care of, so Luis opened up LM Customs in 1991.