In his graduation year at Chopticon High, Gary studied Computer Science II, Calculus II, Physics,
Chemistry II and Arts. He was a member the National Honor Society and Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS)
which understudied his Pre-Engineering.
Following graduation he spent the next two years at the University of Maryland at College Park, as a Pre-Engineer major before continuing on to complete two more years as an Electronics Major at the Community College of Southern Maryland. In 1990, as part of his education, he began a painter's helper position a local Toyota Dealership, and helped his father restore old cars. His father, the late Robert Best, a diesel mechanic, showed his son the fundamentals of painting out of their attached one car garage. This was Gary's major turning point and what led to his passion for cars and people.
Beginning in 1994 he was employed by other bodyshops including Lustine, Croyste & Waldorf Toyota and Darcars working various positions from and estimator to body shop manager. In January 1998, Gary opened the doors to "Gary Best Kustom Finishes, Inc." in White Plains where they specialized in custom paint and bodywork.
One of his first clients was Julian Nieh (Chicago's B96 FM DJ), who had a Supra tail lamp and Type 'R' conversion kit added to his Acura Integra. Julian's vehicle was shown to the public for the first time at the World of Wheels in Chantilly Expo Center and won "Best Import". As time went on, Julian's ride was publicized in various magazines including Super Street (Nov. 99), Sport Compact Car (1999), Super Street in France, and Import Tuner (2000). These publications opened the doors of the shop to Northern MD and VA car clubs like EMOTION & ATLANTIC MOTORSPORTS.
In the summer of 2001, Gary entered his 2000 Harley Davidson F150 (painted with chromalusion flames) into the Dupont Calendar contest. Even though the vehicle ended up totalled, he was still awarded First Prize Top Gun Painter by Dupont. He was also nominated for mention in the "Who's Who in Executives & Professionals" 2002 edition which is kept in the Library of Congress.
After remarrying, Gary re-opened the doors to "Gary Best Kustumz" in the Fall of 2005 with the full support of his new wife, Amy. He began painting a line of bikes for C&S Customs, including the Neon orange, green, & yellow 2001 Hyabusa, which was publicized in the January 2006 Super Streetbike magazine. He then took on projects like team EMOTION Minho Kim's 350Z and Joe Kim's EVO, which took "Best of Show" and "Best of Paint" awards, respectively at Hot Import Nights. Minho's 350 was features on the cover of HCI magazine August 2006.
In July 2006, Gary Best Kustumz set up a major display in the Ocean City Convention Center through the support of Randy Karl and Brian Stoehr (OCCARSHOW.com). The shop's 20X90 display was a success as their feature vehicles - (4) custom cars & trucks and (3) custom bikes took "Best Muscle Car" (2005 Mustang GT), "Best Cruiser" (Boss Hoss) and "Best Chevy Truck" (airbagged two-tone chevy).
Garys most recent projects are the (2) 2007 ROLLING Thunder Bikes - 2007 Sportster 1200 that belongs to Rolling Thunder and their 2007 FLHX Raffle Bike which will be given away Memorial Day, May 28, 2007. Other projects includes Team Emotion's Chromalusion DUAL NOS WRX and Chromalusion EVO (which has taken BEST PAINT at the HIN Show in Boston, Massachusetts and is currently publicized in the British magazine Fast Car Jan. '07 issue). He also just hooked up R&B Artist, GINUWINE's 98 Range Rover which will also be displayed at he shows.
He states "I would like to thank all those who have supported me in my lifetime, and I would especially like to thank my mom and dad, the LATE "Lee and Bobby Best", for through their talents and inspiration, succeeds "Gary Best Kustumz!"
| Monday - Friday: | 9am - 6pm |
| Saturday: | 9am - 12pm |
| Sunday: | Closed |
50 Industrial Park Drive, Unit 1
Waldorf, MD 20602
Phone: 301-705-6868
Fax: 301-705-5222
Email: gbkustumz@aol.com
