Bill Carlton Net Worth 2026

Bill Carlton is the owner of Ekstensive Metal Works, a custom car and truck shop in north Houston, and the star of the TV series Texas Metal, which has run since 2017. No reputable publisher, including Forbes, Bloomberg or Celebrity Net Worth, has estimated his net worth, so this page does not give a figure. His income comes from custom builds, TV work and vehicle sales, none of which are disclosed.

What is Bill Carlton's net worth?

An earlier version of this page said $10 million in the body, $6 million in its FAQ, and gave an income of $400,000 a year. None of those numbers had a source, and they contradicted each other, so all of them have been removed.

Some real numbers do exist. At the 2022 Mecum auction in Houston, the Ekstensive-built 2017 Ford F-250 that headlined the "Texas Metal Collection" sold for $187,000, and a 2021 Cadillac Escalade from the same group sold for $123,750, MotorTrend reported. Two other Ekstensive trucks did not reach a deal on the block: a supercharged 2016 F-150 stalled at a high bid of $53,000, and a 2018 GMC Yukon Denali at $80,000. MotorTrend described the F-250 as co-host Tim Donelson's truck, so these sales do not show how much went to Carlton personally.

Play video: Texas Metal 2022 cab-over custom build

Where the money comes from

• Ekstensive Metal Works. One-off custom cars and trucks built for customers around the country, with fabrication done in house, according to the shop's website, which gives a founding year of 1994.
• Television. Texas Metal on Velocity, later MotorTrend, and the spin-off Texas Metal's Loud and Lifted, where he is credited as a producer (Prime Video). Cast and producer pay has not been reported.
• Vehicle sales and auctions. Finished builds sold at auctions such as Mecum Houston.
• Merchandise and dealer program. The shop sells branded clothing and parts online and recruits dealers.
• Appearances. Talks at events such as the 2022 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

Early life

Carlton is a third-generation welder, according to the network's 2017 launch announcement reported by BroadwayWorld. His father bought the north Houston property where Ekstensive now stands about 40 years before the show began. Bill grew up building cars there, including his first, out of a small shop on the site.

The old page gave two different birth dates (February 11, 1974 and February 11, 1976), plus a height, weight and a story about trade school. None of this could be confirmed, and it has been removed.

Texas Metal and the business

The first season featured builds including a new 2017 Ford F-350, a 2014 Porsche 911, a 1961 Cadillac DeVille and a 1963 Grumman delivery truck. The network said Carlton's team replaces factory parts with custom-fabricated bodywork and welded structures. Hot Rod magazine noted in 2022 that Ekstensive's pickups appear every year at the SEMA Show. The lowered 2016 F-150 offered in Houston shows the shop's style: Hot Rod described custom upper and lower control arms, a Firestone air-suspension system that lets the truck sit on the ground, and paint and graphics that carry from the hood into the dashboard and bed. That year, SEMA invited Carlton and the cast to a keynote interview with TV host Cristy Lee. Discovery's 2018 upfront, reported by The Futon Critic, listed Texas Metal under the MotorTrend brand.

Recent changes (2025–2026)

In November 2025, rock musician Ted Nugent posted a YouTube statement criticizing Carlton over the Bronco build shown in the 2021 episode, Alternative Nation reported. Nugent said the work took about six years instead of the promised one and that the truck did not run properly. He called on MotorTrend to act. These are Nugent's allegations. We did not find a public response from Carlton or MotorTrend, or any court case, so this page draws no conclusion.

Family

The previous version named a wife and three children. We could not confirm those names in any reliable published source, so they have been removed. A caption about a video of Carlton with his daughter was removed along with the embedded video.

Net worth compared

Other business owners profiled here include Alfred Nickson and Ben Wegmann. Reality-TV shop owners often become far better known than their businesses' size would suggest. Without disclosed revenue or TV contracts, any net worth figure for Carlton would be a guess.

Why no figure is given

A real estimate would need Ekstensive's revenue and profit, Carlton's TV pay, and the value of the family's Houston property. None of these are public. We will add a figure if Forbes, Celebrity Net Worth or a major newspaper publishes one.