Charles Ruder of Brake & Equipment Warehouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota hit the jackpot as the lucky winner of the Raybestos 1953 Chevrolet pickup truck, the company announced during a special booth reception at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Raybestos Chevy pickup winner Charles Ruder of Brake & Equipment Warehouse in Minneapolis, Min., (centre) with builder Jeff Schwartz (left) and David Overbeeke, president and CEO, Brake Parts Inc. (right).

As part of his grand prize, Ruder received a trip to Las Vegas to attend AAPEX. Renowned builder Jeff Schwartz, who directed the Raybestos Chevy pickup restoration project at his shop, Schwartz Performance in Woodstock, Illinois, was on hand to congratulate Ruder on winning the decked-out classic truck.

“We congratulate Charlie as the grand prize winner of the 1953 Chevrolet pickup truck and thank him for distributing the best in brakes,” said Kristin Grons, marketing manager for Brake Parts Inc. “Jeff and the talented team at Schwartz Performance took more than a year and over 3,000 hours to create this masterpiece. The Raybestos builds are just one of the exciting marketing programs that we conduct to highlight the quality, history and innovation of the Raybestos brand.”

Painted in metallic red, the fully restored and updated 1953 Chevy pickup features an off-the-shelf performance disc brake upgrade package using Raybestos components and Raybestos Truck & Medium Duty specialty disc brake pads. In addition to driving the build, Schwartz Performance installed its famous bolt-in “G-Machine” chassis. To see photos and video of the build progress from start to finish, visit www.RaybestosBuild.com.

Over 20 industry-leading premier suppliers partnered with Raybestos and Schwartz Performance to help restore and modify the pickup while maintaining its historical integrity, including: American Autowire, American Powertrain, BeCool, BF Goodrich, Crunch, Dakota Digital, Dirty Dingo, Dynacorn International, Flaming River, Forgeline, Hushmat, Maval, Mechanix Wear, Moser, Remy, Optima Batteries, PPG, Ridetech, Rock Valley Auto Parts, SeatbeltPlanet.com, TechAFX, TMI Products and Vintage Air.

“We know Charlie appreciates all of the leading suppliers that partnered with Raybestos and Schwartz Performance as much as we do,” continued Grons. “I bet he can’t wait to show off this upgraded American classic as he cruises around town.”