Natalie Paladin & Brian Binkert’s Custom Ford F-150 Provide a Gorgeous Shot for April

Brian “Bink” Binkert’s custom Ford F-150 and the beautiful Natalie Paladin provide for a gorgeous shot for April’s page in the calendar.

As many people know, SoCal is a hotspot for the custom vehicle scene. The Inland Empire, particularly southwestern Riverside and San Diego County, is known as a Mecca for off road trucks. One can only guess as to where the origins of this lie, but it is most likely due to its geographical proximity to Baja California, home of the Baja 1000. Or it could be the copious amounts of wide open desert surrounding the region. Whatever the reason, it would be a rare day to drive around San Diego or the Inland Empire and not see some sort of lifted or off-road prepped truck. Because of this popularity, there are lots of builders, shops, and designers looking to build the next greatest truck.

Brian built the truck to be used. He has used it at shows and events as well as for scouting photoshoot locations, prerunning the Baja 500, and going on trips to the river.

One of those designers is Brian Binkert, owner of Bink Designs. Brian grew up in the automotive industry and got hooked by off-road racing. He has since built his business around the local automotive scene. His logo has been on several builds over the last few years, and for good reason.

For the month of April, we followed Brian in his 2015 “BinkBoost” F-150 up into the hills of Murrieta, California for some off-roading fun. The truck features a 3.5L EcoBoost engine that has been “BinkBoosted” with a K&N 63-2592 intake system and Magnaflow exhaust, helping the twin-turbo V-6 breathe easier. A Superchips programmer lets Brian change the shift points, adjust timing, and much more for whatever situation in which Brian may find himself.

Under the truck is a full Baja Kits suspension, consisting of a control arm and spindle kit up front and a cantilever system in the rear. This provides a full 15 inches of travel front and rear. The shock absorption is provided by Fox 10-inch 3.0 triple bypass coilovers in the front and Fox 12-inch versions in the rear. The rolling stock consists of 17-inch Method Race wheels wrapped in 37x17x12.50 Red Letter General Grabbers.

Addictive Desert Designs, or ADD, built the bumpers and bed cage for the “BinkBoost” F-150. Brian doesn’t need to worry about anyone bumping him in traffic, these things can really take a hit.

Obviously the body is far from stock and that is where Brian’s true design eye came into play with this build. Starting with a set of FiberwerX 7-inch extended bed sides, Brian then spent some time with the guys at Addictive Desert Designs (ADD). While there, they built him custom front and rear bumpers and a full bed cage that acts as a spare tire holder. The final piece of the exterior puzzle was lighting. Brian knew he would be using the truck off road and never wanted to have to worry about not having enough light. This was resolved by way of a 54-inch Rigid Industries RDS light bar, a total of 10 Rigid Industries D2 square lights, and a set of Rigid rock lights on either rocker panel. To say that the “BinkBoost” can light the way is an understatement, this thing looks like a UFO driving down the trail.

According to Brian, the truck took 5 months to complete and has been used for everything from showcasing his abilities at shows and events to prerunning the Baja 500 for friends. It is apparent that Brian loves the truck and we were lucky enough to feature it in our calendar. However, the truck is only one part of the calendar.

Driving off road at night can be a perilous endeavor. But thanks to the numerous Rigid Industries LED lights strategically placed on the truck, Brian can see just about anything he would need to.

The beautiful blonde standing in front of Brian’s truck is business owner, actress, entrepreneur, and outdoor fanatic Natalie Paladin. Aside from modeling and running her apparel company, Tomboy Outfitters, and modeling agency, Tomboy Talent, Natalie can be found doing just about anything outside. From skydiving to snowboarding, and sometimes both, Natalie is the perfect example of work hard, play hard. One of Natalie’s current personal projects is getting her pilot’s license. If you recognize Natalie, it is probably because you have seen her in one of the numerous commercials or print ads that she has appeared in recently. It would seem that she can do just about anything

As you can see, there was good reason that we chose these two to pair for April’s calendar shoot. Be sure to check Brian out at BinkDesigns.com, to see what he is up to lately. Between jumping out of planes and flying them, Natalie occasionally updates her Instagram profile, @NatalieKPaladin. Check it out to see what billboard or TV commercial she will be on next.