Ian Roussel, the creative mind behind Full Custom Garage, has built a net worth estimated between $2 million and $5 million through his custom car building business and television career. The 50-year-old Southern California fabricator generates income from multiple streams, including his TV show, custom build projects, brand partnerships, and digital content. His exact wealth remains difficult to pin down due to the private nature of custom car business finances and varying television contract details.
Custom car building rarely makes people wealthy overnight. The reality involves long hours in the shop, expensive materials, and clients who want perfection. Ian Roussel has managed to stand out in this competitive field by combining technical skill with television exposure, but his financial success tells a more nuanced story than most celebrity net worth sites suggest.
Who Is Ian Roussel?
Born on June 28, 1974, in Los Angeles, California, Ian Roussel grew up surrounded by Southern California’s car culture. He started modifying vehicles as a teenager, learning fabrication techniques through hands-on experience rather than formal training. His early work focused on hot rods and custom builds that emphasized creativity over convention.
Roussel established his reputation by creating vehicles from unconventional materials. He became known for transforming junkyard finds and discarded industrial parts into functional automotive art. This approach set him apart from traditional custom builders who relied on expensive aftermarket components.
His shop, Full Custom Garage, operates in Southern California, where he employs a small team of fabricators. The business handles everything from complete ground-up builds to specific customization projects for clients across the country.
Ian Roussel’s Net Worth: What the Numbers Say
Online sources report Ian Roussel’s net worth anywhere from $2 million to $5 million. This wide range reflects the challenge of accurately assessing wealth in the custom car industr,y where income fluctuates based on project volume, TV contracts, and business expenses.
Why the Confusion About His Wealth?
Three main factors create uncertainty around Roussel’s actual net worth:
Custom car businesses carry high overhead costs. Shop rent, equipment, materials, insurance, and employee wages consume significant portions of revenue before profit. A $150,000 custom build might generate only $30,000 to $50,000 in actual profit after expenses.
Television contracts vary wildly. Reality show personalities on specialty networks like MAVTV earn substantially less than those on major networks. While some automotive shows pay hosts $20,000 to $50,000 per episode, others offer flat seasonal rates of $100,000 to $300,000.
Asset valuation presents challenges. Custom car builders own valuable tools, equipment, and often maintain an inventory of partially completed projects. These assets hold value but don’t represent liquid wealth.
Estimated Net Worth Range
A realistic assessment places Ian Roussel’s net worth at approximately $3 million to $4 million as of 2025. This estimate accounts for:
- His established business has with recognizable brand value
- Years of television exposure generate secondary income
- Property and equipment ownership
- Ongoing project contracts and advance payments
The lower $2 million figure likely underestimates his success, while the $5 million estimate may overstate liquid assets without accounting for business debts and operational costs.
How Ian Roussel Makes Money
Ian Roussel’s income flows from five primary sources that work together to create financial stability.
Custom Car Projects: Client builds remain his core business. A typical ground-up custom car takes 6 to 12 months and costs clients $80,000 to $200,000. Roussel completes approximately 4 to 8 major projects annually, generating $320,000 to $1.6 million in revenue. After material costs, labor, and overhead, profit margins typically range from 20% to 35%.
Full Custom Garage Show: His television series on MAVTV provides consistent income. Specialty automotive networks typically pay between $5,000 and $15,000 per episode for established hosts. With seasons running 10 to 13 episodes, this generates $50,000 to $195,000 annually. The show also serves as marketing for his shop, attracting high-value clients.
Brand Partnerships: Automotive tool companies, parts manufacturers, and related brands sponsor content and provide equipment. These partnerships might contribute $30,000 to $80,000 yearly through product endorsements, sponsored builds, and promotional appearances.
Digital Content: His YouTube channel and social media presence generate modest income through ad revenue and sponsored content. While not a primary income source, digital platforms might contribute $10,000 to $30,000 annually.
Event Appearances: Car shows, automotive conventions, and industry events pay for personal appearances and speaking engagements. Rates vary from $5,000 to $15,000 per event, potentially adding $40,000 to $100,000 yearly depending on booking frequency.
The Full Custom Garage Television Show
Full Custom Garage premiered in 2014 and showcases Ian Roussel’s unique approach to car building. Each episode follows him as he transforms ordinary vehicles or builds completely custom creations using unexpected materials and innovative fabrication techniques.
Show History and Network Details
The series airs on MAVTV, a niche network focused on motorsports and automotive content. MAVTV reaches a smaller audience than major cable networks but attracts dedicated car enthusiasts who become potential clients. This targeted exposure proves more valuable for his business than broader mainstream attention might provide.
The show has run multiple seasons, with production typically occurring during specific filming windows that allow Roussel to maintain his regular shop operations. Each build featured on the show takes several weeks to complete, with editing condensing the process into a single episode.
Some sources incorrectly refer to the show as “Full Throttle Garage,” but the correct name is Full Custom Garage. This confusion stems from similar automotive programs and database errors on entertainment websites.
The Custom Car Building Business Model
Understanding how custom car shops operate explains why builders like Roussel maintain comfortable but not extravagant lifestyles despite working on six-figure projects.
Project Economics: A $150,000 custom build breaks down roughly as follows:
- Materials and parts: $40,000 to $60,000
- Labor costs: $30,000 to $50,000
- Shop overhead: $15,000 to $25,000
- Profit margin: $30,000 to $45,000
Time Investment: Complete custom builds require 800 to 1,500 hours of work. This limits the number of simultaneous projects a small shop can handle. Roussel typically works on 2 to 3 major builds concurrently while completing smaller projects.
Cash Flow Challenges: Custom builders typically receive payments in installments tied to project milestones. This creates periods where significant shop resources are tied up in unfinished work, making cash flow management critical.
Client Base: High-end custom car clients represent a limited market. Builders must balance artistic vision with client preferences while maintaining relationships that generate repeat business and referrals.
Career Timeline and Key Milestones
Ian Roussel’s path to television and business success followed a gradual progression:
1990s: Started building and modifying cars as a young adult, developing fabrication skills through personal projects and work with other builders.
Early 2000s: Established his own shop and began taking on client projects, building a reputation for creative solutions and quality craftsmanship.
2014: Full Custom Garage premiered on MAVTV, bringing national exposure to his work and expanding his client base beyond Southern California.
2015-2020: Continued television production while growing his business, developing his signature style using unconventional materials, and emphasizing creative problem-solving.
2021-2025: Maintained steady production of both TV content and custom builds, solidifying his position as a recognized name in the custom car community.
Personal Life and Family
Ian Roussel maintains relative privacy about his personal life. He is married to Jamie Roussel, who occasionally appears in connection with his work. The couple keeps their family life separate from his public persona.
Unlike some reality TV personalities who leverage personal drama for attention, Roussel focuses on the technical and creative aspects of car building. This approach appeals to serious automotive enthusiasts rather than casual reality TV viewers.
Ian Roussel’s Signature Building Style
What sets Roussel apart from other custom builders is his willingness to use unexpected materials and approaches. He frequently incorporates industrial components, repurposed machinery parts, and salvaged materials into his builds.
His style emphasizes function and creativity over expensive brand-name parts. Where traditional builders might spec a $10,000 suspension system, Roussel might fabricate a custom solution from raw materials for $3,000 that performs equally well.
This approach serves both artistic and practical purposes. It creates visually distinctive vehicles while managing costs, allowing him to maintain reasonable profit margins. Clients seeking his work specifically want this creative aesthetic rather than traditional show car polish.
The fabrication-heavy approach also suits television production. Viewers see actual metalworking and problem-solving rather than simply bolting together expensive parts, making for more engaging content.
The Reality of Custom Car Building Income
The custom car industry rarely creates millionaires. Most successful builders earn comfortable middle to upper-middle-class incomes while working long hours. The combination of high material costs, a limited client base, and time-intensive work keeps profit margins modest.
Ian Roussel’s success comes from diversifying income through television, maintaining disciplined business practices, and building a recognizable brand. His estimated $3 million to $4 million net worth reflects over two decades of consistent work rather than sudden wealth.
Car enthusiasts considering similar careers should understand the financial reality. Building custom cars provides creative fulfillment and can generate solid income, but it demands business skills, marketing savvy, and exceptional craftsmanship to reach Roussel’s level of success.
His story demonstrates that combining specialized skills with media exposure creates opportunities beyond traditional shop work. The television platform attracts higher-paying clients and opens revenue streams through partnerships and appearances that wouldn’t exist through shop work alone.
Conclusion
Ian Roussel has built a successful career in custom car fabrication through skill, creativity, and strategic use of television exposure. His net worth of approximately $3 million to $4 million reflects steady business growth rather than overnight success.
The custom car building industry rewards those who combine technical expertise with business acumen. Roussel’s multiple income streams provide stability that relying solely on client projects couldn’t match. His approach offers a realistic model for craftspeople looking to build sustainable careers in specialized fields.
While not among the wealthiest television personalities, Roussel has achieved what matters most in creative fields: making a comfortable living doing work he loves while maintaining creative control over his projects.
