DECEPTICON MOTORMASTER VIDEO

Just a sneak preview of one of the new videos we have coming out on our web site over the next couple weeks…from our Pride & Polish 75 Chrome Shop shoots. We’ll have a full interview with Travis Lyon, the owner/builder of this ultra cool ’87 KW, as well as a  feature on it. Until then, enjoy this sneak peek!

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Custom Rigs Memorabilia

Big Rig Photos offers Custom Rigs photos on a wide variety of memorabilia from coffee mugs to T’s to posters to framed prints

Our staff gets asked dozens of times at every Custom Rigs truck beauty show about where truck owners and aficionados of custom rigs can buy some of the pictures we take–and we’ve taken thousands, literally, over the years.

We also have readers inquiring about getting pictures of the trucks and stories we have in the magazine.

Now we have the answer: Click on teh “Custom Rigs” tab and slide down to “Buy Photos.” One click and you’re there. Or, go to our own photo sales web site: www.bigrigphotos.printroom.com.

There you’ll find a wide range of images we’ve dug out of our extensive archives of photos taken at our Pride & Polish events and on special photo shoots for the magazine. These images are shown in “galleries” listed on the left side of the on the Bigrigphotos  home page.

When you enter, click on “Galleries” in the left corner and you’ll see a list. Click on what you want to view and all of the images in that gallery will be displayed.

Click on an image and you’ll be able to see the different items available, their prices, and what that particular image would look like displayed or printed in that manner.

Don’t see a particular photo you’re looking for? No problem. E-mail us what it is you want,  when we might have taken the picture–or the truck you are interested in. We’ll dig around to see if we have it. We probably do.

It’s also possible to special-order images of complete articles, or images from the articles, should those be of interest.

Printroom.Com is an independent photo service provider and not part of Custom Rigs or Randall-Reilly. But we can attest the quality of what they offer is first-rate.

July 8-9  Walcott Truckers Jamboree

The Truckers Jamboree is hosted every year at the Iowa 80 Truckstop, I-80 Exit 284, Walcott, Iowa. Since it’s inception in 1979, the Truckers Jamboree has been celebrating America’s Truckers. This event is a great place to celebrate and learn about trucking and those big rigs. It’s our way of saying thank you to the millions of truck drivers that deliver the goods we consume, whether it’s groceries, gas, clothes or cars — you can bet it was delivered by a truck.

Reader’s Ride

V. GAINES ROLLIN’ IN STYLE

Gino Guadagni, owner of the flamed-out KW, Inferno Joe, featured in our Summer issue, sent us a photo of the custom rig that hauls his dad’s Kendall Oil Avenger to all the NHRA events.

V.Gaines’ custom rig is a 2005 319″ Pete 379X powered by a healthy 625 CAT backed with an 18 spd. Black pearl is the base and it’s setup with a drop frt axle, 22” bumper, custom grill, drop-single large headlights on JJ bars, front and back, drop visor, 10-inch Dynaflex stacks. All the graphics are custom made by Fineline.

SS Panelite extensions, SS deck plate, WTI fenders, custom Valley Chrome tailpiece, LED lights set the tractor off nicely. V. Gaines’ Kendall hauler also runs a four air horns and an SS Taylor Wing. Look close as the triple 150-gal SS covered tanks have leather covers on the ends. A custom drone box with Pete cap, twin rolldoors, generator, four-axle dump system, air scale system and air compressor supply the truck’s basic needs. ,

The interior – all 379X brushed SS, black with silver leather, all-chrome dash, SS door pouches, chrome door sills, arm rests, chrome/leather steering wheel gives the driver a sense of custom comfort.

The trailer is a 2005 Elite, 53’+ triaxle, smooth-side race transporter with SS full front, over 150 matching oval side lights, 2 HD frt mtd A/C units, mobile tracking satellite, crew lounge, two full fridges, full kitchen, bath, dining area (all with granite counters!), flatscreen, satellite, DVD and Playstation when the races are in rain delay or there’s a long lull n the action.

Dino says it also has two car stage above, plus a stage on the floor for a matching PT cruiser (turbo charged/nitro). The hauler also carries three bikes, a golf cart (all matching), along with a full race shop fitted with SS counters.

The work end of the trailer has carbon-fiber doors, an engine hoist, storage for four complete engines, two on-board computer diagnostic stations, clutch grinders, air compressor, gen set to power a city, full length canopy with matching canvas.

Not a bad ride for those NHRA truck drivers!

Miller Introduces Arc Armor Titanium Series Welding Helmets for Industrial Applications

Miller Electric recently introduced its line of Arc Armor Titanium Series welding helmets, designed for industrial protection, performance and comfort. The Titanium Series is built upon a shell design that is lightweight for extended wear, provides skin coverage, reflects radiant heat and features a quick-release front cover lens to reduce welder downtime.

Featuring Miller’s top-performing lenses and an exclusive aluminum heat shield secured within a durable shock-absorbing gasket, the Titanium Series is made to withstand the rugged abuse commonly associated with industrial welding. Helmet options include:

• Titanium 1600¾features a large, 16-sq.-in. shade #10 passive lens.

• Titanium 7300¾features a 7.22-square-inch viewing area, three independent arc sensors that respond in 1/20,000 of a second, auto-on/auto-off and grind mode. (Grind mode allows the helmet to be used as a protective shield by preventing the lens from darkening while grinding). Other important features include shades  #8-13, sensitivity and delay control, and excellent low-amperage TIG (5 amps) performance.

• Titanium 9400¾features a large 9.22-sq-in. viewing area, four independent arc sensors that respond in 1/20,000 of a second, and excellent low-amp (5 amps) TIG performance. Battery powered with solar assist for long life (up to 3,000 hours), the Titanium 9400 features auto-on/auto-off, grind mode, adjustable sensitivity, delay and shade (shades #8-13). Weighing just 20 oz., the Titanium 9400 helmet is lightweight and comfortable.

• Titanium 9400i¾similar to the 9400, the 9400i features a 9.22-sq.-in. viewing area and four sensors, but with the addition of an integrated grinding shield. The 9400i’s auto-darkening lens flips up to expose an ANSI approved grinding shield with an almost 180-degree field of view. This provides the welder a better view of the weld cell, improving safety and productivity by allowing the welder to switch between welding and grinding without removing the helmet.

All three Titanium auto-darkening models (9400, 9400i and 7300) feature Auto-On/Auto-Off, grind mode, independent arc sensors, excellent low-amperage TIG performance (5 amps), magnifying lens holder and meet ANSI Z87.1-2003 (High Impact) standards.

Gold fever – with a lot of elbow grease — spurs family to transform an aging Pete into a movie-themed treasure

Story and Photos by Bruce W. Smith

About the only chrome on Martinez’s 379 is found attached to the rolling stock.

When California flatbed hauler Ernesto Rubio turns into the Old Castle Precast prefabrication facility in the heart of Fontana’s industrial area, the security guards at the main gate wave him through as if he were a celebrity.

Inside the sprawling operation the gantry crane operators and industrial forklift drivers take extra care loading his deck with tons of pre-cast concrete highway dividers, underground vaults, railroad beds, or any other of a dozen items Martinez might be burdened with that day.

Rubio appreciates the respect. But the jovial trucker knows it’s really his truck that’s the attraction.

Rubio has a passion for movies on DVD, and when the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy came out, he and his kids fell in love with it and he decided to paint his rig in the movies’ theme.

Dead Man’s Chest, the Cat-powered ’89 Peterbilt he drives for Jessica Martinez Trucking out of nearby Mira Loma, isn’t the work of some big-money shop or deep-pocket owners such as the Brinker’s show truck born from the same movie theme. It’s just the opposite: All the work was done on a very limited budget in a small, open-front garage behind his house.

Leaving the interior in its old-school utilitarian state, he laid on a tangerine and black paint scheme — right down to the stacks, bumpers, and wheels — then enlisted his friend, airbrush artist Isaac Espinoza of Infectious Designs Custom Paint, to put a small pirate’s bandana at the back of the sleeper roof.  The bandana idea opened up a whole new concept.

“As the colors and simple thought of a pirate’s bandana broke through,” reminisces his sister-in-law, Sherry Martinez, “the life of the truck began. The driver became the pirate and the truck his treasure chest.”

The transformation drove the entire Martinez clan to pitch in and go for the gold, much like Captain Jack Black’s quest for treasure in the movies.

While Espinoza worked feverishly on the cab and sleeper illustrations, Rubio, with the help of other family members, went about custom painting and pinstriping the fenders, rails and fuel tanks and fabricating a visor and rear light bar — all in the back yard of their modest Mira Loma ranchette.

The interior of the cab and sleeper haven’t been touched. But Rubio says he has some ideas of how to customize them as well as time—and money—allow. Until that happens he’s enjoying the moment.

“My kids love my truck, and I enjoy seeing the faces of kids in the cars when they pass by. They are all smiles and waving, and a lot of them have their cell phones out taking pictures,” says Rubio. “We’re just having fun with it.”

DRIVER’S NOTEBOOK

TRUCK NAME: Dead Man’s Chest

ONWER: Jessica Martinez Trucking, Mira Loma, Calif.

DRIVER: Ernesto Martinez

MAKE/MODEL: ‘89 Peterbilt 379

ENGINE: Caterpillar, 425 hp

TRANSMISSION: Eaton 18-speed

PAINT: Tangerine over silver brass/black; lettering by Wild Bill

GRAPHICS: Isaac Espinoza, Infectious Designs Custom Paint

INTERIOR MODS: Chrysler Towncar front seats

EXTERIOR MODS: Alcoa wheels, custom visor and rear light bar

Editor’s Note: This story originally ran in the Summer 2009 issue of Custom Rigs magaazine. For the digital version of that issue, click here.

 Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Road Check

[June 8-10] Local, state and federal enforcement officers from the U.S., Canada and Mexico launch an enforcment program targeting commercial vehicles. cvsa.org, (202) 775-1623

JUNE 11-12: OAK GROVE TRUCKERS JAMBOREE, Oak Grove Petro, Oak Grove, Mo., oakgrovepetro.com, (816) 690-4455.

MAY 11-12: SLEEP APNEA & TRUCKING CONFERENCE, Westin hotel in Baltimore, organized by the American Sleep Apnea Association and co-sponsored by American Trucking Associations and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, www.satc2010.org or rblank@sleepapnea.org.

APRIL 24: NORTHWEST CHAPTER Antique Trucks Show, American Truck Historical Society, Harold E. LeMay Marymount Museum, Spanaway, Wash., (360) 866-7716.