SEPTEMBER 24-25: MUSIC CITY CHAPTER 20th Annual Antique and Working Truck Show, American Truck Historical Society and Middle Tenn. Antique and Engine Tractor Show, Hyder-Burks Agriculture Pavilion, Cookeville Tenn., (931) 235-1311.

AUGUST 14: MUSIC CITY CHAPTER Antique and Working Truck Show, American Truck Historical Society, Putnam County Fair, Cookeville, Tenn., (931) 235-1311.

JUNE 18-19: MUSIC CITY CHAPTER Antique and Working Truck Show, American Truck Historical Society and Cumberland Plateau Antique Tractor and Gas Engine Show, Crossville Fairground, Crossville, Tenn., (931) 200-3203.

MAY 15: MUSIC CITY CHAPTER Antique and Working Truck Show, American Truck Historical Society, Ward Agriculture Center, Lebanon, Tenn., (615) 330-0475.

How to shop when it comes time to put a new ‘brow’ on your custom rig

By Kyle Halls,  12ga Customs

Special to Custom Rigs

A sun visor is one of the first things you notice on a rig, and, depending on your taste and style, it could be the one special accessory that separates you from everyone else.

A sun visor is such a simple part, yet it can be far from easy when it comes to buying one.

To make your custom upgrade as smooth as possible, here’re some helpful suggestions to both identify the one perfect sun visor for your custom rig and the conditions in which it’s used.

First you have to narrow down the ‘look” you want to convey. A couple ways to narrow down the options is to look at rigs in the magazines, on the Internet, at truck shows, and while rollin’ down the highway. Take your time and pick the style that fits your look.

It’s also really important to recognize limitations you may be facing for your particular rig; checking out DOT regulations and company limitations are a must before you even begin to think about placing an order for a custom visor.

Other questions you want to ask yourself are:

• How do I want the new visor to be mounted? Do I want to use the factory mounting holes, or use alternative methods such as utilizing threaded inserts instead of rivets?
• Are you able to change mounting methods to cab?  Slammed visors tend to mount on the door pillars, and a single bracket in the center of the windshield.
• Does the truck have the structure to support the visor without additional support?  For example, Western Star has a thin roof cap, and without proper brackets, an custom visor could cause stress cracks to the cab structure.

ABOUT THOSE OPTIONS

Making the decisions on what options you need before ordering a new visor will help keep the stress low after you receive your purchase.

For instance, you might have the option to have mounting holes pre-drilled instead of having to drill your own holes in the new visor after the fact, thus helping eliminate the chance of costly mistakes. (Those mistakes happen all too often.)

Custom visors can be ordered in many ways—or at least your variety of choices of both design and material is broad. Here are just a few different options you should sort out before making an order:

• Lights 
  • Lights located in the top lip of the visor makes them less visible
  • Lights located in the face of the visor makes them highly visible

• Paint
  • Unpainted – If you are going to paint your visor, you need to select the appropriate material.  In this case it is not necessary to pay for stainless steel; aluminum or satin metal will do just fine.  Although stainless steel can be painted, the prep work for painting stainless is higher, which will incur more cost.
  • Color-Matched – Ask the visor supplier if they can color-match your new visor to your rig, again, saving you time and money

• Stainless Steel
  • 400 Series (Magnetic) – Contains zero nickel, just chromium (iron).  This grade of stainless is less resistant to de-icing agents, salt and coastal areas.  400 series stainless will fade and lose luster with time.
  • 300 Series (non-magnetic) – Contains nickel, but zero chromium.  Resistance towards corrosion from de-icing, salt and coastal areas is very high.  400 series has the ability to maintain luster and shine longer.
  • Finish
    • #6 Finish – This finish is produced with rotating cloth mops (muslin or linen) loaded with abrasive paste.  The result is a grainy finish.
    • #8 Finish – The final surface has a high degree of clarity, and is the true mirror-type finish.  The final operations being done with extremely fine buffing compound, which leaves a grain free finish.

(Note: Typically the price of a 400-Series visor with a #6 or #8 will cost less than an identical visor made of 300-Series stainless, but the life span will be much longer.)

• Style (The angle at which the visor sits, relative to your windshield).
  • Slammed Visor – This style sits very low on the roof cap and tight to the windshield (approx 15^o). This style tends to catch more wind. They mount on the side of your cab pillar, and use a bracket in the center of the windshield.  When ordering this style of visor, inquire if the visor has been designed to cover up factory holes that might be exposed after removing your old visor.The visor pictured is from Triple R Diesel/Texas Chrome Shop.When changing your windshield, your slammed visor will usually need to be removed.  Also, because of the steep angle this style of visor has, it does not need to be as large physically, yet has a large appearance.

• Bracket Mount Visors – This style tends to use factory holes for mounting, and sit higher on the roof cap.  You are able to go to a physically larger visor, and have better visibility due to the angle at which it sits (approx 35^o). In some cases (depending on size) windshields can be changed without the visor being removed.

• Custom Orders – Some visor manufactures allow their customers to special-order a visor, making changes to the size, aggressiveness of drop in the bowtie, and pitch of the visor. Be aware these are almost always “non-returnable” custom parts.The  visor to the right is a custom-design from Outlaw Customs.

When you are ordering a new visor everything hinges on you using proper terminology to relay your visor questions and or needs to the sales person. When both people are on the same page, custom parts orders typically go very smoothly.

It is crucial that all the information about your truck is conveyed when ordering to ensure the new visor you receive is exactly what you want the first time around. So, before ordering your new visor, jot down this important information so you can convey it to the sales person:

ROAD-TESTED CHALLENGE

Shell Rotella^® Road-Tested Challenge Asks Truckers to Name Country’s Toughest Roads; Entrants Have a Chance to Win VIP NASCAR Experience and Instant Prizes

Whether driving a truck across country or locally for a living, drivers routinely encounter some challenging roads and conditions.  The makers of Shell Rotella® engine oil want to hear from professional drivers about the toughest roads they drive and how they are able to protect themselves and their cargo.

The Shell Rotella Road-Tested Challenge will allow drivers to tell about their most challenging roads, and at the same time enter for a chance to win a VIP NASCAR experience with Richard Childress Racing, along with hundreds of instant prizes, including road-tested essentials such as Shell Gift Cards and Shell Rotella-branded merchandise.

Drivers can visit www.Rotella.com to see the official rules and to enter the Shell Rotella Road-Tested Challenge between April 19 and August 31, 2010.  No purchase necessary.

There is a separate promotion in which drivers will have the opportunity to receive  a $25 Service Certificate for Shell Rotella® T5 synthetic blend engine oil, and a $50 Service Certificate for Shell Rotella® T6 full synthetic engine oil when they purchase an oil change requiring 10 gallons or more.

One grand prize winner and guest will be treated to a VIP NASCAR experience at the Charlotte race on October 16, 2010.

The experience will include garage and pit access before the race and pit-side seating during the race. The winner will also have the opportunity to meet the hauler drivers for the Richard Childress Racing teams and pose for team photos, subject to availability.

The winner also will be presented with an autographed driver jacket, and receive a year’s supply of Shell Rotella® engine oil (20 cases of 3/1 gallon bottles of Shell Rotella® T6).

Drivers can also return to the web site to see the roads that have been entered during the sweepstakes.  The winner will be announced during the week of Sept. 19, 2010, National Truck Driver Appreciation Week.

For more information about the Shell Rotella Road-Tested Challenge and Shell Rotella® Energized Protection™ products visit www.Rotella.com.

OUTLAW’S RETRIBUTION FUEL TANK

Outlaw Customs’ new Retribution Fuel Tank , unveiled at the Mid-America Truck Show on “KMT 359,”  is the true definition of a custom truck part.

Outlaw partnered with Allen-Jac Diesel to produce the fully functional, center-fill, polished aluminum fuel tank, which is available in either an inverted-end (dished) design using straps of your choice or the ultra-cool strapless model that uses internally-built bracing to mount it to the original Peterbilt mounting brackets.

The strapless style is shown here as used on KMT 359, a Working Class 359 Peterbilt and Outlaw’s newest full-on custom build. Contact Outlaw Customs for pricing information.  www.outlawcustsomhd.com ; (303) 952-8109.

Lincoln Electric Launches Money Matters™ Promotion

Company offers manufacturer’s rebate of up to $200 on its most popular welders

The Lincoln Electric Company has launched its Money Matters™ customer rebate promotion.

For a limited time, customers can apply for a manufacturer’s rebate of up to $200 on the purchase of one of four of the company’s most popular welding machines.

After purchasing a qualified welder from a Money Matters participating distributor, customers can submit their proof of purchase online at www.lincolnelectric.com/moneymatters and will receive a check in the mail.

Lincoln Electric’s Money Matters rebate program applies to the welders listed below:

·         POWER MIG® 140C – $589 retail price after $75 mfg. rebate (K2471-1)

·         POWER MIG 180C – $689 retail price after $75 mfg. rebate (K2473-1)

·         POWER MIG 216 – $1,459 retail price after $125 mfg. rebate (K2816-1)

·         Ranger® 225 – $2,999 retail price after $200 mfg. rebate (K2857-1)

Visit www.lincolnelectric.com to learn more about the program, review the program rules or to locate a participating distributor near you.

Swap-out those stock bulbs for high-intensity halogens — but don’t forget the relay!

by Bruce W. Smith

Maximizing forward lighting capability with retro-style clear headlights fitted with high-output bulbs is a win-win situation; the brighter beams enhance safety, allowing you more time to react to what lie ahead, while the retro-style crystal headlights enhance the overall look of your truck.

What most truckers are doing is replacing their rig’s H6014/H6024 halogen headlights with United Pacific’s 7-inch round crystal headlights.

In the process they swap-out the 55/60W halogen bulbs with Xenon White 80/100W bulbs. The extra wattage provides additional road lighting distance and brightness.

The drawback, as many custom rig owners of ’07-newer 389 Petes have discovered, is the electronic control module controlling the truck’s turn signals and headlights doesn’t like the extra amp draw created by higher-output bulbs.

The result: The high-beams suddenly go out within a minute os os of being activated.

“The additional three to four watts of amp-draw is enough to overheat and trip the overload protection built into the control module,” explains 4 State Truck’s Michael Forst.

“So we resolved the issue by running the high-beam side of the headlights through a relay to keep the electrical load the same as it was with the stock bulbs.” (Forst recommends the use of a headlight relay any time stock headlight bulbs are replaced with high-output halogens.)

Giving your rig the retro-style headlight look with high-performance light output is an easy install, costs less than $150, and applies to both old and new trucks using the single sevens. The boyz at 4 State Trucks have all the parts in stock.

Custom trucks built by high-school students attending diesel technology program

by Todd Dills

“Class Act,” a 1995 Peterbilt 379 in the Paul K. Young Memorial Truck Beauty Show competition in Louisville, isn’t your typical truck show entry. It’s not the creation of a working owner-operator, custom shop, fleet or dealer. The folks who beautified this truck, in some cases, don’t even have their driver’s license.

“Class Act” was restored from scrap condition by 35 high school students from the Clarion County Career Center in Shippenville, Pa.

Beginning in 2007, the Clarion County Career Center’s Diesel Technology Program’s instructor Don Doverspike had the idea to use the talents of his budding truck repair professionals to create a working show truck.

The Diesel Technology Program puts high school students aged 15 to 18 through the paces of a three-year program in preventive maintenance, disassembly and reassembly of engine and drive components, brake repair and diagnostics, engine electrical diagnostics, basic electrical diagnostics, air-conditioning and basic welding and cutting skills.

In 2007, Doverspike and the students began working on restoring the Peterbilt, donated from scrap. To add motivation, Doverspike allowed the students to take the completed show truck to Louisville to compete at the event in 2008. By 2010, with the help of several local sponsors, Doverspike and his class of students had restored another Peterbilt which they named “Class Act.” But they ran into a snag in their plan to take it to MATS.

“The last thing needed to make this truck complete was a new set of truck tires,” Doverspike said. “The existing tires on the vehicle were too worn to pass Pennsylvania state inspection, much less compete.” The folks at Continental Tire North America helped provide the finishing touches with a new set.

Said Doverspike, “There was no way we could take it to the show until Continental stepped in.”

Helping make the connection was a local tire dealer, Good Tire Service, who notified Continental truck tire replacement sales manager Chuck Datsko. Continental sent the students a brand-new set of HSR2 (Heavy Steer Regional) and HDR1 (Heavy Drive Regional) tires for the tractor to complete the show entry.

“Chuck and Continental really came through and helped the students put the final touches on” Class Act, Doverspike said. “The new tires look and run great.”

“We think the Clarion County students and their excitement about their future careers in diesel technology and trucking are the real ‘class act’ here,” said Clif Armstrong, Continental’s director of marketing for commercial vehicle tires in the Americas. “We can’t wait to see how their truck stacks up in this prestigious competition.”

In addition, Continental has provided the Diesel Technology Program with the American Trucking Association Technology and Maintenance Council’s “Radial Tire and Disc Wheel Service Manual” to keep in their classroom and aid in mounting tires.

Datsko traveled to the class the week prior to MATS and taught a one-day seminar so that the students would receive a full learning experience about truck tires.

“This has been great. The students have learned that hard work brings its rewards,” Doverspike said. “Now we are waiting to see what the judges think of our efforts, but I know these students will remember this competition for the lessons they have learned and the benefits provided by Continental.”

The PKY Beauty Show takes place in Lot “J” on the west side of the MATS complex, with a total of 100 entries for 2010. Continental’s “Untamed Innovation Tour” exhibit is located at booth #18252.