OEM Peterbilt fuel-tank straps cost more than $500 per pair with aftermarket versions setting you back at least four bills. These “backyard-build” straps will cost you less than $400 for a set of four and you can add your own custom finishing touches to really make them stand out….

CUSTOM RIGS’ TECH TIPS
Have a question about how a custom shop or truck builder creates a certain look, fabricates a part, installs an item, or their secret to this or that? Email us your question at crtechtips@rrpub.com — or better yet, log on to our TECH FORUM– and we’ll do our best to bring you the expert’s answers.

headlights age over time and that process is sped up by an accumulation of road grime and salt, compounds which deteriorate the plastic and turn it yellow or foggy. Clouded or discolored headlights are a big safety issue–especially in the winter. Here’s a pro tip on how to quickly get your custom rig’s headlights back into like-new condition …

PRO TIP
Installing 8″ Stacks On Custom Rigs Equipped With DPF Exhausts
“One of the problems we have run into on the DPF trucks being customized here at Pro-Fab is not being able to put big stacks and big Pickett-style elbows on them,” says shop owner and custom fabricator Randy Kaylor.

So the Manheim, PA, fabrication and installation [...]

It’s not the least bit unusual to find a pair of high-end amps, colorful wiring, and maybe even a couple “caps” neatly displayed. Truckers love their stereos and they love keeping up with the times. Some of the systems have been professionally installed, while other installations are the works of a do-it-yourselfer. Both function perfectly if done right. If the installation isn’t done correctly, well, wasted money follows wasted time. Here’s how to make the most of what you have…

Diamond plate hard to polish? Check out this pro tip: The next time you are cutting your truck’s carpet save the scraps. Chuck Simmons of Denver-based Outlaw Customs, says such carpet scraps makes the world’s best polishing pad for diamond plate.

Smokin’ Gun Volume 5 Two Disk DVD
No custom rig is complete without a little–or a lot!–of airbrush work. And there’s no better way to learn the art of airbrushing than having custom painter Ed Hubbs of  Full Blown Kustoms show you the secrets and techniques to bring your visions to life.

Ed Hubb’s newest [...]

One of the things I enjoy about travelling around the country are the gems you find in the most unlikely of places. My trip to Colorado last week is a prime example. One wouldn’t think Colorado would be a hot-spot in the country for custom rigs. But from what I saw during my visit there’s [...]

Aim high, shoot big
Larger images better your chance of getting in the magazine pages
We get a number of truck owners submitting their rig’s photos into our Reader Gallery every week. At the end of each month we look at each entry so we can choose a few to show in the pages of our parent [...]

Hums, whines, buzzes, crackles, pops and other unexpected noises blasting out your rig’s speakers not only ruins tunes, they are really frustrating when you can’t figure out how they happen in the first place. Anyone who has a good audio system wants clean, vibrant sound. Unexplained background noises ruin the day. So, let’s go noise hunting and kill off the little culprits responsible for the unwanted intrusions!

Fine-tuning your custom rig’s sound system ensures it’ll perform at peak level. But to get your ear’s worth as well as your money’s worth out of it you need to read audio expert Grizz Archer’s article on adjusting the gain of each component in the stereo system’s chain.

RealWheels headed Down Under to build custom big-rig at Australia’s largest trucking trade show….

Custom Rigs’ Pro Tips / April ‘09
 
SLAMMIN’ FRONT
I have a 2004 Classic XL with a 550 cat and want to lower the front end to make it look more custom and aggressive. I would like to know how I can do it the right way or if there is a kit that I can buy? [...]

WIRED RIGHT
We’re rebuilding our old KW and want the wiring for the lights and switches to look and function as professional as we can. We deal a lot with magnesium chloride up here in Michigan, so the wiring has to be done right. Your suggestions? – Richard Iverson, Minneapolis, MN via the web

Richard, stay away [...]

HEADLIGHT LOW DOWN
I saw a 379 Pete [“Kwitcherbitchin,” March ’08] with the headlights mounted in the bumper. How were the holes laid out, cut, and the lights mounted? The low-mount headlights look like they’d be great in fog and rain driving instead of mounting fog/driving lights. —Ed Smith, Eugene, Oregon
Ed, what we do in our [...]

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I have a 2008 T660 KW with an 86″ studio sleeper. Currently, my TV (a 22″ widescreen) is secured atop the cabinet behind the passenger seat. I would like to move it to the area between the roof mounted windows [...]

PRO TIPS Q&A: UNIBILT CONVERSION
Peterbilt Unibilt cab supsnesion a popular upgrade for older customized Petes.
I would like to convert a 1990 Peterbilt 379 into a Unibilt. I see 359’s at shows that have been done. Do I have to reinforce the cab and sleeper or just bolt the brackets in.—Ryan Judd
I have a ‘93 [...]

PRO TIPS / March 2009
Have a question for the custom rig builders out there or a tip or trick to share with CR readers? Send it to us and we’ll slip it into Pro Tips: crtechtips@rrpub.com. Also, go to our web site, www.customrigsmag.com, to take advantage of special links we’ve added to these Q&As and [...]

Have a question about how a custom shop or truck builder creates a certain look, fabricates a part, installs an item, or their secret to this or that? Email us your question at crtechtips@rrpub.com and we’ll do our best to bring you the expert’s answers. Likewise, if you are a custom shop or show truck [...]