by Brad Bentley

Mike Ryan is a consummate pro when it comes to driving big rigs fast.

But his skills behind the wheel of his 1,950-horsepower daycab  Freightliner Cascadia required him to dig a little deeper as he put it into a powerslide going up the infamous “Ws” on Pikes Peaks narrow two-lane road to the summit.

Ryan never lifted and kept his Detroit-Diesel-powered race truck between the 1,000-foot cliffs and the rock walls during the  88th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb June 27.

Known as The Race To The Clouds, it started off as anything but, with clear skies and sunshine and perfect conditions for record-setting action in these race classes: Unlimited, Super-Stock Car, Open Wheel, Pike Peak Open, Showroom Stock, Motorcycles (five classes), Side Cars, Quads, Time Attack and Big Rig.

Several drivers came through with breakthrough performances and record times, but there were numerous delays with drivers going off course, which allowed the always unpredictable weather to become a factor later in the day.

By the time Mike Ryan’s Detroit Diesel-powered Freightliner Cascadia completed the course in the Big Rig class to cap the racing action, there were snow flurries at the summit of Pike’s Peak and rain on the rest of the mountain.

Ryan is always a fan favorite and everyone was excited to see how he would fare this year. The weather was a slight factor, but suspension understeer issues, which slowed Ryan in the switchbacks section of the course, took away what otherwise might have been a record run. However, Mike still made an impressive climb up the course, and the fans were certainly not disappointed.

The Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb is essentially a race against the clock, so everywhere you turn people are focused on numbers. With that in mind, here is a “by the numbers” look at the Race To The Clouds:

1916 – the year Spencer Penrose, a Colorado Springs businessman finished construction on the world’s highest highway, a toll road to Pike’s Peak. Soon, Penrose decided to hold a race to the top, with a colossal silver trophy as a prize, and the Race To The Clouds was born. It has been held every year since, making it the second oldest road race in America. Only the Indianapolis 500 precedes it.

14,110 – the elevation of the top of Pike’s Peak. This is almost a mile higher that at the Start Line. Many racers, including Ryan, carry bottled oxygen to help them deal with the high altitude.

61,626 – the length (in feet) of plus grade on the race course, which is a mixture of pavement and dirt/gravel surface.

16 – the number of times Mike Ryan has raced in the Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb. He competed on a motorcycle for two years, and in a big rig for 14.

12 – the number of Unser family members who have competed in the hill climb over the years. Many of racing’s most famous families, from Dallenbach, Millens, Donner and Mears, have had multiple competitors.

13:03 – Mike Ryan’s time this year. This was only 20 seconds off his still standing big rig record of 12:43, set in 2006.

1,950 – the amount of horsepower Ryan can generate from his engine, which was completed  “in-house” in two months time. As built from Detroit Diesel, it dyno’ed at 1,600 hp. The compounding turbo set up from Borg Warner and BD Turbo along with the Snow Performance water-methanol injection added about 350 hp, according to the suppliers.

9,700 – the weight (in pounds) of Ryan’s customized Freightliner Cascadia, which is 1,200 lbs heavier than his previous truck, a 2005 Freightliner Century Class ST. The extra weight and the fact that Ryan did not have a factory powered race team engine like his previous truck make this year’s performance even more impressive.

156 – the number of turns Ryan had to navigate on the 12.42-mile course as it winds its way up Pikes Peak

10:01.408 – the record time set in 2007 by Monster Tajima in a Suzuki XL7 Hill Climb Special. Tajima competes in the Unlimited class, where anything goes as long as it passes safety inspection. Both Tajima and drifting star Rhys Millen were thought to have legitimate shots of completing the course sub-10 this year, but both fell short. Tajima was the closest at 10:11.

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!

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:

7″ CHROME PACKAGE

East Coast Large Cars.Com Annual Truck Show 2010

The Annual East Coast Large Cars.Com Truck Show  at the Sussex County Fairgrounds, Augusta New Jersey. The show comprises of Trucks, Trailers, Show Only Trucks and various Chrome Shops, Parts Dealers and Truck Dealers. The show is a completely open format in that any and all are invited to attend. Contact East Coast Large Cars.Com for more information.

New kit provides stress-free trailer landing gear operation

Owners of custom  big-rigs who want to quickly and easily drop their trailer landing gear can now turn to The Griffin Tool from Transport Product Solutions.

The Griffin Tool, designed by a truck driver, utilizes your truck’s low-pressure air system to power-assist the raising/lowering of the landing gear, virtually eliminating stress on the body and significantly speeding up the entire trailer connect/disconnect process.

It takes less than five minutes to slip the easy-to-install conversion kit in place and doesn’t require permanent modifications to either trailer or landing gears. The $219 conversion kit includes The Griffin Tool, custom air hose with glad-hand, and air drill. For more information watch the video or contact Transport Product Solutions at 877-219-4317.

Today’s sealed 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:

1. Apply a liberal amount of Polish to (0000) Steel Wool.
2. Scrub headlight aggressively for about 1 minute. Do this to each headlight two times. Let the product dry between each scrubbing.
3. Liberally apply Polish to a Red Shop Rag and scrub each headlight again for about 1 minute. Repeat again and let the product dry between each scrubbing.
4. Let Polish dry completely and then wipe clean.
5. If you have questions about this procedure, give ‘ol Gordon Crissy a call at Gord’s Polish.

Tip courtesy of Big G’s Detail & Polish; 866-664-6737

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Custom KW Door Window Trim

Give your Kenworth’s cab the chopped look by adding upper window trim panels

A popular customizing trend  among KW owners is adding a painted trim piece to the top of the door window frame to give  the cab a chopped look.

The trim fits along the door lip at the top of window without interrupting the window operation and there are a number of aftermarket stainless offerings available. (Prices range from $90-$120 pair.)

But if you are the do-it-yourself type, you might like to give a shot at making them yourself. The painted version makes the top look chopped, whereas the polished stainless variety provides more shine than slam.

The way customizers at Car Craft Truck Works, Elizabeth Truck Center’s customizing arm, build ‘em is to make a cardboard template of the side window trim. The template extends from the top of the inner door frame lip at the top of the window opening down to an imaginary line even with the front visor and rear roof split.

That template is then transferred to 3/32″ aluminum. The aluminum is cut and a 1/2″ lip is rolled along the bottom edge to 1) give the side visor rigidity and 2) a smooth, almost invisible custom edge.

The aluminum is then sanded, primered and painted to match the color of the truck. The window visor is installed using automotive/industrial double-sided sticky tape along the upper door lip to hold it in place. — Bruce W. Smith

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BIG RED

Frame-up resto takes this 28-year-old Pete from an oil-field workhorse to Build-Off champion

By Bruce W. Smith

Jerry Diemoz is like a teenager being handed the keys to a dream car. Diemoz, the owner of J&R Trucking, an oil-field operations company out of Rock Springs, Wyoming, is all giggly and barely able to take his eyes off Big Red, an ’81 Peterbilt he’s owned from day one. It’s one of the three custom rigs entered in the Big-Rig Build-Off.

Diemoz has logged more than 1.6 million miles in its cab, most of those miles plying the nasty roads and drilling sites of Wyoming’s oil and gas fields hauling rigging and equipment.

But what he sees before him isn’t the old workhorse anymore. It’s a full-on custom show truck.

“I’m amazed, I’m amazed!” he says looking inside the cab. “It’s great!” He’d not seen it finished until the day he came to the Louisville event and walked into the Build-Off display area where Jim Raines, S&J Truck Sales’ president, handed him the keys. His excitement mirrored the thoughts of the three judges for the Industry’s Choice award.

Big Red originally went into the S&J shop in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, to have the renowned repair center (and winner of the Build-Off in 2007) give the 28-year-old truck a working rig’s facelift.

The Cat 3408 was already out and awaiting overhaul.  “But when I found out about Jim and the work they do,” Diemoz says, “everything changed. Jim started on it and everything changed again, because he’d been invited to enter a truck in the Big-Rig Build-Off – and we decided it’d be Big Red.”

“As the rebuild progressed,” says Raines, “we tore it down and began with new double-frame rails custom-built by P.G. Adams in South Burlington, Vermont. From there we rebuilt the truck from ground up.

“We replaced all the sheet metal in the hood, cab and sleeper, converted the front axle over to hub pilot-style, and put in the custom stainless boxes.”

Diemoz requested spreading the rebuilt locking drivers from 46 to 60 inches to “make it ride better over those washboard roads we have in the oil and gas fields.”

S&J fabbed new fenders to cover the new Bridgestone drivers wrapped around sparkling Alcoas and built the custom stainless deck plate and frame covers.

Alum-I-Tanks provided 185-gallon saddle tanks to replace the original 135s, Valley Chrome the front bumper, and Roadworks the rest of the chrome trim as well as the custom firewall and engine air intake.

While all that was going on, sound-deadening material and custom speaker enclosures were installed. The Pioneer sound system, rear camera, DVD player and police scanner were wired and mounted.

Then Ft. Wayne’s Marquart’s Custom Creations refurbished the interior in leather, including re-covering the new Comfort Ride seats. Meanwhile Rockwood Products handled the hard interior panels.

Hundreds of miles away in Elco, Nevada, at Elite Motor Works, Big Red’s tired 450-hp V8 received its own special service. Elite’s experts did a block-out rebuild, popping in bigger injectors, oversizing the bore and upsizing the turbo. The result: a 1,000-hp Cat.

When it came back to S&J they fabricated a new air-intake box and redid all the electrical and plumbing to accommodate the bigger stable of ponies.

After all the wrenching and fab work was done, Big Red made a trip across town to Hoosier Trailer & Truck Equipment, where they deftly applied the finishing touches using Dupont Imron 6000 Polyurethane Autumn Leaf and black as the primary colors to make Big Red shine.

And shine it does. The list of modifications reads more like a parts inventory for a custom truck fabrication and repair shop.

But it’s the one item listed at the end in bold type that says it all: 2009 Big-Rig Build-Off Industry Award.

“I spec all my company’s trucks for the work we do so they are ‘custom’ in that respect,” says Diemoz, running his hand along the stainless deck plate.

“But nothing on this level. This is my first custom rig. The thing I like most about it is the detail that Jim did on it. He’s very, very proud of his work and he has reason to be.”

When Diemoz was asked if Big Red was headed back to the muddy oil fields, he said, “No way. We are literally building a showroom for this truck. After all, as my wife says, ‘Our home is one Peter built.’ Now it’s time for it to retire.”

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Sound upgrades to turn your cab/sleeper into the front row seat of a concert

by Bruce W. Smith

Raindrops the size of quarters clatter against the cab as 31-year-old owner-operator Michel Himber closes his log book. It’s just before midnight and he’s beat after ending a 1,200-mile run in bad weather to Chicago.

Himber, who rolls in a Mossy Oak camouflaged 2000 Kenworth W900 with a studio sleeper, pulls out a soft pouch and thumbs through dozens of CDs before settling on one.

He slips Rascal Flatts’ “Feels Like Today” into the dash-mounted Sony head unit and adjusts the volume.

He dials home in Killen, Alabama, as guitars fill the cab with “Fast Cars and Freedom.”

The speakers mute as the sound system goes into hands-free Bluetooth mode and he checks in with his wife to make sure all is well at home and with their two young boys. The music rolls back up as he concludes the call.

Several hundred miles away Jordan Hitchcock cranks up the full-on custom 2,000-watt Alpine sound system in his working class Pete 379 show truck, rockin’ and a rollin’ on into the night with the highway pretty much to himself.

FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC

While legions of owner-operators like Himber are spending $500 to $1,500 to upgrade their stock sound system, another group of truckers like Hitchcock don’t blink at dropping $5,000 or more for custom sound systems that rival those of show cars.

Hitchcock, a 21-year-old audiophile who works for his dad at Webberville, Michigan-based MBH Trucking, is one of the new breed of truckers who have both the love of music and the skills to do much of the installation work themselves.

“I am an electronics lover who likes to have the newest and coolest audio stuff,” says Hitchcock, who put roughly $12,000 into the sound system. “But most of all I like having a good, clean-sounding system when it’s late at night, the roads are empty, and there’s no one to talk to on the cell phone. You just crank it up and cruise down the highway.”

Himber says a good sound system is therapeutic: “It really helps out in traffic jams,” chuckles Alabama trucker. “Music puts some sanity back in my life.”

Which is why audio upgrades are on the upswing. Alex Gobel, manager of Western Truck Parts in Henderson, Colorado, notes his other local store and custom truck shop, Outlaw Customs, caters to a wide range of truck owners seeking audio upgrades.

“Those upgrades can range from $300 for a new head unit and a pair of nice speakers to a full-on custom system with high-end speakers, subwoofers and amplifiers fitted in custom-fabricated fiberglass enclosures, where the tab runs $5,000 and up,”

Glen English, the store manager of Joplin, Missouri-based 4 States Trucks and home of the Chrome Shop Mafia, gets similar customers, and adds sound system upgrades rank “about 5 or 6 on the ‘Top 10’ most popular upgrades truck owners make these days.”

Even local car audio shops are finding upgrading sound systems for truckers a growing part of their market.

Empress Car Audio & Marine in Gulfport, Mississippi, for example, is seeing more and more local owner-operators dropping by to have older head units replaced with more full-featured models that provide satellite radio and interface with iPods, USB and Bluetooth.

“It’s not unusual for us to see a truck owner come in and drop $800 to $1,500 on a new system,” says Manager Michael Taylor. “Such a package might include a 50-watt-per-channel (200-watt) Sat radio/CD combo head unit with four 4-by-6.5-inch speakers in the cab, adapted to the factory locations, with maybe four 6-by-9s popped in the sleeper.”

GOING UPSCALE

For those trucking audiophiles who to step to the next level with higher-end speakers, an amp and sub-woofers, the wallet gets tapped a little deeper. Custom installers say mid-level systems begin in the $2,000-$3,000 range.

The performance of mid-priced audio systems rival the best factory systems found in today’s upscale pickups and SUVs where 400-500-watt outputs are the norm.

Such power and fidelity brings the driver to the front row of the stage—or to the chair next to their favorite talk radio hosts.

English says an example of their mid-level system upgrades would typically include an Eclipse CD head unit with satellite/Bluetooth/USB/iPod/MP3 compatibility, Kicker speakers and subs, and an 800-watt Earthquake amp — all neatly integrated into the cab and sleeper.

An installation of this magnitude requires about eight hours shop labor, which can equate to a third to one-half of the bill. If a lot of custom work is required the price of labor may equal that of the components.

“The higher the price of the pieces, the more involved the installation,” says Gobel. “Fabricating fiberglass or custom consoles and custom wiring is very time-consuming, adding to the labor side.”

Five different speaker enclosures are molded into one filling the sleeper of Ivy's Poison built by the Chrome Shop Mafia.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

How components and brands are chosen, matched, and installed varies as much as the music pumped through them. For example, 4 State’s Chrome Shop Mafia likes the looks and performance of Eclipse, Kicker, and Earthquake components, while Arc Audio amps and speakers are the brand of preference at Outlaw Customs.

But there are more important matters than brand names and aesthetics. Swapping out a factory head unit and factory speakers for those of a higher quality is easy.

But when it comes to installing a full array of high-end audio and video, the task is better left to the pros to get it done right the first time.

“Truckers upgrading their sound systems need to pay special attention to two things,” advises Arc Audio’s Fred Lynch.“One is the installation; it’s more important than the components. Two: Get the best head-unit you can buy. Price really does reflect quality in that area, and if it’s crap, high-power amps and great speakers just magnify that point.”

Outlaw Custom’s Gobel agrees wholeheartedly saying, “The hardest part of a full custom installation of a high-end audio system is the correct placement of the aftermarket parts for optimum sound quality with minimal intrusion on interior space.

“Appearance and performance is everything — from placement to final presentation, it must all blend together and work perfect.”

Another aspect to consider is minimizing downtime. English says, the guys at 4 State recommend truckers who are eyeing a mid- to high-end system should drop by the installer to have everything measured then come back on the next trip for the actual installation.

“That allows the shop to get a head start on making any consoles or enclosures needed for the custom installation without actually taking the truck out of service. When the customer returns on the next trip, all that’s left is the actual installation of the hard parts,” says English.

While Hitchcock is satisfied with his ground-shaking sound system, Himber, like many other owner-operators, is already planning his next upgrade.

“I really want a DVD player and a 10-inch flip-down screen installed in the sleeper so when my wife and our two boys come with me on the road next summer the boys can be kept entertained.”–CR

SOURCES

4 State Trucks, www.4statetrucks.com, (888) 875-7787

Outlaw Customs, www.outlawcustomshd.com, (303) 952-8109

Western Truck Parts, www.westerntruckparts.com, (800) 541-3400

Related article: http://crm.randallreillycms.com/about-audio-amps/

AUDIO PRODUCTS SHOWCASE

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