Fuel savings and added power for ’99 and newer Cat® 3406E engines

Joining the impressive array of Cat® engines that Bully Dog can increase fuel economy and power on, are the ’99 and newer 3406E engines. If the engine is being controlled by the ADEM III ECM, the Bully Dog Cat Power Pup will work in the 3406E motor with the latest updates through the Cat Update Agent©.

Customers can verify their ECM by looking at the number of pins:  Two 40-pin connectors are on the ADEM II ECM; two 70-pin connectors are on the ADEM III ECM and one 70-pin connector and one 120-pin connector are on the ADEM IV ECM.

The Bully Dog Cat Power Pup is currently compatible with the ADEM III and ADEM IV ECMs on the 3406E engine.

Here is what customers are saying about the Power Pup on the 3406E:

“The truck has come up 1/4 to 1/2 mile per gallon increase with the economy power tune install on my 3406E. I’m really pleased with the product. It’s working well. Thank you.“

Dan W. – Rocky Mountain Region

“Running a ’99 Peterbilt with a 3406E, pulling a 53 foot spread axle reefer. I’m always pulling 80,000 or better. With the economy with power tune installed I’ve picked up between 1/2 mile to 1 mile improvement in fuel economy. The engine has a lot more torque with the tune installed and I have been impressed so far.”

S.G. – North Central Region

The Power Pup Big Rig downloaders for the 3406E feature two tuning options: the Economy Tune is designed to provide maximum fuel efficiency and a small power increase while the Power & Economy Tune produces approximately 15% more power to the wheels while also providing increased fuel economy.

The increased economy is the result of creating a more thorough, more efficient burn within the engine.

The following applications are now available in the Bully Dog Cat Power Pup downloader and more applications are in development:

C-10 10.3L ’99-’03

C-11 11.1L ’04-’07

C-12 12.0L ’99-’03

C-13 12.5L ’04-’07

C-15 14.6L ’99-’03

C-15 15.2L ’04-’07

C-16 15.8L ’99-’02

3406E 15.8L ‘99

For more information about the Bully Dog Big Rig Power Pup downloader, to find a dealer near you, read testimonials of other drivers using the product and to calculate your yearly savings after installing the Power Pup, visit www.bullydogbigrig.com

Bully Dog Technologies, LLC is a team built on integrity that is dedicated to leading the vehicle performance with an uncompromising code of ethics demonstrated in the soundness of its employees, excellent customer service and superior products.

Today’s hot rod-style show trucks face-off against old-school traditionals

By Carolyn Magner; photos by CR staff

Terry Wier Jr. of Belle, Missouri, slouches against his satin-black 2005 Peterbilt 379 flattop talking with onlookers at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas last August. They are admiring the bad-ass attitude of this new breed of truck and trucker as he explains the heavy, hunky tandem fenders, low-rider body, monochromatic paint, sleek, minimalist interior, low lighting, suicide doors and outrageously low-drop visor.

“Is that even legal?” asks one trucker, pointing to the squinty-eyed windshield. Wier shrugs: “The truck reflects my personal philosophy in life and trucking.”

It also reflects a popular design trend. This style, often called gangster or outlaw, sharply contrasts with the elaborate, chrome-laden trucks popularized by the more classic, old-school crowd. The styles are equally admired and reviled by both camps, though many trucks have features of both.

HOT ROD LOOK

April Locklear, co-owner of K&L Chrome Shop in Florence, South Carolina, believes the “less-is-more” look extends to her more traditional customers as well as those just starting out.

“There’s a strong demand for simple design with minimal lights, two-color paint jobs, wide stainless panels, no bolt holes, painted, drop visors – a look that’s fresh and modern,” says Locklear, whose husband Kelvin is the boss on CMT’s “Trick my Truck.

Locklear gets dramatically fewer requests for old school touches, such as themes, lots of exterior lights and what she calls “chrome trinkets.”

“We still get the occasional customer who wants a patriotic tribute or a cartoon theme, but for the most part they want the newer style or a mixture of old and new,” says Locklear.

“My personal taste definitely trends toward new school. But I still like old-school features such as shiny pieces of stainless and simply painted flames.”

Rick Boardwine, President and CEO of Bristol Peterbilt in Glades Spring,Virginia, sees a similar trend. He estimates that nearly 90 percent of his customers request painted fuel tanks and minimal exterior lighting while at least 50 percent chose painted drop visors. Most want the low-to-the-ground look of cab and sleeper extensions and heavy fenders.

“My feeling is that the popularity of ‘clean-shaven’ hot rod inspired features will continue growing in popularity with both show truck owners and general customizers,” Boardwine says.

MUTUAL RESPECT

Those features can help win truck show awards, though the charcoal hauler who drives for Struemph Charcoal, also of Belle, doesn’t mind telling his truck’s admirers he wasn’t after a show truck trophy at all.

“My motivation is for someone to look at my truck and say, ‘Holy —-, that’s the baddest truck I’ve ever seen,’” says Weir, waiting to see if he’s shocked the crowd.

“I like the hot rod look, but I can learn from the old timers, too. I respect them and most of them seem to respect me,” says the 42 year-old of his first show experience.

One of those old-timers is Floyd Moore whose classic show-style red Peterbilt is parked next to Wier’s truck. The 69-year-old owner-operator of Cagle Rock Trucking in Russellville, Arkansas, and a first-time truck show participant himself, has been hanging out with Wier and some of the other bad boys of trucking.

He likes their trucks – and their fresh attitude.

“They aren’t afraid to tell it like it is,” he says. They and Floyd might not see eye to eye on style, but there’s mutual respect.

“It’s not an age, it’s an attitude,” explains Moore. “And besides, we are all here for the same reason. We’re proud of our trucks, we work hard and we are working truckers.”

REAL OLD SCHOOL

If Wier’s sleek low-rider is at one end of the spectrum, the well-known entry from Grayling, Michigan’s Bob and Shelley Brinker captures the other end. The Brinker’s 2000 Freightliner Classic XL, Legend of the Black Pearl, uses a pirate theme based on Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” film trilogy.

Bob Brinker is only six years older than Wier, but has won more than 50 Best of Show awards in six years of truck beauty contests.

He says he’s not impressed with what he classifies as the hot rod trucks or the edgy attitudes of their owners although he does admire the ones who do their own custom work.

Bob Brinker's rig is loaded with graphics, lights and chrome.

Still, he says many make cookie-cutter choices. “They all look the same,” he says. “You take the same kind of truck, paint it all one color, give it a wash and bring it to a truck show. I don’t look twice at them. There’s not much to see.”

In stark contrast there’s plenty to see on the Brinkers’ truck. The pirate motif is used throughout the exterior and interior and includes an almost life-size mural on the hood featuring an image of Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) alongside a likeness of their late daughter, Amie McKnight, in pirate attire.

“It’s meaningful to us and tells a story. The excitement it generates makes it all worth it,” Brinker says.

WINNING WITH DETAIL

The Brinker’s award-winning feat comes with an enormous time requirement; they arrive five to six days before a truck show opens and spend 10 hours a day cleaning, shining and detailing every inch of the truck.

While virtual non-stop prepping for days just before a show is not uncommon for any entrant, old school trucks, with their more intricate features and often-ambitious themes and presentations, can demand more work to be done properly.

“We do what we have to do to win,” Brinker says. “Those [new-school] guys don’t want to get under their truck and use a toothbrush on the U joints or a screwdriver to poke rocks out of the tire treads. The judges notice stuff like that and they give us full points and extra points for our attention to detail.”

Indeed, cleanliness is one of the details judges are trained to notice. Wier, who cruised in the day before the show, learned that when a judge told him there was enough grease under his truck to grease three more trucks.

ROCKING THE STATUS QUO

While individual judges may appreciate the look and style of the new-school trucks, the current point system rewards extra effort such as staging, tire detailing, glitzy lights,  theme-inspired murals and cleaning in the most remote areas.

“If all things are equal, extra effort, no matter how old-school it may appear, still translates into extra points that may win the category,” says Bud Farquhar, who directs the five Pride & Polish shows.

Terry Wier's slammed black beauty

“You can earn full points for a category and not get extra points if you didn’t go to the effort to set your tires or clean under the truck.”

Even with the stray grease, Wier rocked the status quo at the Dallas Pride & Polish when he won four awards, including two Firsts-one being the coveted People’s Choice Award.

“You don’t have to have all the flowers and glitter,” he says. “I’m glad everyone liked it enough to win the popular vote. I think it’s the new attitude; show goers want a lean, tough, smooth-looking truck.”

Meanwhile, the Brinkers have plans to tweak their truck, adding more features and continuing to strive for old-school originality.

“When we’re driving down the highway and see people hang out their car windows taking cell phone pictures of the truck, we get a huge kick out of it,” Brinker says. “That’s the real award.”

Such fan appreciation is the common denominator shared among all custom rig owners whether of the new school gangsta’ mindset or traditional ol’ school.-CR

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 others posted there. – The Editor

HIGH-TEMP PAINTS

I want to paint and detail my Cummins. What type of paint works best to withstand the high heat, as well as things such as salt spray, oil and diesel fuel likely to find its way onto the block from time to time? – Seth Dalton, New Haven, Connecticut

In terms of the engine block, Seth, all paint over time is going to wear off. The only thing you can really do to avoid the paint peeling is to constantly keep it clean. For parts that can be pulled off the block, powder coating works well, as it can handle temperatures up to 400 degrees. For the turbo, headers, and other exhaust components, ceramic coating is the best option. For the most intense heat a black ceramic coating on the inside and out can handle temperatures up to 2,000 degrees. Having a nicely painted engine can really add to a truck’s appearance. – Andy Gobel, Outlaw Customs; (303) 952-8109

WARP-FREE WELDS

There appears to be a lot of sheet-metal fab work requiring welding. What’s your secret to keeping the thin metal from warping, especially when working larger areas such as door skins or cab backs? – Melvin Little, Charlotte, North Carolina

We seldom have a need to weld on the skins on trucks, Melvin. If the instance arises we use a TIG welder, place wet towels around the area being welded to keep it cool and minimize warping, and weld in short bursts rather than lay a continuous bead to further minimize heat buildup. – Bryan Martin, Chrome Shop Mafia/4 State Trucks; (417) 624-2900

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 shop is, once the customer decides on what style headlights they want mounted in the bumper, to make a paper template of the lights. Then we position each template on the bumper face and trace the outline. We then use a plasma cutter and follow the pattern, smooth up any rough edges with a small grinder, drill the mounting holes from the chrome side of the bumper and bolt ’em in. Now a word of caution: There are federal laws regarding how low headlights can be mounted. We understand there must be a minimum of 24 inches from headlight center to pavement. – Bryan Martin, Chrome Shop Mafia/4 State Trucks

Ed, there are a number of ways to put lights in the bumper, but none are easy! The least expensive way is to go to your local salvage yard and look for headlight guts that hold the headlights in the headlight assembly. Next you have to fabricate brackets to hold the headlight guts to your truck’s frame. After the headlights are mounted to the frame, measure out where they fall in relation to the bumper and transfer those precise measurements to the bumper. The openings in the bumper will then need to be cut out and the openings finished out. If you need help call; we would love to give you a hand. —Adam Martin, Colorado Custom Chrome; (970) 284-6552

SMOOTH AS GLASS

On many of today’s show trucks, even the working class rigs, the paint and finish looks like liquid glass. What is the trick to getting the casting marks and welds so smooth—especially on items like spring hanger brackets and driveshaft flanges/U-joints? The few sanders and small grinders I have in my toolbox just can’t do that kind of finish work. – Henry Ruggerio, Caldwell, New Jersey

Henry, it does take a small assortment of special sanders and grinders to achieve this look. To get the welds slick on steel, a glaze must be used to smooth out any imperfections and pinholes. At that point you can sand it smooth, or even build it up in places and sand it down to give the piece contours. Stick to a good body filler when doing bodywork or other sheet metal applications. – Jon Gill, Outlaw Customs

HOT-ROD PAINT

I’d like to repaint my old truck to give it the satin/primer hot-rod look. Does PPG make a paint in either automotive or heavy duty applications to give that effect? If so, what are my color choices? – Derek Szalai, Oakland, California

Derek, we teach that the best solution is to apply PPG’s Delfleet FDGH low gloss topcoats. FDGH is a high-solids, ultra-durable finish that exhibits very high mar resistance. This is contrary to most other low-gloss finishes in the marketplace. A typical low-gloss coating scuffs and scratches quite easily. With FDGH low-gloss, any color in the Delfleet line can be created. If multiple colors are being used on a vehicle, another option would be to use a low-gloss clear coat over Delfleet basecoat colors. The rig could be painted using either Delfleet FBCH or FBCS basecoat and then clear-coated with a Delfleet urethane clear with low-gloss binder added. Semi-gloss or eggshell gloss levels can be achieved by going this route. For color or technical questions, a call to your local PPG distributor or to PPG’s Customer Service Center, (800) 647-6050, will get you on your way. – Lynn Engmark, PPG Training, Fleet Coatings Specialist

SUICIDE SHORTCUT

Suicide doors are really sick and I’d like to try my hand changing over my ’89 Peterbilt’s stock doors to suicides. I’m on a very limited budget (my first truck), so what’s the best route? —Francisco Estrada, Dallas, Texas

Unfortunately, Francisco, there aren’t any shortcuts on a do-it-yourself suicide door job. Best case – it’s still a 40-hour job or better, and that doesn’t allow any time for prep and paint once the doors are done and “mocked up.” One thing you might do is purchase a set of old used doors from a salvage yard, then spend several weekends getting them pre-modified and ready. Then when you do shut the truck down all that’s left is to modify the aluminum door “frames” in the cab. This will get you back on the road quicker, and you can always use the original doors for spare parts – or give to your buddy for his suicide door project. – Bryan Martin, Chrome Shop Mafia/4 State Trucks

Francisco, suicide doors really are not something you can get away with using any shortcuts. This is a project where there are a lot of changes that need to occur. Having to re-engineer the latch setup is a pretty difficult task. What we found to be the easiest way was to eliminate the latches and use shaved door panels and Autoloc door poppers. We make a door skin kit that includes everything to do shaved doors. If you want to give your truck a unique look without dropping a ton of money, this is probably the best option for you. – Alex Gobel, Outlaw Customs

AUTO VS. TRUCK PAINT

I want to paint my 10-year-old Kenworth with a standout paint job. But when I went to a local auto body supply house the paint sales guy said a lot of those paints aren’t designed for use on trucks. Are there any issues I should be aware of if I use one of the hot colors you see on some of the Chrysler and Dodge cars?—Russ Detwiler, Sarasota, Florida

The guy at your paint supply shop is correct, Russ: You can use automotive paints on a truck, but they are not as durable and harder to lay. The best paint that we have found is PPG Delfleet, its very durable and lays easily. That’s actually the paint our friends at First Class Services used for their 2008 Build-Off wining truck First in Class and all the trucks that go out of their shop. They actually used some automotive basecoats to get the colors we wanted, but they always stay with the Delfleet primers, sealers, and clear coats to get a good long-lasting finish. From what we have heard PPG is actually releasing some of their Vibrance custom colors in the Delfleet form. – Nic Gillan, Outlaw Customs

We often use automotive colors/paints for the basecoat of the custom rigs we paint, Russ. The clincher – you need to use a high-quality polyurethane clear coat. Automotive clear coats chip and are far less durable than the truck-type polyurethanes in the high mileage and harsh elements working rigs see every year. DuPont, Sherwin William and PPG all make “truck quality” clears. Be sure to ask your paint rep if the poly clear you select is compatible with the automotive base color you are applying. Be aware polys spray a lot different than automotive paints; their overspray is extremely unhealthy; and the dry time is slower than your typical car paint. So read up on it before you begin. – Bryan Martin, Chrome Shop Mafia/4 State Trucks

WAIT ON WAX

I’m getting my Peterbilt done up with custom paint, flames and graphics. How long should I wait before giving my rig its first wax job–and what type of wax should I use? The paint is PPG Delfleet. – Warren Spears, Mobile, Alabama

Warren, you should wait 90 days before waxing a new paint job. After that, the best way to tell when to wax again is when water quits beading up on the surface when you wash your rig. Any well-known wax product is good. But I would use one that is easy to apply and buff off or you won’t be so willing to wax up that big rig! – Paul Stoll, PPG Training, Custom Painting Specialist