10-4 Magazine August 2023

12 10-4 Magazine / August 2023 Once the chassis was prepped and painted and the cab and hood were set, it was time for the exterior paint to be sprayed and the interior to be done. Using Legendary Blue and Legendary Silver, which was mixed by the folks at Stellar Industries so they could spray the service body, the remaining paint from the same batch was sent to Veerkamp to ensure that it would match perfectly. The truck’s blue paint and silver stripes were sprayed by G&O Body Shop in Placerville, CA. Veerkamp’s in-house restoration specialist Shawn Stover, Matt’s right-hand man and also the guy in charge of all the heavy machinery GPS systems, completely re-wired the entire truck, which was no easy task. Shawn also did all the lights on the truck, including an extensive amount of underglow lighting. Going to work on the interior, all the rocker switches and gauges from the 2016 Peterbilt were mounted in a totally custom dash. The truck got a wood floor, a chrome tilt steering column, a billet and wood steering wheel from Steering Creations, and custom mid-back seats, mounted as low as possible. All the diamond-stitched brown and black interior pieces were designed and made by Shawn Patterson Upholstery, a local outfit, and a polished stainless ceiling inser t, with the Peterbilt logo cut into it that lights up, was mounted overhead to the headliner. A two-stick setup from 12 Ga. Customs was also installed, with the second stick being the splitter. Not only does this old truck look amazing, but it has all the modern conveniences like air conditioning, cruise control, and electric windows, so it is very comfor table and easy to drive. Some of the final exterior accessories added include 8-inch Lincoln Chrome stacks, new shutters on the front that operate by a switch on the dash, high-intensity LED headlights, installed in the original dual round headlight buckets and mounted on the original brackets, a custom visor from Cour tland Truck Works, and mirror brackets from 12 Ga. Customs. The DEF tank was hidden inside the fuel tank under the driver’s door, the breather screens were chopped, and air-operated wipers were added. It was almost done. All it needed now was the service body. The all-aluminum 14-foot mechanic service body made by Stellar Industries was delivered shor tly before the deadline date, and it was already painted and ready to be bolted on. The Veerkamp crew installed the TMAX 2 body, which was built in a custom configuration just for this project, and included a 12630 crane, capable of lifting 12,000 pounds, with a 30-foot reach. Made with a special welding platform, Brandon and the Veerkamp crew mounted a 500-amp Lincoln Electric Vantage 441X welding machine, capable of performing all types of welding. Final touches included a large air compressor, grab handles made out of box end wrenches, and a custom speaker and light rack, built by Rack-It Truck Racks in nearby Shingle Springs, CA. This cool rack holds marine grade speakers for the stereo, flashing lights, and features suppor t posts cast to look like wrenches and bolts! Finishing the project on time, the truck was sent to Las Vegas, NV and displayed in Stellar Industry’s booth March 14-18, 2023. CONEXPO is a huge construction convention, and this year it had 139,000 attendees, over 2,400 vendors, and filled over 3 million square feet of exhibit space! Held once every four years in Las Vegas, this show is massive. After making a big splash in the city that never sleeps, it headed nor th to Reno – the “Biggest Little City in the World” – for the ATHS National Convention and Antique Truck Show, held at the Grand Sierra Resor t on June 8-10, 2023. We had heard about the truck and seen pictures, but this was the first time we laid