10-4 Magazine May 2024

14 10-4 Magazine / May 2024 leased operator’s trucks at K&D Transpor t, their trucking company. Today, JHC and their crew of six full-time employees can do it all – paint work, fabrication, mechanical work, installs, and just about anything else. Star ting out with a twisted (literally) 1980 Kenwor th K100, this truck was a pulling truck for several popular pulling teams in the area – most notably, Lonny Sailor out of Minnesota. They wanted to build this par ticular truck because it was very similar to Adam’s grandpa’s last truck and his father’s first truck (although theirs was a 1977 model). This was the first cabover that JHC had ever worked on or built, and with a twisted frame and no drivetrain, it took Adam and his crew almost two months just to get it running and drivable. After fitting it with a Cummins N14 Celect Plus, painted gold with black accents, hooked to a 10-speed and 3.70 rears, it was time to star t the customizing. Since there aren’t any par ts or accessories available for these old trucks, the team at JHC had to machine and hand-make almost every single custom par t. Going for that “restomod” look, they did the entire interior in bright red, harkening back to the days when all the cool hot rods had a red interior. They also added peep windows to both sides of the doghouse, to show off the engine, without having to lift the body, and moved the shor t shifter, made by SH Tube, onto the doghouse, as well. SH Tube also made a one-piece grill for the front of the KW. The chassis was painted black, and then several custom exterior panels were made, which included Freightliner-style cab extensions behind the front wheels to fill that gap all K100s have under the sleeper. There is also a cool filler panel between the fuel tanks, another in front of the rear suspension, and a painted gold deck plate. Everything came to fruition when the striking gold paint job was added, embellished with bold black stripes, outlined in red. Some of the other exterior accessories added include a 5-inch Lincoln Chrome exhaust, pieced together from several different kits, along with Hogebuilt single rear fenders, painted to match, and a Lincoln Chrome front bumper. The lighting is a mix of “Hero” watermelon lights from RoadWorks and glass lights from United Pacific. Brunner Fab made the polished headache rack, and the center section is dedicated to hiding the batteries, power steering reservoir, the electric motor to raise the cab, and more. Adam and his crew are extremely satisfied with what they built and were honored to be included in this Build Off rebir th. Although this truck is a fully functioning rig that could be worked every day, it is currently up for sale. They can’t afford to keep a truck like this just sitting around, and after 3.5 months of hard work building it, they can’t see themselves putting it to work, either. Adam’s hope is that someone buys it, stores it in their barn, and takes it out for parades and truck shows. If it doesn’t sell, Adam is also okay with occasionally using it as a spare truck in their fleet, which today includes 11 company owned trucks and about six owner operators, that mostly pull covered wagons, flatbeds, and step decks. They would like to thank the companies that helped out with the build, including RoadWorks, Lincoln Chrome, SH Tube, Hogebuilt, Brunner Fab, Lee Forney, SuperSignMan, EAG Upholstery, Hovde Enterprises, United Metal Works, Lifetime, and PDI. For more information, call (715) 977-8106 or visit www.johnsonhillcustoms.com . THE BOTTOM LINE To judge this monumental event, three world-class builders were brought in from California, Arizona, and Texas – Jeff Botelho, Rod Pickett, and Adrian Rocamontes, respectively. Both Jeff and Adrian had previously entered trucks in prior Build Offs, and Rod Pickett of Pickett Custom Trucks is a well-known and respected builder who has been around for a long time. These “celebrity” judges were brought in specifically to judge the Build Off trucks – none of the trucks entered in the PKY Truck Beauty Championships – and they spent six hours going over the three trucks thoroughly. If you haven’t already heard or figured it out, Davis Brothers Designs and their “Lessons Learned” were crowned the champions of the 2024 Big Rig Build Off! For that, we awarded them and their truck our cover and centerfold this month. Truth is, we have never had a Davis Bros. truck on our cover, so it was probably time. This was a winner take all competition, so they got the trophy, the $20,000 cash, and the cover. The others went home empty handed – well, they did get to take bitchin’ rides home with them! Next year the plan is to invite more builders and have more trucks, so we hope Jason and his crew can accomplish that task, because we can’t wait to see what shows up. Congratulations to all the builders – you all brought amazing stuff and should be proud of what you did! n