10-4 Magazine October 2024

12 10-4 Magazine / October 2024 The gloss purple is a Rustoleum spray can paint color! Years ago, our friend and theirs, Troy Huddleston, told them if they planned to work and show a truck, always pick a Rustoleum paint color so touch-ups before shows were cheap and easy – and they followed his good advice. After the paint was completed, the boys replaced the old rusty exhaust with a new 5” system from 4 State Trucks, added a new tapered bumper from Valley Chrome, swapped out all the wheels with new ones, and replaced all the tires. The truck was equipped with a factory visor, a factory Varashield on the roof, and factory cab panels with double bubble lights, so they cleaned up and/or repainted all that stuff and then kept them. They also replaced the covers on the step boxes, mounted new Hogebuilt quar ter fenders with purple quilted covers, added tank fairings from one of Donnie’s old trucks, and changed out the cab lights and horns on the roof to new round ones. The final touches were the vinyl graphics on the doors and Varashield, along with purple bugshields from our friend and adver tiser Dane Nelson here in California, placed both on top and along the sides of the grill. At the time, not much was done inside, it was just cleaned up a bit – same with under the hood. Since the photo shoot, Brandon has added chrome bezels and switch plates/covers on the dash, replaced the shifter boot, and cleaned it up even more. As mentioned before, the trailer was done at the same time, too. Tyler painted the undercarriage, side rails, and reefer unit gloss purple to match the truck, along with Brandon’s tire chains, which hang there all the time but don’t get used (Brandon was instructed by his father that if chains are required, park it and wait, as it’s not wor th it). The fenders on the trailer also got purple quilted covers from 4 State trucks, which completed the “look” the boys were going for. The truck was named “Yesterday’s Wine” after Donnie was inspired by a song originally written and recorded by Willie Nelson in 1971, then redone by George Jones and Merle Haggard in 1982. The second version went on to become a number one hit on the country char ts, and based on some of the lyrics – “Aging with time, like yesterday’s wine!” – these words were added to the back of the sleeper and on the back doors of the trailer. And, just eight days after they pulled the truck and trailer into the shop, it was finished, loaded, and heading to Texas... and Brandon hasn’t stopped since. Since putting it on the road, Brandon has been running it hard, six to seven days a week, mostly running out west and down south. And he is not the only one out there running hard in a true classic. Last year in September (2023), Donnie purchased a 1979 Freightliner FL96 cabover and has been running it hard every day, as well. Finding this cabover while once again surfing the internet on vacation at their home on Padre Island, Donnie found it in Indiana and sent Brandon to get it. The truck was solid, but full