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Hot
Rod Rig Sets New Standards For Show Trucks
Mike and Brian had a
vision. Their goals were simple: build a unique show truck that
would one day grace the cover of 10-4 Magazine and be featured in
the Shell SuperRigs calendar. Eighteen short months later these two
friends and co-workers found themselves in the middle of a sod farm
in San Jacinto, California, realizing one of those dreams. This
month’s cover truck is a totally custom hot rod rig that not only
redefines the phrase "California Cool" but also sets new
standards for show trucks of the not-so-distant future. Long and low
with minimal amounts of decoration, this truck’s
"simple" look is very deceiving.
Growing up around trucks and trucking, Mike Humphreys has been a
"truck junkie" most of his life. In the early 1970’s
Mike’s father and uncle (Bob and Randy Humphreys) started Patio
Industries, a company that
manufactured and hauled building materials in and around California.
After graduating from high school in 1990, Mike went to work at the
family business. Doing everything from driving, working in the
warehouse, outside sales, office stuff and dispatching, Mike got to
know the inner-workings of the company rather well. In 1995 the
company’s name was changed to Western States Wholesale. To save
money and improve their image, the company began replacing their
leased fleet of trucks with company-owned units. This new fleet
would require a fully-equipped shop, service truck and team of
mechanics. Mike immediately thought of Brian, an old friend and
co-worker that had worked for the company a few years prior, to help
him setup and run this new maintenance shop.
A large majority of Brian Bambarger’s family was involved in
trucking (mostly owner operators) so it made sense for him to begin
driving trucks at an early age. Growing up in the La Puente area of
Southern California, Brian formed a strong liking to low-riders that
would later influence his taste in big rigs as well. Hired in 1994
for outside sales at Patio Industries, Brian was later paired with
Mike to run the company’s Northern California facility. This is
where Brian’s true appreciation for quality equipment began to
take shape. Mike had such a strong and sincere love for older,
clean, simple, big power, extended hood trucks, his attitudes and
beliefs eventually began to rub off on Brian. Shortly before Patio
Industries closed their plant in Northern California to focus more
on their Southern California operation, Brian left the company and
spent a few years driving for another carrier.
When Mike called to offer Brian the new shop position, he was
hesitant to accept. After some lengthy discussions both agreed it
would be their mission to assemble and maintain a show-worthy fleet
of trucks that they could both be proud of. Brian signed on the
dotted line and went on to become an integral part of Western States
Wholesale (WSW). Through Brian and Mike’s efforts over the past
three years, WSW now owns and operates a 40-truck fleet of nice
rigs, all painted "Western States Wholesale Green" (an
actual PPG Paint color), and many of them are worthy of winning
something at a truck show. This was an exciting and busy time for
Mike and Brian but, more importantly, it was when the two began to
talk and dream about building the ultimate custom show truck.
Mike bought an old Pete 359 in September of 1998. The truck ran
pretty good but had bad frame rails due to some off-road abuse by
its
previous owner. Since they were going to have to replace the frame
rails, they figured why not tear the entire truck down and build it
right – from the ground up. This would be their masterpiece.
Using pickup truck catalogs and low-rider magazines for inspiration,
both Mike and Brian agreed that they wanted to build a long and low
street rod style truck that would be totally different from anything
out there. They realized that they would have to go to extremes to
break the mold of what most people think a show truck should look
like. They wanted to get away from the flashy, bolt-on accessories
and busy paint schemes that seemed to be infiltrating the
"custom" truck market, and build a rig that represented
the "California Cool" look, using fresh designs,
custom-fabricated components and one-of-a-kind accessories.
Together, Mike and Brian came up with all the concepts and ideas,
but it would be Brian’s job to make those designs a reality and do
all the actual wrench turning.
Fitting the work in on weekends and evenings, the job took a lot
longer than they had thought it would. Originally, the truck was to
be debuted at the 1999 Pomona Working Truck Show, but it wasn’t
finished until just before the following year’s show. But it was
definitely worth the wait. The truck’s initial showing in Pomona
last June was a rousing success – the truck was constantly
surrounded by crowds of people, all asking questions and snapping
pictures. The rig not only fetched a 2nd Place in the 1994 or Older
Conventional class but also won the coveted People’s Choice award.
Not too bad for a couple of beginners who hardly ever agreed on
anything without a fight or "conversation" of some type.
The color, Lemon Ice, was about the only thing Mike and Brian agreed
on while building their truck, which they began calling "Low
Life" for obvious reasons. Their biggest scuffle occurred when
Mike decided that he wanted the truck to have a two-stick
transmission. Brian argued, "Hey, I have to drive this
thing!" Eventually the two came to see eye-to-eye on most
issues and were able to put all that squabbling behind them rather
quickly. Mike and Brian’s overall vision and passion for trucks
kept them going through the hard times – even when the truck sat
untouched under a tarp for months on end – even when no one else
could imagine what the final outcome would look like – even when
it seemed they couldn’t find any of the special parts they were
looking for – they always persevered and never lost faith that
they could do it. And because of this, they eventually did!
The
truck has a 1980 Pete 359 cab and hood but the rest is pretty much a
collection of parts from various makes, models and years of trucks,
with a large array of custom designed and made accessories (some
parts even came from cars). Many of the hard-to-find parts were
found with the help of Jeff Simcox, owner of Astro Truck Wrecking, a
local salvage yard near Western States’ shop and office. After
installing the new 30-foot long frame rails, both Mike and Brian
thought the truck would be way too long and considered cutting it
down (good thing they didn’t because at the Las Vegas truck show
they ended up being five to six feet shorter than most of the other
trucks there). To get that long and lean look they desired, their
first project was to add an 11-inch extension to the hood cowling
(between the end of the hood and the windshield). This not only
extended the hood but also allowed for an enclosed space to hide
some of the "ugly" engine parts, wiring and air cleaner
ducts. But that was just the beginning.
For power, they found a Cat 3406 in a 1984 Freightliner and, after
some power upgrades and modifications, dropped it in. Rated
somewhere between 550 and 600 horsepower, this truck has plenty of
energy. To give the truck more length, Mike and Brian spread the
rear axles a full 6-1/2 feet (somebody called it a "California
Spread" so that is how they now refer to it). Custom fuel tanks
also add to the truck’s stretched look. The guys took four fuel
tanks and cut one of the ends off of each of them. Then they welded
the tanks together (two for each side) creating very long tanks that
look like one piece (the seams are hidden under the tank straps).
They fabricated their own aluminum tank guards and painted them
yellow to match. Now came the lowering process.
To begin "dropping" the truck, Mike and Brian installed
3:55 ratio Eaton rear-ends and a DS402 Pete low air-leaf suspension.
Brian took a leaf out of the suspension and de-arced the remaining
springs about 1-1/2 inches. The guys found a special car hauler
front axle that lowered the front end of the truck dramatically.
With the combination of a fully adjustable air-ride suspension and
thin low-profile tires, the truck can sit with the front bumper as
low as the height of a nickel standing on end, but it can also be
raised five inches for driving and hauling. All things considered,
both Mike and Brian agree that the truck rides very smoothly – not
sloppy or loose or, worse yet, stiff and bouncy. Another trick they
did was to replace the stock 359 fenders with a set from a Pete 379.
To give it an even lower look, they mounted the new fenders almost
two full inches lower than normal. This brought them right down over
the rubber and added to the already-stretched look of the entire
front end. The truck’s overall length is 31 feet, its wheelbase is
272 inches and the bumper to back of cab dimension is 139 inches.
To finish up the truck’s exterior Mike and Brian added several
smooth stainless and polished aluminum pieces including custom-made
battery boxes and steps, a Valley Chrome front bumper, custom
fabricated (by the guys) smooth deck plating, under cab trim and
emblem backer plates complete with mini emblem visors – all built
to last with 1/4" thick aluminum angle iron. Protech made the
headache rack, drom, and rear fenders for the truck.
Following the ideas and advice of Mike and Brian, Protech rolled the
ends of the fenders farther down toward the ground than normal,
removing the need for mud flaps. The windows have been modified too.
Power window motors were removed from a junked Cadillac and
installed on the truck to operate its dark-tinted, one-piece side
windows. The rig was then decked out with all Truck-Lite LED lights,
8-inch Dynaflex stacks and Double J headlights and blinker bars. Now
lets go inside the cab.
The interior was kept as simple as possible. Attempting to mimic a
classic street rod, they used no wood and installed only the bare
necessities, in regards to gauges and switches and such. The dash
was painted yellow and the door panels and headliner were covered in
gray and black tweed with yellow accents. The seats were upgraded to
low-profile Bostrom air seats that, when dropped all the way down,
are so low that it’s hard to see over the dash. The guys also
custom-built a nice overhead console that houses the CB radio,
stereo and some speakers. Accent lighting mounted low on the door
panels creates an eerie glow in the cab at night. The end result is
an uncluttered interior that doesn’t hurt the eyes when looked at
– it even makes the truck look easier to drive.
Both Mike and Brian are extremely proud that they built something,
from the ground up, that is completely unique. "Anybody can
spend a lot of money and bolt on a bunch of chrome, but this truck
was built out of blood, sweat and tears, not just money," said
Brian. He continued, "In fact, it’s made almost entirely of
junk yard parts and handmade components." As Mike recounted the
first time that he watched Brian drive the truck out of the shop and
take its first turn onto the street, he almost had tears in his
eyes. Both of the guys described the feelings they felt that day
using words like fantastic, incredible and unforgettable. Obviously,
the whole experience of creating something from nearly nothing was
almost too much for them to handle. The sincerity of their emotions
were certainly clear to us.
Many people think the truck can’t work, but as soon as they secure
a steady job for it, they’ll begin building a custom trailer to
match. Both Mike and Brian (who’s official titles at WSW are
Transportation Manager and Director of Fleet Maintenance,
respectfully) would like to build more trucks in the future –
maybe even start a business fabricating high-quality custom truck
components or building hot rod trucks. Mike is really excited about
starting a new project – maybe build a lowered Pete 352 cabover
with a chopped roof, or maybe take a classic needlenose Pete and
extend the hood two extra feet and drop in a big power Cat motor.
They both agreed that they need to build a matching hot rod golf
cart to haul on the drom so they can cruise around in it at the
truck shows.
At first glance this truck could be thought rather plain, but
anybody
who knows trucks (or has read this story) should be able to
recognize the many incredible details this
more-than-just-bright-and-shiny rig has to offer. Mike and Brian had
a vision to redefine "California Cool" and set new trends
and standards for future show trucks to follow. And they did! It’s
been said that the greatest pleasure in life is doing what others
say you cannot. We’re glad we could help Mike and Brian realize
one of their dreams – and we wish them both the best of luck for
all the rest.
~ Special
thanks go out to Ralph Daily of Quality Turf in San Jacinto,
California, for letting us tear up a little bit of his sod field and
to Junior,
Western States Wholesale mechanic and service truck operator, for
braving the heat and humidity and helping prepare the truck for the
photo shoot.
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