Not A Fuel Squeezer

This month’s cool “creation” was built for Kyle Hennings of Hartley, Iowa. Although it is an “aerodynamic” truck, Kyle did not build it to be a fuel squeezer – he built it to be different. And although he had the skills and experience to build it himself, he chose to let Clint do it.

At only 24 years old, Kyle has already seen and done a lot. Growing up around farming and trucking, at the young age of 13, Kyle got a loan from the bank and bought a brand new reefer trailer. His dad owned a trucking company, so one of his drivers leased it from him. Earning 10% of the trailer’s revenue, Kyle was able to use that money to not only make the payments, but to have a little allowance, too.

Kyle and his dad, Loren, bought and then rebuilt a wrecked Harley as a winter project and then built a few 4-wheelers. When Kyle was 16, they bought a Peterbilt 379 and tore it down to the firewall and floor (he drove that truck to Prom in his senior year of high school). Kyle’s dad still runs that truck today. In 2008, they bought a wrecked 1998 Peterbilt that Kyle and his friends tore down and rebuilt. Kyle drove that truck until he ordered the new one seen here (which had a similar paint scheme to this one).

Kyle’s friend Brandon Espey took a picture of a stock Peterbilt 386 and, using his computer, added Kyle’s red and white two-tone split paint scheme, stretched it out, and added the pipes. When Kyle saw the finished product, he said, “That’s it. I am doing it!” And he did!!

The Peterbilt 386 with a 70-inch high-roof sleeper was ordered white with a red frame and equipped with an ISX Cummins, an 18-speed, a car-hauler front axle and air-ride on the rear. Once the truck arrived at the dealership, Rick and Rob went to work on the paint, adding the red on top, and then Leonard in the body shop took over the rest of the project.

A lot was done to this truck, but Clint tried to give it an “effortless” look, which is not easy. The headlights were converted to HID bulbs and the insides of the buckets were painted white. Charlie and Kip installed a 12 Ga. air-ride kit in the front to lower the truck’s standards, as well as 12 Ga. mirror brackets and cab and sleeper panels. Clint installed one of his own visors, flush cab lights, and Fisher half-fenders with his own hidden brackets. Not wanting to leave his dad out of the project just because there were no air cleaner screens to chop, Clint sent him to the junk yard to find a good fuel flap door, which he used to hide the urea tank behind. Lincoln Chrome pipes were added, and Clint made his own elbows by modifying a set of turnout stack tips and then flipping them around to get the perfect bend.

Inside the truck, the cab features a painted aluminum floor, painted dash and door panels, and a painted-to-match steering wheel. The seats were swapped out with Elite seats, and then slid back to make some extra room up front.

The end result is a simple, clean truck that has been highly customized, but doesn’t look busy. Kyle Hennings is very happy with his new truck, and will be out pulling a bull rack with it every day. So, if you see him out there lookin’ neat in the seat, give him a thumbs-up, because this aerodynamic Peterbilt ain’t no fuel squeezer. And like Kyle says, “It’s cool to be different.”