Mistaken Identity

This month’s cool “creation” was built for Ron Stokes of Prince George, BC (Canada). Needing to comply with Canada’s modest length laws but still wanting a good-looking standup truck, Ron and Clint figured out how to make it happen, but it wasn’t easy. But if someone wants something a certain way bad enough, and they are willing to be patient, anything is possible!

Ron Stokes (43), the son of an electrician and welder, did not grow up in a trucking family. He was always interested in trucks, but there was no family connection. Apparently, Ron was not very savvy with the ladies growing up, so his mom told him that he had better learn how to cook so he didn’t starve to death. After high school, Ron went to culinary school and became a certified red-sealed chef, but he hated being inside all of the time (he also came to the realization that he was only qualified to earn minimum wage).

Wanting a better life, and to be outside more, Ron went out on road, hauling logs with his friend Roger Grieve, in the woods north of Prince George. Roger taught him the ropes (and how to drive), and then he got his license. Ron hauled logs for six or seven years and then bought his first truck in 2003 – an orange 2000 KW W900L. This truck ended up being your typical “used” truck, which tested him repeatedly but taught him a lot, too. He drove that truck until he bought a new Legacy Edition Peterbilt 379 in 2007.

Being a bit of a truck picture junkie on the Internet, Ron found pictures of some trucks Clint had built and decided to order his next one from him. Ron wanted a “classic-looking” truck with a standup sleeper, but he didn’t want it to look stubby and short, because of Canada’s modest length laws. Clint had the idea of ordering a 388 Peterbilt with the car-hauler setup (everything is lowered to accommodate the roof rack), but the factory did not want to put a standup sleeper on one of these trucks – so Clint built it himself.

Ordering a standard Peterbilt 388 with a 63-inch standup sleeper, the guys at KC Peterbilt replaced all the mounts and lowered the cab and sleeper about four inches. Clint then ordered a new car-hauler hood, which is shorter and lower, and not sloped – it is flat. In the end, they had a perfectly-proportioned truck that looks like a regular 389 with a long hood, but it isn’t. It’s a 388 with a short hood and a modest wheelbase, but everything looks just right – which is where the name “Mistaken Identity” came from.

The brown truck was painted with a classic “swoop” paint scheme using gold and orange colors that Clint picked out, and was then fitted with one of Clint’s visors with a chrome strip on the bottom. They also installed flush cab lights, painted body drop panels, Shift rear fenders, dummy pipes (it has a weed-burner exhaust), extra lights, and a custom rear light bar. Clint’s dad chopped the air cleaner screens, and then the guys in the shop painted the fuel tanks, hid the urea tank, and painted the dash panels.

Happily married since 1991, Ron and his wife Filomena have two kids – a daughter named Izabella (15) and a son named Nathan (13). Ron still enjoys cooking and is meticulous about how he presents his culinary creations, so he and Clint really hit it off. As you can see here, Clint is pretty particular about his “creations” too!