Some truck projects get done quickly, while others take a little bit longer. In the case of Adam Kimball and his slick 1999 Peterbilt 379 seen here, “Slow Motion” became the name of the truck based on the speed it took Adam to complete the project. But, after several years of dreaming, designing and collecting parts, his truck was finally finished a few months ago.
At just 34 years of age, Adam Kimball of Alpharetta Woods, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta) has been involved in trucking his entire life. Son of Roger Kimball, a retired serviceman and graduate of West Point, and wife Patricia Kimball, Adam’s father has been trucking since Adam was born, and Adam was riding before he could speak. Originally operating as a leaser at Caretta Trucking, Roger would later pull a step-deck, first with a White Road Commander cabover, and later with a Liberty Edition K100E Kenworth.
Riding during the summer with his father, Adam’s lessons in trucking started young. By 1990 his father had ordered a brand new 379 Peterbilt with a 63-inch flattop, the truck that would eventually become Adam’s first ride. Whenever Adam could, he was helping his dad on the trucks – detailing, cleaning, and whatever else needed to be done. At just 10 years old, Adam’s father let him drive across the desert one day, which for any young kid who loves trucks is about the coolest experience you could have.
Learning to drive the “old school” way from his father, Adam would finally, in 1998 when he graduated from high school, buy the ’90 model 379 from his dad, along with a ’93 model Heil dump trailer, and go to work. Running around the clock and working hard, within a year Adam had ordered a brand new 28-ft. tri-axle Ravens dump, which he would run equally as hard as the old Heil Olympian. After selling the 1990 Pete to his son, Roger bought a new 1999 Peterbilt 379 fitted with a 1LW series Cat 3406E. Later, when the 1LW snapped the crankshaft, Adam bought it from his father, eventually retrofitting it with a 5EK Cat 3406E – and this rig eventually became the “Slow Motion” truck seen here.
Keeping his nose to the grindstone, always working hard and keeping things clean, Adam currently runs two trucks leased to T&D Machine Handling, Inc., where his father also drives, primarily handling flatbed, stretch, and lowboy oversize and heavy-haul freight. Aside from driving, Adam also operates as a broker and keeps several other trucks working, as well.
Always keeping things clean and as nice as he could, Adam eventually found himself building the ’99 into something more than just a clean working rig. Though some amazing custom features were later handled by Dustin Dickerson and his company, Dickerson Custom Trucks in Thorntown, Indiana, Adam did much of the work on “Slow Motion” himself before sending it to Dustin. The truck features drop visors, a bumper flip-kit, steer axle air-ride, and air cleaner lights from 12 Ga. Customs, along with stainless steel boxes, tanks, fenders, and a rear light bar from 4 State Trucks in Joplin, Missouri.
Other custom features on Adam’s truck include mono-bar mirror brackets, a polished 359 hood strip retrofitted to the 379 hood, many recovered and re-chromed factory pieces, and unique headlight buckets from a 1970s-era Freightliner FLC, which feature a more detailed backside than the standard 359 double-round headlights. The interior, which was mostly done by Marietta Auto Trim, a local interior shop in Atlanta, includes many recovered pieces done in ostrich and leather, dyed to match, along with a painted floor, featuring another 359 hood strip, following through from the exterior.
Painted the factory Whirlpool Blue, Adam would finally send “Slow Motion” off to Dustin Dickerson for some other major modifications. Originally sitting on a 268-inch wheelbase, Dustin would disassemble the entire truck and add four feet of brand new rail, making for a just-right 316-inch wheelbase, as well as laying down new paint on the frame and finishing out the overhead console on the interior. The overhead, featuring three down-facing amber lights along with the “Keep on Truckin” quote and cartoon, is Adam’s favorite feature on the rig. The overhead console, which fills in the ultra-cab rise and makes stereo access easier, is the most eye-catching feature of the interior, which is no small task considering the interior also has a painted dash with chrome gauges, a two-stick conversion, a matching steering wheel, and low-base, stitched-to-match seats. Inside and out, the truck also has plenty of gray and lime green pin-striping, which sets off the truck’s metallic blue paint nicely.
But, don’t think that just because of the chrome and paint that Adam’s truck is a slouch. With enough rail to do some serious overhang off the front end, the truck is powered by a 600-hp 5EK 3406E Cat featuring twin-turbos by Antrim Diesel, pushing a high-torque 10-speed on 3.70 rear gears. Oh yea, she can move!
Though Adam has usually focused primarily on over-the-road driving, with his son Jackson (9), who loves to help his dad around the shop, along with his fiancé, Kristen, who recently gave birth to their new son Reeves Kash Kimball in December, Adam has backed out of long-distance work and is running mostly local these days. A trucking family through and through, both Kristen and Jackson can be found helping Adam in the shop regularly, and we’re sure Reeves will help, as well, just as soon as he can hold a wrench.
Adam would like to thank Bryan Martin and 4 State Trucks, as well as Jeff at 12 Ga. Customs, for all of their help in supplying the chrome and accessories for his truck. He’d also like to thank Dustin Dickerson for his help on the truck. Most of all, however, Adam would like to thank his family for their love and support of him and his “addiction” to cool trucks. Whether it’s adding a new custom feature to this rig or just keeping one of their other rides clean, Kimball’s operation is a true family effort – and it shows.
We at 10-4 Magazine would like to thank Adam for his time on the photo shoot. Scheduling it after the last day of the 4 State / CSM “Guilty By Association” truck show in Joplin, Missouri last year, Adam had no problem making time for us to get the photo shoot done before he left town.
Success is often a matter of commitment and hard work, and Adam Kimball’s ‘99 Peterbilt, seen on these pages, is a testament to what hard work can bring. “Slow Motion” isn’t just a cool ride, but proof of what years of keeping to your goals and always doing your best can bring.
Although he has not worked the truck yet since completing the build, Adam plans to put the truck into full-time heavy-haul service after the truck show in Louisville, Kentucky at the end of March. We know this won’t be the last cool ride we see coming from the Kimball stables, and we’re sure the next won’t disappoint, either.
