As Valley Chrome Plating out of Clovis, CA celebrates their 60th year in business, they recently unveiled their display truck for the 2022 truck show season. Originally, this display truck was going to be built for the 2021 show season and they were looking for a 1961 model to match the year they started. But, after the pandemic canceled most of the 2021 season, their sights were set to have a cool truck completed to make its debut at the 2022 MATS show in Louisville, KY – and that is what they did.
Finding this 1959 Peterbilt Model 351 that is owned by Kary Bryce of PMI in Sibley, Louisiana, work began as far back as 2020. This build became a collaboration of many of the largest accessory manufacturers and chrome shops in the industry, which is a testimony to how much Valley Chrome, as a company, is admired and respected. Everyone wanted to help! PMI is known for owning and building some of the most amazing rides on the road today, and the truck belongs to them, so choosing them to perform the build was an easy choice for Gary Pons at Valley Chrome to make.
This truck was originally restored and customized by Jeff England of Pride Transport in Salt Lake City, UT. Kary bought the truck from a farmer in South Dakota five or six years ago who had purchased it from Jeff several years prior to that – and he didn’t need to do much to it make it look good, because it already did. In fact, from the naked eye, one might not think much was changed, however Andrew “Stick” Ditz at PMI (the builder) would beg to differ, as he tore the truck down to bare frame rails and then rebuilt almost everything to ensure perfection.
After tearing the truck down, the chassis was cleaned up and everything underneath, along with the fenders and tanks, were painted Rubinschwarz Effect – a Mercedes color that, depending on the light, looks root beer brown or purple. The rest of the truck was painted Gun Metal Grey. Swapping the sleeper to a more period-correct 36” bunk with square doors, three sides of the sleeper needed to be reskinned. They also did a full Unibilt conversion to the cab and sleeper, then added three diamond-shaped windows to the back of the sleeper.
Of course, Valley Chrome Plating (VCP) provided many of the parts and accessories for this build, including the front bumper, the rear T-bars, their latest step boxes with flip-up lids, stainless deck plates, visor, cab and sleeper panels with VCP oval LEDs, and airline box on the back, which was fitted with the latest glass watermelon LEDs offered by VCP on the front, facing the sleeper. Other companies that stepped up included Lincoln Chrome, who provided the 7-inch exhaust that was custom made for this rig, Sears Seating, who made custom low-back seats with no arm rests to allow more space inside, WTI, who donated the rear fiberglass full fenders, and United Pacific, who provided the super bright headlights for this project truck.
There was one company that went above and beyond and provided tons of custom pieces for this project – JR and the crew at Lifetime Nut Covers. In addition to custom billet step plates, fuel caps, custom emblems, several laser-cut panels with the VCP logo, light bezels, and nut covers, they also provided custom dash panels (which are chrome-plated billet aluminum), chrome seat base plates, billet foot pedals, billet brake valve knobs, and custom door sills.
The interior of this rig is off the charts! With an old school vibe throughout, the floor is covered with 4-inch boards, painted white, and trimmed with stainless pieces made by 4 State Trucks. The entire floor, from the dash to the back of the sleeper, was done like this. All the black upholstery pieces were hand stitched with white by Doug Moffet of Moffet Kustoms in Granby, MO to have that 359-style look. The retro steering wheel and pearl shifter handle are from 4 State Trucks, the chrome steering column is from the Velasquez Brothers in California, and AIH Chrome out of Dubuque, IA chrome-plated all the foot pedal hardware. A “U-shaped” couch was built in the sleeper, and a chrome turn signal switch was added to the steering column.
Under the hood, the truck sports a 400 Big Cam Cummins that has been spruced up a bit and is hooked to a 13-speed transmission. They also added power steering, ceramic-coated a few pieces, and installed a custom polished one-piece intake tube made by BH Tube out of Souderton, PA. To ensure that the hood would not hit the cab, two chrome support rods were added to reinforce the hood and radiator.
The final touch was tons of hand-painted pinstripes, added all over the truck’s interior and exterior, done by Brittnea Barnes of Lady Lines out of Arcadia, LA. At barely 30 years old, this young lady is super talented and really making a big name for herself as one of the premier pinstripers out there. All the work was done freehand, including the pinstripes and lettering, which tastefully adorns the fuel tanks, sides of sleeper, around the door handles, the bottom of the interior door panels, the back of the rear fenders, back of sleeper, and sides of the hood. Her motto is “Stickers are cheating, and vinyl is for records” – and we couldn’t agree more.
The truck was scheduled to attend seven or eight truck shows this year, making its debut at MATS back in March in Louisville, KY. It was well-received at that show and draws a huge crowd wherever it goes. If you happen to see this truck at a show on its 2022 tour, be sure to check it out. It is a fine representation of what 60 years of “kool” looks like. Congratulations to our friends at Valley Chrome for not only this truck, but their 60th anniversary, as well – what an accomplishment! Keep up the great work, and here’s to 60 more years!!
