SIMPLE THINGS IN LIFE
THE LATEST PROJECT FROM CLINT MOORE
This month’s “creation” was built for Curtis Stewart (47) of Chester, Oklahoma. Growing up around trucks, Curtis was “hooked” at a young age. Over the years, Curtis has owned several trucks (and still does), but this latest “creation” he had built for his driver Paul Lawson. Paul has always been a great driver, and he recently had a few health challenges, so Curtis thought ordering him a brand new truck, built to Paul’s specs, was the least he could do for him.
Son of Andy & Kitty Stewart, Curtis’ parents are his heroes and mentors. When Curtis was a kid, his dad owned a couple fuel stations. Then, in 1966, he became a fuel jobber (distributor) for Mobil Oil, delivering fuel to gas stations, farms and small businesses in small straight trucks. As the company grew, so did the size of the trucks hauling the fuel. Once Curtis took a few rides in a big rig, he was hooked for life.
When Curtis was still in high school, his dad bought a 1977 Chevy Bison daycab with a 350 Cummins, which Curtis drove from time to time, delivering oil for his dad. After graduating from high school, Curtis went on to Oklahoma State Tech in Okmulgee, OK to study diesel mechanics. Recruiters from local companies would come in and try to hire him (as a mechanic) but he always told them, “Don’t waste your time, I’m going to truck.” After graduating from mechanics school, he went on to drive for his dad’s company.
In 1990, Curtis married his wife Bonita, and then decided it was time for a change. He bought a 1986 Pete 359 from his dad and then signed on with Acord Transportation of Chandler, OK and started hauling propane. After hauling fuel and oil his entire life, it was a nice change of pace. He left Acord for a few years (2001 to 2004) to haul for Farmers Oil in Anthony, KS, but then returned to Acord, where he has been ever since.
In 1999, Curtis ordered a new 2000 Pete 379 Extended Hood with a 600 Cat and a flattop sleeper, which he still drives today. The truck has 970,000 miles on it and it is still going strong, thanks to a great mechanic named John Kerr of K & K Diesel in Anthony, KS. When it was time to add a second truck, Curtis hired Paul Lawson and bought a cheap used truck for him to drive. After many problems, he bought him a used 2005 KW, but that didn’t work out too well, either.
As a recent cancer survivor, Paul has not had it easy. And then, not too long ago, he found out that he had to have hip replacement surgery, which would put him “out of service” for about six weeks. Curtis thought that this would be a great time to order him a brand new truck. For years, Curtis has enjoyed checking out 10-4 Magazine’s website each and every month, and he always thought it would be cool to talk to Clint Moore. So, when it was time to order, he called Clint.
Clint ordered Curtis a brand new 2010 Pete 389 with an ISX 600 and a 63” flattop, but Curtis let Paul spec out the truck any way he wanted. Painted Galaxy Blue Metallic with a Galaxy Blue frame, the truck has a 277” wheelbase and a car hauler front axle. Before the truck was delivered to Clint, it was sent from the factory in Denton, TX to Weldon Manufacturing in Ft. Worth, TX for a refrigerator and an 1,800-watt power inverter.
Once it got to Clint’s shop, the work began. Many late nights were spent on this truck, as Clint wanted to have it finished by the time Paul was ready to go back to work. Among other things, they added seven flush-mount cab lights, one of Clint’s custom visors, 8” double-walled straights from Dynaflex, stainless cab and sleeper skirts, flush-mount deck plate, a custom rear tail piece and full fenders with hidden brackets. Curtis and Paul like things to be clean and simple, like Clint, so they used the “less is more” philosophy when building this truck. In fact, the dash plate even says, “Custom Built for Simple Things in Life.”
When it came time to deliver the truck, Clint personally brought it to Anthony, KS, thanks to some help from his dad (who followed behind in his pickup truck). One bone of contention about this truck is the color. Being a fan of the University of Kansas (KU), Paul said it had to be blue. But being huge University of Oklahoma (OU) fans, every truck and car the Stewart family has ever owned, including Curtis’ current ride, has always been dark red in honor of the Sooners. Andy & Kitty, Curtis’ folks, are season ticket holders and they attend every OU football game (their house also looks like a shrine to the Sooners). The only saving grace was that Paul would be driving this truck, not Curtis, so they decided not to disown their son or make him repaint the truck.
Curtis Stewart is blessed to have such great parents and a supportive wife, saying, “Nothing would have been possible without them.” Curtis is also very happy to have Paul driving one of his trucks - he’s a great driver and he keeps his truck impeccably clean (even if it is blue). For both Curtis and Paul, life has not always been easy, but everything always seems to fall into place. But that’s how it is when you keep things simple!
~ If you would like Clint Moore to order and/or build you a new custom truck, contact him at Kansas City Peterbilt via e-mail at clintmoore@kcpete.com or call him at (913) 441-2888. You can also visit his website at www.custombuiltfor.com and check out pictures of other custom trucks he has built.