TEN FOUR MAGAZINE - TRUCKING ON-LINE MAGAZINE FOR TRUCKERS

CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN!
By Roving Reporter Suzanne Stempinski

When you think about the most awesome working show trucks, what comes to mind? Lots of chrome, stainless and shiny stuff? Gleaming paint with incredible graphics? Fancy tool boxes and stretched frames and neat stuff everywhere you look? Well, what comes before all the fancy bells and whistles (or nut covers and train horns) is that everywhere you look is clean. From bumper to bumper, axles and frame rails – clean.

Several years ago, someone asked me to come up with a list of tips for truck show participants. I’ll share it here – it holds as true today as it did in 1996.

10 TIPS FOR TRUCK SHOW PARTICIPANTS
1) Clean everything you can see.
2) Clean the things you can’t see.
3) Clean what you don’t think anyone else can see.
4) Clean it all again.
5) Look at award-winning trucks – and remember you can’t be too clean. You don’t need the most chrome, but you can’t win with dirt.
6) Don’t be afraid to ask for tips or pointers. Truck show participants learn from each other.
7) Be original – judges like creativity.
8) Design your truck to please yourself.
9) Have a good attitude and you’ll make friends who don’t need to be dusted when they sit on your mantel.
10) Have fun and be proud to represent the trucking industry every day.

Funny how the first five suggestions are all about being clean! If all you want to do is run down the highway looking good, or be a “grandstand” truck, (a term regularly used by successful show truck participant Tod Job), then exterior clean is all you need. But, if you want to participate in more serious truck shows and stand a chance of bringing home an award, then your level of clean has to get a little deeper.

If your regular maintenance includes truck washes and periodic steam cleaning of the undercarriage all year, then clean-up for a show will be a little easier and less costly. According to Vic Caliva of Caliva’s Truck Wash & Polishing in Montebello, California, when you’re getting ready for a show, first, you’ll want to get your equipment steam cleaned to remove built-up grease and road gunk. Then have a thorough wash job. If you plan on working on your truck at home, be sure that you protect the environment and have plenty of rags on hand, and a way to capture and dispose of grease and oil so as not to clog storm drains or contaminate the water table. With the right chemicals and 180-degree water, you'll be able to do a pretty thorough job. And try not to blow all the paint off your frame in the process! Touch-up paint will be one of the essentials in your show prep toolbox.

What areas are easy to forget and make a real difference in judging results? According to Job, who has been competing in truck shows since 1995, “Be sure to get the insides of your wheels, inside the frame and under the bunk. If you can see it or reach it, so can the judges – and it better be clean.”

Don’t forget to get at your axles, airbags, springs and shackles. Open the hood and really look at what you see as you stand next to your steer tires. If you can see grime on your oil pan – it’s not invisible to anyone else either. Cleaning your trailer? How about those cross members? Be sure that you can't see or feel grit or grease (and don't overlook wiping the bottom of the feet on your landing gear). Scrub both sides of your mud flaps – clean on the front and nasty on the back won’t win you any extra points!

Keeping your interior clean should be part of your regular routine. If you’re waiting to load or unload, if the weather is crummy and you’re stuck somewhere, if it’s Tuesday and you’re waiting at the truck wash for your turn, grab some rags and cleaning supplies and go to town. Do a thorough vacuuming – pick all the stuff up off your floor – clean out under the bed and in all the closets – under and around your seat bases. When getting ready for a show, if you have carpet, you’ll want to break out that little green carpet cleaning machine. Use whatever cleaning supplies are appropriate to make your floor, walls, ceiling, doors, seats and dash look better than new.

Victor Verret drives a truck that’s far from ordinary. His awesome 1994 Kenworth W900L and 1995 stainless steel side-kitted covered wagon turn heads wherever he goes. In addition to collecting compliments and trophies, he has been a truck show judge and now trains judges for show truck competitions. When it comes to interiors, there’s a long list of “must do’s” that can mean the difference between a trophy and a “why not me?”

“So many people are doing great things to their interiors that sometimes the only difference the judges can find is a little dirt to bump someone out,” Verret explains. His list of places you might not think to clean includes: around the door jambs, air conditioning and defroster vents, top and bottom of visors, behind your pedals, inside ashtrays, all around your CB radio, seat belts and holders, low-mounted speakers or boxes, bottom of seats, that space where the seat bottom meets the back – in short, “any place a hand can go.”

Stand on the ground and look at what’s at eye level. That’s what the judges will see first. Thorough cleaning will probably mean doing some dismantling – like pulling vents and covers out and cleaning them in a bucket of warm soapy water. Get into those hard-to-reach places with Q-tips and old toothbrushes (more essential parts of your prep kit). “Do not have a stinky truck,” Verret emphasizes, “It will not get you any bonus points.” If you’re a smoker or have any other strong odors lingering in your truck, be sure to get rid of them before the judges climb inside your cab or sleeper.

What products will give you the best results? Everyone has personal preferences. Talk to other people and get their recommendations. Try new products – many of them are available in small or sample sizes. Your glass has to sparkle, leather and vinyl should look shiny and your carpet, head liner and upholstery should look and smell fresh. Remember, there’s a direct relationship between a clean truck and a dirty driver! As your truck begins to gleam, you’ll become covered in grime you didn’t even realize was there. Be sure to leave yourself some time to clean up before visiting with the judges. You are an important aspect of your truck’s presentation.

Once your truck is clean inside and out, front to back and top to bottom, the judges will be more inclined to look favorably on your ride. Then, it’s time to think about things you can do to make your truck stand out from all the rest.

Next time we’re going to take a look at three types of floors – wood, ceramic tile and stainless steel. If there’s a topic you’d like to see covered or a suggestion you’d like to give, I can be reached through e-mail at Wheelz624@aol.com or by calling 1-888-440-4104. Til then, keep the (clean and) shiny side up.