COVER FEATURE - JULY 2008
LUCKY "13"
PROOF THAT INTERNATIONALS CAN BE COOL
By Daniel J. Linss - Editor
Contrary to popular belief, International trucks can be cool – and this month’s cover proves it. Chris Beatty (42) of Beatty Body Works in Oklahoma City, OK built this custom creation for International to show that they could be just as cool as the rest. And although it was built as a prototype for several new options that will soon be available through International and to promote the product to owner operators directly, Chris is bringing attention to another cause through this truck – Autism awareness. Since his son Mason was diagnosed with Autism, Chris has devoted much of his time and energy to learning more about this disorder and is using the truck to help “drive” the point home that parents need to be more educated on this subject.
Growing up around trucks, Chris tried to be a truck driver after high school, but realized pretty quickly that it was not his cup of tea, so he became a mechanic. He began doing paint and body work on the side and then eventually got a job at the local Peterbilt dealer in Oklahoma City. Shortly after he started, the body shop manager abruptly quit after 25 years, which put Chris in “the right place at the right time” to become the new body shop manager. Chris ran their shop for seven years before he decided to cash in his 401K and start his own business.
Beatty Body Works (BBW) began in 2000 as a paint and body shop, but since Chris had some experience as a mechanic, he could also do some wrenching if necessary. Over the years, BBW has become a successful business, despite the fact that they have never hung a sign on the front of their building – all of their business comes from friends, satisfied customers and by word of mouth. Chris has six full-time employees that have been with him since the beginning, and his family helps out a lot, too. Two years ago, to help out his friend Bryan Martin (the infamous Chrome Shop Mafia Boss), Chris left his shop for a year to run 4-State’s shop in Joplin, MO. BBW remained open, but Chris was not there to help. When it was time to go home, Chris headed back to BBW with a renewed excitement for custom fabrication and truck building. But building “cool” trucks was nothing new to Chris. Over the years, he has built many of the well-known show trucks running around out there as well as promotional trucks for Panelite, Valley Chrome, Toyota, NASCAR and now his latest, this 9900ix for International.
After years of trying to convince the folks at International to let him build one of their trucks for promotion, Chris was finally given the green light last year. In recent years, International has set their sights on the owner operator market by offering trucks like the 9900ix and, now, the new LoneStar. As part of their unveiling celebration of the LoneStar at the truck show in Louisville last March, International thought it might be good to have a tricked-out 9900ix out there, too. This is how Lucky “13” finally came to be.
Chris was told to order the truck from Hill International in West Virginia because they sell the most 9900ix trucks (when the truck completes its truck show tour this year, it will go back to that dealership to be sold if it hasn’t already been). So, throughout the build process, Chris had to get approval from Jesse Averhart at corporate and from Steve Hill at the dealership. The 2008 truck was ordered with the longest wheelbase Chris could get (280 inches) and the shortest sleeper (51 inches), along with a 550 Cat C15, an Eaton 18-speed and Meritor rear-ends. The pastel mint green truck arrived in November of 2007 and the three-month build began a month later.
The first thing Chris and his crew did was take the truck apart – they took it all the way down to just a chassis. To get the truck lowered, International sent out John Fehring, one of their engineers, to help Chris with the rear suspension. Among other things, they added custom spacer blocks to move the axles up two inches and, thus, lowered the rear of the truck. To get the front down, a prototype AIRTEK suspension made by Hendrickson, along with a deep drop STEERTEK front axle, was installed. To give the truck good stopping power, it was equipped with a Bendix ADB22X air disc brake system all around.
Once the chassis work was completed, it was time to start working on the body parts. Through some heavy modifications, the hood was lowered four inches and eight inches was added to the back of the front fenders, the cab (and sleeper) was dropped four inches, the exhaust was moved below the frame and replaced with a dual 7-inch Dynaflex system (the battery and step boxes had to be shortened ten inches for the pipes to fit), Panelite cab and sleeper extensions were added, the air tanks were moved and the mirror brackets were modified (all of the bolted-on brackets were removed and everything was welded together). After the cab was lowered, the clutch linkage did not fit so they swapped out the standard clutch with a hydraulic unit – and Chris loves it.
Next, it was time to install the accessories and the other final touches. Vortox supplied their football-shaped air cleaners (these are needed because the hood and cab are wider than most trucks), while WTI supplied the rear fiberglass full fenders. Valley Chrome provided the front and rear bumpers, Panelite supplied the flush-mount deck plates and Trux built the visor. Centramatic balancers were added all around to keep the 24.5 low profile wheels and tires continuously balanced, and a custom grille insert was added. Then, the entire truck was repainted green and the fire-engine-yellow stripes were added.
Now, all that was left to do was the interior. Chris removed the center console for more leg room and replaced the upholstered roof with a shiny piece of stainless. Next, they took the dash apart and painted it green and then added all of the available Woody’s accessories. Also, an aluminum floor, painted green with a yellow stripe to match the truck’s exterior, was installed. The final touch was a 1,500-watt sound system from Kicker that includes an Alpine head unit, a CD changer, Sirius satellite radio, a multi-channel amp, a 10-inch subwoofer and lots of speakers.
The idea to “get the word out” about Autism came as an afterthought. Chris had the folks at Valley Chrome make him custom mud flap weights which included the words “Autism Awareness” and outlines of puzzle pieces, which is sort of a logo for the cause. The way Chris described the significance of the puzzle pieces was that autistic kids can’t put all the pieces of life’s puzzle together properly to live and function normally. Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that impairs a person’s ability to communicate and relate to others. Today, the disorder, which has quickly yet quietly reached epidemic proportions, is more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined. It is widely believed that genetics play a major role in causing autism, but there are many other theories, none of which have been scientifically proven – yet.
Many parents attribute their child’s autism to their childhood vaccinations – more specifically, the MMR (Mumps/Measles/Rubella) vaccination. Nearly all of the health organizations say that there is no direct relationship between vaccines and autism, yet many parents and some smaller research groups are convinced that there is more to the story. At 18 months old, Chris’ son Mason, who at the time was communicating and developing normally, got his MMR vaccination and then got very sick. From then on, he began to rapidly develop speech problems and his mental capabilities, in regards to communication, began to start regressing backwards. For Chris and his wife Christy, the reason for Mason’s autism could not be any clearer. They now attend seminars and conferences across the country to learn more about their son’s disorder, and participate in many walks and other events to help raise money and awareness for the cause.
The point Chris wanted to drive home is that parents have a choice regarding immunizations. Although he, like many others out there, believe that vaccinations are necessary, some could be given later, when a child’s immune system is more mature, and some could be given in smaller doses over time instead of being “stacked” as they call it. In 1983, children were given only 10 vaccinations and the rate of autism was about 1 in 10,000. Today, just 25 years later, kids receive 36 shots and the rate is now 1 in 150. Again, the scientific community does not believe there is a link between vaccinations and autism, but it does seem to be a contributing factor. Chris is very passionate about this topic and wants parents to learn more before allowing their children to be immunized at a young age. For more information about autism, visit www.autismspeaks.org or just search “autism” on the internet.
Chris and his wife Christy have been married for fourteen years. Mason is now eight years old and his younger brother Dawson is seven (he is not autistic). Both of the boys love riding in the truck with their dad, and Chris says that Mason tends to calm down a lot when in it. One of the reasons Chris wants to build up BBW is that one day he wants to be able to pass it on to his son Dawson so that when it comes time for him to take care of his older brother, he will be able to do it. Mason will require continuous care and financial support for his entire life.
Chris wanted to send out a special “thank you” to his father, William Beatty, for being such a great role model and influence. Chris’ motto in the shop is, “If you wouldn’t buy it, don’t try to sell it.” This simple philosophy has helped Beatty Body Works to become one of the premier truck building shops in the country, and drives home the point that if you are not satisfied with your work, your customers won’t be either. If anyone out there is interested in buying this cool truck, contact Steve Hill at (304) 233-1500 or Chris at (405) 350-0285. Just remember when you call, the price of “cool” aint cheap! And this truck is one of the coolest Internationals ever built.