Custom Rigs - 2005 Kenworth

I haven't made a secret out of the fact that the Kenworth is my favorite truck, but I promise that I really don't go out of my way to post this many articles about Kenworth in a row! lol However, all the photos I've received lately have been exactly that.... Kenworth. So here's another one ;-) hehe.

Actually, my own photos are currently being held hostage by a PC that's not functioning as it should ... I do have other truck photos on my camera & on my PC that I'm waiting to use once my PC is up & running again.

Also, a brief disclaimer, I'm not in the habit of advertising on this blog, but when someone sends me nice photos like these, of trucks they've been working on & restoring, I think they deserve to be credited for the nice work that was done (plus, I do get inquiries regarding some of the trucks that I mention in this blog, so it's nice to know where to direct people if they are interested in that...)

These photos are of a custom truck, originally a 2005 Kenworth.
The paint job was done by Mayes Truck & Trailer Repair & Sales, and Ed Mayes helped customizing the truck with many of those gorgeous Chrome parts. They are located in Central PA, so if anybody out there needs a hand with their truck, I'm sure they'll be happy to help :) They can be contacted @ (717)463-3042.

Anyway, below are the photos that were sent to me. I can't tear my eyes away from the shiny chrome. Wouldn't mind seeing that in my rear view mirror :)



Gorgeous!
Ok, despite the fact that I do have more Kenworth photos in my mailbox, I promise I'll focus on posting a non-Kenworth post next .... Scout's honor! :-)

Truck Replica: Snowman's Rig from "Smokey & The Bandit"

The following post has been one of the most fun ones I've delved into since I started this blog!
It turned out to be about much more than just the truck (and I don't mean to downplay the importance of the truck here... this IS a truck blog after all!!).
What I mean by that is, once I started digging in and reading up on info that was provided to me regarding this truck project, I kept finding so many new & interesting facts and I have been introduced to a whole new world I knew nothing about prior to this. So cool! This is the very reason I started this blog in the first place, to learn stuff!!

Anyway, I hope you find all this as interesting as I did and if you don't, then at least scroll down and look at the photos of this awesomely fabulous truck that is a direct replica of Snowman's Rig!! It's gorgeous and deserves to be ogled!


It all started with an email I received from a gentleman named Greg and he had included some awesome photos of a truck he has been working on (along with other crew members).
It is a beautiful replica of Snowman's rig from "Smokey & the Bandit"!
And who, first of all, doesn't love Smokey & the Bandit! Seriously ... if you're into trucks at all, you have to love this movie ... I believe that's a requirement :-)I loved the photos of this truck and as soon as I was done admiring the truck and had wiped the drool from my keyboard, I emailed Greg back & he gave me more links & more info about this truck & their project. That's when I realized that this truck is not just about the truck itself. These guys have embraced the entire Smokey & The Bandit theme to its fullest and not only that, they are keeping Jerry Reed's memory alive by aiding projects he was passionate about, and these are project who doubt are near & dear to most truckers & Americans in general.


Jerry Reed
(I purposely chose a non-Snowman pic of him, as his accomplishments in life were many & mainly in music!)
Portion of the proceeds that are received from shows that they participate in go to charities that were near & dear to Mr. Snowman himself, Jerry Reed. These charities mainly revolve around raising funds to aid veterans and their families. I find it pretty amazing how their interest for the movie has led them on this journey together, to replicate not only the truck, but other vehicles from the movie as well (some are included in the photos below), and then giving back to charities that Jerry Reed himself was passionate about... it's a complete circle.

One of the main projects in focus is the Wounded Warrior Project.

I had heard about the WWP packs before, which are backpacks delivered to wounded soldiers who end up in military trauma centers. The packs include comfort items such as phone cards, clothes, toiletries etc, things that will help make a soldier's stay at such an institution a bit more comfortable.While reading about the WWP, I found that they offer a variety of other services for wounded veterans and their families, such as counseling, mentoring, programs that help wounded veterans get back to work... as well as many other programs and projects.
One of their most intriguing projects is the one called "Project Odyssey". It's a 5-day retreat designed to help soldiers deal with combat stress by putting them to work in an environment where they are surrounded by nature, for instance they'll stay at a ranch for a week, herding cattle . In case you want to read more, I will post the link to the WWP website at the end of this post.
(After all, I don't want you running off to other websites before you've seen all the fabulous photos of Snowman's rig!! :))

ANYWAY, back to the truck!! This truck was a collaboration between several individuals. People from all walks of life joined forces and made this truck happen! According to Greg there were a lot of obstacles and problems along the way, but he says he'll do it all over again in a heart beat! :) (Sounds really cool ... I'd love to be a part of something like that at some point in my life... sounds like a great time despite all challenges that came along.)
The group met at the Bandit Run in 2007 and the dream of a full-size replica started over a 1/24 scale model... now it's a reality, isn't it! :) (See that? Everything is possible!)

Because the truck is being used for the Wounded Warrior Project, the Kenworth was purchased by an anonymous Bandit Runner and given to the "Snowman" team in order to complete Snowman's rig.

Both this KW and the other cars in the photos below attended the Bandit Run in 2009.
The Bandit Run is a re-enactment of the "Smokey and the Bandit" journey from 1977. The first reenactment happened in 2007 and the event has become an annual tradition since then.

(A link to the Bandit Run will be posted at the end of this blog...)

This is so cool... through this blog, I've been introduced to an entirely new world I had no idea existed! Makes me wonder what else is out there.... :)

Ok, let's see the photos!!

All these photos are of the replica, all vehicles in these photos are replicas, none of these shots or vehicles are from the movie itself!


Buford's car, the famous Trans Am and Snowman's Rig


I cropped out & inserted this close-up of the grill ... I really love the worn-out KW emblem...
Is that bullet hole by the way?

As far as I know, this is from a show ... & he didn't really get pulled over by a cop ... (Although if I was a cop I'd be tempted to, just to get a look at this truck :)


Jerry Reed's family, which are very much connected with this project, checking out the truck
(or are they waiting to raid the Coors crates? hehe :))

Love the Jerry Reed graphic on the door panels.



A closer look at the Jerry Reed graphic that is displayed on the door panels of the truck. Looking really nice!


Ok, here are a few links where you can read more about the WWP, as well as the Bandit Run and this truck, including info on how to get in touch should you wish to book them for a show.

The Snowman's Trailer - Official Snowman's Trailer Graphic (website still under construction). Available for sale will be t-shirts, posters & you can also get a quote for your very own custom Snowman Trailer Graphic :)

Smokey and the Bandit Models - info, photos and also info on how to get in touch with these guys to book them for shows.

The Bandit Run - photos, videos & lots of info about past & upcoming runs!

Wounded Warrior Project - more info about the WWP.

Kevin Morgan Designs - website of one of the co-owners! And I must say, for having 4 wheels only, this Concept TransAm is sweeet :)

Creative Color Graphics and Print Studio - the custom vinyl graphics for Snowman's rig was printed by this company.

Kenworth T700 .... & more ...

I ventured to one of my favorite websites the other day, which is kenworth.com .

This, by the way, is definitely a proof that I was not wired correctly at birth... lol ....
According to society I should be worrying more about the new spring line from Coco Chanel & the newest line of Coach purses, and I should certainly not muddy my girl brain by checking out the new models from Kenworth .... Alas, I am what I am, which means that I find myself spending hours clicking through the trucks on kenworth.com or peterbilt.com or whichever make catches my interest (or my eye).

So, it was Kenworth that was on my mind this time! During one of my daily commutes, I had spotted the truck that is pictured below, and I mistakenly thought it was a previous model (such as a T660) that had been updated with a new grill. I went to their website to check out their new line and it turns out that this is an entirely new Kenworth model, namely the Kenworth T700! I think it's exciting when a new truck is born, so I figured I'd share my joy!

Anyway, the shape & styling of this truck is apparently not only for cosmetic reasons, although Kenworth never fail to make their trucks look stunning and the T700 is no exception.
According to the brochure, the shape of the truck creates the lowest aerodynamic drag in the history of Kenworth trucks. Other new money saving technologies (and I'm sure those are much welcome & much needed!) include a special material on the bumpers & chassis that doesn't require new paint jobs, they are fade & impact resistant, which means less trips to the shop:)

Other stats:
8 ft Cathedral ceiling
60 cubic feet of interior storage
96 inch head room

If you want to read more about the T700, please click here for the brochure. It also has more photos of the truck & the interior.

(And just for the record, no I do not work for Kenworth LOL .... this was written voluntarily for no other reward than some cool new personal knowledge of a great new truck on the road ;-))

OK ... so while I was at it, I figured I'd look up some photos of the 2011 truck fleet from Kenworth... There aren't that many 2011 photos out there yet, I think I'll need to visit a local Kenworth dealer on my own & bring my camera :) Hopefully they won't be too disappointed when they find out I'm not in the market for a truck!

I did find a few photos though, and they are displayed below:

2011 Kenworth T660

Here's an entire row of 2011 Kenworth T660s in every color. Looking good!

2011 Kenworth T800 - love that bright green!!

Anyway, finally I found a really cool montage on the Kenworth website of all their truck models! I'm sad not to see the T2000 on there ... could it be that the T700 replaced the 2000? (I can't think of any other reason for the T2000 not to make it on to the montage ....).
Even without the T2000 (*sniff*), this montage looks very good, wouldn't mind a full-size poster of this up on my wall somewhere, alas sadly these photos are too small to blow up & print.



Ok... guess I better head over and see which Jimmy Choo's are in this year. ...

Heck, who am I kidding ... next stop Peterbilt! ;-)

Have a nice day ... be safe!

Eye Catching Trucks: United Van Lines - Golden Eagle Moving Services (Upland, CA)

I've noticed that the trucks and the trailers for moving companies are usually pretty spectacular!
Obviously I'm not expert on this particular subject, it's just an observation I've made through the years .... I have no idea why moving trucks have all those extra drawers & trailers that almost reach all the way down to the asphalt (I call them "skirts" in my head lol... I'm fairly sure that's not a valid term!!), but they look nice! (If anyone is in this particular niche of logistics & would care to enlighten me on the subject, I'd be most interested actually :))
Anyway, most Mayflower trucks certainly are headturners .... North American have some pretty sweet rides, as do United Van Lines.

As a truck enthusiast, I feel pretty lucky to have a logistics company right around the corner from where I live! The company is Golden Eagle Moving Services (United Van Lines), and they have some really nice trucks!! If I still live here when I retire, I'll probably camp outside their truck yard & stare at their semis all day long ... lol. (Not creepy at all, I'm sure ... of course I'll be an old blue-haired lady at that time so I may not be seen as a threat ;-)))

For now, I just wander up there with my camera every now and then and catch some of the trucks they have sitting out there. I pass their drive way on my way to and from work every day, and I always make sure to peer down the road where these trucks are parked sometimes to see if there's a beauty sitting out there. Below are some photos I took of a couple of their trucks, I'm sure I'll have more eventually.... (And if anybody who reads this is actually working @ Golden Eagle & you see some chick out there with a camera, don't worry... I'm really only photographic your trucks for my own enjoyment! :))

Anyway, here are 3 of their trucks as caught by my lens on a few different occasions. There's a Freightliner & two Kenworths - a T2000 & a T600 (if I'm not mistaken ...). Enjoy!

Historic Trucks: 1918 Mack Dump Truck

Well, I may be a sucker for polished chrome & custom grills, but there is something to be said for these old faithful trucks that are still around today. I do like vintage cars, vintage trucks even better, and this 1918 Mack dump truck caught my eye while I was attending a birthday party.

I'm glad I finally get to blog about Mack! I've repeateadly sat down to try to include the story of Mack trucks in my big rig chronicles, but their history is so long with so many changes, it is taking me awhile to get my thoughts wrapped up and sorted into a blog ... (it'll happen some day ... you just wait & see...)

Of course, I hadn't brought my camera that day! I guess that should teach me to leave the camera at home because you never know when you'll run across interesting blog material!
Well, I made another trip out there, purely for the purpose of photographing the truck. Once I'd seen it, it didn't want to leave my mind!

This truck is displayed at the Travel Town Museum in Griffith Park. The museum consists mainly of trains, but they did make room for a few cars, and amont them this truck.

The following information is taken straight from the information sign that the museum had posted by the truck:

'This Mack Truck has special significance for Southern California. Unlike most Mack trucks of the period, it did much more than haul the usual loads of gravel, bruck, and logs. It was used during delivery and installation of the telescopic equipment at the Solar Observatory, which stands atop Pasadena's Mt.Wilson.

The Mt. Wilson Observatory, founded in 1904, contains two solar telescopes, one of which is a 60-inch reflecting telescop - the largest in the world. Our 1918 Mack truck was one of the several trucks used to haul the parts of the telescope up Mt. Wilson's winding toll road of dirt and gravel. The trucks, often wider than the road, had to make their way up a 12 percent average grade carrying the parts of the 4 1/2 ton telescope.

The 100-inch reflecting telescope was in operation by late 1918. Although it was closed in 1985, due to its costly operation, it remains a unique part of Los Angeles' istory, as does this 1918 Mack dump truck."


Here are the photos I took of the truck:

1918 Mack Dump Truck

1918 Mack Dump Truck - front tire ... don't know about you, but I just can't help
but compare these tires to the tires today's trucks are using... Maybe the evolution of truck tires
should be a blog topic some day.

1918 Mack Dump Truck - front crank. Funky stuff ... lol.

1918 Mack Dump Truck - nice side view

1918 Mack Dump Truck - rear view

1918 Mack Dump Truck - rear tire

1918 Mack Dump Truck - front

1918 Mack Dump Truck - side view

1918 Mack Dump Truck - shot of the grill

Certainly doesn't look bad ... for a 92-year old :) It hasn't aged a bit, its only problem is that time kept on moving and so did the evolution of trucks... oh well :) Still looks good to me!

Is that really an International???

I saw this truck on the freeway yesterday. First I watched it drive by as I was heading down the on-ramp and it's massive grill caught my eye. My head was spinning and I was thinking "What the heck was that truck??" When I finally got on the freeway, I stepped on the gas in order to catch up to this truck. Normally that wouldn't be difficult, since trucks normally go 55mph and this one was no different, but it was a Sunday and you know what they say about these Sunday drivers ... they were out in force!

I was finally able to roll past the 18-wheeler. The mudflaps on the truck said "International" ... and I was thinking "no way"!!! Turns out the mudflaps didn't lie! It was indeed an International. This was my very first encounter & sighting of the International Lonestar.

Now, I don't mean to bag on the International trucks, but apart from the occasional Eagle that I see, I find that International trucks don't really stand out that much when it comes to design. That's why I was so surprised and thoroughly impressed when I found that this beautiful specimen of a truck actually was an International!

Visiting International's website, I found that the Lonestar truck was originally inspired by the 1939 D-series. Inserted is a photo of a D-39.



Now go ahead and compare it to the following photos of the International Lonestar, which I borrowed from http://www.internationaltrucks.com/ They have a lot more photos of the International Lonestar on their website, I just picked out a few to show for my blog :) You may want to roll on over there once you're done with these photos & check out the rest of them.

Please enjoy & please refrain from drooling on your keyboard ...

Eye catching trucks: Steelcase

I love companies that put thought & effort into making their trucks look good and make an impression as they roll down the highway. After all, it's literally a rolling billboard! (Of course, I DO realize the value & reasoning behind unmarked trailers, don't get me wrong.... )

One of the nicer looking trailers I see around is Steelcase! Love their dark blue trailers with that rainbow colored logo, usually pulled by a dark blue or black truck! Below are some Steelcase photos, they are borrowed from http://www.hankstruckpictures.com .... (LOVE that site! :))