2004 Peterbilt 379............. Its had a rough life

Tru_Shine

Tru_Shine

New member
So Peterbilt has brought us another rough one, this truck has gone through many different companys and had alot of crazy people removing the sticker when it was changed! i'm not sure if they used oven cleaner or aircraft stripper the the doors and hood have been jacked up by whoever done it. But anyways we gave the truck the TLC that it needed, thorough wash + frame and engine, buff & wax, polish aluminum, remove lettering, and detail the inside. here is how we recieved it.



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And this is some of the during process.



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And after all said and done, these are the Results



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From this

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to this



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I Think it's time for a forum subcategory for showing detailed "big rigs"...



It can be called...



"Trucktopia" :LOLOL
 
You have single handedly become my new favorite member on this forum. I thought the Kenworth and Volvo I do monthly had good before/afters, but wow, yours are killer.
 
I was hoping that me posting these big ol' trucks on here wasn't steping on anyones toes. I know its not the usual details you see on here!







DaGonz said:
I Think it's time for a forum subcategory for showing detailed "big rigs"...



It can be called...



"Trucktopia" :LOLOL
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I would be lonely in there! unless someone else wants to post up some:clap:



Brandon1 said:
You have single handedly become my new favorite member on this forum. I thought the Kenworth and Volvo I do monthly had good before/afters, but wow, yours are killer.
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Lol thanks! I've got a nice one that we are working on right now! It's gonna look like *New Money* when we get done!



jdoria said:
How long does that take? looks like something you could do for weeks.
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If 1 guy done it by himself to autopia standerds, then yeah weeks for sure. but we have a 6 man team, 3 in the washbay, 2 buffing and polishing, and 1 on interior detailing. and in 1.5 days we can knock out a full detail.:buffing: but trucking isn't as tedious as cars. these trucks get beatup quite a bit on the road, some of these trucks we do have over 1,000,000 miles on them, not all of them but when you put 150,000 to 200,000 miles a year your not to picky :hifive:
 
jdoria said:
Amazing. If I bought one of those, and I needed it detailed, what should I pay?
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It kinda varys, you got daycabs, trucks with sleepers, some need frames painted, you probly looking at $550-$850, it all just depends on how much aluminum you got and does it need lettering removed, how bad the interior is.
 
wow! Nice work guys! You seem to be getting a fair amount of those trucks.



What do you use to polish up the rims and the fuel tank and everything? They came out very nice just like the previous one you folks did!



Awesome work though.
 
wow! Nice work guys! You seem to be getting a fair amount of those trucks.



What do you use to polish up the rims and the fuel tank and everything? They came out very nice just like the previous one you folks did!



Awesome work though.
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Thanks. Yeah we have been really slow all year with all the rain, but now all of the sudden Peterbilt has been bringing 5-6 full details per week! :clap::heelclick



There for a while we would do like 1 a month because trucking was real slow:nervous2: , but we use a pnumatic (Air powerd) rotary buffer with 8in wool pad with 2in yarn, @ 4000rpms using heavy duty compund, then we polish it out by hand with this stuff called mirror finish blue billet polish.
 
Man I've done a few tow trucks in my day. You found yourself a pretty good niche there. But I don't evny you LOL. That is a massive undertaking to get those huge boys done. Keep kicking them out. looks good from here.
 
AWESOME WORK....I can't help but be amazed how much paint surface these trucks have.



Question: Why is PeterBilt bringing you these trucks? Are they selling them used or keeping them for some sort of company museum? I would think if anything you would get them from private owners or companys that own a fleet...not the manufacturer.
 
RogueM3 said:
AWESOME WORK....I can't help but be amazed how much paint surface these trucks have.



Question: Why is PeterBilt bringing you these trucks? Are they selling them used or keeping them for some sort of company museum? I would think if anything you would get them from private owners or companys that own a fleet...not the manufacturer.
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They are either repo's or trade-in's that they get cleaned up to put back on the lot for resale. Just like a used car. But Independent truck drivers also get there trucks detailed, We have accounts with all the Truck dealers arround here, Peterbilt, International, Kenworth, and all the other dealerships and small companies arround.
 
Nice work...looks like it could have started life as a WERNER truck...poor thing!!



I mostly do trucks for the company I work for...we have guys come to our yard twice aweek to wash trucks, but when spring comes around...I start doing all the repolishing from the winter salt and full exterior details. Usually just a hit with a good cleaner wax, as our owners dont hire anyone that abuses the equipment. They buy top of the line and expect it to be taken care of. Kind of walked into doing it here...owner saw me always washing my truck on my own, polishing the aluminum, etc. and asked if I wanted to start doing company trucks. Polishing a 43 ft. aluminum tanker is big fun, let me tell you! And did I mention I do it all myself...too anal to trust anyone else! These trucks dont look hard...but there are soo many nooks and crannys...visible frame rails...that it taks forever.
 
chaotik said:
Nice work...looks like it could have started life as a WERNER truck...poor thing!!



I mostly do trucks for the company I work for...we have guys come to our yard twice aweek to wash trucks, but when spring comes around...I start doing all the repolishing from the winter salt and full exterior details. Usually just a hit with a good cleaner wax, as our owners dont hire anyone that abuses the equipment. They buy top of the line and expect it to be taken care of. Kind of walked into doing it here...owner saw me always washing my truck on my own, polishing the aluminum, etc. and asked if I wanted to start doing company trucks. Polishing a 43 ft. aluminum tanker is big fun, let me tell you! And did I mention I do it all myself...too anal to trust anyone else! These trucks dont look hard...but there are soo many nooks and crannys...visible frame rails...that it taks forever.
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Good eye, yes it was a Warner truck then another company and who knows how many after that, lol. To many washes at the Blue Beacon.



So what's your technique on the big tankers? We have done some of the small tankers and those are real tuff, taking on the big ones is intimidating!
 
I wouldnt say intimidating as much as mind numbing!! If you know polishing ..it is just a ton of repitition....so you throw on the tunes and just go to it.



Well...as far as process goes, I usually hit the trailer with a brightener....but I use a brightener that is guaranteed to not "white out" aluminum. This stuff actually works better the longer you can leave it on...just dont let it dry. I dont only brighten the tube...but all the piping..manifolds, etc., underneath.



Then I tape off at the weld seams on the upper vapor rail and lower welds around the mounts for the tank itself....just this alone takes some time...but I like having the crisp clean edges. But then I use a liquid polish I make myself...basically a green rouge bar melted down...I spread this onto about a 4' wide section and then buff it with a GEM orbital. It is the pro model, weighing a hefty 16 pounds..but is designed for continuous use. After its worked in..I move to the next section...after I finish that one I come back and buff that first area off as it will now be dry. I use a terry bonnet to apply the polish and a mf bonnet for removal. It goes without saying that I have a few hundred of each type of bonnet to do several hundred square feet of aluminum. This buffing will not get out all the marks that Chicago salt and calcium chloride will put into the aluminum...but will do a damn good job at removing most of it. Then, of course, you have to do the storage boxes, other small additive tanks (if so equipped), the ladder tubes and rungs, etc.



I can do a "show" finish on these trailers...but once the average price is mentioned...most dont see it necessary! But...to do a full cut on a trailer with a yellow fully stitched airway and brown rouge will take days in itself..then you have to do another buff like above to get rid of the rotary marks.



Glad to see another truck guy here....its alot of work...but I love doing the big trucks. I go to all the big shows every year for show trucks..and I guess it helps that the owner of the company I work for has a show truck. If you go to Bulk Transporter magazine...think you can look at back issues..Nov. 09 has an article on the company I work for (Altom Transport) and pics of some of the trucks I got ready for the photo shoot.



Lets keep talking large car!!
 
I'd hate to detail the interior of a truck. The thought of truckers smoking constantly for 8 hours with the windows barely cracked is sickening! Not to mention almost living in the truck for weeks at a time! I'd be curious to see a really good transformation from a filthy cab to something fit for sale though!
 
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