As some of you might recall, my co-reporter Troy Miller did a feature story on Atlanta-based Adam Kimball (35) and his Whirlpool Blue ‘99 Peterbilt 379 build back in March of 2015. Just when you thought “Slow Motion” (the name of that truck) had set the bar pretty high for what Adam could conjure up, he went and did it again – and this one is not only as good or better than the last one, but it also has a lot of significant history for Adam. While at Chrome Shop Mafia’s “Guilty By Association” show last year, I spotted Adam’s new build and knew that I would have to feature it for myself.
Back in 1990, Adam’s father, Roger Kimball, purchased this 1990 Peterbilt 379 with a 63-inch flattop, a 425 Cat and all the factory options, brand new. She was steppin’ tall at that time (still is). The truck was used to pull an end dump down in the south until Roger was in an accident and the truck was laid over on the driver’s side. After it was returned to its’ previous glory, and when Adam graduated from high school in 1998, the truck became his. Pulling a ‘93 Heil dump trailer, Adam ran hard around the clock, hauling sand and marble around Georgia and down to the Florida line.
Within about year, Adam purchased a 28-foot Ravens dump trailer and put it behind the metallic black rig. Unfortunately, a factory flaw in this trailer would eventually put the 379 back on its side – again. By this time, Adam was feeling that west coast reefer pullin’ itch so he decided to rebuild the old girl once again, this time painting it black with a purple sleeper cap and fenders. From there, it was weekly runs to Cali and back for the youngster for quite some time. Later on, Adam got matching purple fiberglass rear fenders for the truck, something he laughs about now. But hey, that’s the stuff you do to be west coast cool.
In 2003 Adam decided to take a break from being one of the Cali “cool kids” and settled down in the office. The 379 sat out in a field next to the shop from then until November of 2014, when, for the third time, she got a new breath of life. Adam had so much history with the ‘90, being the first truck he ever drove at the age of 10, not to mention the first truck he truly could call his own, he couldn’t just let her die.
Being the type of guy that likes an old truck the way it would have been back in its day, Adam wanted to keep the third rebuild as original as possible – even going as far as keeping the original factory specs. Keeping the original 425 Cat under the hood but with some extra goodies (like a larger turbo), he’s putting about 600-hp to the ground these days. No engine cosmetics have been done yet, but they’re in some future plans, for sure. With a double frame, tall rubber and 4.22 rears, the truck is set-up perfect for doing heavy haul, if Adam ever needs to work it as a daily driver. To be different, and beautiful, he had Lookout Mountain Peterbilt in Ringgold, Georgia spray the truck a Seafoam Green color from a 1964 Ford paint code.
Because Adam is so precise with how period-correct his trucks look, every light on the truck is incandescent (with 1,156 bulbs), except for the two rear LED turn signals, which each hold a single diode. Since these photos were taken, Adam has since added quilted stainless steps and tool boxes from 12 Ga. Customs. The smooth deck plate and air box cover is from 4 State Trucks.
For the lettering, Adam was one of a few lucky people that got to have Mr. Larry West hand paint his pinstriping and lettering. Larry has worked on some legendary pieces of culture over the years, like the General Lee, some of Burt Reynold’s movie vehicles, and several NASCAR cars, including Bill Elliot’s and others, back when they still painted their cars. Adam has named the truck “High Roller” because of its old school glass lights and Vegas-style vibe.
This spring, one of Adam’s buddies talked him into showing down at the 75 Chrome Shop Show in Wildwood, Florida. Being the first time he had ever shown on such a large competitive scale, Adam didn’t expect much. But, he took home second place in the antique class, which is pretty darn good! Adam is also one of the select few Peterbilt owners to be invited to this year’s invitation-only “Class Pays Display” down at the Denton, Texas plant.
Adam Kimball is a man who works hard for what he has and makes sure things get done right. Adam would like to thank 12 Ga. Customs, Lookout Mountain Peterbilt and 4 State Trucks for their help on this project. And, with its Vegas-vibe in mind, odds are pretty good that this “High Roller” rig will be turning heads wherever it goes.