This month’s cool “creation” was built for Shawn & Penny Brownfield of Macomb, Illinois. A fun couple to get to know, the Brownfields built this glider truck from a donor Kenworth that Shawn had owned and operated for ten years. Not wanting to overdue anything on the truck (or their checkbook), they kept the build simple and clean, doing “just enough” to make it cool.
Shawn (38) is a third generation trucker who grew up hearing all of the stories. He also rode around with his dad and uncle Mark a lot. Shawn’s dad, Eddie, pulled just about everything, including a pig wagon, regular dry van freight, a convertible hopper and hazardous waste, just to name a few. Growing up, Shawn idolized his dad and thought trucks were the coolest, but his dad told him to stay away from those dirty trucks.
After graduating from high school, Shawn spent two years in the Navy, and then he got a job at UPS unloading trucks. Later, he took a job at the local Dixie Truck Stop, picking up the parking lot, and the trucks just kept sucking him in. Merely by accident, he landed a wrenching job at the nearby Freightliner dealer, and then spent three years there, working as a mechanic.
But as hard as Shawn tried to stay away from trucks and trucking, he eventually gave in. At 28 years old, he bought his first truck – the 1999 Kenworth W900L AeroCab “donor” truck seen here. He drove that truck for ten years, until buying the new glider kit Peterbilt 389 also seen here. He and Penny, who just got married two years ago, talked to the bank about making some modifications to the Kenworth, but the numbers just didn’t add up. They decided, instead, to buy a new glider kit from Clint and then use the good drivetrain from the old Kenworth.
Clint ordered the new truck with no engine, transmission, or rear-ends. Featuring a split paint job with white on top and burgundy on the bottom (and frame), the truck had nothing fancy at all on it when it was delivered. After the guys in the Service Department (Charlie, Andy and Kipp) tore down the KW and completed the heart and soul transplant of the Cat 550 and 18-speed transmission into the Peterbilt, Shawn & Penny had the Body Shop do a few add-ons.
Trying not to overspend or overdue things right from the start, Shawn & Penny are planning to do more things to the truck as they go – it is a true work-in-progress. Some of the things they did have done at the dealership included adding one of Clint’s painted visors, installing Fibertech body drop panels, swapping out the stock headlights with 359-style double-rounds, and chopping the air cleaner lids. They also had the tanks painted, a black breaker stripe added, and installed a set of used rear quarter-fenders, just to get them by for now.
After the Kenworth was dismantled, Shawn & Penny decided to donate the old carcass to the Vo-Tech Diesel School in Atchison, Kansas, so the kids could use it as a bench truck. This couple, in fact, does a lot of charity work. After Penny’s mom died at an early age from breast cancer, she and her brother started a charity called “Linda’s Fund” which hosts golf tournaments and other events throughout the year to raise money for local breast cancer patients in their area. Most of the money raised is used to buy the often overlooked items that people need, like wigs, gas money, toiletries, and other essentials.
Although Shawn & Penny have not been married for very long, these two act like they have been together forever. During the build, they came down to the dealership one weekend and things will never be the same! In addition to Shawn getting a huge Peterbilt logo tattooed across his entire back, they also went to a Kansas City Chief’s football game, where they somehow got the chance to meet country music star Eric Church. Needless to say, it was a wild weekend.
Pulling an end dump right now, Shawn is excited about his new ride. The self-proclaimed “Meathead” also has a 13-year-old daughter from a previous relationship named Daytona, 
and says that Penny’s dad, Rodger, is his one-man fan club. Wanting a simple truck that makes a big statement, Shawn & Penny both agree that this Peterbilt is “Just Enough” – the perfect balance of classy and ghetto – just like them!