This month’s creation was built for Terry & Mary Smith of Chillicothe, MO. Not to be outdone by his son Shane Smith, who we featured back in December of 2010, Terry thought it was “TIME 2 HAVE A NICE 1” (his dash plaque) from Clint, as well. Terry wanted something that wasn’t too flashy or over the top – just slick – and this little white daycab fit the bill. At 74 years young, Terry should be retired, but, as he put it, “I like to spend money, so I still gotta work!”
Married since 1978, Terry & Mary both come from farming backgrounds, and part of the ground they farm today has been in the family over 100 years. Terry’s grandma was a big influence on him. Weighing in at 80 pounds, she could shuck corn faster than anybody in the nearby counties. Terry has a passion for John Deere tractors, Peterbilt rigs and Ford pickups. He got his first tractor, a John Deere 4010, when he was a teenager, and paid it off in one summer, pulling a sheep foot roller, while they were building Highway 6 near his home town.
Terry bought his first truck in 1992 – it was a maroon 1977 Peterbilt 359 with black fenders. Since then, he has owned a lot trucks. Wanting to get a new glider kit before they were no longer available, Terry went to Clint and ordered what you see here. Being a glider kit, Clint had the rig drop-shipped to Dennis at D & B in Glasgow, KY to get its drivetrain. Once the truck was fitted with a Cat 6NZ and an 18-speed transmission, Terry’s son Shane picked it up and drove it to the dealership in Kansas City, where the rest of the add-ons were installed.
When the truck showed up, the guys in the body shop added white Fisher bicycle-style fenders on Clint’s hidden brackets, one of Clint’s visors, also painted white, flush cab lights, and Clint’s dad chopped the air cleaner screens. Wanting to have cab skirts and breather panels with the exact same lights and spacing he has on his two Wilson hopper bottom trailers, the shop installed custom aluminum skirts with Wilson lights down the sides. He also wanted the load lights and taillights to match his trailers, so many thanks go out to Cathie at the dealership for tracking down the Wilson Trailer lady in Columbia, MO and finding all those lights. They also added dark tint to the rear window with a Peterbilt logo embedded into it, and then away he went – just in time for Harvest.
Currently owning a 1996 Peterbilt 379, in addition to this new 389 daycab, Terry uses his trucks to haul their crops from the farm in hopper bottoms. Jeff Johnson, a guy who helps around the farm, had the privilege of driving this new truck home from Kansas City. I guess, when given the choice, Terry would rather someone drive his brand new Peterbilt over his fancy Ford pickup! One thing is for sure, Terry lights up a room when he comes in, and gets along with everyone. He has an infectious smile, and it would be hard not to have fun around him.
Striving for excellence in everything he does, Terry makes sure his crops, his yard, his house, his barn, his pickup, and yes, his trucks, are as perfect as possible. Because anything less than the best, is unacceptable. Clint is proud that he was entrusted to put this truck together for such a particular person, because it speaks volumes about how Terry Smith feels about Clint’s level of competence. If you feel like it is “TIME 2 HAVE A NICE 1” too, call Clint at Kansas City Peterbilt… he will take very good care of you!