This month’s “cool creation” was built for Zach Cyphers of Clifton, Kansas. Zach (24) grew up in the family business, which was trucking. And even though his dad tried to beat it into his head that trucking was not the profession he should pursue, Zach did anyway – eventually.
When Zach was a kid, his greatest joy was hitting the Jake brake in his dad’s W900. He rode all over the country with his dad, and still to this day hates the smell of Armor-All leather cleaner because he had to use it so much on his dad’s button-tuck interior. But it was always spotless! Zach’s dad always told him that driving a truck was hard on your body and took you away from your family too much, and over time, Zach started to believe it (even though his dad never missed one snap at any of Zach’s football games).
So, when Zach finished high school, he headed to the local junior college to study Ag Business, even though his dad had offered him a job in the family business. After earning his degree, Zach had a change of heart and decided to accept his dad’s offer. From there, the hunt for Zach’s illustrious “first ride” began.
After finding a few trucks, Zach and his dad called a friend, Bill Farmer, to get his opinion on the ones they were considering. As luck would have it, Bill had a 2003 Pete with a 6NZ for sale and convinced Zach and his dad that it would be a great first truck. Zach’s dad did not tell him what color the truck was until they were on their way to pick it up. Painted yellow with green stripes, Zach’s dad wasn’t sure if he would like it, but when Zach he saw it, it was love at first sight.
That first truck did not last long, as Zach was “T-boned” by another driver. The truck was a total loss. There was only one way for Zach to restore his pride and enthusiasm – to buy a new truck and build it a little bigger and a little better than the one before. So he called Clint.
The truck is a 2014 Peterbilt 389 with a 63” flattop (now called a 72” since Peterbilt recently changed the way they measure to meet industry standards), a C-16 Cat, an 18-speed, 3.36 rears, and a 290” wheelbase. Ordered bright yellow with a green frame, the truck also features a car-hauler front axle and factory front air-ride.
When the truck arrived, our painter, Rick, and all of the guys in the shop, did a lot of work to it. Rick not only painted the two-tone green stripes on the truck’s body and floor, but he also painted the fuel and air tanks, the entire dash, some engine parts, the battery boxes, the Shift bicycle-style rear fenders, the mirror brackets, and the cab and sleeper panels. The guys in the shop installed one of Clint’s visors, seven cab lights (spaced just the way Zach wanted them), 7” straights, a smooth deck plate with a hinged trunk, single headlights on Double JJ brackets, and custom front and rear bumpers made by “Whitie” (a local fabricator). When everything else was done, the truck was sent to 4 State Trucks in Joplin, MO where it got a complete button-tuck interior done in green with yellow buttons.
Pulling a tanker for the family business, Zach is engaged with a baby on the way. And although his dad tried to keep him out of a truck, we are glad that he did not succeed. And with a “bigger” and “better” ride like this, we are pretty sure that Zach is glad about it now, too!