The 1986 Peterbilt 359 pictured here went through a refresh before it got to this stage. What started out as a plain blue canvas, which was cool even then, transformed into what you see here today. The owner, Rick Nolt (37) of Quarryville, PA, first started trucking 15 years ago. Rick\u2019s father helped him get into his own truck. Even before getting into his own truck, Rick always enjoyed seeing large rides rolling around the \u201c717\u201d (Lancaster, PA and surrounding areas). The 717 puts out some of the coolest rides you will ever see, and this truck is up there with the coolest.<\/p>ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder
Hauling for Risser Grain, Rick and his 359 can typically be found hooked to a tanker hauling fertilizer and a hopper bottom hauling grain. The 1986 Peterbilt 359 began its life with a 209\u201d wheelbase and was completely original when Rick got his hands on it. There are very few things left original on the truck, which include the cab mounts, the rear engine mounts, and two crossmembers. This classic and unique truck went through several changes before the final version, gracing these pages, was complete. The motor is a CAT 3406C that sends power to the 3.55 rears via a 13-speed Eaton. The motor has had some minor work done to it to make it run more efficiently, with a little extra power added, too.<\/p>
The truck got new frame rails from Zimmomatic, bringing the wheelbase to a nice 265\u201d long. Dennis Reihl was instrumental in the re-wiring and re-plumbing of the truck and helped in a lot of other phases of the project, as well. The original 359 rear suspension was replaced by a Peterbilt low air leaf system, and 379 frame horns were added to the front. A car hauler front axle was swapped in and then a J. Ferrell front air ride kit was installed. Rick reskinned the hood, cab and bunk himself. The rear of the bunk has a starburst pattern, which was bent by Mellingers (a local shop).<\/p>
The stainless battery boxes\/steps were made by Zimmomatic, the same company that installed the new frame rails on the truck. The single round headlights were swapped out for 379 shaved double squares. Rick also made some other changes on the outside to make it more of his own. \u201cI narrowed the center roof lights, removed the light holes in the air cleaner brackets, and some other minor details,\u201d explained Rick. In addition to these changes, Rick added a 5\u201d Dynaflex exhaust to keep the old school look intact.<\/p>
The paint was done by L&S Truck Painting in Ephrata, PA. A satin matte gray was decided on for the hood, cab and sleeper, and the frame was shot with an International Harvester red. Rick wanted the truck to pop a little, so that\u2019s one of the reasons he went with the matte gray and red scheme. The gray was inspired by Rick\u2019s liking of the Mopar \u201cDestroyer Grey\u201d color. Rounding out the exterior is plenty of pinstriping, which was done by Lady Lines, while the metal polishing was done by Alex Yoder of Black Diamond Polishing.<\/p>
Moving to the interior of the truck, you might notice the unique dash first. \u201cI completely custom built the dash in my shop at home to change the look of the interior,\u201d explained Rick. He also relocated some of the switches and even the tractor and trailer air supply. The rest of the interior was done by Truck\u2019N Awesome \u2013 they had someone hand-tool leather panels on each door, giving the truck a cool southwestern vibe inside. The driver and passenger seat are from Knoedler Manufacturing. The clutch, brake and throttle pedals are all unique, as well as the shifter knob.<\/p>
I previously shot the truck for L&S Truck Painting for their annual roundup of favorite projects in August of 2023. The truck quickly caught my attention, and I had been trying for a while to shoot it again, but schedules did not line up. Fast forward to early June of this year and we made it work. Our first stop was the Strasburg Rail Road, located in Ronks, PA (we beat the rush and got some cool shots). The second location was in the City of Lancaster, PA at a tobacco company. The old brick and concrete really made the truck pop.<\/p>
This \u201crefreshed\u201d truck is super cool and definitely one of the favorites I have ever had in front of my camera. I would like to thank Rick for allowing me to shoot his amazing 359 and write about it. Rick would like to thank his wife, Jenn, and their two boys, Jaxson and Julian, for putting up with his obsession with trucks. He would also like to thank his father for helping him get started in trucking. Hopefully, I get to shoot the truck again come harvest time this fall, with his cool hopper in tow!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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