Ole School: A Former NASCAR Hauler’s Custom Semi Truck Collection!

This new Turbo War stuff don't interest me. I'm too old for that. That's a '77. That's the one I'm going to put the 1,000 horsepower V12 in. I'll run whatever I want to run. I wouldn't trade neither one of these for a brand new Turbo War truck. >> Every now and then you come across somebody who you think this might be the most interesting guy I ever met, in a good way. Darrell Andrews is one of those guys. >> I worked 18 years at Junior Johnson's and used to go over the wall. I still get them match cards in the mail. I still get them to sign people autograph people. I've always been in the trucking and work all week here and then I I left every Thursday for 33 years and went to the racetrack [music] and worked. >> What kind of truck did you drive at Junior Johnson's? >> A 359. When I started out driving me and Henry Benfield we went to California on the had a K100 just like that. Big sleeper. And then in '84 Peterbilt, Darrell Waltrip was driving for us and Peterbilt gave us two 359s with big KT600s on them. We went 14th from 11th to 12th. Man, did that thing fly. Had 12 520 things in them. We took the 13. Henry took them and and reversed flipped the shaft counter shafts around in them and made them a triple overdrive and they would fly. >> So you had modified trucks to haul the race cars even back then. >> I worked at Junior's and when we switched to Ford, Ford sent these new Aeromaxes down there to pull the trailers with cuz they wanted a Ford truck pulling the trailers and they sit there and sit there and sit there and the guy from Ford came down and said "Why won't you use them trucks?" Junior says they won't pull them fast enough. We need to get the Ford to come back. >> That's funny. >> with the Peterbilt. And they had a they had a plaque on the dash. This Peterbilt was custom built for Darrell Waltrip. >> Which Which one did you drive? Which team? >> 11. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Did you have a name? Like what did they call Henry Benfield Piccolo Player or something? >> Yeah, I was Country Gentleman. Everybody around the racetrack always called me D.A. Cuz we we had Darrell Waltrip. Both of us named Darrell. Every time they'd holler, "Darrell, come here." Both of us would answer. And Jeff Hammond said, "We got to stop this." So, from then on I was D.A. and he was D.W. >> Is that how he came to be D.W.? Like cuz I he goes by D.W. now. >> Yeah. Yeah. Well, anytime I can go to the racetrack right now. I ain't been to the racetrack in years. I can go to the racetrack right down here and they'll still call me D.A. >> That's funny. >> Jeremy calls me D.A. >> There'd be no There'd be no D.W. without D.A. He'd just still be Darrell. >> Well, and uh yeah, Darrell used to call all the time and he'd call the office. Now, before I sold out, he would call and say, "Let's speak to my other brother, Darrell." It's a '79 A model. Kenworth. They built the A model up until I think '82 and then they went to the B model. They built the B model from '82 through '89 and then in '90 they started with the L. This '95 I have in here is an L. The L has a narrower hood. The old A model has got the widest, longest hood of any of any Kenworth that they've built. >> Is this like your daily driver? >> Yeah, this runs every day. You know, I I made all them steps out of stainless. Made the straps out of stainless. And this cab over here has got It's got a 600 marine cabin. See, I wrapped these tanks in stainless. This truck's been running for probably 10 years. I had Lincoln Chrome to build me these breathers. And I made I made all these pieces. I did have all this covered in stainless and somebody tried to steal it and took it off. And then I just put diamond back. I even even wrapped these in stainless. >> Probably not that many people who are using cabovers for daily work. >> Cabovers I get comments all the time. When I drive this thing, some guy came up to me at Sanford. He said, "Man, I've stopped at every chrome shop on the East Coast trying to buy them panels." I said, and he said, "Nobody's got them." I said, "No, I made them. You won't find them. They're not marketed They're not on the market. I made them." >> Hm. >> I made these panels. And put these lights in it. Kenworth leaves that hole open. I filled it in with a 359 Peterbilt stainless steel grill. >> So, all this stuff is so interesting cuz to the non-trucker average person, they just look at this and see stuff they don't know. >> no, no. I I I put all new glass, all new rubber, all new molding. Everything's got power windows. This comes painted all stock. I had a W9 that was turned over and wrecked it. I took this off of a W9 and put it on it. It is It's a 600 marine cat. >> Huh. >> Come out of yacht. I Hey, how are you doing, son? Do you mind if I smoke? I can cuz when you These old These old marine cat engines, when you let off of them and go back down on them, smoke It smokes the length of the trailer. EPA hates them. >> Does it sound good? >> Oh, yeah. >> Can you fire it up? >> Yeah. Yeah. >> I want to hear it. I love listening to these things. They just sound so good It's just idling. >> It's got I put It's got tilt and telescopic steering in it. I even made this piece here out of stainless. I put the stainless all along here. >> How long have you had this truck for? >> Probably 15 years. The front of it here, see, I made all this stuff new with stainless. This is a 379 Peterbilt drill. General have a different wheel of bars that I made all of these things. OEM they come 1 in. I made them 2 in. I run whatever I want to run. Same thing with this this little bitty cat here. >> Which one's more fun to drive? >> This one's got way more horsepower. Uh it's probably 200 more horsepower than this. >> How much is that total? >> Uh it's got we got set on a low side. It's at least 800 horsepower. >> Wow. >> This is 600. This is 800. We got 3,000 lb of torque with this one and only 2,200 with this one. >> Only 2,200? >> Yeah. >> That thing must rip without a trailer. >> yeah. I I can't tell the difference between loaded or empty. I go up Black Mountain, Fancy Gap, Flattop, after mount loaded past empty trucks. >> That's hilarious. >> When it's raining I have to be careful or it it'll spin out. >> Even with the trailer? >> Yeah. >> Wow. >> I have to soft pedal. You can spin it it's just too much power. This one here I put all new This has got tilt steering in it. It's got tilt It's got tilt steering and all that. Freedom seats. That's new new OEM pure leather. >> Oh yeah, it is. >> Look at what's on them. Peterbilt logo. >> Did that come out of one of their haulers? >> The King came to me. I worked for them for 7 years. >> Really? >> Yeah. And I've cut the cab out, put the big hole in it, cut the sleeper out. These A models was kind of you couldn't the seat was against the back of the cab. Well, I cut that and put a Peterbilt unit mount in it and we could slide the seats back. And you tilt the seats back past the back of the cab with a big hole in it. >> This thing's awesome. >> This this is this is the stock one that come in. This is a 79 model. Y'all restored this truck, put on new glass, all new rubbers, all new moldings, and put the tilt steering in it, put the big motor. It had a Cummins in it. And I pulled it out. It's got aluminum frame rails. See how thick they are? >> Aluminum frame rails? >> Yeah. They're not steel, aluminum. >> Wow, is it built that way? >> Yeah. Aluminum was very popular until about '83. >> I didn't know that. >> Yeah. Uh my '53 is aluminum, and my '77 is aluminum. >> That seems freaking awesome. What a hog. >> See, I I won't run I don't like air shocks on I mean I mean airbags on the front. I run I learned this lesson with race cars. We run double shocks. A lot of guys puts air put airbags on the front. And airbags the truck don't drive as good with airbags. It wants to wander a little bit with you. So, I just run four shocks. They come from the factory with with one shock each side. And I just put double shocks on them cuz that's what we had years and years ago in race car. We run two shocks on each position. >> So, this is a '79 model truck. What year model is the engine? >> I believe it's an '07 or '08. Now, that we we put a brand new W9L radiator in it and a brand new W9L air-to-air on it. Both of these trucks we we put all new plastic air line in the frame rails, got rid of all the old wire braided old rotted line that was old. Because I'm a I work them. >> Yeah, I got those plastic push-lock air lines in my '96 Newell, and they leak. You fix them, and then like next >> Yeah, you just hear something hissing everywhere all the time. >> I like the old brass fitting. That you tighten up. >> With a little collar on there. >> With a with a ferrule. And I I don't like the quick disconnects. They're bad You're right, they're bad to leak. This is my daily driver. What I mean. Got a V8 in it. Power steering, disc brakes. Drive it all the time. This new Tupperware stuff don't interest me. I'm too old for that. Cuz it's all plastic. Engine is basically It's got stock pistons and all in it. We did go with a higher output turbo on it. I just put brand new tie rod ends on it yesterday. I love this thing here, man. It rides and drives like a dream. And don't don't know what a hill is. >> You can't tell the difference between loaded or empty. >> See now, the A models had the headlights built in the fender. These are off of a '53. >> Like a 1953? >> Uh-huh. >> Wow. >> Yeah, I got a set of '77s that still got the standard lights. Like let me show you what they look like. What What this one had originally. Everybody I meet thinks it's a Peterbilt because it's got single headlights on it. Cuz all A models had duals built in. >> So that's what that one out there used to look like. >> That's a '77. That's the one I'm going to put that thousand horsepower V12 in. That's got two transmissions in it. Two sticks. And that's got two sticks in it. Now, this This is a '75 Peterbilt. 1975 Peterbilt. It's got a 1693 TA in it. It's a 352. See, the the 362s they made higher. I wouldn't have a 362 cuz they're too hard to get in and out of. That's got a 1693 TA in it with a 13-speed. That's the number truck. That's number 41. They didn't build but 359 of them. That's number 41. >> What year is that? >> '87. That's a '58 B61 Mack over yonder. Integral sleeper. That's an 80 model cab over. That's a 58 I got the hood off of it cuz I'm going to put power steering on it. We'll walk around on the side and see what we got. >> Yeah, I want to see that and those those engines over there cuz I didn't have the camera on when you showed them to me. >> Yeah. This is a 1693 TA. It's a factory 4 and 1/4 cat and they rate it back then they rated the horsepower at the wheel, not at the flywheel. Nowadays, they rate them at the flywheel and you only get about 80 to 90% of the horsepower at the at the ground the way they rate them. This was These things was awesome, but they didn't get the fuel economy and they were heavy. They cost a lot to work on them because they come out of a bulldozer. Now, this this 60 piece got a 3406 in it, but I'm going to pull it out. I'm going to sit that cab on a late model chassis. Uh in fact, it's sitting down here. You know, I've already got it bought with a a 379 frame and I'm going to stretch that hood uh 10 or 12 in and and put the 69 That's got two transmissions in it. >> Mhm. >> You got the two sticks. >> So, you're a big cat guy? >> Oh, yeah. This is Cat. This is a 95 that I'm restoring. I I know the guy that bought this truck brand new. You've never seen something this nice inside. He had a sock on the armrest and a white towel on the floorboard. Look at that carpet. This is clean. This is a 95 model. >> That looks new. >> Yeah, it's a 95. He bought it He bought it brand new in '95 and he swears that this truck's never been over 65 mile an hour. Nobody's ever drove it but him. >> I'd be inclined to believe him with carpet that looks like that. >> And he he's retired and I told him I said, "If you ever retire and want to sell that truck, I want it." Yeah, this is another cat that I've that I've got. I've started building it and I never finished it. This has got a 12 to 1 compression pistons in it. Most cats are 16 to 18 to 1. This is 12 to 1. That In the marine now, they're 12 to 1. >> Can you run more boost that way? >> Yeah, and well, you you you're not you won't blow head gaskets as quick cuz you don't build the boost. The only thing about a marine engine is they're designed to run at a constant RPM. You can't You can't turn these loose with drivers because three and a half of throttle and they'll blow up. >> Oh. They're governed. >> They're They're set at There's so much fuel going in them. They run a constant RPM, but they ain't will they pull if you know how to drive one. >> Interesting. So, what is this here? >> This is a thousand horsepower twin turbo V12. >> V12 >> Now, this is a two-stroke. >> That's a V12 Detroit. >> What did this come in? >> Come in a huge a earth-moving pan. They two of them, one in front and one back. >> One pulling and one pushing. >> Earth-moving pan? >> And the EPA won't let them use them because they don't >> Huh? >> meet EPA specs. This was the rear engine. And they had just just put it in there. This engine probably had got 200 hours on it in the pan before the EPA made them get rid of them. >> What are you going to put it in? >> I'm going to put it in this '77. It's got a Cummins in it. I'm going to pull it out and drop it drop that in. I've got two transmissions in it. >> That's going to be freaking cool. >> Oh, yeah. >> This thing looks really mean just sitting there already with the way those turbos are. >> See, I had some of these back in '74. They're good engines. They were wicked. They didn't get no fuel mileage. Of course, fuel back then was 23 cents a gallon. >> Huh? So, is that how these two-strokes work? It's got to have the blower on there to get the air in it and >> blower You got a blower. This is your blower. These These are your two blowers. And your liners have got a cutout all the way around. You got just as much pressure in the crankcase as you have up here. Everybody fusses about a Detroit leaking oil, but they've got so much air pressure in the crankcase. And what I do, these little air box drains, well, they're on both sides. I had a bunch of 318s, which is the V8s back in the day. And these air box drains, right there's one. You see it right here? See that little bitty pipe coming down right there? >> Yeah. >> That everybody I would put a plastic line on that and run There's one on each side. I would run them down and run them into a milk jug. All the two-strokes sitting out there would slobber out that air box drain, cuz you got so much pressure in the crankcase, in the oil pan. From the liners, when that piston goes up and down, it's it's all it's blowing all that air and that just got to go somewhere. So, it blows out the air box drains. Now, I'd put a little hose on them and run them back into a a gallon milk jug, and every time I changed oil in it, I'd pour the jug out and put the lines back in. You never see one of my trucks leaking oil. >> That makes sense. >> Yeah. The The two-strokes was notorious for that because there's so much air pressure in the crankcase. Whereas a four-stroke don't have that. >> You like driving a four-stroke better? >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I like the old I like I love the sound of the old two-strokes. See, Mack only built a day cab. Orrville Body Works built all of the sleeper cabs. There's only 350 of them been built. >> How do we get back there? I want to see that thing. >> Uh what's what's in here? You want to screw screw up right right here. >> This thing looks like a mid-size between a normal truck and a >> drove was a 1963. I I started driving in '63 and I drove a 58 B61 Mack. This is a 58 right here. And you got you got two sticks in it. I Oh, you saw the tan on it. I I just got on it. I got tan on it going it. It's a straight axle right now. But I've got a tan on air ride tan on it going it. They only built 350 of these. Mack Now I've got two Mack B model day cabs. You just You just can't find these. These are built by Orrville Body Works in Orrville, Ohio. They built 350 of them. >> So is this like a an early truck cuz it's smaller than all the other ones? >> yeah, yeah, yeah. >> Did they just grow over time? >> Yeah, all the new trucks are huge inside. >> So with these were they like the early tractors were they all this size and they just kept getting bigger and bigger as loads grew? >> They They kept Every year they kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. >> What was the first like big one? Cuz this is like a 58 and then >> Oh, they didn't start building the the big ones until probably the mid-2000s. >> Huh. What about like the size of the >> that they they gradually started getting bigger uh in the late in the '70s. >> Okay, that's what I was wondering. >> started growing in the '70s and they really got big by the mid-2000s. See these these tanks here at This is the way they they normally are. You know, I I made them wide bands. I ain't never made them for this one yet. This This is stainless. Satin stainless. >> Where'd you learn how to fabricate? >> Just picked it up. Ain't you don't find many of these got a ripple back to sleeper. >> Oh, that's nice paint. You can't see that in the without the light on it. >> Yeah. I had another cabover and had a guy I didn't start to fix it that stretched it way out, put an air ride under it. The guy come by wanting to buy it. I said it ain't for sale. He said at no price. I said, "Nope." Stupid me put a price on it that I didn't think he would take. He said, "I'll take it." I'd already put a cab in it, had it stretched out. But I sold it to him. Now this truck here, that's that's that's a fat cab, what's it called? A fat cab flat top. It's not an Aerodyne. I took the hood off of this one here to I'm going to put a W9 steering box up front. It's got a mini your box back here. I'm going to put a I've In fact, I've That's already here. I've already got I'm going to put a a W9 uh steering on it. That's a '58 model. This here is a '60 model 351. >> Okay, I can kind of see the evolution of the size of that cab and everything from that >> Yeah. To that. And [clears throat] then this '87 is a whole lot more bigger inside than this than the '60 model. >> Yeah, the '87's kind of more like the more modern >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now the new 680s are absolutely I like I'm old school. I like the trucks where I can reach over and roll the window up and down on the old side. You got to get up and run over there to do it now. I'm going to take all that aluminum out of it and put it back original. >> Man, this looks like it would be interesting on a sunny day. Yeah. It'd be like uh shining all over the place, get real hot. >> I'm going to If the guy that had it before me This truck was on the cover of uh one of the magazines. Over at…