Upclose With a Peterbilt Pick-up Truck

Mike Tredway of Lebanon, Missouri has spent the better part of his life as an over the road truck driver. He knows the highways and back roads of our great United States and Canada like the back of his hand. Whats more so, is that he also spent many years working on these big rigs and then later he began rebuilding cars and trucks that had been wrecked.

One look at Mike, and 10 minutes into any conversation with him, you will immediately peg him as a trucker. His real passion, however, is building Peterbilt Pick-Up Trucks. Meshing together the chassis of full size pick up trucks such as Cheverolet,Dodge,Ford and GMC with the bigger dogs such as Peterbilt,Freightliner,Mack, etc., is the perfect blend for Mike. His experience and love for trucks, big and small has helped to create a true work of art.

Where does one start when contemplating such a task as building a "little big truck?" The chassis is the first place to start. Mike can start with a regular chassis, super-duty or what ever and add the motor of your choice, suspension, transmission and most importantly...the cab of what ever big rig you choose.

The first truck he built, he didn't cut down any on the size of the cab. The finished product was beautiful but the lines of the body didn't suit him. It was too obvious that it was two different vehicles put together to make one.

Mike is somewhat of a perfectionist, and realizing how this truck looked just didn't set well with him. He decided there would have to be some subtle modifications made to the cabs of the big trucks in order for them to match the lines of the pick up truck beds/wheel wells, etc.

Since that first inseption, he has grown and developed his process of building Peterbilt Pick-Up Trucks to the point that they look like they could have been built in Detroit. But one closer look to the custom interiors, paint jobs, wheels, stacks and his favorite 502 Crate Motor, and you can see there is nothing ordinary about these pick up trucks.

Each pick up truck that is built starts with an indepth conversation with the potential buyer. Mike likes to get to know the customer so their wants, dreams and desires regarding their Peterbilt Pick Up Truck can be incorporated into the build to make it truly a custom, one of a kind rig.

Contact is usually made via e-mail over the internet after someone has visited his internet site. There you can see pictures of the first one built. It of course was the very first one befor he decided the lines didn't fit just right.

Mike then likes to meet (if possible) with the customer and goes over things like weather they want a Chevy, Ford, or Dodge chassis. Then they discuss the size of the engine, transmission, suspension, etc. After that a price quote is given to the customer and half is due at the time of order with the balance due in full upon delivery.

The pride and care that goes into these Peterbilt Pick-Up Trucks shows up in his shop as well. The 40X80 shop is almost as spotless as what you see on TV watching someone like Boyd Cottington. He is very organized and detail oriented. It's just himself and his son that built these rigs so it takes about 160 days from start to finish and I can guarantee you he knows where every wrench, nut, bolt, screw,jack and lug nut is at in his shop.

This little shop is probably one of the best kept secrets in his community. Peterbilt Pick-Up Trucks are a custom and very unique vehicle which is also why they are considered a high end luxury vehicle. Not everyone can afford them. Which is probably a good thing because if everyone could, Mike would never get a break to rest.

Now as far as a fiberglass kit is conserned...need I say more? You get what you pay for. Even though I'm a car kind of lady, I want one of these Peterbilt Pick-Up Trucks.