PPG-finished KMT 359 Named Grand Champion at Big Rig Build-Off

KMT 359 was recently named Grand Champion in the 2010 Big Rig Build-off, part of the Paul K. Young Truck Beauty Championship at the annual Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) in Louisville, KY. The truck, a highly customized 1984 Peterbilt 359 owned by Kevin McIntyre of Port Charlotte, FL, was entered in the contest by Outlaw Customs of Henderson, CO. It was the second year in a row Outlaw Customs has won a major award at the event. Last year, their entry took People’s Choice honors.

“We had the truck for a year and worked on it non-stop for the last six months,” said Alex Gobel, founder and co-owner of Outlaw Customs. “We wanted to create a sure winner. We did a tremendous amount of work on the truck body, interior and mechanicals, then came up with a paint scheme and turned it over to Motorsports Concepts down the road for the finish. We chose PPG’s Delfleet  Evolution for the kind of look we knew would draw attention to this rig.”

The team at Motorsports Concepts, led by owner Jarod Swantkoski, body technician Barry Krans and painter Jeff Carmin followed Gobel’s design using Delfleet F3975 and F3993 primers, FBC 3CT 5851 White Diamond and 908346 Sunset Orange basecoats and F3906 clearcoat to give the truck its lustrous award-winning finish.

“The work these builders do is just phenomenal,” said JJ Wirth, PPG brand manager, commercial segments. “We’re always amazed at the designs they create, and we are absolutely excited PPG coatings are part of it.”

Prior to painting KMT 359, the Outlaw team – Alex and brother Andy Gobel, Nic Gillan, Ken and Keith Kroshell – chopped the truck 5” and extended the frame to 300”. They shaved and suicided the doors, fabricated an air-ride suspension, gutted and recreated the interior in burnt orange leather with champagne ostrich upholstery and copper and chrome accents and accessories.

Named for its owner’s trucking company, Kevin McIntyre Trucking, KMT 359 features a 400-hp 3406B Cat engine with copper-plated valve covers, aluminum brackets and mounts, and a multitude of other under-the-hood embellishments. Outlaw also gave the truck a rolled front bumper, custom windshield and dished-end fuel tanks and much, much more.