Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/119523
CUSTOM RIGS Black smoke roller A By James Jaillet Quebec, added handmade fenders, skirts and mirrors, along with the flames and an interior whose entertainment system rivals that found in a nightclub – six TVs, including screens in the doors and headrests. The real star of Gagnon's custom show, however, is his 1,200-hp Caterpillar 3406E, with upgrades that Gagnon keeps as well-guarded secrets. Not secret, though, are the rig's 10-inch stacks that spew the black exhaust puffed from the Cat when Gagnon takes the truck to drag-racing competitions, including the famous Rodeo du Camion (Truck Rodeo) held each summer in Notre Dam du Nord, Quebec. Photos by Bruce W. Smith ndré Gagnon bought his 1997 Peterbilt 379 new and ran the truck hard for 750,000 miles before deciding to retire it and make it his personal project. So the rig underwent a frame-up rebuild that included chopping 4 inches off the roof and 6 off the sleeper. Gagnon, a resident of Maniwaki, André Gagnon turned his sleeper into an entertainment center complete with an Alpine sound system, Tsunami amps and televisions throughout the cab and sleeper. The interior also has custom hardwood flooring and custom-upholstered seats and interior panels. To compensate for his engine's upgrades, André Gagnon added sound-deadening material to each of the truck's walls and both the cab and sleeper roofs. The truck also has suicide doors and an eerie skull-and-flames mural on its back panel. 50 | Overdrive | April 2013 CR_Opening Page_0413.indd 50 4/1/13 9:42 PM