Over the last few days I have signed-up a number of new 'pimpers'. 
First up we've got Dutch firm Ben's Cabinets, which has agreed to supply and fit one of their fantastic cabinets (like the one pictured) on the rear wall of our Topline cab. This really is going to transform the interior for us.

Today I had an email from Roy Bryan as Fusion Electronics, who loves the project, and is promising to donate some much-needed ICE. 'Just let us know what you want us to provide (as long as you don't want to fill the trailer!!)' he says. I promise I won't take the piss!
I can also confirm that we now have Spatz involved too. The company has generously agreed to donate an illuminated headboard and deep sunvisor, similar to the ones in the picture below. If our truck looks as good as this stunning 144 530 I'll be really happy.

CRS has agreed to paint the dashboard for us, which is fantastic news.
But there's still so much more I need to find, including a roof-mounted air conditioning unit and a private number plate. I'm thinking 'H4H TD' (Help for Heroes Truck & Driver) would be good. It's currently for sale at £250. I've tried the DVLA but apparently they aren't allowed to support charities, and none of the big number plate retailers I've emailed have responded to me.

I've just had another extremely productive meeting in the Keltruck boardroom - this time with the guys from Eminox and SB Components. And I'm pleased to report that we've finally made some serious progress.
Firstly you can forget about the stretched limo idea. Nobody seemed particularly keen on the idea, and in hindsight I can understand why. For a start, it would cost an absolute fortune to build - and I'm not just talking about the bodywork. While I'm finding it incredibly easy to sell the concept to companies involved in the trucking industry, I've got a feeling that the American stretched limo converters will be less excited about a plug in Truck & Driver. Also, what happens if the stretched limo pimped truck is involved in a serious accident with 10 pissed-up stags on board. That's not really something I'd like to get involved with. Moving swiftly on to idea number 237 - the Scania Topline pickup truck.
So, the concept is simple. We keep the truck as a standard 6x2 tractor, give it an amazing interior, stunning paintwork, and an aluminium pickup body. This means the fifth-wheel will be covered, allowing the truck to be driven by anyone who passed their car driving test before January 1997.
Joe Melton from SB Components was at the meeting, and he likes the idea. In fact he's going to go away and produce some diagrams to see how feasible it will be. In the meantime here's my rough attempt at showing you what we've got in mind.

I'm pleased to report that Eminox are well up for it too, and will hopefully be able to equip it with a pair of vertical stacks. Eminox's Egham branch manager Steve McLone (pictured below while being filmed by RBI's Trevor Williams) reckons they've also got some fancy new equipment that will allow them to perforate the stacks with the T&D and Help For Heroes logos.
So what happens next?
Over the next week or so Keltruck is going to test the truck for us (so fingers crossed it passes). Then they'll strip the interior, leaving me not very long to find someone suitable to 'pimp' it for us. I'll keep you posted.

Pic credit: Rupert Hartley/David Hartley/Ref Features

What about filling in the gap between the two cabs and turning it into the world's first (possibly) stretched limo truck? Would that look any good? It would certainly make the truck more saleable.
I can see it now, deep shagpile carpet, mirrored ceiling, opera lights in the roof, fully-stocked bar, flatscreen TV, games console, pissed-up women hanging out of the window! Wow, this thing could look amazing. Having said that I'm not sure how feasible it will be for Keltruck to build us a 12-foot body to fill the gap between the two cabs. And what happens when you tilt the front cab? Surely you'd have to leave a gap between the cab and the body - which would mean leaks. Then again Keltruck builds horseboxes, and that must be the same principal.

I'm having second thoughts about the double-headed monster Truck & Driver is about to create.
As you may well remember, the idea was to mount a second cab behind the first one - only pointing in the opposite direction. This rear cab, in my humble opinion, would be the perfect for a games room. Just imagine sitting there on a gaming chair, playing with the latest PlayStation game on a giant flatscreen TV. Unfortunately Sony doesn't share my vision!
But that's not the only reason for changing my mind. I'm also concerned that it might not look right. It would have to be completely symmetrical, and to do that we would have to carry out a lot of work on the chassis. This would be difficult, and expensive too. It would also mean trying to blag two lots of exhausts from Eminox, two sets of front bumpers from Cole & Sons, two leather trimmed cabs etc.
I also wonder how stable it would be, and what an appalling MPG it would return.
I've had a word with Chris Hopton of Tyretracks and Nigel Cole from Coles & Sons, and both men agree that this might not be the best way to go. And when these two talk I listen, because there's not much they don't know about customising.

Well I warned you that it would look like nothing else on the road didn't I?
What you are looking at is an artist's impression of what the Pimp My Truck Scania 'might' look like - assuming Scania dealer Keltruck (which has agreed to do most of the pimping for us) think it's possible. Keltruck MD Andrew Jamieson has already agreed to donate a second Topline cab to the project, so I'm optimistic.
OK, let me talk you through it.  Now before I get started, I need to stress that this is just a very rough draft. I gave artist Barry Geleit an incredibly vague brief, and I think he's done an amazing job.
Let's start with the front cab. This will hopefully look like your normal pimped truck - with a painted dash and plenty of leather. And of course it's going to need a decent sound system.
Behind the cab we've got about 12 foot of open space, which I'm hoping SB Components will be able to cover for us. I'm thinking this would make the perfect BBQ area - protected from the British summer by a big canopy.
Entrance to the rear cab is going to be via a rear door. I reckon the old doors should be welded shut. This is going to be the ultimate boys toys room - and is just crying out for a games console, huge flat screen TV in the windscreen and a pair of gaming seats. Play Station or X-Box - either would work perfectly well.
The sharp eyed amongst you may have noticed a sun umbrella and a pair of deck chairs on the roof. Firstly, these won't be there while the truck is driving! The idea is that when you arrive at a sporting event/truck show you sit up here for a perfect view.
Like I said, it's very much in the planning stages. But it's taking shape isn't it?

Having had a very successful meeting with Keltruck we've decided that our pimped truck needs to look like nothing else on the road. There are already thousands of very nice Scanias out there with fancy paintwork, lots of lights, alloy wheels and impressive exhaust stacks. What we need is something that's going to turn heads.

Here's a couple of ideas that came up in the boardroom.

Idea 1 - Longline

But with only two ever sold in the UK, second hand Longline cabs are slightly rarer than rocking horse manure! Then again, what about getting hold of a secondhand crewcab from a damaged fire engine? Would that look any good? We could kit it out like a truck limo inside?

Idea 2 - Cabriolet

What about cutting the badly dented roof off and turning it into a cabriolet? That seemed like a great idea to begin with, until Keltruck MD Andrew Jamieson pointed out that it would need a lot of strengthening to be safe. This would make it expensive. I know for a fact that a hell of a lot of hours were spent on the legendary Leyland Roadtrain cabriolet (above).

Besides, this wouldn't be the first time that someone had cut the roof off a Scania, and there's no way we would be able to compete with the legend that is Svempa.

Idea 3 - Pickup truck

We also discussed turning it into a huge 1950s stepside-style American pickup truck - which was an idea I first discussed Tyretracks boss (and vehicle fanatic) Chris Hopton. But again, this one was ruled out on cost and practicality.

Idea 4 - Push-me pull-me

Now how's this for an original idea? I try to persuade Keltruck to donate another Topline cab, and we mount it behind the first one - just facing the opposite way. I certainly noticed that they had a lot of spare cabs sitting around at West Brom.

Now don't laugh, but here's the diagram that one of the people in the meeting scribbled on their notepad (nobody is going to admit to it though). In case you were wondering that's a sun umbrella and deckchairs on the roof of the second cab (sort of a viewing area for attending sports events), and that's a BBQ between the cabs. The question is, what could we use the second cab for? Suggestions please?

Myself and Truck & Driver publisher Andy Salter have been up to see Keltruck (the largest independent scania dealer in Europe), to take a proper look at our truck. Ketruck hasn't only agreed to store the truck througout the duration of this project, but it's going to do its fair share of the pimping too.
Well the good news is that it drives just fine, so hopefully it won't be needing any major mechanical work.

Here's Andy turning up at Keltruck's West Bromwich HQ after taking it for a quick spin.

But what about the bodywork I hear you ask?
Well I can confirm that it looks absolutely fantastic - from a distance! Up close it's a slightly different story. The good news is that it's structurally sound, and the only damage is superficial. You've got to expect a few battlescars, after all the truck is 8 years old and has done enough miles to take you from the earth to the moon, back to the earth, and up to the moon once more for good measure!

No decent toolkit is complete without a stick or two of chewing gum!

Click below for more damage

Continue reading "It looks great from a distance" »

Well you've seen the truck, but what about the dealers who donated it? What do they look like?
It's actually come from a syndicate of three used truck dealers - DW Vehicles, J&L Commercials and Truck 2 Go. And here's a bit of info about them all.

Trucks 2 Go
Tel 01257 475081

Trucks 2 Go MD Chris Hart (pictured right) tells T&D that the used market is buoyant at the moment, which is a far cry from late 2008 when used-truck dealers found themselves with stocks of rapidly devaluating vehicles.
'When the recession hit I had to act fast,' he explains, 'quickly reducing my stock. Those that didn't react quickly enough simply became casualties.'
Trucks 2 Go, which is jointly owned by Paula Jefford (left), has not only survived the recession but is going from strength to strength. In January it moved into impressive new premises in Warrington. The company has between 100 and 200 used trucks in stock at any one time and vehicle age ranges from 1993 to 2008.
Trucks 2 Go also has a thriving export business, shipping mainly ERFs and Mercedes-Benz models to Kenya and Malaysia.

J&L Commercial Vehicles
Tel 01925 291774

Jim Warburton, who runs Warrington-based J&L Commercial Vehicles, used to work with Iveco.
He struck up a good relationship with his customers, many of whom continue to buy used trucks from him today.
Although Jim (pictured right) specialises in Ivecos, his used truck stock is varied.
Jim Warburton also suffered at the beginning of the current recession but he certainly isn't short of customers today.
'The market is bouncing back, and I'm mad busy at the moment,' he explains. 'There are salesmen out there complaining but the business is there if you are prepared to go out and look for it.'

DW Vehicles

Tel 01782 373190;
mobile 07971 020293

DW Vehicles has an extensive customer base, consisting largely of truck buyers who come back year after year with the knowledge that they will be looked after by managing director Dave Watts.
Although the company does hold a stock of vehicles, Dave describes his business as 'much more of a personal service'.
He is always happy to help customers, and in some cases dealers, with specific problems.
'We've had a lot of customers over the years whose opening lines have been, "I don't think you'll be able to help me, but"...,' says Dave. 'Generally they're looking for a piece of kit that doesn't fit the norm and as a result will require a bit of specialist help. We've extended chassis, shortened wheelbases, added axles, changed suspension and switched bodies over the years, working with the experts to make sure the vehicle will be fit for purpose and fully warranted.
'Customer focus is an over-used expression,' says Dave. 'What it really means is giving people what they want, be innovative and always look for a positive outcome. In my experience people don't mind paying for a service, they just don't want to be ripped off.'

According to previous owner Kev Dandy, 'YC02DYX' has been a brilliant workhorse. 'It has also proved to be incredibly comfortable,' says Kev, who purchased the ex-McFarlane truck in 2006 for his small Chester-based firm Kev Dandy Transport Ltd. 'Then again I did come out of an old ERF,' he admits, 'and the difference between that and the Scania is the difference between sitting on cold bricks or a leather sofa. You can drive all day in an ERF and it feels like you've driven all day. You can drive all day in a Scania and you could easily do it all again - if the law would let you.'

So if it's so great, then why did he sell it? Quite simply because he was offered a deal he couldn't refuse by Warrington-based J&L Commercials.

'Jim Warburton of J&L offered me the most incredible deal on an Iveco Stralis, and I just couldn't say no. Everything about the deal was right, and he even organised the finance for me. In fact I've been so impressed with his helpfulness and professionalism, and indeed the truck itself, that yesterday I bought another Stralis from him. I really can't recommend him enough.'

Although he admits to missing the Scania, he says the Iveco is considerably better on fuel. 'The Scania was doing 8.5mpg, which was good, but the Stralis is returning 9.6 to 10.1mpg.

Sorry it's been a while, but believe me I've been very busy since my last post. The good news is that we now have a truck (courtesy of J&L Commercial Vehicles, Trucks 2 Go and DW Vehicles ), and as you can see, it was well worth the wait.
Somehow I managed to persuade our generous dealers to hand over the keys to a rather nice 2002 Scania 124 420. OK, so it had definitely worked hard for a living, it looks a little 'tired' in places, and has covered almost 1 million kms, but it's absolutely perfect for pimping. And what's more, it's got the Topline cab.
Scania dealer Keltruck has very kindly agreed to store the truck for the duration of this project, which is a real result. And I'm pretty sure its expertise (and abundance of used parts) is going to be called upon over the next few months. I've got a meeting with Keltruck shortly (who are about to check over the truck for us), and I'll keep you posted.
The list of companies/individuals who have agreed to get involved with this project is growing by the day, and now includes Michelin, Tyretracks, Powertrucks, Eminox, Tachodisc, Kelsa, Sharman Multicom, SB Components, Coles & Sons Transport, CDC, Tom Cunningham Photographic, South Wales Polishing Services and Larry Piper.
I'm going to give the truck's old owner Kev Dandy a call now to see if I can find any history on it. I've noticed a bit of green paint by the dent in the roof - which looks suspiciously like McFarlane green.