Unit 117
| 1972 Peterbilt 358-FST VIN 50281P Built 11/01/72 at Newark, CA Engine - Cummins NTC350 BCII Transmission - Fuller RTLO9513 Rear Axles - Eaton 38DS on Pete 4-Spring |
| This truck was originally built as a lease unit to Knappen Molasses of Chicago, IL. The truck was built as truck number 17 of a 17 truck order that cleaned the Newark factory of the old style Unilite cabs. The truck was sold by Summerfield Peterbilt of Gary, IN. The truck is close to original, although the 270hp Caterpillar 1674 engine was removed during restoration in the summer of 1993. Thirteen of the original trucks, including this truck, came with a Peterbilt 30" sleeper. Most of the trucks were sold off to farmers in the northern Illinois and Eastern Iowa area. When in service for Knappen, and its subsequent parent company Pacific Molasses, this truck frequently ran from Chicago to San Francisco and to terminals near Muscatine, IA. The truck was run without water for 18 miles along I-80 near Walcott, Iowa in 1980. The Cat suffered severe damage and was sold off to a company driver named Marvin Carpenter. Marvin intended on fixing the truck back up, but always had other things on his plate. He sold the truck to another company driver in exchange for a car for his children. The truck was found next to the Alamac Hotel in Tremont, Illinois in the winter of 1992-1993, purchased and brought back to St. Louis. Dan restored the truck from the ground up that summer between his freshman and sophomore year at the University of Missouri-Rolla. The truck is used occasionally for fun or toting our heavy equipment around. The truck has made appearances at Walcott and ATHS shows, including the 2002 show in Kansas City and the 2005 show that was just held in Northeast Indiana near Fort Wayne. In honor of its hard work over the years, the truck still bears unit number "117" as it has through all of its 754,000 miles. |
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