A rare Kenworth find

This one was a barn find. Images: Paul Biagini

This 1994 T650 truck is a rarity.

Not for its looks or trophy wins, (though it does steal glances) but because it’s one of the very last mechanical pedals Kenworth manufactured, ever.

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Up until the early 90s, all trucks manufactured ran a mechanical linkage accelerator pedal to the engine, before the transition to computerised engines began, meaning the accelerator pedal was only linked to the engine via wiring, and not an actual linkage.

There was a mix of electronic and mechanical pedals on the road, and this particular Kenworth was one of the very last built with the old pedal, making it quite rare.

The POZ717 truck was a barn find built for Fred Clarke in Cairns who was a long term Pozzolanic subcontractor.

Fred and his trusty T650 spent decades moving cement towing a pneumatic tanker through the tough roads of North Queensland.

Upon Fred retiring and after decades of service, she passed through the hands of a few collectors before finally finding her saviour in the Streamline Restorations workshop.

As owners of the Streamline Restorations workshop, Paul and Amanda Biagini gave the Kenny a second life.

The 717 fleet number was kept as a mark of respect to the original owner, Fred

Based in Mulgowie (Lockyer Valley), the Biagini’s have been owning, operating and rescuing legacy model Kenworths for 40 years, and this truck was going to be their next exciting project.

“By this time, the Kenworth had sat for some years and was showing signs of age, including some serious paint fade,” Paul says. “We rescued her.”

As a detailer by trade, Paul instantly spotted the potential in the 31-year-old Dulux paint applied at the Kenworth factory and decided to rescue it as opposed to repainting.

Instead of stripping the rare rig bare, Paul decided to respect its story.

“As opposed to a full restoration, which after careful consideration we decided was not required, we wanted to retain the OEM Dulux paint on the bonnet, cab and sleeper,” he says.

The truck was stripped of all its brightwork, grille, mirrors, exhausts and air cleaners to allow better access to the tired but complete paint.

“The OEM paint was then painstakingly restored with colour sanding and three stages of paint resurrection.

“We colour sanded to top and then resurrected to paint using Jax Auto Wax products with a stunning result. We then repainted the chassis in Dulux 2K.

“Once we were satisfied with the result, an old school pin-striper was engaged to reapply the broad lines and scrolls.

“Amanda and I decided to keep the 717 fleet number on the air cleaners as a mark of respect to the original owner, Fred.”

While the paint was revived, the trim was completely stripped out and detailed, and new sound and heat proofing fitted to the floor and topped off with a new floor mat.

Inside is just as nice.

The chassis was then stripped of tanks, guards, turntable and repainted by Paul in Pozzolanic Blue, Dulux 2K, while the tanks, bull bar, toolbox lids and all small alloy brackets were sanded and polished by Amanda.

“We spent many, many hours bringing these parts back to a new finish,” Paul says.

“The interior of the cab and sleeper was completely removed, only leaving the dash remaining, and Amanda then hand detailed every piece of trim while I treated the floor with rust proof paint and applied heat and sound insulation.

“The dash was then detailed including removing all gauges and switches to ensure a perfect clean. The truck still sports the original cassette player, UHF and matching seat and sleeper mattress inserts.

Once all surfaces were either renewed or refinished, Paul and Amanda carefully reassembled the Kenworth using all new fasteners, with many being polished stainless steel.

Under the hood, the heart of this beast still beats strong, with a Cummins N14 pushing 430 horsepower, complete with a 13-speed overdrive, 44,000lb rear end at 3.9 on AG100, sporting the original engine, transmission and diffs.

This Kenny was given a second chance.

This truck is truly a snapshot of an era of trucking.

“These mid-90s Kenworths are beautifully built and a testament to the product of this era,” Paul says.

“She is in remarkable condition for her age and is a joy to drive.”

While POZ717 was another chapter read at Streamline Restorations, it contributes to their mission of keeping Australia’s trucking heritage alive.

If you’ve fallen for this big Kenworth, you’re in luck, as it’s now ready for its next journey in life and will be put up for sale in the near future. 

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