Alan Shuttleworth loves a good ol’ classic hot rod – so much so, he bought a rig from the United States to haul his collection around.
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When the truck eventually arrived Down Under it was white in colour, until it was stripped back down to the chassis.
“I got someone to modify and lengthen it, then insert the sleeper, put the tray on it, modify the tray and change it to right end drive,” Alan says.
“It took two years to complete once it got here from America.”
The 1987 Peterbilt 359 was Alan’s for 13 years, until he sold it last February – and it now lives in Bonnie Doon, Victoria.
The rig was used not only for hauling his vehicles but travelling the country as well.
“It has a big sleeper for me and the wife and for putting the power on the back,” he says. “The wife and I are over it; we’ve done a lot of trips all around Australia and are due for a change.
“I was hoping to get another Peterbilt, but the Government won’t allow you to bring anything from America if it’s over a certain weight.”
This Peterbilt is nothing short of a standout – a magnificent beast cloaked in eye-catching red with fierce orange flames licking down its sides.
“I wanted my Peterbilt to have flames on it because my hot rods do, and I’ve got flame tattoos on my arms,” Alan says. “So it’s just a look that I like, along with red vehicles.”
Despite being a truckie for 47 years, hot rodding is Alan’s main passion, and he owns two hot rods and an FJ.
Both of the smaller vehicles were displayed at the rear end of the truck, with no walls surrounding the vehicles, just a shelter (providing easier access for people to get a proper look).
They each added their own flair to the Peterbilt, bringing their colourful, matching aesthetic to the road.
The smaller vehicles carted on top of the Peterbilt were a sight no driver could pass without staring.
Alan fell into hot rodding after wanting an older and more eye-catching vehicle, as he had always previously owned old Holdens.
“I bought a 1940 Chev, then a GMC 1941 pick up, which pulls a retro caravan all over the place,” he says.
One of Alan’s hot rods is a dazzling pastel green with dark green flames decorating the cab, while the other is a deep purple, featuring bright orange flames. Meanwhile the classic FJ is a bright, sky blue.
“People flash their lights, toot their horns and point – just like when they tell you there’s a copper up the road or speed cameras up ahead,” he laughs.
“I never knew if they were admiring the truck or trying to tell me something was up ahead!”
Despite Alan having a yard full of vehicles of all shapes and sizes, it doesn’t end there, as he is currently passionately restoring a 1962 900 Seattle Kenworth that he’s been working on all year.
“I wish I had never sold the Peterbilt, but we all make mistakes in life,” he says. “I just have to live with it now. My new project is 25 years older and more unique, I think.”
“I bought it off someone in December after it had been sitting outside for two years.”
The rig is rare as it’s a left-hand drive with twin gearsticks, a 335 Cummins motor, a Rockwell 52,000 lbs diff (R170) and an aluminium chassis.
Within the next few weeks, Alan will continue working on the rig as he plans to take it to a roadworthy and put it under club registration.
“I was going to make it a rigid to chuck my hot rods on the back and tow our caravan, but I don’t know if that’s the way I’m going to go,”he says. “I may just get a trailer now.
“I’m allowed to leave it left hand drive because it’s over 30 years old and you have to be in a club to leave it like that.
“The brown is the colour it came in. The paint work’s a bit rough, but I’m leaving it as is.”
Keen to keep it in its working clothes, Alan now only has the one truck and the hot rods to keep him busy.
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