This profile is part of a multi-part series in which Overdrive is publishing stories on the five Pride & Polish Best of Show winners from the 2018 Great American Trucking Show in August.
Hobbs, New Mexico-based owner-operator Lonnie Ramirez recalls that his grandfather owned an American Quarter Horse named “Thunderhead.” It was almost the same color as the 2018 Peterbilt 389 that Ramirez bought in July, giving him the idea to name the truck after the horse.
After taking ownership of the truck in late July from Thompson Glider Kits in Memphis, Tennessee, he worked around the clock to prepare it for the show. Much of the work was done by Chuy’s Kustoms of San Antonio, which previously had built winning show trucks. Ramirez credits Chuy’s expertise for a large part of his success at Pride & Polish, his first truck show competition.
Ramirez had the Pete, originally a solid brown, repainted to add the black stripes with red accents, as well as adding more pearl and metal flake to the brown.
The build included painting the tanks, adding and painting the visor, adding a new bumper and stretching the wheelbase from 275 inches to 295.
He also added full fenders from Talladega Fiberglass, 9-inch side panels from Bad Ass Custom Truck Parts and more. The rig is powered by a C15 Cat 6NZ with an 18 speed and 3:55 rears.
