A self-confessed ‘gear head’ has taken his love for modification to a whole new level, by transforming his 1984 Peterbilt 359 semi-truck into a monstrous hot rod. Owner Jim Muncy, from Ohio, modified the vehicle so much that he named it ‘Overkill’, and in the space of just five months every component except for its original engine had been customised. When asked how he would describe Overkill, Jim said: “Raw, massive and unique. There’s just nothing else out there like it.”
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MotorTranscript
00:00I wanted to do a rat ride semi-truck. It's definitely everything that I could have wanted and more.
00:14Peterbilt trucks come in all shapes and sizes, but have you ever seen one quite like this?
00:21Raw, massive and unique. There's just nothing else out there like it.
00:31It draws attention wherever it goes and it makes people smile.
00:39I'm Jim Muncy and this is Overkill. It is totally, completely unique. There's nothing else out there like it.
00:49Unique indeed. Jim took a 359 Peterbilt and set about creating this awe-inspiring beast of a truck.
00:57I had this vision of a rat ride semi-truck. I had an old semi, this was in 2015.
01:04I kind of outlined what I had in mind. It evolved more into a hot rod.
01:10The majority of the work was done within five months.
01:17I just looked at it one day and said, this thing's Overkill.
01:21I look at this thing and to me, it's a rolling piece of art.
01:26With the raw steel frame, the leather and the wood interior.
01:32So the main frame is just done with two-inch mild steel pipe.
01:36It just gives the whole truck a nice beefy, industrial look.
01:41We just put a lot of different materials that make this truck unique.
01:47We just put a lot of different materials that wouldn't necessarily normally go together and incorporate it into a really cool hot rod.
02:00I've been a gearhead ever since I was 15 years old. I just love fast cars and trucks.
02:08It's a blast to drive. I mean, just looking out over that big, massive engine and that long hood is just cool. It's fun.
02:17And while this vehicle may have changed beyond recognition, it still retains the original engine.
02:23It's an 855 cubic inch Cummins Big Cam 3.
02:27This is our air intake. It was made out of two Top Fuel Dragster hats.
02:33We also have triangulated four-link suspension and airbags to control the ride height and ride quality.
02:42Performance-wise, right now we're putting out about 450 horse, 1,400 foot-pounds of torque with the 306 gear and a direct-drive Allison automatic transmission.
02:54It's good to about 100 mile an hour before it hits up a range of the RPMs.
02:59And it's also good for burnouts.
03:12It makes a little smoke, doesn't it?
03:19The lug nut covers were made from billet aluminum.
03:22They were machined for us by a high school shop class, and they just turned out absolutely beautiful.
03:29The wing is just for fun. It has no purpose other than to look cool.
03:34I really don't have any plans for the future.
03:38I really don't have any problems finding a parking spot or turning around. It's really got a very sharp turning radius.
03:45And of course, this rig turns a few heads when it's out and about.
03:51The best thing about driving overkill is just the reactions of people.
03:55That's what it's all about. It's just fun. It makes people smile.
03:59They've never seen anything like it before, so everybody's into it.
04:04And it's just a unique, wild vehicle.
04:08I've built one motorcycle, and I've always wanted to build something else.
04:12But this is way beyond anything I could ever dream of. This is so cool.
04:17It's awesome. You don't see anything like this ever, really.
04:20Super singles, open wheel, in the four link, on airbags.
04:25I mean, it's got everything. Everything you could ever ask for in a rat rod.
04:35You can't be in a hurry if you're going to take it somewhere.
04:39It's going to get a crowd of people around it wanting to take pictures.
04:44I wanted to do a rat rod semi truck, and it's definitely everything that I could have wanted and more.