If you watched the TV show Movin‘ On back in the 80s, then you will most likely remember ‘Truck-Um Up Posters‘. This month‘s Top Truck poster pays homage to that great era of trucking.

Sitting in the Pukekohe office of Northchill Ltd and chatting to Graham Redington, we sense the passion in the man immediately that harks back to a childhood in the 80s, the golden era of trucking. A time where Convoy and Smokey and the Bandit were showing at the local cinema and Truck-Um Up Posters were pinned up on bedroom walls. Graham and Michelle Redington own transport company Northchill Ltd of Pukekohe and their immaculate fleet is instantly recognisable throughout the country. None more so than fleet number 65, ‘The Big Kahuna‘, a two-year-old limited edition T900 Kenworth.

A touch over three years ago Graham was looking to embark on the rebuild of a Mack Super-Liner as a working truck, something that oozed trucking nostalgia and was fun to drive. It was at this time that Kenworth in Bayswater, Australia, was about to open the order books for 24 hours on the limited run re-release of the Classic T900. Graham caught wind of this opportunity, and chatting with Michelle they decided that a brand new classic rather than a rebuilt retro was the way forward for their business, so the Super-Liner was sold on to Allan Dippie of Wanaka, then it was a call to good mate Steve Herring of Southpac Trucks in Christchurch and the order was placed.

Photo: Ox blood red interior and gold bezels? No no NO!!

The next call was to Geelong, southwest of Melbourne, to the custom Kenworth workshops of Justin and Turk Klos. Graham‘s connection and friendship with the Klos brothers is longstanding, having visited the lads and purchased items over the years for existing Kenworth products already operating within the Northchill fleet. A plan was put in place for the new #65 to be delivered from the Bayswater assembly plant as soon as it rolled off the line directly to the Klos facility. Graham had a clear vision of how the new addition to the fleet would look. “The trouble with being on opposite sides of the Tasman with a project like this is there are many decisions to be discussed and made, so I put together a book that described every detail I was looking for in the build. It blew the Klos boys away as no one had ever done that for them before,” said Graham.

The book detailed everything from mirror arms through to paint detail and everything in between. Once the bare tractor unit had arrived from Bayswater in its base colour of silver, it was stripped down in readiness for the application of the classic Kenworth Seminole paint scheme. The iconic Seminole paint scheme was first seen on early W900A models in the 70s and has been adopted by many other makes and models over the years. Adam Bennett and the TFI team at Laverton North, Victoria, were the magicians here, ensuring the scene was set for the pin-striping by both Justin Klos as well as New Zealand‘s own award-winning Cliff Mannington of Truck Signs in Tauranga, who flew in to Geelong especially for the project.

Photo: The closer you look the more detail you find.

Once paint and pin-striping was complete it was time for reassembly of the T900 and also to apply the many customfabricated items listed on the pages of ‘Graham‘s Build Guide‘. Probably the most visual accessory is the custom Bar Up Bullbars flat Texan front bumper. A classic Kenworth bug and details have been CNC etched into each end of the bar. Other features are no visual chassis fixings through the bar and a recessed number plate aperture. The stainless steel fabrication is extensive, and has been executed with precise accuracy. The idea for Graham was to have the bulk of the custom fabrication work completed in Australia, with a minimum of effort required here in New Zealand when the rig arrived, virtually ready to hit the road. Upon arrival in New Zealand, Aaron Headington and his team at Southpac Trucks set up the turntable and got the legals sorted, while Northchill team member Shayne Downey took care of the in-cab fit-out. Many individuals had a hand in the project, however with Graham‘s clear vision of how the end product would look, everyone has played their part to perfection.

Photo: No ex Area 51 UFO under-chassis LED glow here, its all about Old Skool Cool.

This is one of those builds where the closer you look the more detail you find. It is the subtle touches added by Graham that define the era ‘The Big Kahuna‘ tips its hat to; for example the single row of retro styled amber marker lamps that are fitted the length of the diesel tank steps, reminiscent of the classic American trucks we drooled over in the 80s, the likes of Bob Wilson‘s W900A ‘Ironsides‘ and Steve Blunt‘s stretched K100 Aerodyne ‘Firebird‘ to name a couple. In the day poster trucks like those were the inspiration of many of our successful operators today, and looking over Graham and Michelle‘s pride of the fleet it is pleasing to see the passion and inspiration being transferred on to our next generation of young gear jammers, 10-4.