The era when American roads were populated by Cab-Over Engine (COE) trucks is long gone. These days, everybody drives conventional big rigs: while they may not offer the same precision in terms of maneuverability (think: visibility), their roomier cabins mean the world over the extended journeys these monsters have to make. Of course, this means COE trucks have entered the collectible realm. And this 1987 Kenworth K100, which has been recently been fully restored following a long hibernation, is an example as good as any.
The K100 model, which started life in the 1960s and received multiple important revisions until its early 2000s demise, is one of the titans of the genre. As you can imagine, none of these heavy-duty machines had an easy life. And this ’87 K100 spent some 25 years locked inside a barn until the Rich Bosch, the master mechanic behind the DeBoss Garage YouTube channel, took it home last year.
Sitting since 1996 did lead to some serious issues and the Canadian enthusiast claims he wasn’t aware of the engine’s condition when he bought the Kenworth—the 3406B Caterpillar 14.6L (893ci) straight-six turbodiesel didn’t run at the time.
The injection pump was not working
However, despite working on multiple projects meanwhile (more on this below), Rich’s restoration of the K100 is almost ready. The truck has recently enjoyed its first drive, but this was only possible thanks to the serious TLC it received.
For one, the mechanical injection pump of the said engine, which, by the way, should make at least 360 hp, was no longer functional. The cabin, with the massive engine lump dictated by the COE design, was full of unsanitary bits. In addition, the vehicle required a full respray, while tons of details, ranging from the chrome front bumper to tiny pieces, also needed attention.
Well, with the truck mostly done, the YouTuber decided to showcase this at the Dunnville Mudcat Festival earlier this month. And you’ll find this shenanigan in the first YouTube clip below.
However, if you’re more hooked on diesel work, you might enjoy the second clip below. This shows the vehicle right after its purchase while being mostly focused on how the injection pump issue was fixed—the “first” startup was a heavenly moment (49:01 timestamp).
The Shermanator cargo of the Kenworth is quite the precious piece
One of DeBoss Garage’s most impressive builds is the Shermanator that sat on the trailer pulled by the K100 at the said event. Long story short, we’re looking at a Chevy Square Body pickup truck that sits on what used to be a Sherman M4A2 tank (not quite your laying-frame-on-24s-build, is it?). The WWII tank had already been converted to civilian use decades ago using a 1980 GMC Sierra Grande body, but Rich still had plenty of hardware to upgrade.
You see, this steel-tracked madness might’ve lost its turret and firepower back in the day, but the vlogger gifted it with a 6V71 Detroit Diesel, along with a three-speed tranny, upgraded brakes, and many others.
And, as impressive as that Kenworth K100 is, it’s the Shermanator that will probably stick with us.
Awesome