The Long Express: Bill Long’s Kenworth T900
Originally published in Australian Custom Trucks, Issue 2 (2013) · Matt Raudonikis
Rear Vision | First published in Australian Custom Trucks, Issue 2, Summer 2013.
Bill Long had always admired Kenworth T900s and T950s. When Ray Marshall offered him a 1995 T900 tall-cab, Bill took the opportunity. It was burgundy and white, with about 1.4 million kilometres recorded when he bought it in 2007, and soon went to work hauling refrigerated B-doubles on the Brisbane–Sydney run.
Bill first added stainless parts and replaced the drivetrain to suit the work. By mid-2013 the truck was ready for a larger refresh. Truckin’ Stainless stripped it, repaired rust, changed the colour and refitted the brightwork. The result, photographed for ACT, looked substantially different from the truck Bill had bought.
A working tribute
The Black Current paint came from West Henderson of Coastline Spraypaint, with subtle purple visible in sunlight. The refit included a one-piece drop visor, stainless-wrapped tanks and steps, recessed deck plates, chrome guards, eight-inch exhausts, Vortex air cleaners and a deep AJ’s bumper. Robbie Marshall re-trimmed the cab.
Stu at Custom Airbrushing painted a cigar-smoking skull and “The Reckoning” on the sleeper. Bill said the design came from his late mate Scorcher, and putting it on the truck was a tribute to him. Underneath the finish sat a 550 hp C15 Caterpillar and double-overdrive Road Ranger, replacing an earlier Spicer gearbox. Revised gearing in the Meritor axles helped the T900 pull doubles.
Bill described it as a work rig rather than a show truck, though it won Best Truck Overall at a local SRV show. It was a dream T900 put back to work, with a friend’s memory carried on the cab.
Words: Matt Raudonikis. Photographs: Warren Aaitken (as printed). Images recovered from the original ACT Issue 2 print file.
Featured image: Bill Long’s refreshed Kenworth T900. Photo: Warren Aaitken, as credited in ACT Issue 2.
Rear Vision: where is it now?
This is a 2013 archive account, not a statement of current ownership or operations. Do you know where Bill’s T900 is now, or remember seeing “The Reckoning” on the road? Tell ACT what happened next and share a current photograph.