Ford W9000 Cabover Given the Hot Rod Treatment With Amazing Results

Robb Mariani of American Truckers grew up a big rig fan and eventually turned this Ford W9000 into a dream truck.

While a lot of truckers tend to customize their big rigs, that process typically involves adding more chrome or custom paint jobs. Rarely does anyone go to the trouble of giving a semi a total overhaul, one that invokes traditional hot rod design elements. But that’s precisely the case with this amazing Ford W9000 cabover owned by Robb Mariani from the TV show, American Trucker, which was deservingly featured in 10-4 Magazine.

What’s particularly interesting about this owner-truck relationship is that Mariani is not a truck driver, but rather a “big rig enthusiast,” as he told 10-4 Magazine. That love of giant haulers stems from his childhood when both of his grandfathers were truckers and he fell in love with the movie White Line Fever, which starred a Ford cabover just like this one.

Thus, it’s no surprise that Mariani set out to find a Ford W-series cabover to build for himself, just like the big screen star he fell in love with as a kid. After years of searching, he located one that was originally owned by the Tennessee Highway Patrol and later used as a car hauler for a used car lot. When he purchased it, the truck had only 53,000 miles on the clock, but Mariani wound up storing it for a decade until he finally figured out which direction he wanted to take with the old Ford’s resurrection.

That came to fruition after Mariani met Brad Wike of BPW Transport, however. Wike’s amazing collection of cool old big rigs inspired Mariani to give the Ford W9000 a total hot rod makeover, a process that started with chopping the top by 13 inches and trimming nine inches from its length.

The cab was then smoothed out as the door handles and vents were deleted, and the battery boxes and fuel tanks were relocated for an ultra-clean look. With that and many other modifications done, many layers of House of Kolor’s Texas Blackberry Attack were laid down, along with matte black blames and blue striping, with amazing results.

The custom rig rolls on a set of custom chrome Dayton wheels wrapped in Goodyear rubber. The interior is a totally custom job as well, with original parts like the dash receiving heavy modifications. The result is what we believe to be the coolest big rig we’ve ever laid eyes on, and one that was obviously a gargantuan job. Needless to say, all that work was worth it for the owner, whose love of giant haulers can be traced back to his earliest days on this planet.

Photos: 10-4 Magazine

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.