Custom Big Rig Truck Show - Chrome Show
Located off I-75 in Wildwood, Florida, 75 Chrome has been the place to go for 18-wheeler chrome accessories since 1990. The store combines all the facilities of a modern truck stop with service bays, a CB shop, showers, laundry facilities, and even a game room. More importantly, owners Debbie and Billy Farkus created the 75 Chrome Pride and Polish Annual Truck Show to give drivers a venue to display their customizing talents. Now in its tenth year, the event is known nationwide and truckers come from around the country to participate. The astonishing part of the competition is that many of these painted, chromed, and neon-enhanced rigs are genuine working vehicles that were back on the highway hauling freight after the show, with their trophies tucked neatly in the sleeper of course!

Show Trucks Roll InThe competition was divided into four classes and included Working Combination, which were truck and trailer combinations that work for a living. The second was Working Bobtail (working trucks minus the trailer). The third category was Non-Working Combination (show trucks with their trailers). Finally, there's Non-Working Bobtail (show trucks minus trailers). Without the classification signs in the windshields, however, it was hard to tell working rigs from non-working rigs. They were that clean.

International AttractionTrucks from as far away as Canada participated in the Florida event and truckers from as far away as Norway attended the gathering. Forty show trucks lined up in 75 Chrome's huge parking lot. Spectators trolled the rows of trick trucks for hours, appreciating the time and attention lavished on the over-the-road giants.

As evening fell and the lights in the parking lot were extinguished, everyone marveled at the brightly lit big rigs. Neon lights in a kaleidoscope of colors decorated the trucks from top to bottom. For even more fun, country western singer Matt Coleman performed an evening concert that was free to the crowd.

High Fuel Prices?During the two-day show, we spoke to lots of drivers, like Texan Truett Novosad, about rising fuel prices. He's owned an '01 Peterbilt 379 named High Cotton for seven years and it has 660,000 miles on it. The fuel crunch wasn't bothering Truett like most drivers, since he's able to pass the cost on to his customers as a surcharge. That's important because the cost to fill up his tank was around $650 last year, and now it is around $1,000, with a fill-up occurring about every other day or so.

What was unique about the situation was the number of drivers participating in the event. Even with a difficult national economic situation, they sidelined their trucks for the several days necessary to detail them for the judges and to participate in the show itself. If you find yourself in central Florida around the end of April next year, this is an event you really won't want to miss. Get all the details at 75chromeshop.com.


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Diesel Bombers's Sig:

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Nice to see the bombers supportin' the big rigs ther is a lot of shows coming up one in Reno , Nv. called cherries jublee about the same time as Hot Augest nights

toads250's Sig:

96 f250 4x4 psd 5spd
big air in and blacksmoke out
and various diesel locomotives

if its diesel its here !

Just hard to focus on such a wide subject

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Ahh yes, 75 chrome shop, been there, went broke there too! But them lights were worth every last penny and lint fuzz!

Cowboy_Customs's Sig:

'95 Dodge 3500 SLT Laramie NV4500 4.10LS Chevy cyl's flatbed Pacbrake 60# springs timed and tweeked Bilstein HD's 19.5's Lukes link 309K on the ticker
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There's a guy from up around here with a fleet of around 70 trucks that look similar to that.

Joel Olsen Trucking...Clatskanie, Or/Vancouver, Wa

His son Darin has a few also.

Nice hot rods.....

http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pi.../pb_olson1.jpg

Mr. Miyagi's Sig:

I see Olsen rigs down here in K.Falls just about every day them is nice lookin' rigs.

Love lookin at those trucks when their all cleaned up and lookin nice.

97cummins's Sig:

yea that's right down the road from me. I'm NOT missing it this coming year. There is so much junk in that building it's not even funny. I remember when 75 chrome shop was a little dinky thing too.

2001shrtbedcummins's Sig:

Mexican Baseball League "I love this game"
Man who marries girl with no bust has right to feel down low.

Olsens are some of the nicest around, Charboneu also has some nice ones here locally.

Couple of our work horses after a bath:

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One that I liked from the truck drags last weekend.

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00' Quad Cab's Sig:

Jason Hayes, Aberdeen WA

2000 Quad Cab 4x4 LB CTD Auto

Charbie's trucks are very sweet. George Van Dyke has some nice ones, and Dusty Belcher from down in Mossyrock used to have one of the most bad ass mafia looking lowrider Petes I'd ever seen. Not sure if it's around anymore or not.

Not to mention some of our local loggers and their rolling chrome shops.

I parked next to one of Olsen's red Petes at the Nisqually scales....it was the DSU booth truck from the show with the coffin sleeper. Anyways, the rumors are true....it has little chrome nut caps on the oil pan bolts. Seriously....

The black one from Belchers?

I know the driver of that truck.

Cool...small world around here. I haven't seen the particular one I'm thinking of since about '99 or so.....could be the same truck that just has had a face lift, though.

I live in TX so I shut down and go to GATS (Great American Truck Show) Dallas TX. I've been to Wildwood FL, really a nice place, would love to be there for a show. Another fun one I've been to twice is the Show & Shine @ Billy Bobs in Ft Worth. My Freightshaker looks nice all cleaned & shined, but makes more money at 70 mph killing bugs at an alarming rate. drag around company trailers, so have to leave them somewhere else if I want the truck to look good.
2005 Freighliner Classic XL 500hp CAT accert (peaked & tweaked) super 13 Eaton trans, I may not be quick, but dont try to match my top speed. I've had it @ 125, and there was still more there, but the windshields were shaking, so I slowed 'er down.

Stumblefoot's Sig:

2007 Ford F250 Super Duty, 6.0L AFE stage 2 dry cold air, Bully Dog PMT, Zoodad, line of fire lights, EZ down tailgate, wilson cell phone amp. XM satellite radio.

it would be cool to go to one, are there any shows close to ohio?

7.3Strokin419's Sig:

"If ya aint STROKIN' ya JOKIN"

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