Wayne Ellis Jr.

Robert Conrad
September 2018

Gladstone, VA native Wayne Ellis, Jr. may only be 23, but he's grown up around trucks and got his first ride in a semi with his father. Wayne Ellis Sr. had an International 9370 model and used to take Wayne Jr. with him when he went trucking. After a couple of rides with his dad, Wayne Jr. was hooked and his passion for trucks continued to grow throughout his childhood years.

Today, Wayne Ellis Jr. is the proud owner of a classic 1988 IH 9370 Eagle, much like the one he used to take rides in with his dad as a young boy! Wayne is still in the process of restoring his old "cornbinder", but so far, he's got her looking great! Wayne and his friends have done all of the cosmetics and mechanical work on the truck, stretching the frame to 265" and adding 2 fuel tanks to give it 4 matching 100-gallon tanks on the frame rails. The factory paint job gives the truck its original 80's look and it resembles a truck that would have run from VA to the West Coast and back. Power comes from a 400 Big Cam IV Cummins engine that's paired up with a 13-speed transmission and a set of 3:91 rears.

Wayne says he really enjoys turning wrenches and being around old trucks in general. He started going to truck shows as a young man with Jerry Coffey, and it’s become his hobby of choice. Wayne enjoys attending as many shows as he can with his incredible International, and he gets plenty of looks when he pulls in!

He wanted to give special thanks to his parents and his sister for all of their love and support. Wayne also wanted to thank Jerry Coffey, David Wooldridge, Matt Brittain, and Brian Mays for their help with the truck. It's pretty certain that Wayne isn't finished "tinkering" with his IH, but he's certainly headed in the right direction. IH fans will get a real treat talking with Wayne and checking out his great looking 9370 at one of the truck shows he might be attending.

Movin' Out salutes Wayne Ellis, Jr. for all of his hard work, and for keeping the roots of "old school trucking " alive with his beautiful 1988 IH, by choosing him as our September 2018 Working Show Truck of the Month.