This home-built pickup pulls like a semi and has a semi tractor's sleeper cab to boot.

Roger Ater, Moweaqua, Ill., uses the rig to pull his stock car on a 24-ft. trailer. He can bunk down in the cab whenever he needs rest.

The "semi" pickup evolved from a 1978 Ford 100 1/2-ton. Its 240 cu. in. 6-cyl. engine with 3-speed manual transmission was blown. To get the truck running again, Ater replaced the bad engine with a 429 cu. in. V-8 with automatic transmission out of a 1972 Mercury Marquis.

To fit the bigger engine and automatic transmission into the pickup's engine compartment, Ater shortened its driveshaft and fabricated new motor mounts.

When a friend removed the 36-in. deep sleeper from his 1978 Peterbilt, Ater bought it.

To mount the sleeper, he had to remove the pickup box and cut a 13-in. deep notch out of the bottom of the sleeper to position the bed even with the pickup's rear window. The sleeper mounts on the pickup same as on the semi, resting on rubber bushings and bolted to the frame.

When another friend wrecked his 1994 Dodge Ram pickup, Ater salvaged the front bumper and grille and installed them on his pickup.