To the max

It’s been said time and time again, find something that you love to do for a living and you will never work a day in your life.

Sure it’s a cliché – and like nearly every cliché it’s probably used way too frequently – but in this case it’s an apt way to explain Nate Lawrence and his day-to-day.

Lawrence spent many years building haunted houses and movie sets across the United States and even in Canada.

So, how did he end up with one of the most-talked about trucks last fall at the Guilty By Association Truck Show in Joplin, Mo.?

Well, this isn’t your everyday truck.

“You come to an awesome show like this and you just see so many trucks,” Lawrence said. “I was actually blown away by the reaction.”

It all started when Lawrence’s love for all things haunted and how he makes a living became one and the same.

Lawrence’s experience designing haunted houses and movie sets shone through brilliantly with his replica truck, which is identical to the “Green Goblin” truck from the 1986 movie “Maximum Overdrive,” written and directed by Stephen King.

To say Lawrence is a fan of the movie is quite the understatement.

“When the movie came out, I was about 7 or 8 years old, and it scared the fire out of me, like it did every other little kid,” Lawrence said. “But just that Detroit sound, it really sticks in your mind.”

It stuck in Lawrence’s mind so much that he went through nearly a dozen trucks before finding the perfect truck to build out. Inevitably, there were plenty of obstacles throughout the process.

“I built haunted houses and movie sets for the past 10 years,” Lawrence said. “The hardest part of everything is what you don’t think about until the last minute. I had to go through several trucks to get the parts I needed. On this truck the windshield was one of the biggest issues, because the cab was built in Canada, so it was actually 2 inches shorter. We spent six weeks trying to find windshields.”

As luck would have it, Lawrence ended up finding the windshield in Tulsa, Okla., some 60 miles from where he resides and just in time for the grand unveiling at GBATS.

The unveiling included appearances by actors Barry Bell and Patrick Miller from the movie. Bell portrayed the character Steve in the movie, while Miller was cast as Joe.

Similarly, Lawrence said he plans to take the truck to the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., among other shows.

“Barry and Patrick, who were in the movie, have agreed to travel with the truck for appearances as well,” Lawrence said. “We’re 100% for the fans. We’re not trying to make a profit off of it. Any type of fundraising we can do, we’re all for it. Anywhere we can take the truck to benefit anybody, we will.”

However, it’s not just the fans who stand to benefit as evidence by the response at GBATS, Lawrence said.

“I had a fan come up and tell me they drove all night from Omaha, Neb., just to see the truck,” Lawrence said. “Another hundred people have told me this truck is the reason they came to the show. There are a lot of beautiful trucks here, so for somebody to say that it’s really humbling.”

That response only reinforced that Lawrence has made the right decision with his next project – a replica of the school bus from the movie – which he said is already in the works.

In addition, if all goes as planned, Lawrence said several other vehicles from the movie are on his wish list.

“We’re just going to stick with this theme and see what we can do,” Lawrence said. “When they do a reboot, they know who to call.” LL