Ditto to all the above. If you want your fictional hero to drive something unique, start with a modern tow vehicle- - - -maybe a heavy duty Ram dually with a Cummins turbo Diesel, and graft some vintage sheet metal onto the frame. You will have adequate power for pulling that big rig and more importantly, suspension, steering, and brakes capable of making it handle and stopping it. Personally, I'd choose one of the midsize Navistar rigs as a starting point. Purchasing a suitable donor vehicle and modifying it to look like a vintage rig will probably get into the $50K range at a minimum- - - - -probably considerably more, unless you're capable of doing all the modifications yourself. Some stovebolters have that amount invested in a resto-mod of a 1/2 ton pickup.
Jerry
