SkippyMack

Gallery is updated! Most recent (50 pictures) load first! Off to shoot primer on these body panels... 🤩 https://sjcreativevt.pixieset.com/skippymack/

Friends! Here I am! Wow, three weeks cruised by since my last post. I'm here chuckling at your remarks! The truth is several fold: 1. Spring finally arrived in Northern Vermont - which means lots and lots of projects! 2. We finally closed on some land we've been trying to purchase since October from my parents. Real estate market is booming and were literally on a six month waiting list with the lawyer for a closing! Weather is beautiful so we've been on said land - were we have a go-kart track. 3. We've been working to get our dump truck tuned up for working on our land. 4. We have been fully vaccinated and have been enjoying catching up with other vaccinated family members and friends, in person! YAY! 5. My husband rented a paint shop big enough to paint his Freightliner and we have to be out on Friday. This might be closest to Bob's guess, though I can assure you that I know exactly where he is because I've been called up for duty at that shop - returning favors in kind, you might say. The reality is also that I've been working away on my truck almost every day at least for a few minutes. It's been awesome to have the overhead doors open this last week and take is some fresh air and sun! I know I'm preaching to the choir, here, but just when I thought the end was near...these body panels are kicking my ass. I just sprayed preliminary primer on the second fender and will be down to the hood as of tomorrow. Lots of fussy body work dealing with dents and damage. Good news is, I'm fully checked out on my own body work and have been virtually going start to finish solo on these panels! I'll be loading up this last fender in the van tonight and we're going to maximize our last couple of days at the paint shop and get all of the Mack panels painted all at once. Bob, I'm not going to make my original goal of driving the old girl by my/our birthday this Sunday, but I'm guessing my lately elusive husband will be back on the scene and I suspect we'll do body assembly as my birthday present. It's a love language you know! 😂 I'll do my best to keep ya'll more regularly updated. I can't tell you how much it means to have your virtual support! I'm loading pictures right now and will post the link when they are ready! Cheers.

Picture updates coming later tonight. Today, I'm solo on bodywork again. I prepped the nose piece last night. Old filler was cracked and broken off on the corners. I took it down and revealed old brass repairs. Laid fiber filler and am getting ready to go down and level that work and move on to Bondo. The nose will be in primer tonight and paint tomorrow! Yahoo!

Thank you! I'm planning a cool white detail on the hood that I think will really pull it all together!

Getting closer and closer! The white paint has a few places that need some attention. I think we got an incorrect P sheet and the mix ended up a little thin, so I have a couple of runs, but nothing that can't be leveled out and buffed back. I'm attacking the nose piece next! On another note: do you have a bed liner or undercoat type paint that you love? Matte black, textured. I'm going to paint the rocker under the door around the back - stepping up just to the bottom of the three "panels". The rockers had to be completely reconstructed and there are visible weldments. The lower portion of the back of the cab had been repaired multiple times (for function only). Since we're putting a custom bed on her, it made sense to not worry about a pristine repair back there, and I think and undercoat paint will be perfect. https://sjcreativevt.pixieset.com/skippymack/

The cab is painted! 🤩 I will be removing tape and plastic tomorrow...stay tuned.

My husband had a delivery to do today and my kiddo was able to play outside with his cousin, so I was solo all day on bodywork - and friends, I gotta say, the final detailing of the cab came out better than I planned! A quiet day with no other obligations proved to be super productive! I shot rattle can primer/builder over my work and tonight we got another layer of high build primer sprayed before calling it a night. Even my husband was impressed. 🤩 So, the cab will be in her top coat tomorrow morning! Feelin' like a million bucks! Most recent pictures load first (except the first two, which were at the beginning of the day today): https://sjcreativevt.pixieset.com/skippymack/

Brocky, Thank you for following along and for the support! Our son has grown up surrounded by cool projects since he was an infant. His first visit to the shop was at seven days old. Shortly after, we put a swing in the shop and he would swing for hours and hours observing projects come to life: boats, planes, jet cars, motorcycles, all kinds of things - as soon as he was old enough to help out, he's been on it! He's got a lot of creativity and natural talent in mechanical and engineering ability, so we foster it as much as we can! Although my Mack has made it to #3 on his list of favorite trucks in our "fleet", I'll be hard pressed to top his obsession with our old GMC dump truck "Dumpy" - that one is his passion! He is looking forward to riding around in the Mack, though - and he's a good helper! 😄

Oooo! Cool tip. Thanks!

The cab is in primer! Going to hit it with 320 this afternoon and she'll be in her white top coat (on the roof) tonight. The primer, as you know, does a great job of revealing where the body needs some extra attention. I've got more Bondo work to do...but it's close! Cab should be painted by the end of the weekend. We are in some spring weather, finally, and that has helped with perspective and energy. It was warm enough (mid 50s) to open a shop door yesterday when I pressure washed the cab. That was a treat! Progress...

Ha! Thanks, Bob! Yes, we have and use power tools (I've gone through countless packages of orbital sander 80 grit disks! But there are some things that require hand work, a sanding block, or a little piece of sand paper, especially on all these curves! 😆 Trust me, I've have my fair share of moments regretting not stripping the paint, but I couldn't see removing the cab and in the order we tackled the project...well it didn't make sense. There is a light at the end of this tunnel!

Bob, The interior is more green than blue, in my opinion. "Verde Green" is the name of the color. It doesn't photograph authentically - different in natural light than in the photos. I choose it for the hammered finish and because it echoed the vintage vibe of the original green. The interior door panels will also be that color. It works for me. ♥️

Ya'll, we're deep into the "dog shit" work of this project. "Buy an old truck," they said. "Fix 'er up," they said. "It'll be fun," they said. Okay, when I say "they" I mean "I". 😆 Well, days into the body work, I've had some moments of frustration. If I never have to sand Bondo again, it will be too soon! Good news is, the cab is the biggest and most annoying surface area we have to content with and it will be ready for primer tonight. After this, each panel will come in individually and will at least be more ergonomic to work on. The home stretch is the hardest, right? More process pictures at some point this week...right now I have sanding to contend with! (Detailed the doors over the weekend when I was at my wits' end with sanding).

Ya'll - I have paint! Doors are done. Goal is to have the cab done by the end of this weekend. I'm one happy girl - I think the truck is, too! The rest of the truck will be this color with a white cab roof (down to the natural seam). My seat upholstery should make sense now. Anybody craving a can of Dr. Pepper with me? 🤩

Update from the Brattleboro Historical Society on the Guildford Paper Co., Inc. This all makes me happy to give this truck a new lease on life surround with a bit more positive energy than in her former one! Stay tuned for pictures of the doors with top coat tonight! I CAN'T WAIT!!! "Guilford Paper got sued in 1954 for using the same set of license plates on two different trucks. It didn't pay off in the end as someone caught on to what they were doing, and the State of Vermont made them pay $151 for another set of plates. Seems they were trying to cut corners. The Guilford Paper Co was originally located in Guilford VT (a small town south of Brattleboro) during the late 1950's but relocated to Brattleboro in 1963. They converted waste paper into toilet tissue.They seem to have been involved in multiple lawsuits, some submitted by them for non-delivery of goods, some against them for non-payment of bills. They got in trouble with the State of Vermont for allowing waste water from their plant to pollute the Connecticut River, intentionally or non-intentionally, resulting in fines. The last reported information I could find on them was dated 1969 when the plant was sold to another paper company."

We're spraying primer on the doors now! I can't not document...drives my husband nuts, but then he's always grateful I have so many pictures of our projects coming to life!

No kidding! Thanks for the info.

The paint under and over the lettering definitely aged differently - really cracked. I did get it all off! Got both doors repaired (glass and Bondo) and did an initial rattle can primer this weekend. I detailed the lingering scratches with Nitro-Stan and wet sanded with 320. Doors are surprisingly silky smooth - far beyond my expectations! Oh, yeah!! Tomorrow we'll spray the high-build primer and I'll be back to wet sanding on Tuesday. Wednesday we're spraying top coat. Things are feeling pretty real! Today I also cut aluminum plates to cover the interior holes above the doors that housed the light fixtures (which were no good). I was able to retrofit some LED license plate lights utilizing the original screw holes and they look pretty darn good. Things are looking good for my mid-late April timeline. Most recent pictures load first: https://sjcreativevt.pixieset.com/skippymack/

Thank you!

I heard back from the Brattleboro Historical Society and office of the town Assessor, both confirmed that GUILFORD PAPER CO, INC. was located in Brattleboro in the 1950's through the 1980's. It appears they closed sometime after being charged with dumping waste into a setback that drained into the Connecticut River. Mystery solved. Also...cab is ready for primer!

Making steady progress! Paint: I went with single stage acrylic enamel, still ran me over $250/gallon, plus primer, hardener, etc... By the way, the Rust-Oleum Farm & Implement paint is awesome. That's what I used on the frame. We've used it on other trucks and it holds up! This week I've been sanding and doing body work. Discovered that my truck is a "local girl" when I revealed GUILFORD PAPER CO., INC. BRATTLEBORO, VT on the original paint on the door. Still trying to track down info on this company. So far my Brattleboro friends know nothing about it. I do have a call into the Historical Society there. I love these finds, makes me feel like an archaeologist. Also working on designing my custom "grill" since the original louvers were not salvageable. I'm using expanded aluminum and a custom detail that a friend cut for me today. I finished up the back end with paint and filled the holes that were left from a prior pintle hitch install. New lights on the rear panel are in and ready to be wired up. I'm also making progress on the headliner. Made my second trip to Lowe's this week to get the appropriate cutting tool for sheets of Plaskolite acrylic. If I can successfully cut it, it's going to make the perfect base. Diamond quilted vinyl headliner fabric has been ordered and shipped! I should have painted doors to share with you all by the end of the weekend. Most recent photos load first: https://sjcreativevt.pixieset.com/skippymack/

Doing my part to stimulate the economy by purchasing paint! Primer, paint, and all the supplies are in the shop! Doing body work with a goal to start spraying next week. I'm also tackling the headliner. Wish me luck and stay tuned!

Friends, Back to my air cleaner. Many of you have provided great feedback on cleaning the unit. Here's the dilemma: turns out the need for cleaning is not just general dust and dirt, but organic material brought in by mice (at some point) for nesting. Thoughts?

Continuing to make progress! Over the past week I've done some body work (paint removal) and painting. We packed bearings and got the hubs back together, finished welding the back plate, replaced an air line that didn't survive the floor repair, and rehabbed a set of sun visors that I snagged before some trucks at a local yard were scrapped. Ordering paint for the body this weekend! Most recent pictures load first: https://sjcreativevt.pixieset.com/skippymack/

Ah! Thanks so much! I know it won't look like much until we get the body work done, but for anyone who has engaged in any kind of restoration, I think you can appreciate the hundreds of hours that go into these projects! I'm still getting my old industrial Juki machine in good working order. I actually did these seats on my trusty Singer "Heavy Duty" model. Given the fact that they are mostly straight panels with only those two side panels that have any curves, it was pretty doable. Sounds like your wife will be well versed in these seats when she's done her current list! Thank you again for following along, it has made the work extra fun to know others are appreciating the progress, too. Can't wait to roll her out on the road in the spring and do a full video tour. Back to my "snow day" escapades! Cheers, SJ