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SkippyMack

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Everything posted by SkippyMack

  1. I'm back! The shop has been set up for paint as my husband has also been working on his Freightliner. The Mack has been patiently waiting under her parachute cover - and I spent last week recovering from some bug (negative COVID test, yay!) Tonight I removed the instrument panel and got the back painted (flat black). Tomorrow I'll spray the Verde Green! New instruments are ready to install. Fuel sending unit arrived over the weekend so that will get installed tomorrow and we'll put some 100 low lead in the tank! (Parachutes for covering up and Av gas courtesy of my pilot/A&P mechanic husband). One more week of school (I'm a teacher) and we're on holiday break. I foresee some momentum coming! When I was digging out Christmas decorations from storage, I discovered plenty of leftover marine grade vinyl from a boat we built about ten years ago. There is enough to recover the seats - in the right colors, to boot! WIN! Hope you all are doing well. Most recent pictures load first: https://sjcreativevt.pixieset.com/skippymack/
  2. Bob, I've always been a dive in and ask questions later kind of girl...drives my husband nuts...but often keeps things going! HA! 😆
  3. Frank, I found this after-the-fact last night! Good info that should help you out.
  4. Well, I came off the high of my progress yesterday and landed myself right in the dog house, so to speak! 🙄 I decided on a whim at the end of a long day of work - to remove the passenger side inside door panel. The inner handle wasn't working and I thought I could investigate and remove the panel for paint. Serves me right for not doing my homework first. The last couple of truck doors I've disassembled have had all of the mechanisms attached inside the door itself, not the panel. (If I had used my head and really assessed the screw placement, I could have saved myself the headache! Hindsight!) Well, if any of you have taken your B Model doors apart, you can probably guess what happened! I managed to figure out the error of my ways, but not after disconnecting part of the window mechanism inside the door - and waking up a hornets nest in the process! After lots of choice words, we managed to get the window down and get the panel off with the mechanisms relatively intact. The hornets have been evicted. The mechanisms all need lubricating and the internal frame for the window was damaged at some point (looks like damage that is quite old). It will be put aside for a shop night when we have a bit more patience to invest. On a fun note, I found an Operation Manual (copy) online and it arrived today. It probably won't be a surprise that in the 1950s - it was written for the male owner - all pronouns are he/him/his. Made this girl chuckle. Couple of door pictures will load first in the gallery as of tonight: https://sjcreativevt.pixieset.com/skippymack/
  5. Well, it's been a big week for the Mack! The unexpected blessing of Thanksgiving at home, just the three of us, was that the meal was easy to clean up, and the shop was warm and dry...so in addition to a few nights work leading up to today, I was able to get some good work done tonight. -We removed the overload leaf springs and replaced the U bolts -Front brake canisters have been replaced -Tank is ready for plumbing (just waiting on my new sending unit to arrive) -Picked up new dash gauges (keeping the original speedo, replacing the other gauges that no longer worked -New fuse block is installed -Rear end and frame rails prepped for paint -First coat on the outside of the frame (partial) What I'm really excited about is that my paint solution for the interior is a home run (in my book). Many of you echoed my sentiments that as long as I love it, that's all that matters! To that end, I accidentally stumbled upon my perfect solution. We use a lot of Rust-oleum "hammered finish" spray paint to finish little projects. It's one of those products that consistently exceeds our expectations. Turns out there is a Verde Green that closely matches the original interior. It's a bit cooler in tone (but more green than the photos show). I couldn't find it in stores, but was able to order a case online. It came Tuesday and I tested it out on the glove compartment door. WIN! I love it! It's retro and the hammered finish covers any little flaws. So, I'll be proceeding with that. Still considering solutions for my missing headliner. Would love any ideas or inspiration! Hope you all who are here in the U.S. had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. Cheers! -SJ The gallery is updated to tonight with newest pictures first: https://sjcreativevt.pixieset.com/skippymack/
  6. Newest pictures first! https://sjcreativevt.pixieset.com/skippymack/
  7. Ha! Well, I don't know any other way. 😆 I hope no one will be embarrassed, but perhaps inspired!
  8. Ha! Well, I don't know any other way. 😆 I hope no one will be embarrassed, but perhaps inspired!
  9. Hey friends, Thank you for indulging me here! I think I came across an interior paint solution. I am going to wait to reveal after I test it next week. So...stay tuned! My question today is about the headliner. My truck doesn't have one! Nothing - just the exposed roof. I hunted around this forum and Watts and discovered that headliner kits are available, but they are beyond what I'm willing to spend (more than I bought the entire truck for with shipping factored in). I'm wondering about creative solutions. As always, I welcome your experience and insight! Pictures coming tonight. We made incredible progress this weekend! Fuel tank is getting installed today. I brought home the interior seats for reupholstering (not there yet), but did put the driver's seat in yesterday so I could sit on something other than a milk crate 😆. Thanks to my husband and his tireless efforts, I was able to sit, turn on the main power, turn on the fuel pump, pull out the choke, and start my truck! All systems are a go! Brake canisters are on their way this week, so we're getting really close to a test drive. (I'm exercising patience as my husband is also working on a Freightliner right now, so we're trading time between the two). I'll check back in tonight. Thanks for making this project even more fun by following along and participating! Cheers, SJ
  10. Both interior door panels have original green paint on them (everything else has been painted over). Good suggestion, Paul. Thanks!
  11. Got the fuel tank prepped and first coat of paint on last night! We stripped out wiring, took out gauges that need to be replaced, and continued the work to simplify the systems. We finally have all brakes lines that will no longer be used (since we're not hauling with her) removed and/or capped off. Piles of old wiring have been eliminated so we can build back as needed with the essentials. Installing the shut off switch on the battery so we don't have to keep disconnecting it, though the electrical fire hazards should have been largely eliminated last night. Thinking about painting the interior of the cab something that closely resembles the original green. What do ya'll think? I've seen some suggestions of comparable colors somewhere online.
  12. The spare transmission that came with my truck had a shifter. It is still being stored by the previous owner. We retrieved it last night. It was slightly longer and didn't work, but we were able to copy the end which was in excellent condition in order to reshape my original lever. She shifts! We also built a battery box and salvaged the original fuel tank! The top of the tank was pitted and had some small holes, so (after purging) we cut a hole in the top, removing the worse of the holes. I was able to really clean out the interior, which turned out to be in surprisingly good shape. I stripped the exterior, and my husband did some patching. Shop night this week will be dedicated to getting these systems all up and running so she'll have her own power and fuel. Frame, rear-end, tank will be ready for paint this week. Progress! https://sjcreativevt.pixieset.com/skippymack/
  13. Check out the video. We got her running last night: https://youtu.be/O5UkI3qt17A
  14. Last week was a wash for the Mack. We spent most of our free time winterizing summer vehicles, and doing maintenance on our daily drivers! But last night we had a big breakthrough! The crew came together and we installed our manifold and got the carburetor back on, etc.. AND???? The old girl started right up! She ran beautifully under her own power. We were able to spend time getting her into gear. Discovered some binding and couldn't get into 1st, 2nd, or reverse. Ultimately, found that the end of shift lever that meets the shifting forks was all worn and had been previously repaired (poorly). It doesn't stay in the gates. We took it out completely and were able to get into all gears (shifting with a bar). If anyone has a shifting lever they'd be willing to sell let me know. Otherwise, my crafty husband will get at a repair. Working on front brakes next. She's super close to going down the road for a test! Video: https://youtu.be/O5UkI3qt17A Last night's pictures are the most recent here: https://sjcreativevt.pixieset.com/skippymack/
  15. The exhaust manifold is ready to go! The fit-up was spot on. Love our team of innovative problem solvers! We'll get it installed and fire up the truck next...later this weekend perhaps. I've got the pictures sorted from newest to oldest now to make it easier to see recent progress. https://sjcreativevt.pixieset.com/skippymack/
  16. Thank you! I think we'll know more later this week, maybe as soon as Wednesday night, in terms of issues with either. I will let you know!
  17. I spent four hours today scraping grease and cleaning the rear end. She's really getting there. Hope to be painting the frame and rear this week. And...we fit up the exhaust manifold today! Installation and hopefully running her up on Wednesday. Progress!! https://sjcreativevt.pixieset.com/skippymack/
  18. Thanks for all the insight. My husband, Dan, is an experienced welder/fabricator with lots of time logged on fuel tanks, specifically. Love seeing all the suggestions! My new exhaust manifold is being machined as we speak...check it out!
  19. Got the tank emptied so we can start repairs - and a wire brush with Purple Power is working on the rear end!
  20. Thanks, Mike. We anticipated that probably most manifolds of this vintage are similarly damaged. We are making our own. Fingers crossed that the plan works!
  21. Thanks for letting me know, Mike. Do you have engine parts available for sale?
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