National Antique Truck Show - West Springfield MA 5/31 - 6/2

[Bucky]

ATHS is holding their annual convention in Springfield, MA the same weekend. I plan to make a stop Sunday there on the way home.

http://www.aths.org/convention

If antique trucks float your boat, (and they sure do mine...) then this is one not to miss. This one will draw exhibitors from thousands of miles out. Last year's show attracted 850 trucks for display at South Bend, IN.

Pardon my showoff-edness - one of my toys - a 1941 Mack ED pickup. Mack made many vehicles in days past - buses, delivery vans, pickups, and so on.
These were company Christmas cards.





The Mack has 26,000 miles on it. My father rescued it from a local defunct hospital back in the '60s. Thanks Dad.

[sevy]

She's a beauty! I like old Power Wagons myself, as when I was a kid my Dad was a NYS Forest Ranger and often had one at home. I have always felt that the Power Wagon looked more like a proper truck than any other model, but having driven one on the road, I'm not sure that I could afford to replace all of the dental fillings that would vibrate out of my teeth!
There was an article in some truck magazine a few years ago where a guy took a modern chassis with a 318 in it and mounted the Wm300 body on it. That was one sweet ride!
A few years ago, someone had restored one of the older Army trucks (it looked like a giant flatbed) and had it at the World's Largest Garage Sale in Warrensburg NY. I don't know if he ever sold it, but it was one big truck, and he had done a nice restoration.
By the way, where do you get parts for your truck to keep it on the road?

[Bucky]

So far it hasn't needed much - points and plugs and such. Mack carries parts for many of their old road tractors, but I kinda doubt pickups back to '41.
So far a proper tailgate has been elusive, although I haven't tried very hard to find one. As far as "They don't make 'em like 'em used to" - the cast brackets that hold up the headlamp - 1/4" thick iron casting. Apparently they weren't too worried about weight back then.

I too love Power Wagons. A high school teacher had a WW II Dodge 6X6 in very good condition, unrestored. A bunch of us used to help him cut firewood 'cause he was a cool guy, it was something to do and we got to ride the 6X6. (Nintendo & text messaging hadn't been invented back then) I think top speed was 40 or 45? In recent years he got into a bit of a public relations jam because he at fifty something married a former student of 20 something. (I told you he was a cool guy )

The truck show at West Springfield, MA is 2 hours south of Bennington. One can either run the slab (91) or take the back roads to get there via 7 to 8 to 112 to 20 etc. The back roads route is scenic, although not nearly as mountainous as the beautiful Green Mountains of VT. Both ways are right around 2 hours.


Even more trivia - we had another one previous owner locally based Mack pickup in very good shape. It got sold to Eiler's Bros in Readsboro, VT. While I miss the 2nd Mack and didn't want to sell it, it did go to a very good home. I don't know if the Bros are still alive and well. Hopefully someone is looking after their awesome collection.