Another Post on George J. Zaffo

I have just finished copying another picture from "The Big Book of Real Trucks". It will be the subject of this post.

I am by no means an authority when it comes to identifying old trucks. I will admit, that I was stumped by a few I found in this old book. The following is one of them. It took a lot of searching on the net to find a clue - it came as another picture, the ONLY one I could find that would help identify the truck type.

First is the Zaffo illustration -



The only thing stated about this truck in the book was, it's called a Flushing Machine.

Second is the picture from the Internet - thanks Hank's Trucks and Ken Goudy.



Note the "suicide doors".

Mack Snowplow - George J. Zaffo

This is how it looked while restoring

I have spent the better part of today trying to restore this illustration by George J. Zaffo. It is the last picture of my childhood book mentioned in a previous post - THE BIG BOOK OF REAL TRUCKS.
This was a challenge, as I had tried to repair the page some time ago using masking tape. Sometimes I must admit to not thinking about future consequences - this must have been one of those times. So, my apology to the memory of Mr. Zaffo. I tried my best to bring this picture back.
It can't, however, begin to compare it to the original.



The finished restoration - an early 40's MACK Snow Plow

Mack R-685-ST - AMT Kit Re-Issue

Posted about this kit a while back. Must say it was an enjoyable build that went together just as I remembered an AMT should. This was a re-issue of the AMT Mack by Stephens Hobby. The only thing I found wrong were the decals were WAY out of scale, the kit is 1/25 and I estimate the decals were over 1/16.



All in all not bad - had to find more room in my model museum though.



The end.

Fond Memory - The Big Book of Real Trucks, by: George J. Zaffo

Sterling Dump Truck by George J Zaffo


My wife has been cleaning house and she brought out a book that has been mine for as long as I can remember. I think I must have been five at the time it was given to me. The cover shows wear on the edges, the binding is gone, pages torn, and yes I scribbled on some of those pages. It was one of my favorite books way back when, and no wonder, because it was about trucks.

The book can still be found, though it is getting harder and more expensive to find a "good" copy. So, for the time being I have tried to "restore" the art of George J. Zaffo.

This post is dedicated to his memory, and for giving me and other truck lovers our fond memories of childhood past.

The pictures here, some restored, are all by George Zaffo.

Mack EHU - circa 1947



1940's Mack LR Heavy Duty Dump Truck



International Cattle Truck



Mack with Lowboy



Mack Concrete Truck

"Duel"

If you look back at my early post, you could say and probably be correct that I have a bias towards Peterbilts. I just think that the Petes from the 50's into the 70's represent what a "tough" truck should look like. With that in mind, should it be any wonder that one of my favorite "cult" movies
is "Duel"?

This was a movie from the 70's, one of Stephen Kings first attempts at "prime time TV". It stared Dennis Weaver as a driver caught up in a nightmare duel with a 1960 Peterbilt Tanker Truck. I haven't seen this movie in a long time, but was reminded of it when I found these pictures on the net. There is actually a site dedicated to the "Duel Truck".

Highway 66 - 1941 Chevy Flatbed / Finzio's Sinclair

There's a story behind the subject of this post. I saw this die-cast being offered at a car show I was at a few years back. They wanted too much, so I went online and found it at 3000Toys. When I received it, I had just finished reading Burt Levy's "The Last Open Road", a work of fiction based on the early days of sports car racing. It centers on a fictional garage location - FINZIO'S of Passiac, N.J.

So, my 41 had a sign made up reflecting this. It also has an appropriate load (out of scale) of a
Jaguar XK -140.

Good book. Great Truck - even if it wasn't really a part of the story.

Some Macks

In anticipation of my next build, an AMT Mack R685ST, I will post some pics of Macks. Last month we took a trip to Auburn, coming back home on Rt. 34 we spotted the following:



From left to right, an Autocar, GMC, and two Macks. Found the next Mack, a Cities Service tank truck at - you guessed it - a gas station.





And finally, an old build, an old Mack.

Diamond T Texaco Tanker and Friends

I was recently looking at another blog, "Rockin' down the Highway with Paul Grushkin" and came across the following picture in his tribute to Alton Kelley.



I don't think Paul would mind my use of this picture, it can be found elsewhere on the net. I had seen this truck before in a promotional model for Texaco, but had not paid attention to its' marque. Of course, I now know it to be a 1937 Diamond T.

Wow, how ahead of its time! Pure aerodynamic form in the most simplistic sense. A little modernization and this truck would make sense today.

I found yet another picture of the same truck, but with a DC-3 - one of my favorite aircraft. So here is that offering -



Thanks to the person on E-bay for that one. I also found an early Diamond T used by Gene Autry - now there's a name that will bring back memories to the "old folks".




Not done with my quest for more Diamond T's, I give you the following to enjoy.

Diamond T Cement Truck circa 1955 - Bubble Gum Card



Diamond T - Looks the same year as Gene Autry Truck




A Diamond T - needs some lovin care!



Thanks Alton Kelley, for your artistic inspiration, and helping me find more art in a great truck -
the Diamond T.

Just Found

Just found the picture of me taken in 1972 (my hair is actually short for me back then) building the AMT Autocar Dump Truck.

Where are they now?

I was looking back through some old photos and came upon the pictures that are the subject of this post. The first is that "truck model i'd kill for", the 1972 issue of the AMT Peterbilt 359 "California Hauler". This kit was built in 1974 as my second build of the Pete 359 when I lived in Oklahoma City (Please see April 2008 post). I bought it for about $13.00 back then. It's haulin the original AMT Flatbed trailer with an original issue AMT Cat DC-8. I gave this kit away when we moved from Weedsport N.Y. to our home in Horseheads. And to think it survived a cross country move! The photos were taken about 1973.






The next photos are of another AMT kit issued around 1972. My wife bought me this kit after my appendix was removed - none too soon. Somewhere we have a picture of a younger me sitting at the kitchen table putting final touches on this model - cost in 1972, about $16.00. It too was given away when we moved here. I present the AMT Autocar Dump Truck.