Trucks etc.

While living at Glenaroura, to really get right away from everything to do with computers, I would go and visit my neighbour Mick Gardiner. Such visits often led to me helping out with work on one of his car, truck or farm machinery restoration/maintenance projects.

1965 Kenworth S-Series Truck

Mick had a 1965 Kenworth W-900 with S-Series body truck, the "Seattle Star", which he built from the chassis rails up in his shed. In spite of being an everyday working highway truck, the "Seattle Star" had won numerous prizes at truck and custom car shows. It was powered by a supercharged Detroit 12V-71-TA, with twin turbo chargers and inter-cooling. (That's twelve cylinders at 71 cubic inches per cylinder, i.e. 852 cubic inches or 13.96 litres in total.) Power output is as Mick puts it, "More than 500 horse power."

Mick Gardiner's 1965 Kenworth "Seattle Star" on display.

It's amazing the level of detail and customisation that has gone in to the "Seattle Star". And every time Mick starts to do anything to it, he ends up making numerous "improvements" along the way. But that's just typical of the way Mick does things.

"Seattle Star" hauling a load of paper.

Mick would do one run a week from Melbourne to Sydney and return. Typically he'd haul paper from the mill in Broadford to Sydney, and then bring wide plate from BHP Port Kembla to Melbourne. Mick was notorious for catching up with and passing other highway trucks on a big pull with 28 tons of steel plate on the back.

See a presentation Mick gave about his first Kenworth, plus building the "Seattle Star" &mdash Mick Gardiner and the Creation of the "Seattle Star".

1952 Chamberlain Tractor

The first major "project" I helped Mick with was a 1952 Chamberlain tractor with a supercharged Detroit 3-71 engine. He'd bought it cheap and we were just going to "clean it up and get it going", as Mick put it. That turned in to a complete rebuild and renovation of everything. Plus numerous "improvements" along the way. I was to learn this would be typical of the way Mick worked.

Late Fifties Fords, etc.

Mick also had a 1955 Ford Thunderbird, a 1956 Ford Victoria, a 1957 Ford F600 truck, a 1958 Ford Customline, a 1959 Ford F100 truck (customised), a Grove RT38 crane, a GMC Blitz crane, a Terex bulldozer, and two VW Beetle based "All Terrain Vehicles".

Mick's GMC Blitz Crane. Still sporting my sand coloured paint job.

Mick's everyday work car is the Ford F100 truck. Mick's, "Let's just get it cleaned up and roadworthy," turned in to a complete strip and rebuild. The Cleaveland V8 that was in it was replaced with the Y-block V8 motor that Mick prefers of the car's era. The F100 now also sports a front tilting bonnet.

Mick's F100 truck.

1966 Ford Mustang

Mick also had a pristine green 1966 Ford Mustang with just 35,000 miles on the clock. He hardly ever used it as it was his least favourite car.

Other Stuff

And if we're not tinkering with trucks, cars and farm machinery, then there's always something else to be done at Mick's. Like turning a hay shed in to a six vehicle, three sided shed. Or turning a single car garage in to an eight car garage using main bearers cut from trees on the property and the weatherboards and roof cladding from an old farm house that had to be torn down. Or extending the main shed/workshop so as to be able to park the Kenworth together with its trailer and the Terex bulldozer under cover.

Or maybe it's tinkering with one of Mick's old jukeboxes to spin his collection of 7-inch, 45 rpm "forty-five" Rock and Roll records.

There's usually something interesting on the go at Mick's.