Carson City auto mechanics celebrate Labor Day weekend with marathon truck rebuild
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 09/01/2014 - 10:41am
A retired mechanic from Carson City and some of his friends have pulled out all the stops this Labor Day weekend for a ‘round the clock truck building project that may rival anything done on TV reality shows.
John Jackson’s plan: Refurbish a 1969 Peterbilt 358 into an old school hotrod using parts from six similar rigs. A feat like this would take months if it were a weekend garage hobby and probably cost tens of thousand of dollars.
Cable reality TV shows have shown men do projects like this in seven days for $50,000. This weekend, Jackson’s team has been plugging away in a Mound House lot with a goal of having the project done by the end of Labor Day at a cost of less than $2,500. Call it a labor of love on steroids.
“There’s a lot of fat old guys doing this on TV, saying they can do this and turn around that in seven days,” said Jackson. “I say we can do it in half the time, at a minimal cost and we can do it better than anyone else.”
Tired of watching programs where the mechanics have unlimited budgets and time to create sensationalized "garage builds" Jackson, who spent a career as a truck driver and mechanic, wants to put his “Hillbilly Hybrid” on a YouTube channel for the world to see. The entire project, from beginning to end is being filmed. He is calling it Redneck Reality Productions.
The project officially kicked off Friday morning in Mound House and will continue through today. Teams of mechanics from around the region, around 25 in all, have stepped in to help with the project, working through the night and into the early mornings. Not only is the goal to have the truck finished by the end of Monday but to have it in the Nevada Day Parade.
“I like people that dream big and want to bring the community together for a fun project,” he said. “So we are just hoping it works out so we can see the hillbilly hybrid roll down Main Street on Nevada Day.”
In order for a project like this to work, the right kind of food, and lots of it, had to be factored into it. Jackson turned to his good friend Bob White of Dayton, owner of Hillbilly Chili, to keep the mechanics fueled with healthy amounts of chili, hot dogs, hamburgers, soft drinks and beer.
“This is one of those great projects where you become a part of it, keeping chili hot, and everyone fed,” said White. “It’s an undertaking for sure but I know John and I know he can lead this all the way through.”
The official reveal of the truck will be at 7 p.m. Monday night. The community is invited. Food, beverage and refreshments will be served. The address is 36 Affonso Drive, Mound House. RSVP by Calling Jennifer at 775-297-1842 to let her know how many will be attending.
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