In Part 1, I talked about the family connection to Mack R models and why we decided to take on this restoration. This is the story of actually finding the truck.
Four Months of Looking
I spent four months searching. Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay, Commercial Truck Trader, word of mouth — I was checking everything, constantly. I was open to any model year, but I wanted to land on a late '80s truck if I could. If it was a Mack R model for sale anywhere within a reasonable distance, I probably saw it.
Nothing worked out. A couple of sellers ghosted — you'd have a conversation going, seem close to working something out, and then silence. A lot of the trucks that looked promising were too far away to make the trip practical, especially when you're not sure what you're going to find when you get there. Some were too far gone. Some were priced like they'd already been restored when they clearly hadn't.
After months of dead ends, I took a different approach. Instead of searching for trucks, I put the word out that I was looking for one. I made a post in a Facebook group — just a straightforward message saying I was looking for a Mack R model.
That's when someone reached out. He had an R688ST and had been thinking about selling. He wasn't actively listing it — it was one of those trucks that might have just quietly changed hands through word of mouth or sat there for another few years. The timing lined up.
The Trip to Greensboro
I made the three-hour drive north to Greensboro, North Carolina to look it over in person. The seller restored fire trucks and had been using the Mack to haul them to shows. That told me a lot right away — this wasn't a truck that had been sitting neglected in a field. It had been used, maintained, and cared about by someone who understood equipment.
Mechanically, it was solid. Newly rebuilt injection pump. New air compressor. New rear shocks. The engine ran right. I rode along with him first, then got behind the wheel and drove it myself. It has a 9-speed Eaton Road Ranger — I would've preferred a 13-speed, but the 9 does the job and it shifted clean.
Cosmetically, it wasn't the best truck I'd looked at. It needs a new hood, sheet metal work, dents pulled. But cosmetic is fixable. Finding a truck that runs well and has been maintained by someone who cares — that's the hard part. You can fix paint and body. You can't fake a solid drivetrain.
I drove the three hours home and thought it over. After four months of searching, it's tempting to jump on the first truck that checks most of the boxes. I wanted to make sure I was thinking clearly and not just riding the relief of finally finding something. But the more I thought about it, the more the math worked. Mechanically sound. Known history. Three hours away, not twelve. The cosmetic stuff is just work — and that's the part I actually want to do.
I called him back and told him I'd take it.
← Part 1: The History | Part 3: The Pickup →
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