mackattack2

hi, and thank you everyone for your support, it is sincerely appreciated. Now, for the next chapter... I was at work all day today (Friday) so the officer called my girl friend in Perris, Calif. Bottom line is, he told her "NO CRIME HAS BEEN COMMITTED". (False statements in the police report apparently don't matter). And "its his word against mine" that I did not give him (Randy) the truck! And "It's just a civil matter". These are all direct quotes by the officer. When I heard this after work, I immediately called the police station. About an hour later the officer who took the original report called me back, and restated this same position. He went on to say I just need to sue Randy in small claims court. The officer insisted it's a contractual matter that needs to be resolved in civil court. And I insisted no, the truck was real, not a contract, and now its gone; it was a real object that now has disappeared, so I want to place a grand theft auto report on the incident and go after those responsible for its disappearance. Is there a lawyer or a DA in the house that can help guide me? I then asked if he (the officer) has done any investigation into this incident. He stated, "No. What do you have in mind?" I replied "How about asking Wesley Smith where he got the equipment to tow the firetruck? Wesley sure doesn't own any such equipment (unless its hidden somewhere). Perris is a very small town in the middle of the desert in California. Surely only a very limited number of people in Perris have the equipment that could tow this firetruck". "What would that prove?" "The validity and truthfulness of this part of your police report". "It really doesn't matter now, its probably cut up, melted down, and gone now. It's been over a month now". "No, you took the report on May 12th or 13th, but two independent eye witnesses reported seeing the truck as late as May 26th still on Randy's property. And I was in the process or restoring that truck. I know the serial numbers of the engine, transmission, axle, water pump, etc, have copies of the original build sheets and the 1954 purchase order by the city of Long Beach, CA and if any of its parts ever show up anywhere, it will provide a trail to the guilty parties". I felt like I was getting nowhere, so I tried a second approach, and the conversation went something like this (again, almost word for word): "I want to make a citizens arrest on Randy Taylor. California law allows that, so how do I do that?" "What do you want to arrest him for?" "Grand Theft Auto!" "What proof do you have?" "I put a truck in his care for 18 months storage, prepaid in full, and now its gone!" "What proof do you have he did it?" "He admitted in your police report that he took possession of the truck, then hired his friend to tow it somewhere." "But then he said it was stolen from his friend while in-tow. So someone else unknown stole it." "Even if you believe that, it doesn't matter if someone stole it from his friend while it was being towed, if he didn't steal it from me first, it would not be in a position to be stolen from his friend". "There's no proof that he stole it, so we're not going to put him under citizen arrest". "But I thought California law allowed me to put anyone under citizens arrest, and I'd be the only one to take liability if it was for a bogus reason. That's why its a citizens arrest, and not a police arrest". "Sorry, but we're just not going to do it". At that point I didn't know what to say, other than good bye then I hung up. I feel like I'm living in the Twilight Zone... Now what do I do??? Steve

Hello, I write this to not only share my experiences with my Mack truck hobby, but to also warn others of what could happen by sharing my mistakes. I've met some really nice people, and I've met some really bad and dishonest people associated with the purchase and restoration of my truck. It's late right now, and I'm not going to get my whole story down in one sitting. But please, if you see my truck or any of its parts appearing for sale on eBay or elsewhere, please, let me know. It was an extended sedan cab L model firetruck. It had a 707 cu in gas engine and did not run. You can see my truck in my photo gallery. My Story: I purchased a 1954 Mack extended cab fire truck. First mistake - I purchased it sight unseen. I relied on the seller to come clean with the major flaws this truck had - simple things like the engine missing parts like the manifolds, carbs and starter was forgotten to be mentioned at the time, or the floor rotted out. OK, I will live with that, it needed a new engine anyway. But then to deliberately mislead me by sending me pictures of a different name plate other than the one that goes to my truck, well I don't think that was too nice of him - lie number one. Ok, so I bought it, had it towed from Sebastopol to Ventura, California. I began working on it. Somebody on eBay was selling a similar model L fire truck. He told me that he wanted to scrap out the truck, but as the winning bidder on eBay I could have any parts I wanted from the truck, but he would remove the parts himself for me - ok, that sounded good to me. I wanted the body parts and someone else wanted the Hull Scott engine so together we put a bid on the truck and won the eBay auction. Then (after the auction) he decided we could have either the body parts or the engine, but not both. Ok, what he said was another disappointing misrepresentation with this truck - so I could get neither the body parts or the engine. Then the storage lot where my truck was staying was bought by Shell oil company for storage of their own trucks. Shell gave the lot's manager one year to have everyone get their trucks and RV's out of the lot. But the manager neglected to tell me, so I continued to pay him every month... until I was suddenly told I had one month to get my truck out of there - another truck crisis. That begins my dealings with some very shady people. I was desperate trying to quickly find a place to store my non-operational firetruck. I found a place advertised on CraigsList in Perris, California (about 100 miles from me) that would store my truck for a reasonable amount if I pre-paid 12 to 18 months storage. He needed money now and it was understood I could only keep my truck there for the term of our lease contract. So I opted for 18 months. I checked to make sure he was the owner of the property, and he was recommended as an ok guy by his boss when I called his work. That was on August 8, 2008. His name was Randolph (Randy) Kelly Taylor and his property was at 24023 Stafford Street in Perris, California (this is all public knowledge in police report PC091330030) and consisted of several lots. My friend lives in Perris and drives by about once a week to be certain the truck is ok. Last weekend it was gone. I tried to reach Randy but his phone number was disconnected. I attempted to place a stolen vehicle report with the Perris police department. To my surprise, Randy already placed a stolen vehicle police report. He (Randy) had a fake pink slip made identifying him as the owner, he hired "a friend" to tow the truck and it was stolen from his friend's tow truck while it was being towed. His "friend" he hired to tow his (my) firetruck was Wesley Smith of 19315 Ray Ave, Riverside, CA 92508. Remember, this is all a matter of public record in the police report. I only give you these facts now to help you more easily avoid dealing with these people in the future. So, Randy hires Wesley to tow the truck. And at 7:30 pm in the afternoon on a busy highway, 4 unidentified "Black male adults told Smith to unhitch the firetruck because they wanted it. Smith was fearful for his safety and did not want any confrontation so he let the Black male adults take the fire truck. The Black male adults chained up the fire truck to the Dodge pickup truck and were last seen northbound on Old Elsinore Rd toward Mead Valley". This is an exact quote from the police report. Remember, this fire truck weighed 24,000 pounds, had air brakes so the wheels were all locked, but somehow was able to be pulled by what was later in the report described as an old green amd gray Dodge pickup truck. Can someone say Smith's a liar? So we now have Randy Taylor as a con-man and theif and Wesley Smith as a co-perpetrator in the auto grand theft racket. It took me two full days to gather this information and obtain the police report. Then last night, Wednesday, my girl friend went over to Wesley Smith's house. What she saw were all the vehicles, trailers, mobile homes, cars and other vehicles that were in storage but somehow got stolen on Randy's property now at Smith's address. What she saw was a full, ongoing chop-shop in action. She played that she was interested in some of the scrap they had, especially a fire truck she heard they had picked up. They freely admitted that they gave it to a friend who runs another scrap yard at the intersection of Calico and Brown (I'm not sure of the spelling of these two street names) in Perris, but that it's probably already chopped and gone by now. She said everyone there seemed high on something, and it was only as she was leaving that they suddenly became paranoid, asking if she was with the police, was she going to turn them in for something, etc. And as she was leaving she said she saw them moving the cars etc out of that place. When she called me with the information, I immediately called the police. The police said they would "look into it". My question is why did they (the police) take Smith's word that the fire truck was car jacked while he was towing it? Why did they not even make one trip to Smith's house to see if he was telling the truth or to see if, just maybe, the story was a cover-up to take possession of the fire truck? Why would they not immediately jump on a lead like the Smith's chop-shop? Another story discrepancy, Smith reported the truck was stolen from him on May 13th, but was witnessed still in Randy's storage lot on May 15th, 21st, and 26th by two people unrelated to me. It's very late now, so I will continue with the story later. Steve

Hi, I was just informed that the RV lot where my truck is stored was purchased by an oil company and I must move my truck asap. The truck is in Ventura, CA and I have found another place in Perris, CA. Who do you recommend that can move an old Mack firetruck that's 26 ft long bumper to bumper? The truck does not run. Please help me with recommendations if you can. Another possibility, if someone has a lot where the truck can sit on for a few years closer to Ventura for a reasonable storage fee, I would consider that too. Thank you. Steve 310-455-3138 This plea for help was posted on August 7th and the truck must be off the lot by the end of August.

Hi, I'm no expert but I think it comes down to how badly you want the truck and how badly they want to sell it. To me it seems as though most non-running firetrucks of that style seem to go for about $600 to $2500 depending on their condition. Twice I have seen a straight but non-running model L sedan pumper go for about $2200 on eBay. For reference I paid $1000 for mine. (No one on eBay offered him anything so it did not sell on eBay, but I bought it from him after his eBay auction closed). I kind of figure it would be worth that much in parts and scrap if I ever decided to scrap it out. You also have to figure in the towing as part of the initial payment too. Towing such a heavy vehicle with bad tires can be extremely expensive. Get a couple ball-park figures from towing companies ready before you make an offer. I spent about $700 for a six hour tow on top of the purchase price. If I recall correctly, my truck weighed about 24,000 pounds and as it was winched onto the trailer, it lifted the back of the first tow companies truck into the air. The second tow company used a full-size semi with a lowboy trailer. Is the truck you're looking at gas or diesel? And can you please post some pictures of it here. As a long-time shade-tree mechanic restoring older light and medium trucks, this is the first time I have ever attempted to restore an old Mack truck. I must admit, I am very impressed with the quality the truck once had and do not regret my decision to purchase this truck for restoration. Be aware there are no parts books, factory service manuals, blue prints, or other shop manuals for this truck, so the restoration research can be less than straight forward. However, the Mack museum can be very helpful with specific information regarding the purchase and options the truck had. They can also supply a generic version of a shop manual that somewhat applies to the truck. (If anyone does have any parts books or shop manuals for model L Macks, I would appreciate the ability to purchase a photocopy of it). Surprisingly much of the add-on fire equipment is still available new (spot lights, sirens, etc) and I can tell you where you can purchase such items if needed. I hope this was of some help. Good luck. Steve

Well, it probably won't help you any Greg, but there are about five fire trucks that are going to be disposed of in the San Fernando valley area of Los Angeles. They are sitting behind the county's fire equipment repair station on Sepulveda Blvd just south of Burbank Ave. One is a Mack, I believe a late 1940's, another is a Diamond T, and I don't recall what the others are, but all are from the 1930's to early 50's. I wish someone would restore them, or at least buy them to part out. I hate to see them all go to the scrap crusher. Someone has stripped the dash gauges out of the Mack, but otherwise the trucks are mostly complete. If anyone is interested and needs better directions, let me know. They are not visible from the street. Steve

hi, The siren on my 1954 L model pumper was stripped off long ago. In looking for the correct replacement, I finally found the company that manufactured it in 1954. Not only do they still sell it new, but they also repair and/or restore any siren they ever manufactured since the early 1920's. And they restore other makes as well. Just thought I'd pass along the information if in case anyone can ever use it. Their link is: http://siro-driftsirens.com/products.html Steve

Awesome information - thank you for your help and the reply. Steve

Thank you everyone for sharing your knowledge and experience with me - its been educational - and fun. Is the 1070 a 2-stick trany or does it have an air shifter? Also must both sticks be shifted multiple times to go from 1 to 12 or does it require the second stick to be shifted only once, like the Mack 6 and 7 speed transmissions, to cover the entire gear-set range? And finally, what are the ratios of the 12 speed trans? Thank you all again. Steve

I would like to thank everyone for all this great information - nothing beats actual experience. Believe it or not I was once actually told to always use the clutch or else I'd wear out the trans. Therefore the only time I shifted without the clutch is when I knew I intended to put the truck up for sale and it no longer mattered to me if I wore it out. I must admit that after driving a year or two without the clutch, by the time I actually sold the truck, the trans still worked just as good. OK, here's three more related questions - hope you don't mind.. -A- My 707 gasser has a 5 speed direct trans with only 56k miles of use, would it bolt up to a 237 diesel? And do different Mack 5 speeds have different gear ratios? -B- I have a Spicer 5831 auxiliary overdrive trans I've used in 1 ton trucks. Would this trans handle the torque of a 237 diesel? -C- What is the proper way to shift an auxiliary? In the past because I was so worried about scratching the gears, I would only shift it if I was stopped. In other words, I would anticipate my driving, for example if I knew I was going to take the freeway I would shift it into overdrive before I started. This trans has no magnetic plugs to collect any metal chips from scraped gears and it has one bearing no longer available new. Thank you everyone for sharing your experience. Steve

Hi, Thank you for your replies everyone. I'm learning... but I don't understand how a straight cut gear can be stronger than an angle cut gear. As an extreme example, the pinion and ring gear in a differential are not straight-cut gears, or else they would break easily. How does one first learn the shift points on an unfamiliar truck drivetrain - just double clutch every shift until familiar with the truck? Also, I was once told that if the gears even once in a manual trans scratch, that tiny bits of metal are now in the oil and the bearings will begin to fail in a few hundred miles. How much of a scratch or clash or how many times can this happen before its imperative to flush the oil in a manual trans? What's been your real-life experience with this? Thank you everyone, its been educational. Steve

hi, Thank you for your reply and your insight. Are both transmissions double-stick and do either use syncroes? I used to sometimes shift the old GMC trucks without the clutch, but I thought it was possible for me to do so only because the transmissions had gear syncroes, not because I was matching the engine, road speed and gear speeds. Any idea what bellhousing I would use between a 237 diesel engine and the t2070? Thank you again. Steve

hi, This is a 4-part complex question with I hope simple answers. First, I admit that I don't have much experience with heavy trucks. Growing up in Los Angeles all my friends have sports cars and I'm the only one who ever seemed to like trucks. I know for many people their truck is their main tool for making a living. This post is to people who actually drive these trucks and work on these trucks that I direct my questions. First, some background. I'm an accomplished shade-tree mechanic restoring old GM light and medium trucks (but never diesel) as a life-time hobby. Recently I've acquired a sedan model L pumper firetruck. On the advice of those here I've decided to change the engine from the old 707 gaser that's froze-up to a 237 diesel. And I've decided to go from the 5 speed direct-drive to a 6 speed over-drive trans. Now this is where my questions come in. In my research into these types of transmissions I bought a Feb 1983 6-speed trans Mack service manual. But I was very surprised by what I found in it. It's publication 10-TRXL1070-100.5 and covers 6-speed transmissions TRXL1070, TRXL10710, TRXL1070A, and TRXL10710A transmissions. The first thing I noticed is that these transmissions have no syncroes. GM has been putting gear syncroes in their truck transmissions ever since the mid 1940's. -A- Does that mean even these newer 1980's transmissions (and all 6-speed Mack trans) must be double-clutched every time they are shifted? -B- Or do all heavy truck transmissions not use syncroes? Must they all be double-clutched? This is where I depend on your heavy truck experience. And please explain proper heavy-truck shifting technique to me. Also, according to this publication, these are triple counter-shaft transmissions but I noticed, according to the pictures in the service manual, that all the gears are spur-cut (straight) cut gears, not the angle-cut (I think they are called helical) gears used by GM and Spicer since the mid 1940's. Angle-cut gears are much more quiet and stronger (because several teeth are in constant contact at the same time). With angle-cut gears the trans would only need two counter-shafts, not three, would still be stronger, and much lighter and cheaper to manufacture. This is not exactly cutting-edge technology. -C- Why is Mack so far behind in their engineering, or is there something I don't understand? -D- Finally, and most importantly, what transmission would you recommend I get for my truck? I'll be using a 237 diesel engine, with a 6.14 rear axle and 900x20 tires. I'd like a very low 1st gear, a very high over-drive gear, a trans with syncromesh gears, and a trans that I can shift with one hand. I don't mind having a two-stick trans, (in fact, it might be fun) but in watching this video, I feel both hands off the steering wheel so much of the time is just plain unsafe and should be unnecessary with today's technologies. I want really low low first gearing, but also to travel at 70mph on the freeway. What do you recommend, perhaps an auxiliary trans in addition to the main transmission?Thank you for your recommendations, and your help in explaining Mack transmissions and proper truck-driving techniques to me. Steve

hi, Can you please help fill me in on any details of this spot light installed between the radiator and bull dog hood ornament? Is this only a spotlight, or does it rotate or flash or oscillate or ? Any idea who the manufacturer is or the make or model of this light? And how does the bull dog attach to the top of the light? You can zoom in and see the light in high-resolution detail in the links below. Or you can see the light in the black and white photos here in my gallery. Your assistance in helping me to identify this light is greatly appreciated. I'm on a mission to restore my truck to as close as possible to original, and the first step is to ID what should be on my truck. And if, by some slim chance, you have seen another truck with this light, please send me any photos you can take. Thank you all so very much. Steve front angle front of truck left side right side

hi, Has there ever been one made for the L cab? Thanks. Steve

hi Greg, Thank you for the info. I'll contact Harvey Eckart this week. Your help is greatly appreciated. I'm new to Mack trucks and can use all the help and contacts I can get. I plan to eventually restore the truck to its original condition. To help in it's restoration, I recently acquired copies of photographs of my truck when it was delivered new to the Long Beach, California fire department in 1954. They are now in my gallery for anyone interested. Thank you Greg. Steve