Toller

It sold for $5,085, so I guess somebody wasn't worried about the frame.

That explains it, thank you! I'm guessing the hydraulic tank and diamond plate behind the cab were later add-ons, so they need to push back the rear end to make room. Mystery solved.

I saw this 1966 R609 up for auction next Saturday. Probably a bit too far for me to be interested in adding it to my own pile of iron, but I was hoping someone smarter than me could answer a question about the back of the frame. I don't recall having seen a frame behind the fifth wheel like this one, and I can't figure out whether it was made this way for a particular application -- maybe to hook onto a trailer than was too low for the frame? I'm stumped, but I'm sure somebody can help me. Otherwise, not a bad looking rig for its age. https://www.equipmentfacts.com/listings/trucks/auctions/229286393/1966-mack-r609

Thanks so much for both leads. I saw the Bosch online but wasn't sure about it. I may look at the rebuild kit as the way to go. Really appreciate the information!

The hand primer pump on my 673C Thermodyne finally gave up the ghost while I was bleeding the fuel line. It's the type that's mounted to the fuel supply pump on the side of the fuel pump. The top unscrews and has maybe a couple of inches of travel. Does anyone have a part number or know of a good after market replacement? Thanks.

Doing some quick math, if you're doing 43 mph with a 6.34 ratio, you'd need a 4.50 rear to do 60 mph (4.54 technically, but if I recall, Mack made a 4.50 rear that went into some of the Bs with the direct-drive duplex). I'm guessing you have a single-over triplex with final drive ratio of .85. On standard rubber that would give you about 47 mph at 2100, pretty close to the 43 mph you mention. I would think that you have enough power pull a dozer at 60 mph with the ENDT and a 4.50 rear, at least on flat ground. I once drove a single-axle R model with an END 673 (no turbo), single-over triplex, and 4.14 rear pulling single-axle trailers with maybe a 10-12,000 pound payload, and it would run about 70 until it hit a hill.

Unless I'm mistaken, and I often am, Mack never made a B52. Maybe confusing it with the bomber? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Old-B-52-Mack-Diesel-Truck-/121052280184?pt=Commercial_Trucks&hash=item1c2f473578 For money, an interesting project...but way too far away for me.

Steeldashes, just sent a scan of the build record to your e-mail. Enjoy. Jay

OK, let me see if I can scan and get the build record to you in the next couple of days. The copy I have is hard to read in some places (it's already a copy of a 45 year old piece of paper), but I think I can scan it and get it to you. Enjoy the truck. I've enjoyed tinkering on mine.

Be happy to send it -- what's the best way to get it to you?

Ah, sure enough! You can clearly see the corner of the magnet peeled away in the eBay picture. I was so busy looking at everything else I missed what was in plain sight. Good eyes!

There's one for sale right now on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1961-Mack-B-73-/221117280822?pt=Commercial_Trucks&hash=item337b9df236 It sure looks like the same truck, except the name on the door is different. And the towns where they are for sale (Janesville and Whitewater) are different, but the towns aren't more than 15 miles apart. It's got to be the same truck. Can't explain the different name on the door in the two sets of pictures. Pretty sure the one with the Pope name on the door was for sale earlier this year. The price was somewhere around $17K back then too. Does seem a bit pricey.

Right, I didn't say that right. Nothing's wrong with the turbo set-up itself, but the air cleaner is mounted awfully funny. Maybe you could get away with that on a mixer, but hard to see how it works for anything else.

Check out this B61. Be sure to click through some of the middle pictures to see the jerry-rigging on the turbo: http://cgi.ebay.com/...em=130756853005 *** I have one of this truck's "brothers." According to Mack's build records, a company out of Maryland bought eight mixers, all with identical specs. I now have one (which is now a dump), this is another. They were some of the last B61s made -- only maybe 200 more after these. They all had a 673C N/A, so with the oil-cooled pistons the conversion to a turbo would have been fairly easy. I've thought about doing it myself to get the 250 horses, but I've decided to keep it factory correct -- it's not like I'm pulling any weight, and I like the sound of the old 205 horses. Plus, all these rigs were set up with 7.49 rears, so they top out at about 50 mph with me standing on the petal. Needing extra power's not the issue. Frame on this one looks better than mine, but otherwise mine got way better taken care of -- no rust to speak of. Miles are pretty similar. Wouldn't mind having the pair of them and putting them back together. The price seems right even with the rough body, but I don't have the coins in my pocket at the present time. Plus, that is one funky retrofit on the turbo; never saw anything quite like it. That's gotta bring the value down, don'tcha think? Hope it finds a good home. If any of you is interested, let me know. I can send a copy of the build record. Jay

On and off, that one's been for sale on craigslist for a while -- all the way back to last year if I remember. Wish I was closer to go look at at. I too want a single axle with a triplex, though I'd prefer a B61. Saw one around here but for a lot more money with a rough cab and engine. So this seems like a good buy if it's in decent shape. That turbo on the 711 must have been the after-market one Mack sold? I've heard of 711s with a turbo but never seen one. A 4.11 rear and a single axle for a B75 with a triplex seems a bit odd; wonder if the rear end is also a more recent swap. Interesting truck!