My Mack Rs600L

[Muladzh]

My home is a 1979 Mack RS600L valueliner, with a custom built Callen Camper body. The story behind the creation of this amazing motor-home is that the then owner of Callen Campers, wanted a camper that would last forever, be strong enough for their camper to be built on it, and be a proven truck. His brother, then driving in San Diego for a Cement company, suggested they use a truck the same as his work truck - it went forever, never broke down and would pull a house down. He drove a Mack RS600L Cement truck, so Mackie was bought from E-W Equipment Company, Federal Blvd, San Diego, in July of 1978. The truck was specifically for motor-home use, never to be commercial, so came with a 10,500 front axle, for easier ride, and single rear axle with 3.70:1 ratio. Callen Campers took delivery of it in August, '78, and started the camper build that month. Unfortunately I don't know much else of it's creation, but I do know that Bob Callen, the owner of the company, used it regularly for the next twenty years, traveling from San Diego to Alaska, the east coast, Mexico, Florida, and about everywhere between. When Bob Callen died, his brother got the truck, but already had a Callen built Peterbilt camper, so gave over the Mack to his son, Paul, who used it as home base, whilst he built his own house in Bend, Oregon. Some time in 2007, Paul decided to sell Mackie and put the details on the internet. In 2009, I saw the details, and the Mack was still unsold, so I made arrangements to buy it, in March of 2009, but. . . In March of 2009, the economy went bust, and so did I, so the money I was to buy Mackie with never arrived. Almost heart broken (I am, after all, Mack crazy) I sent a sad message to Paul that I could not buy it after all. For a year, I looked at the pictures, and just imagined I had it, until February 2010, when I received an email from Paul, asking if I still wanted the Mack. My pension stock had improved, not much, but some, so I had the money, due on March the first. We exchanged emails, chatted on the phone, and I reckon Paul thought I must a real nutter, but he still sold me the Mack, on February 27th, (my money arrived early - we had driven over to Bend, from Indiana where we were staying in a shack and trailer, at the beginning of that week, and were drooling over the truck for a few days before the money arrived)

On February 28th, a Sunday, we took possession of the Truck, and I could not be happier. It is an awesome machine, that effortlessly roared up Cow Hill on the 93 out of Bend, at 65mph, in overdrive. He weighs in at 22680, with no water (holds 200 galls), no waste, (holds a lot), and not much fuel. Fill the water and the fuel, (2 110 gallon tanks) and he weighs 25,880 or there about. The gross on the vehicle is 30,000# so there is room for us,(old guy, younger wife, younger chihuahua), and sufficient junk to keep her happy, (the wife, not the dog)

There is a 30,000# pintle hitch on the back, that looks good, but doesn't attach to our Jeep, so we put a modified F350 receiver hitch onto the frame... It had to be narrowed 6 inches, to fit - a Ford F350 frame, is 6 inches wider than a Mack's.. hows about that?

With this hitch we tow around a jeep JK - not my favorite Jeep model, I prefer a TJ, but they don't make 'em any more.

So, that brings us up to date with the history of the Mack, except that the twin beds aren't the way we like to sleep, and the sofa was rather old, (like everything else) and bowed to the floor. That was donated to a welder friend in PT Hadlock, WA, when we were up there, getting things done, like making the fridge run on 12v, when moving, repairing the furnace, water heater, adding a back up camera, so we could actually see the jeep was still attached, Traction tires - it came with steers all round, and I am an ex over the road flatbed driver, so traction tires are a must. There are a few things not yet working, but maybe this forum will help me on those things. I have a couple of pictures to share:

The tiny wife, and big radiator grille

If anyone has any interest, I can show more pictures.. I take a lot of this beautiful truck.

[hatcity]

More pics would be OK. Oh, the truck aint bad either.

Actually, that is a fine looking motor home. Bet you get a lot of crap at the campground. Drop in low and push the junk over to the side

[Lmackattack]

nice looking camper. The RS and RL R models are some of the finest they ever built. IMO all that truck needs is a diffrent color but thats just me.... Hope you have fun with it,

[vision386]

Welcome to the site! thats a great looking outfit,always been a big fan of the RS/RL series trucks,sure looks to be in great shape, always been kind of a dream of mine to build something similar and travel the counrty, see the things a was never able to visit while driving a truck for a living. you have come to the right place for info and ideas concerning macks,there is a vast array of knowledge available to you on here for the asking!...best wishes, mark

[David]

Looks great. Don't change the color, just add some. Here'e a sample of one I recently found.......

[Muladzh]

I am thinking of changing a few things on it, not least get a pair of four inch stacks, to keep the exhaust out of the camper - the current weed burner turns down just before the axle and the smell gets into the camper. I kind of like stacks anyway. Problem is there is no room for the standard arrangement - the camper is too far forward, and would take to much fabrication to put it further back. I am reckoning that I could put internal spiral muffler 4 inch stacks with a 5 inch expanded guard round them and they would fit pretty well. The curb side door isn't used - my lady prefers the camper door.

I probably will change the color sometime - it is way to hard to keep a white truck clean.. lol.

[Lmackattack]

you likely can fit a straight 4" stacks between the cab and camper body and put a muffler under the truck. looks like the hardest part will be getting a 90 deg bend at the cab corner. that engine is not to loud with straight stacks so a mini muffler should do the trick. just make sure the exit its well above the cab or your truck will be black on the top sides.

[Muladzh]

I will try find parts to do that.. I put stacks on a Freightliner years ago, it can't be much different. A 90 degree bend will probably have to be flexible pipe..

[ozrad7]

i just put duel 4" stacks on my 84 r 600 tipper,my truck only has 3" between the back of the cab and the tipper body so the stacks are mounted beside the cab. the muffler was already mounted beneath the cab.i used 2 90 degree bends to make a y peice and 3 90's each side and ran the pipes outside the rails the up over the rear of the fuel tanks.my stack end only a foot above the cab and is very loud,espeacialy with the window down.

[Muladzh]

i just put duel 4" stacks on my 84 r 600 tipper,my truck only has 3" between the back of the cab and the tipper body so the stacks are mounted beside the cab. the muffler was already mounted beneath the cab.i used 2 90 degree bends to make a y peice and 3 90's each side and ran the pipes outside the rails the up over the rear of the fuel tanks.my stack end only a foot above the cab and is very loud,espeacialy with the window down.

Do you have any pictures or means to take a couple, to let me see how you mounted them please?

[ozrad7]

I will try to take some pics tommorow if i can find my camera.

[Muladzh]

Thank you.

[ozrad7]

i finally got around to taking some pics of the stack mounts i made.i hope they help, as you may or may not see i dont have much room between the cab and the tipper body so the stacks are slightly on the side of the cab with a 180 degree style gaurd and my mount is attached to the existing croos member via steel plates welded to them. if i had the room i would have mounted it to the chassis with u bolts like the original cross member.

[Muladzh]

Thank you, those pictures are great.. another couple of questions. where do the snorkel intakes for the filter can come from. I would really like one of them, and. . how do you fit the guard at the front..

[ozrad7]

the snorkle setup no my truck is original mack but i believe they are an australia specific setup to keep the intake up out of the dust, we must have more dust here than you guys do so maybe you could one through mack otherwise i think donaldson make the same thing, they may even be the the original supplier to mack australia.as for the gaurd do you mean the exhaust gaurd or the bull bar on the front.the exhaust guard has a clamp that goes around the pipe with captive nuts in it the gaurd bolts to, the bull bar has a fabricated cross member that either attaches to or replaces the original one that have two peices of steel each side of it that the lower bar mounts fit into with a single bolt each side to let it fold down so the bonnet can be opened, when it is up it is held by two 7/8 eye bolts through the front into nuts welded to the cross member.i will take some pics and post them for you so you can see what i mean.

[Muladzh]

The bull bar - a very useful thing, I think I just have to have on the front of my rig.. That and the snorkel. Photos would be very much appreciated.

[hatcity]

The bull bar - a very useful thing, I think I just have to have on the front of my rig.. That and the snorkel. Photos would be very much appreciated.

www.herd.com

[Muladzh]

Thank you for that link - just the thing I want, Pity I am not rich, it will have to wait a few months, but less than $4000 for a custom bar to fit an R model is pretty good.

[ozrad7]

here are the pics of my bullbar mounts, i also took a look at that web link, i wonder if anyone down under make the quick release eye bolts they use . my bar cost me $3500 the guy who made it starts with a set design and modifies it to the customers specs thats why the bottom kick rail is angled up and back at the ends because i didnt like the road train look of the straight rail with the end uprights protruding downwards, it also gives me a slightly better aproach angle for the onsite / off road work i do . in my personal opinion my bullbar is one of the best ive seen on a r model, others ive seen are either a full heavy road train 5 post style or a big pipe rectangle type which i think look awful . a bullbar also squares off the looks from the front almost making it look like a superliner from a distance, it really does completly change the looks as you will see in the pics with the bar down and up. if i can help out with more pics or anything let me know.

[Muladzh]

Thank you for the great pictures - I really like your truck, it is giving me plenty of ideas for mine.

[cgallamore]

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