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Newbie In The Uk...


att

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Hi Folks, I already asked for advice on another section of the forum and people were most helpful.

So I guess I had better introduce myself....

I have had a passion for US trucks since I was a gleam in fathers eye.

He was a driver.

At the age of 13(1978) I went and found the UK importer of Mack trucks, they were in Bolton, near to where I lived in Manchester UK. Anyways I hung around, took photos of the trucks, got sales literature, joined the Mack Club of GB and bought the T Shits, jackets, holdalls etc.

I intended to become a truck mechanic when I left school, but the recession was on and there was no jobs to be had, I wasn`t old enough to drive trucks, so this would have been a great way to learn the ropes....I drifted off into different careers and into motorcycles, but the Truck thing was always there.

8 Years ago I got a REO 6x6 and restored it, took 12 months to do so, with the help of my wife and sold it at the the first Auto show I took it to.

Now, 33 years on from 1978.....I have realised that childhood dream, I have bought this

A 1978 F786

To say I am the happiest man on the planet is an understatement, she needs a bit of work, but all mechanical, so no worries about the cab with rust etc.post-9253-0-28172500-1314709774_thumb.jp

IMG00118-20110829-1139.jpg

Very nice truck. How is that to operate in the UK with the steering wheel on the "correct" side?

Rob

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Dog.jpg.487f03da076af0150d2376dbd16843ed.jpgPlodding along with no job nor practical application for my existence, but still trying to fix what's broke.

 

 

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welkom from holland.

good looking truck jou have.

maybe we see you in holland

leon (mack4ever)

Hi Leon.....This truck is originally from Holland/Netherlands, so I am going to do some detective work, to see if I can find out where it has been for the first 10 years of it`s life.....I know it has some stickers in the cab, from the dealer that has serviced it.

Thanks for the welcome everybody.

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Hi welcome to BMT. If you may have the time and the truck complete,you couldn join the Mack an heavy haul truckshow in Utrecht Netherlands! it is at "the cattle market" on 2 october 2011.

greetings Jan

It would be cool to do that, unfortunately the truck needs more work than time allows to make that date.

I am intending to do most of the work over winter and have it on the road for next spring.

So next year would be a real possibility.

I am also into my Buells and had a few guys over at my place that came from Rotterdam this year, good bunch of guys, two were ex HA. Taught me to fire breathe a couple of years back!

So Holland/Netherlands is definately on my agenda, I was there earlier this year.

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Well.....Got the old girl back home yesterday.

Had a bit of luck with a local haulier, he was taking a 14 ton 360 to the South of the UK, so he brought my Mack back, on back-haul.

I went with him and drove it on and off the low loader...

It was a bit dodgy, as the front brakes were binding at this time and cold painted steel and binding brakes are not the best combination in the world when it is raining(driving it off in the dark with rain), but I got it off OK.

Got the brakes free`d off today, just by using them and generally messing around with the truck....Everything seems to be fixing itself....Strange really!

post-9253-0-56989700-1315333792_thumb.jp

post-9253-0-48309100-1315333813_thumb.jp

post-9253-0-29844700-1315333834_thumb.jp

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  • 3 months later...
  • 2 months later...

Hi there,

Great truck!! I love the F model. I live in the Netherlands and have a F 786 ST, a former truck of Overdorp, which is being restored at the moment. I also wrote a book about Mack trucks in the Netherlands and I'm working on a book about Mack in Europe. I read that you visited the former Mack dealer in the U.K. Do you have any pictures or ads of that company? I would be very pleased with it.

Best regards,

Gerlof

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Welcome! That is a real nice F model you got there.

This is a great thread! Love to see and hear from different places. Those trucks are in awesome shape for the age, wouldn't look like that in New England.

I am a bit surprised that things rust less in "Old England". Their climate is not that different from ours despite the UK being further north.

-Thad

What America needs is less bull and more Bulldog!

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Hi att and Gerlof

F model Macks like yours were directly imported into the UK in the mid 70's by OHS... they also had an unusual heavy duty spec Seddon Atkinson 400, all for the Middle East run.

a thread was recently started on this forum about OHS, if you search the "old time lorries" section with key word "Mack" there may be some more info to your liking..

http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=81762

hope the info is of interest to you

they certainly brightened up my day when they turned up where I worked, Rylands of London.

cheers

BC Mack

Edited by BC Mack
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umodelnut

apologies to att for jumping in but he has posted on this thread

http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=32895&hilit=mack&start=210

I just snipped a few photos from it, hope the mods allow traceable photos to be added like this but please remove if there are any copyright issues

BC Mack.

Edited by BC Mack
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  • 4 years later...

How time flies!!! I have not touched the Mack for a few years, but I put some batteries on it and lubed some cables etc. and she fired right up!!! Sounding smoother than I remember.

I am guilty of neglect and was jet washing the green off her and all the paint came off, so I guess it was no good to start with.

I am now in the process of applying new primer and addressing surface rust issues and have decided to get stuck in and paint her Matt Black with Gloss grille and bumper, not a fan of lot`s of chrome.

It seems that all these US trucks in the UK have increased in value as you can no longer bring in anything post 1965!

Rules and regs are just shit.

 

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Why the ban? emission regs?   Paul

"OPERTUNITY IS MISSED BY MOST PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS DRESSED IN OVERALLS AND LOOKS LIKE WORK"  Thomas Edison

 “Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘Holy shit, what a ride!’

P.T.CHESHIRE

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