Speed

Yeah-got an email awhile back that listed the US Government's track record for managing programs supposedly to help people,Social Security,etc. (ALL failed),and it finished with "...and NOW you want to put THEM in charge of YOUR health care???" Hadn't seen it in that light before-seeing it spelled out like that it was a real wake up call! Naturally,I was kidding about the salvage trip(unless you guys can really pull it together.. ),but it kills me to see all that great machinery rot away in the wilds when so many of us down here could use it or at least parts of it. (I saw 2-3 good sets of tires I could really use,and headache racks,and hoists,and bumpers,and...) Speed

Anybody up for a salvage trip? Probably a lot of good drivetrain up there,maybe even make some runners again,and use 'em to bring more stuff back. If nothing else the metal from those machines could be re-used for other things. Wonder how much metal we'd have to bring back to make it worth the trip..... Speed

Maybe it had the wrong filter in it when I got it....

Hi Greg; I bought that 1006 at NAPA here in Elko when I was going down to get the truck,but it's too small to work. I even went to the Reno NAPA and had 'em look it up,and they came up with the same flter. That's the one NAPA's books show as correct. I could almost fit 2 of 'em in the housing,and the outside diameter is about an inch too small. I probably will have to pull the seals to get the right ones. I was hoping to have the parts at hand when I pull it apart so I wouldn't be tying up the alley for more than 12 hours. (There's several small houses on down that use the alley for primary access.) I never thought of SKF;-I'll give that a shot and see what I can find. Thanks to both of you! Speed

Hi all; I finally came up with the official original 1945 part number for that oil filter nobody seems to have a listing for. "485GB145A" If anybody out there has a book to cross reference it to another brand (WIX,Fleetguard,Luberfiner,NAPA)I'd really appreciate it. I know Packer's planning to get me the number off'n his Fire Truck Sunday, but if I can pull up a number tomorrow (Saturday) I may be able to get that done early so I can take it out Monday AM for some estimates for a few things I probably can't afford anyway. BTW-Does there exist a book of seal numbers for such things as the pinion seal for my Mack CR23-892-34 axle,or seals for Brown-Lipe transmissions,or a pinion seal for my '54 GMC 353 vacuum 2 speed axle? Those are the remaining parts I haven't been able to track down. Anyway-thanks for any help you can throw this way. Speed

Name: Mack EH (1945) Date Added: 14 January 2009 - 05:33 PM Owner: Speed Short Description: I bought This truck in Carson City,Nv.,flat-towed it to Sun Valley with a one ton truck and tow bar (I'll not do THAT again!),where it got a new Bulldog,grille put back in place,completely re-wired,aux. gas tank and electric fuel pump added,floor starter button changed to dash button,ait horn and air tank installed (compressor/onboard air in future)and city horn replaced,140 amp 1 wire alternator,Halogen headlights,all other lights made operational,fabricated front bumper,hoist,rear hitch and straight stack,tool box,floor carpeted,seat upholstered in horseblanket,CB added,Tach installed above windshield View Vehicle

That makes sense-I have one of those check valves on one of the work benches somewhere,I saved it off the '60 GMC 370 I scrapped in Reno,I'll clean it out and get it installed. I also saved a really cool little oil bath breather I'm going to service and put on the truck to replace the "Chromey-Joe" Chevy valve cover breather I've been using. I wouldn't mind re-plumbing the system with new lines and hoses;when I installed this HydraVac I wasn't sure it'd work out so I sorta cobbled the vacuum piping and brake lines together with whatever I could find,and I'm not very proud of its appearance or routing. Remembering back,I WAS able to get it to work well for a short time,but the master cylinder was leaking and I only got 3 or 4 good stops before the M/C was empty and i started getting air in the lines. Speed

Thanks Morgan; I hadn't thought of the brake line "plug"-that's a good idea! I usually just end up ruining the line by putting multiple folds in it until it's crimped shut,to accomplish the same objective. I'll probably build one or two of those to toss into the tool bin,just in case. Since I'm sure I'll need to do at least two of the wheel cylinders and especially the master cylinder,I'll get those done,and see what I can get from that. I generally have pretty good success with rebuilding these things. (I probably just jinxed myself by saying that.) At least if it does turn out to be the booster that's gulping all the fluid,it can't contaminate the rest of the system. On that subject,The didn't have a booster when I got the truck,but really needed one. I took one off a truck I scrapped and adapted it in. But I was told on the GMC trucks web forum that the reason the HydraVac on my '54 GMC wasn't working could be a stuck vacuum check valve (?). Thinking back,I don't remember putting one of those on the . What purpose would it serve? Do I need one? Regarding the seals,I've used the "speedi-sleeves" on harmonic balancers and vehicle spindles etc. with good results,so I guess it'd be a good idea to go ahead and put 'em on these as well,unless there's no sign of wear.(Very unlikely) I had this grand idea to do complete fluid changes on my ,my '54 GMC 350,my '57 GMC F350 and my '57 GMC 100 when the land I'm selling closes,but some quick math tells me that just the oils would cost me about $1,000.00,filters another $50.00 or so. So I've decided I'll just top off what I need to for now,except the 's boxes,which I MIGHT change to synthetic oil. If I understand it right,the Brownie should have a 50 weight oil in it,so I'm thinking of using 20W50 synthetic. I'm hoping to eventually somewhat standardize the oils so I can buy one kind in bulk (better price) and not have to use different stuff for everything. I also keep hearing and reading that going to synthetic in the transmissions makes for less gear to gear friction and drag,less wear,and helps fuel economy,all of which might pay off over time. It's also been suggested they shift easier,that'd be nice,too. I can't get myself to try the 20W50 in an axle though,it just feels too thin,to me. Maybe a synthetic GEAR oil;though it's pretty spendy,that would narrow it down to just a couple of different oils. I really think 20W50'll work fine in all the transmissions though,and the engines too,as long as they don't leak or burn much oil.(The DOESN'T) Once the is done,I'll try to schedule one transmission per month for the change over until they're all done. Speed

If both switches have to be on for the trailer lights to work,sounds like your power is running from the power source to one switch,out of that switch over to the other switch,out of that one and on to the lights. Basically,if you leave one switch on all the time and only use the other switch to control the lights,you'd be okay,or remove one switch and just connect the wires from it together,you'd be okay. I used to use a set up like that with 5 switches all hooked together but two were mounted upside down,to run the electric fuel pump. Unless they were ALL in the right places,no start. (I tested it out on my boss at work-it took him over an hour to finally get it to run.) My nephew has his car wired so he has to turn on the park lights or his starter won't crank. Speed

It's crossed my mind that it might be the booster leaking internally into the diaphragm chamber,but I think the master cylinder is the main culprit. I probably have a couple of stuck wheel cylinders too,but they don't seem to be leaking. I called the local NAPA store,and lucked out,got one of the "old school" parts men who knows how to use the books. I told him I was working ona '45 ,and he said,"Well,I KNOW that's not gonna show up on the 'puter. Hang on while I get the books out." I could hear him set 'em on the counter by the phone,then a couple of loud "Whoosh" sounds,that was him blowing the dust off 'em before he opened 'em . Anyway,long story short,he can get me a rebuild kit for the master cylinder and all four wheel cylinder kits for about $55.00 ,so I might as well just bite the bullet and do it all. He also said if I don't wanna wrestle with rebuilding everything,he can get me a rebuilt master cylinder for $108.00 and new wheel cylinders for $36.50 each,plus some shipping,total of $270.00,but that's a little out of my budget. Next issue will be the pinion seal and the yoke seals on the Brownie. I wasn't able to see any numbers on the seals,and even NAPA doesn't have a book that covers the truck or the transmission,so it looks like I have to just pull the seals and bring 'em in to find replacements. I need to find out if there's any bearings behind these seals that might need to be set for pre-load. I'm pretty sure the input shaft and output shaft bearings on the Brownie are just run-o-the-mill caged ball bearings,but I'm not too sure about the outer pinion bearing-does it have a crush collar or shims I need to be concerned with? Once I have those seals done I won't worry so much about going down the highway in it. I found a place that will insure it for $146.00/6 mo.,or $165.00/6 mo. if I want to use it for business. (I don't know how they'd be able to tell the difference between business and personal use from 500 miles away...) Well,anyway,it'll be good getting the to hold its oils and brake fluid where it belongs. with those problems corrected,I can officially declare my truck RELIABLE. Speed

There's a lot of truth in that "Look like you fit in,look like you know what you're doing." plan. Most times,if you just go along like you know you're doing what you're supposed to be doing,they won't even notice you. That's what works for me. BTW-if you DO get stopped,remember,you get what you give,so polite and friendly is good,sarcastic and insulting is bad. I'm sure you already know all this stuff though. Have a fun trip. Speed

What was it hauling? I saw the beginning of a drop deck trailer of some sort in one pic,but what was on it? Speed

Had that problem with my Pontiac;the ground cable was attached to a bolt back behind the P/S pump brackets,and without disassembling the whole Power Steering and A/C compressor bracketry/P/S pump bag-o-snakes I couldn't even see the end of the cable. I just replaced the whole cable and bolted the new one to the front of the cylinder head-plenty of room to tighten it. then I cut the old cable off as far back as I could reach. Problem solved. (I'll remove the cable remnants when I have the heads rebuilt next time. ) Speed

Really nice set up,but with that much to work with,I think I'd have added about twice as much camper to the mix. that little thang's hardly worth loading. It DOES look nicely put together though,and the builder made a great choice of truck to build on. Speed

Hi all; I'll be replacing the pinion seal on my TR-51 rear axle and both input and output seals on my 6031 Brownie soon,and I don't have any tech info that covers them. Can these seals be replaced without having to set the preload on bearings? (I HOPE!!) If I do have to preload the bearings,what do I set them at? The extreme leakage from those seals is one of the main reasons I can't drive it except short distances. The brakes condition is another problem. Regarding the hydraulic brake problems,I filled the Master cylinder 4 times and pumped the reservoir nearly dry and it still won't build any pedal. No puddles yet,either. It's possible I'm filling the HydraVac with brake fluid,but I do know the Master Cylinder looks like it may be leaking. There's at least one wheel cylinder that shows signs of being stuck,but there doesn't appear to be any leakage. I might get a kit for the M/C and bleed everything some more,see what it does. Maybe with the help of the HydraVac I can un-stick the wheel cylinders,and hopefully the won't leak.(We all know they will,though.) Speed

VERY nice looking truck-for some reason the B is one of very few that can carry off yellow as the primary color,and yours looks especially fine! I'll be saving the pics in my "COOL TRUCKS" file. As for my '45,I drive it around the block every day so it won't get tagged for overtime parking. Eventually I'll get some bodywork done,just enough to make the left door latch work again,but that's about the extent of it. (It'd cost me two fortunes to restore it...) Speed

Hey-I have a spare trumpet for your horns if you want it... Speed

I'm sure the people of China truly appreciate the generosity of our Government and its fearless (or is it clueless)leader. They,and other third world countries have taken America's industry overseas. China already owns so much of our debt we can only pray they don't decide to foreclose...I really think Obama and China are setting it up for China to take ownership of the US. Of course,I could be mistaken. Speed

As far as the specs I have,all I know is that the GVW as a straight truck (as it was originally sold) is 19,000. I haven't found any info on axle weight ratings. It's a single drive axle,the 5th wheel was added by a previous owner a long time ago. One trailer,the heaviest one,is just a standard 40 foot flatbed tandem axle with air brakes,but the truck is hydraulic brakes with HydraVac. I have no doubt the trailer is good for over 10K,but if I need a CDL to use it at all,it might be better for me to just go on with my plan to build a light duty trailer, big enough to carry a couple of cars on. It's sounding like even if I have a CDL equipped driver available for the truck when it's loaded heavier than 26K,if I plate it for that max. weight,I can't drive it at all,at ANY weight,until I have a CDL,too. That just won't work for me. I'm sure you professional drivers get really tired of people like me trying to find ways to skirt the law to be able to move our stuff down the road. I guess it's just that the Fed. and State laws are so tightly woven as to make it all but impossible for a man to just drive his own li'l ol' truck-n-trailer around and haul his cars and scrap without a huge investment in equipment and licensing and volumes of rules and restrictions. I know that every time someone finds a way around the bureaucracy and has an "incident",it results in another book of rules and laws to close the loop hole,and that adds to the BS you guys have to deal with. This deal with the Restricted CDL might be worthwhile,but in all honesty,it requires my Dr. to vouch for my blood sugar level being in good control for 1 year,and as a "Brittle Diabetic",that'll never happen for me,and I wouldn't ask her to bend the facts to help me get a CDL. Then,as I understand,I'm required to get a complete physical exam every year,as a condition of keeping my license. I guess it's all part of the show though,I can see why they'd want to over-manage my health. It's easy for me to feel like they're being too pushy with the rules,but when I look at it from the point of view of the folks who drive for a living,I can see,a little better,the reasoning for such caution. I'll try to quit whining about being "Nannied" so much. Speed

The plates on my one ton look just like the one on my neighbor's car,I don't see any difference from 1 ton truck to car tags. I think you're right,Rebel,it makes sense to me. So-how do they figure out how much weight my truck is safe pulling on a trailer though. I'm thinking in terms of the total weight on the drive axle. I guess anybody that knows me knows my idea of too much weight is about the point where stuff starts falling off the trailer. I'm pretty sure the DOT wouldn't take that subject so lightly,though. Once I get the inspected etc. I don't think I'll have too much trouble staying out of trouble with it. Now,is it possible to get a temp. permit for a load heavier than the truck/trailer is tagged for? I'd probably wamt to get it set for 25,500# or so,but if I end up with a load heavier than 26,000,I do have a friend with a CDL who said she'd be open to driving that load for me. So that just leaves the legality of a heavier load. The only reason for setting my limit below the CDL limit is that I'd probably be driving it 99% of the time,and that'd save me a littler money and keep me legal. I've considered getting the restricted CDL,but one of the 3 big restrictions is that it's not valid across state lines,and for what it'd cost me to get,I'd really be adverse to not being able to go into Utah or Idaho with it. Kinda makes it useless to me for some of the time. I dunno maybe it wouldn't make that much difference...Guess I need another trip to DMV to pin 'em down on some details. Well,Happy Thanksgiving to all,be safe! Speed

Thanks for the info; Where I live,anything up to a one ton has the same plates as a car unless it's a company truck,then the commercial plates are required. so,what does it cost to plate a mid 70's one ton there? It cost me about $75.00 to cover plates and registration on my '76 Chevy C-30,and $20.00 for the title transfer. I think the renewal is something like $38.00. (That's one of the perks of driving an old beater!) I was told my '45 EH would be over $300.00 minimum and it seems like around $470.00 maximum for commercial plates,due to the GVW of 19K as a straight truck,(it has a 5th wheel on it,I don't know what it's rated for with a trailer....). How does that work-it'd be whatever the trailer's rated for,wouldn't it? I'm so confused!! Speed

I'd be curious to know how they word the local reg's to exclude Duallies from being "acceptable" vehicles in the city. Hell,if they did that up here,we'd only have about a quarter of the current number of trucks on the road. Granted,even up here,if you lose a mudflap or your tail lights quit working or if you nose it into a space short enough that you block traffic,they'll jump you for it,but as long as it's a legal truck in the rest of the free world,they can't keep us off the streets here. And targeting you because you're driving a Duallie-well,they can't do that-that's profiling,and that's illegal!(I wonder how far we'd get in Court with that defense...) Maybe we should work up a legal defense fund and fight this harassment! Speed

"If I weren't in the city I would get a dually." What does "in the city" have to do with whether to run duals or not? I kinda like the "intimidation factor" dual wheels offer in heavy traffic,especially big duals. There's something that fosters cooperation among the drivers wheen they look out the side window and see those big ol' front lugnuts and the dual fender-eaters on the rear,spinning about face level to 'em. I prefer dual wheels,they give you a little more load capacity;a truck with duals handles better fully loaded than with single rear wheels,and you can REALLY load one up before it does the "hippy-hippy shake" on the freeway. Or so I'm told-I don't haul much with my trucks.... Speed

I was an oiler/tire man for a construction and paving outfit for a while,but never had a bit of trouble with split rims,but,see,I had a little secret. I had heard all the scary stories too,so I cost the boss a small fortune in replacement parts. Every time I broke a wheel down and found a damaged or noticeably worn part,i tossed it and sidelined the wheel until the boss brought me a new part,then I'd finish the assembly,leave the valve core out,set a loader bucket on the wheel and give it about 10 pounds of air to shake out any folds or kinks in the tube,let it drain,put the core back in,and attach the clip on chuck I made,with a 10 foot hose between the chuck and the inflate valve. I'd leave it where it was until the next wheel was ready to inflate then put the completed back in line. The boss told me,after a couple months of this "You're costing me a mint in lock rings!" I just told him,"That's nothing compared to what it'd cost you if a wheel comes apart because of a damaged part!" He never complained again. Now I don't do much truck tire work,it's too hard without the proper tools. I tried putting an 1100R-22.5 on a wheel for my dump truck a while back and finally gave up. You really are better off just paying a shop to do 'em. Besides,they're equipped to deal with all the little quirks and problems that arise when we really,absolutely HAVE to make it work before dark. Speed

I don't know if this'll work,but I got this in an email today. My link Speed