Speed

Jeeze,Andy-it looks like we're a minority on this;at least we're still ahead of the C-cab crowd... I think you're right about the B series;when you say" Truck,the B-61 look is what most people think of. Speed

Glad the insurance co. didn't beat you up too bad. Sometimes they do good work... When I got "left-turned" on my Harley,the other guy's insurance co. gave me almost $1,000.00 more than I paid for it (I got a helluva deal on it),and I was able to buy it back for $700.00. It looked like it was rolled into a ball,so I pulled it all apart to try to have the frame straightened or find a new one,and buy new forks for it. A friend made a good offer on the bike so I sold it to him. He had it back on the road 2 days later,and didn't buy any parts for it,just fixed the wrecked stuff. Sounds like this'll be your chance to improve on perfection and build your truck the way you wished it had been done the first time. I'll bet by the time you get it roadworthy again,you'll be chomping at the bit to put it back to work. Speed

So the "Elite" pkg.,I'd assume,was a truck with "all the bells & whistles"? Cool truck-I vote that if the price is reasonable,you should jump on it,if for no other reason than being 1 of 1 build! In collections.the first and last built of anything are worth more than the ones in between. Speed

At least these can be converted;the last old GM 2 speed I had,if there ever was a conversion available,nobody I've asked has any idea where to even look for one. I just assumed your 2 speed was a vacuum or cable shift. Electric's the way to go. Speed

Packer; Is that 2 speed the one in your '48? I was wondering what gearing that one had... Speed

I don't know why I didn't think of it before -I have a friend who suggested making some inserts I could thread into the spark plug holes that would be threaded for more common spark plugs. I'm going to talk to a guy I know with a lathe tomorrow to see if he could do this. Speed

Hi All! I might be getting a 2 speed axle for my '45 EH. It's from a '48 EG. Is there a way to convert a vacuum or cable shift to an electric shift? Speed

Good point,Packer! Plus,air's a lot cheaper than brake fluid...LOL Hey-I might give you a call later;you gonna be at the 307 number? Speed

Okay-so the actual service brakes still work as they always have? With air pressure to control them? So the maxi system is the "lock 'em up if the air pressure drops" safety brakes? Sounds like the brakes still work the same except to run a maxi,you need to run secondary lines and a special valve to it. Interesting set up. Thanks for explaining it. (Kinda makes me appreciate my hydraulic brakes a little more,though...) Speed

Thanks Chris; I'm trying to understand what's changed in air brakes. As I understand it,back in the day,air pressure was applied to push the brake shoes out against the drums,and that meant that an air line break caused no brakes. I'm guessing the old style brake cans must have had a light spring inside,since all it'd have to do is pull the brake linkage back and retract the brake shoes when the air pressure was released. Is this how the old style brake cans operated? With the next generation brakes,the brake shoes were pushed against the drums by spring pressure,and air pressure was used to release the brakes,right? So,if an air line breaks,the brakes actually set up. Okay-so if we change to the new style brake can,which would have the (much stiffer) spring on the opposite side of the diaphragm as the old style,and reverse the side of the diaphragm the air goes to,the air serves to release the brakes,so actually releasing air pressure applies the brakes. With this in mind,the valve at the brake pedal would have to be connected opposite of the old style set up,or the driver would have to drive with the brake pedal pushed down. So,if I'm seeing this right,the new style brake cans have to be connected backwards from the old style ones,as does the brake pedal valve. I'm sure there's more to it than this,guess I should read up on air brake systems,as I have very little experience or knowlege in this subject. If I'm off the mark please set me straight. Thanks for your information and help. Speed

Hi all; I'm just wondering about the air brakes on this '47 Diamond T truck I located. Is it legal to operate on the original air brakes,or does it need to be upgraded to modern brake cans and plumbing? I'd guess there's a little different rules for privately owned trucks vs. commercially operated trucks. What all is involved in upgrading to the newer air brake design? Personally,I'd prefer that the brakes set up,and lock the truck down if I break a line over having NO brakes. So,if it's not a huge job to upgrade,I'm planning to reccommend to possible buyers to plan on the upgrade. I was told last summer it's "no big deal-just install new brake cans and jigger the plumbing a little." I don't understand what he meant by that. Of course he does tend to over-simplify things. anyway,any info you might have would be appreciated. Speed

I talked to my local electrical wizard yesterday,and he,and you guys,convinced me to go with a 100 amp alternator that's built for over the road trucks,because the big alternator is nearly a bolt on swap and my generator pulley will fit it. The price new from him is the same as it would be to build a 90 amp GM light truck/car alternator,which I'd have to do a lot of fabrication to install.I'm going for one large 12 volt battery mainly to simplify the electrics,and it'll carry the load fine. As near as I could tell,the wiring on the truck hasn't been butchered too much,so it should be good with the 12 volt conversion. I'm probably going to install an 80 amp fusible link off the main power lead from the alternator to protect the diodes should the wiring suddenly leak all the smoke out. (and carry a spare one in the tool box. ) So,the electrick will be handled. After this part is done,all that will remain,electrically,will be reversing the leads at the ammeter,changing all the light bulbs,changing to a 12 volt coil and reversing its polarity,changing out the cigar lighter and getting resistors to drop voltage to the heater motor and gas gauge. The starter and horn can stay six volt and will work okay. Thanks for your input and wizdom,Thaddeus,HK,and Kevin;you guys have probably saved me from making an expensive and eventually problematic mistake. Back to the KISS system! (Keep It Simple,Stupid!) Speed

Sorry I can't do you any good on this subject;I'll be "learnin' by doin'" when I go to retrieve the '45 EH I bought. I'll drive my little flatbed Chevy one ton down (about 320 miles each way),spend about a week working on the truck to make it roadworthy,hook my little truck up behind the Mack on a tow bar,and learn its Mack 5 & 3 speed Brown-Lipe on the way home. (That oughta be an "adventure"!) Hope all works out well for you! Sounds like the proverbial trial by fire. Hopefully they'll cut you some slack for not being familiar with that particular truck. Just remind them you have the basic skills already aand will pick this up as you go,and it'll probably start making sense as you learn what works or doesn't. Maybe you'll have the pattern plates on the dash ot above the windshield so you can see where to start. Good luck with your new job! Speed

Hi,it's me again; Just wondering,is there a kit available to add a passenger side windshield wiper to my old truck?What do you guys do about getting two wipers on your trucks? I wrote an email to a fellow called "The Wiper Guy" to ask about it,but apparently he makes enough from the Chevy/GMC guys he doesn't need to deal with Mack owners. I wouldn't mind sticking with vacuum wipers,but if I have to change over to electric,I'd like to get a GOOD conversion kit-my Bro. Dutch got screwed on a set up that was sold as top-notch but turned out to be junk for his Chevy round-top. Thanks for your help! Speed

Hi all; I'd like to start reading up on service and repair on my '45 EH;does anybody out there have a favorite supplier for old shop manuals and assembly manuals that would cover this ? It's been awhile since I've run across a vehicle that's harder to buy parts and info for. Does the Mack Museum offer these books for sale? I emailed them a couple of weeks ago with this question,but haven't had a response yet. If any of you have these old books,I'd even appreciate some photo-copies of any info that relates to my . Thanks for all your help! Speed

I've run a six volt starter on 12 volts before too,and if you don't thrash it itll last a long while that way. Is there a 12 volt starter that'll fit this engine if I smoke the six volt one? I'm thinking of looking into a PerTronix conversion for the ignition. That'll depend on how the truck runs,and whether there's one available for my distributor. As far as the six volt or twelve volt issue,that'll depend on what it takes to make an alternator work on my engine. I remembered last night there's an accessory drive pulley on the harmonic balancer,so if it's anywhere close to a "normal" belt size I could probably run an alternator off it,along with my air compressor. I imagine the generator provides the belt adjustments for the fan/water pump,so I could replace the generator with the Alternator and install an idler/temsioner from something with a serpentine belt to provide the adjustment for the dual fanbelts. The more I think about it,(and the more I search for,and don't find,6 volt accessories) converting to 12 volts would probably save me a bunch of troubles and money. I'd like to keep the charging system as original,but it really isn't practical in a truck that'll be used for work. Thanks for getting me to think more clearly about what will be best for my in the REAL world. Speed

Just asking-do these fit my '45 EH? If not,any idea where I'd find a set of 4? Mine still has all its caps but they look a little rough. Speed

Hi all; I'm just pondering the marker lights on my truck,and wondering,is there an ultimate reason why this truck has two marker lights? Others I've seen have 3,some have 4,others have 5. Something to do with GVWR? Type of load it's built for? I just don't know-I'd like to put a couple more on my truck,but if there's a legality issue involved,I'd like to know about it. And BTW-does anybody out there have a couple of extra marker lights like mine has,or are there some still available that resemble the originals? While I'm thinking of it-what kind of taillights were stock on the 40's EH models? Don't know if mine are the originals,but they look about many years old,so they could be. Thanks! Speed

Hi all; I have a couple of electrical questions about my '45 EH. I posted these in General Discussion,but thought the electrical wizards might not have been there for a while. My plan is to stick with my six volt system,running two big six volt batteries,but I'm wondering if I could use an SP switch to bring 12 volts to run an electric winch occasionally. As I understand them,the SP switch only provides double voltage for the starter in the "Start" position of the ingition switch;am I right? Well,first,is an SP switch voltage sensitive?Do I have to get one specifically for six to twelve,or would a 12 to 24 volt one work? I'm not that good with electrics,so I'm asking-is there a way to have my six volt generator charge 2 six volt batteries and combine them "downstream" to run my truck on 12 volts? I considered changing over to a GM internally regulated alternator,but decided I'd probably never find a pulley compatible with the inch wide V-belt,and besides-if it works right,no need to change it,right? So if there's no way to pull 12 volts for a CB,the winch,and some road lights,I'll figure out another way to go. The CB is no problem,but I think the rest of it will draw too much current to use a power inverter on. If push comes to shove,I really don't need any of that stuff, I can figure out other options. I know this stuff isn't too big a priority for you guys,but I'm trying to get things figured out while I'm home,so when I go to Reno to start working on the I'll have my ideas,info and parts ready to go,so as to not waste time down there doing research and working out details to get things to work right. Thanks for keeping up on my progress(?) and cheering me on. Speed

Hi Greg; My truck is fitted with hydraulic brakes,and has a 20,000 pound GVWR. I have it roughly figured out that once I have my boom and flatbed,rear hitch assembly and a better front bumper on it,I'll still be able to carry approx. 7,500 pounds on my truck,and another approx. 3,500 on a small trailer,like a tandem axle car hauler,or flatbed,if it ever happens I get such a trailer,without hitting the big 26K mark. I don't plan to do any "For Hire" hauling-too many hoops to jump through-but might haul some stuff locally for friends,for gas. I'm intending to just go with personal vehicle plates with my GVW declared at 20,000 pounds.That'll (only?) cost me $262.00/yr.,and my insurance agent told me since it'll be a personal vehicle my insurance will run about the same $45.00-$50.00 per month as my one ton flatbed. Assuming I don't get sucker-punched by a major mechanical problem with the ,the biggest issue I see in the future is the gas mileage. (5-6mpg) I'll just have to see if I can do something about it as I go. I think there a few things I can do to improve the fuel economy,but I'm afraid most would involve large "Money Infusions". I'm thinking a change to a downdraft intake,maybe some carb modifications or a different carb,an electronic ignition,possibly a set of good used 10.00X20 radials,a flex-fan,I'm sure other things will come to me later. And,of course,learning how to milk the best mileage possible from my truck as it is. (HMMmmm--I wonder how it'd work with a turbo??) I'm looking at a couple of pictures of the EN354 engine;it looks to me like there's a cover plate on the cylinders across from the manifolds. Were these engines designed to be able to run the manifolds on either side of the engine? If this is the case,it opens the possibility of a cross-flow induction system;that'd potentially make for considerably more performance and probably better mileage. More to think about... Speed

That's cool,Andy-I was just curious. Always good to hear from other lovers. I'm just hoping getting the Registry up and running doesn't cut you out of time to enjoy YOUR Trucks! I know what a "time vacuum" the forums can be if I don't make myself get up and walk away once in a while. Speed

Thanks for the prayers. I believe I've been blessed,in a way,with my interactions with the various police agencies around here-they've always been professional,didn't harrass me(Well-there was a local cop that lived across the street from me when I first started driving,but that's a different story.),and often cut me slack when they could've written some pretty fat tickets. (Doing 136 mph on a 45 mph frontage road,but that's a different story,too) I believe going into any situation wight a GOOD attitude gets you far better results than just going into it with an attitude,if ya know what I mean. What I'm getting at is that basically,you get what you give.And I don't know too many people who win out by being an a&&hole. Through this forum and a couple of others I go to,I'm meeting really good people-the kind this world just can't get enough of! A High-Five and a to good people! Now-on to lighter subjects. I'm guardedly optomistic that I might have money to pay off my in less than 2 weeks! I've decided to go ahead and order some parts and accessories and wait for them to arrive before I head out to get the truck. I plan to put most of my efforts after the basic repairs,maintenance and service work,into building the hoist. I can do the flatbed later unless I run across a really good one in Reno while I'm there. I discovered just the metal for the boom is gonna be a large hunka money,but once it's done,I'll be able to use it for a lot of things I've been unable to do with my little one ton truck and lightweight boom. I have a couple of questions. Is an SP switch voltage sensitive? Specifically,I'd like to run two big six volt batteries,and wire them through an SP switch,using the 12 volt side to power a twelve volt electric winch on the boom,but I'm not sure the SP switch will carry the draw for several minutes at a time without burning up. Or,is there a way to isolate the charging system so the six volt generator will charge the six volt batteries and all the accessories would run on 12 volts? I hope you'll bear with me-a lot of what I try to accomplish is stuff that is never,or rarely done,so a lot of times I can't find printed info or find anyone who's worked with it. Dutch thinks rather that try to hardwire a 12 volt winch into a six volt system I should just carry a deep cycle battery just for the winch and just put it on a charger once a week or so. He's probably right;I guess I just have an issue with "temporary" attachments. Guess that'll probably hafta change. Speed

Hey Andy; How do I access the E-model Registry? I've already been contacted by a couple of members who found my name there,but I can't find the Registry. Thanks!! Speed

Checked with DMV here about plating my EH,and it looks like $262.00 @ 20,000 declared GVW. More than I'd hoped for,but less than I expected. This is for just plain personal plates,not Commercial. I was told a while back my insurance shouldn't change,due to my current truck and the both being old trucks. We'll see--you know how things sometimes change between the phone call to ask prices and the completion of the paperwork. Speed

Good point Bollweevil; I do have a copy of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations Hand book,given to me by officer Jackson,NHP. I will read up on the things you mentioned and try to get my situation sorted out. Until then though,I know what's neutral ground so I'm good with just sticking to that. The whole plan here hasn't been to "Go Trucking",just to figure out how to get the best use possible out of my new truck without incurring the wrath of the "Big Arm" of the law. I had hoped to be able to move scrap metal to recoup some of the expense of the but a combination of factors are making that unlikely,so I'll just be content with driving my "big truck" when I can,I'll kinda see it like having a ski boat-you can't use it all the time,so you pamper it and enjoy it all the more when you CAN take it out. I'm fortunate to have people like you guys to help me find my way through this maze of laws and rules and to cheer me on. The important thing is to get the I had no intention of stepping on the toes of those of you who make a living driving a truck. The only reason at all I was interested in the air brake endorsement is that I'm still trying to negotiate for a 40 foot reefer trailer I'd like to use for storage on my property,and if there's a way I can tow it there myself I'd like to do that.(I guess it's a "pride" thing.) I've always done stuff for myself-having Dutch working with me on the mods to the is a pretty big thing for me. It's hard for me to ask for,and accept help if I think there's ANY way I can do it myself. I know-that's way more than you wanted to know about me. Anyway,I'm getting myself tuned to doing what I can,accepting what I can't change,etc. etc.. BTW-as I said on the owners' map,the coffee's always on if you happen to be driving through the "Vast Uncharted Wilderness" of Elko Nev.;stop in for a cup! Speed