JAB

Well fellas, the Mack is in a better place now!! I worked out a trade with Kevin (Locomotive Breath) and he already has the old girl running again. I appreciate everyone's input and help while I worked on the truck. Please see the video link below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QABnkOqy3eA

Here are some before and after pics of the generator and bracket. Quick question. I noticed that there are four bolts in the block that appear to have held something on at one time. Can anyone tell me what is supposed to go here?

Thanks "fxfymn". The nuts are not welded because they turn freely when the bolt is turned. I can get one finger back there to determine this. I will look a little closer when I have more time. Quick update: I pulled the 12V generator off yesterday to clean it up a little. It had several dirt dobber nests inside. I just took the cap off so that I could get the larger chunks of dirt out. I blew the inside out with an air hose, polished the commutator with some 220 grit sandpaper and greased the commutator bearing. I did not want to get into tearing the whole thing apart. The bearings appeared to be in good shape and the brushes looked ok. So, I will run with it at this point. I pulled the generator bracket off so that I could clean it up as well. My father-in-law will be in town in a few days. I am hoping to get the engine started then!!

Here's an update on the truck. I have made some progress. I am waiting for my father-in-law to help me with getting the engine started. So, I decided to get to work on the inside of the cab. I pulled out what was left of the old seats and cleaned up what the rats had left behind. I pulled the sheet metal that covers the fuel tank off to see what it is going to take to remove the tank. I disconnected the fuel line. The center bracket does not look easy to remove. The three bolts on the front have nuts on the back that seem almost impossible to get to. Also, the tank straps appear to be set over the frame. Any ideas on how to get the tank out? Since I was kind of at a stand-still with the tank, I decided to clean the floor board and remove the floor plate. There is going to be a little bit of patch work to do. That is as far as I have gotten today. I went ahead and included a few extra pictures of the cab. The rockers are going to need to be replaced, as well as a hole in the driver's side floor board.

Where would I look for the engine serial number? And what is the configuration of the numbers? Thank you in advance.

Hey guys. It's been a while since I've posted, but I really haven't had a ton of time to mess with the truck. I have finished scrapping the bed and have it down to the frame rails now. There are pictures below. I pulled the plugs and soaked the cylinders with PB Blaster. A few days later, I pulled the plug and hooked jumper cables directly to the starter post, just to try and bump it a little. It turned a little bit and then stopped. I put more PB Blaster in the cylinders and let is sit for a week. I just got back into town last night and had a little extra time to mess with the truck today. I pulled the plugs again. This time, I got underneath the truck and turned the flywheel with a screw driver. I was able to get it to roll 360. So, I hooked the cables back up to the starter and bumped it around again. After I bumped it a few time, I allowed the engine to spin for a few seconds. It appears to turn easily with no problems. My next step is to put some good gas to it and see if I can get it to fire. I will come back with more details later.

Just a little update on the truck. I have most of the bed removed, with the exception of the main gear box. For that, I will have to wait until my buddy brings over his tractor and front end loader to lift it off. This morning, I removed the passenger side fender to get a little better access to the engine compartment. The fender is in pretty poor shape. I would like to find out if the engine will roll through. Can anyone suggest the best way of doing this? I look forward to your replies.

Message Sent.

Well, here's a little bit of an update. I was finally able to get the cutting torch out and take some more weight off the bed. After which, I had the truck moved to the house. Now, I can work on her whenever I have some spare time. Looks like the engine that was powering the digger is a Continental Flathead 6. The engine has been rained in and is locked up. I pulled the front Twin Disc PTO off and am going to try and sell it. It appears to be in good shape. My plan is to continue to scrap the entire bed and bring it all the way down to the frame rails. From there, I will start to work on getting the truck to run. I will keep you updated as I go.

Superdog, I may take you up on that. It's gonna be a little while before I get her home. I will be in touch once that time rolls around. Thanks!!

Just a little update. I went out this morning and started taking some of the weight off. This truck is heavy. I scrapped a little over 1,000 lbs. off the pressure digger rig. The truck is still at the site where I bought it, and I am trying to find the best way to get it moved to my house. I found the headlights to the truck inside the cab. They are in pretty good shape. The hood is pretty bad and will likely need to be replaced. There is also a small cancer spot at the bottom of the cab. The glass is missing in both doors. I pulled the dipstick on the engine and the oil was not milky or over-full. I am hoping that everything is free inside. Here are a few more pictures that I took today (before I started pulling iron off). I'd be interested to know more about the engine, if anyone would like to share their knowledge. Thanks in advance. Jason

Thanks for all of the input. I bought the truck yesterday and will be picking it up here within the next week. I am super excited. Because of my schedule, this will definitely be a slow process. But, I will update you on the progress as it is made.

I recently found this Mack A-54 and wanted to get your thoughts. I don't know anything about these trucks. I was drawn to it because I could see myself removing the drilling rig from the back and making a parade type truck for my son and his football team. It has a gas engine in it and is not currently running. I noticed that the headlights were missing and the fenders & hood are pretty banged up. Is there any value to this truck as a runner? I don't want to get into a long, drawn out project. How simple are the engine/transmissions in these trucks? Any input you have would be appreciated. Thanks, Jason

Hey all. I am obviously new to this forum. I don't currently own a truck, but just went and looked at one recently. I came to this site to hopefully get some knowledge and information. I am a member of other hot rod forums and have learned that you only post certain things in certain places. Any advice that you have would help me out. I am looking at an A-54 and have little information other than pictures. Where would be the best place to post the pictures and get input about the truck? Thanks in advance, Jason