doubleclutchinweasel

Yeah, that was my plan "B"! I was hoping to find a drain in the bottom.You said "plug", not drain cock. So, am I looking for something fairly flush in the bottom of the tank(s)? Possibly with a recess for a square or hex key to remove it? Thanks, Kent

Silly question! How do I drain the radiator on my "new" 1970 R611? LOL!! I looked on the bottom of the radiator, but did not see a drain cock or drain plug. I need to replace all the hoses, and would prefer not to get drowned. Also, is there a plug somewhere near the top of the engine to help purge the air out of the system when re-filling? Thanks, Kent

Well, I finally did it! Went to Knoxville today, and brought it home. Put belts on it, checked everything out 1 more time, threw in a few gallons of fuel, and drove it 3 hours home...through the worst thunderstorm I've ever seen. Not a single malfunction, I'm happy to report. Of course, now I have 3-4 years worth of very intense work to do! Going to do some electrical repair first (don't have marker lights). Then, a compressor. Then, new air system. Then a clutch. Then, cosmetic stuff. But...it drives! Yea!!! Kent

Oh, I've had dozens of these deals fall through already!I'm still not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow. I think the old girl would drive home fine. I mean, I've already driven it around their area long enough to have been half-way home! I'm just getting old and more easily scared, I guess! Just have these aweful feelings something's going to blow up over in the I40 river gorge! I know the truck runs good, and everything works fine. But, it always will when you're within walking distance of the shop. Problems only show up when you're in "dark territory". Know what I mean?

Actually, what I saw doesn' look anything like that. I'll check when I get home this evening; I MAY have a picture that shows one of the adjusters. I took several in that area, so MAYBE I got lucky and caught a glimpse of one!Thanks, More to come... Kent

Sounds like what it looks like. The other post, above, mentioned a fairly small bolt on a Mack-specific adjuster. But, as I said there, this hex is HUGE. It is almost as large as the shaft itself. Any way I can identify what we have here by looking? The adjuster collar/bolt looks exactly like the others I've seen, except for the lack of a snap-ring.

The hex I can see on the back of the slack adjusters is not a small hex, like you would associate with a 1/2" bolt. This hex is 1-1/4 - 1-1/2 inches across. Not sure if that tells you anything.

Oh, and I can give you an email address if you want to send more pictures.

Well, let me know what you can find out.And, Thanks! Kent

Excellent suggestion.So, are these Mack adjusters as I described them, above? Or, are they still held on with the snap-ring? I didn't clean it up enough to see any details yesterday. I'm a little concerned about how much it might take to remove that lock-nut...if it is indeed a lock nut!

Hey, everybody. Thinkin' real serious about the '70 R600 I found recently. Went and drove it today. More right than wrong with it. Planning to re-do all the brake system anyway, if I get it. Brake linings have a bunch of life left. Adjusted the fronts up so it would actually stop bob-tailing. Rears were fairly close to being right. Rear adjusters don't seem to want to co-operate. Some of the "collars" are frozen to the bolt. Others compress, but the bolt seems frozen. Checked prices. Not enough money to worry about. I'll just change them all. Most I've seen use snap-ring to retain the adjuster. These Macks units seem to be retained by a BIG hex-head bolt. Is that how you remove them? I read somewhere the macks were 1.50" X 28 spline. Does that sound right? I think, if I buy this, I'll start by replacing all the cans and slack adjusters...then the compressor...then all the lines. Then it needs a clutch. I just want to get my ducks in a row on these slack adjusters before I jump in over my head. Kent

Not bad. The one I drove today isn't bad either, though. $4K, and I can drive this one home! Still trying to make up me feeble old mind...

Well, I'm zeroing in on one. But I could be swayed! Let me know what/where/how much/what condition. And, pictures are always nice! I'm looking pretty seriously at one nearby. The condition is pretty good, and the price is right. But, I'd prefer to have a single-axle, as indicated by your VIN. Kent

Thanks for that response. Good to hear that those numbers actually mena something to somebody! Once I get this thing home (assuming the deal goes through), I'll be in a better spot to work on it. I'll probably be back in here to talk about it some more then. Hey, maybe then I can post a picture of it in my profile. Kent

Yep. I agree. When it comes out, it'll all get some love before it goes back in! I have a few powertrain-type guys in my area, and have already spoken to a couple of them. Biggest problem, so far, is that I don't have the truck home yet! Looks like I'll need to pull it out and take it to them to properly identify it. So, far, none of the Mack build sheet info means anything to these guys. But, they all feel they can help, once they see the actual parts. More to come... Kent

Thanks for the comments, guys. I'm going tomorrow (Wednesday) to test drive the truck. If I can get it road-worthy, I'll likely bring it home Friday or Saturday. Once I get it here, I'll be doing the clutch right away. So, I'll try to get some measurements and pictures of all the pieces involved. I may not bring the Quad home right away, but I'll get measurements off it as well. Looking at the Mack build sheet, it is obvious they had to substitute a LOT of parts, especially in the clutch linkage area. So, it could be interesting. More to come... Kent

OK, I'm doing more research on the R611 which looks like it will be my project truck. The first order of business will be to replace the throwout bearing, and maybe the clutch. After that, it'll get interesting. This Dog came from the factory with a Fuller RTF-915. The build sheet shows the clutch as "Spicer 2-plate", and I believe the number is "CL 651" (it's pretty hard to read). The clutch assembly number looks like "11HBA 4131 P2". Do those numbers make sense to anybody? The Mack dealer near here said the throwout bearing can not be bought separately. It only comes with the clutch. If anybody knows anything about this clutch design, I would appreciate hearing about it. Also, if anybody has parts, or knows of parts, for that clutch, please let me know. Thanks, Kent

Hello, everybody! Been busy. Lots of stuff going on. Missed everybody. I've found a likely candidate for my R project. It is a 1970 R611. Good running Thermodyne. Has an RT-915 in it. The same guy has an 18-speed Quad I can get. But, it is out of a DM. I know the Fullers mount differently. I will end up with the Mack-Fuller bell housing, and the Fuller mounts. Might be valuable fo somebody going the "other" way. My question is, will the transmission brackets on the DM Quad match up with the frame brackets on the R (which was originally Fuller-equipped)? Or, will I need to pilfer a "complete" set of frame/trans brackets off another Mack-equipped R? And, are the holes in the frame the same, or are they drilled differently from the factory, if a Fuller is used? Thanks, Kent

It's in the state of West Virginia. That's my problem, too. It's a far piece to drive to look around. So, once my guy gets everything sorted out, I'll try to get more details. Give me a couple of weeks.Kent

I'll find out in a few weeks. If I find any, I'll get some pics. I do know there were a couple in another of the guy's yards. I recall one that used an R-model cab, too.Stay tuned... Kent

Here's a DM...just for you, Vinny!

18K is a pretty high starting point. It looks like I can be finished with a "custom" build for less than that. The region a truck is in seems to have a huge impact on its price!Wouldn;t mind seeing some pics and specs, though. You never know. If it's the right one... Kent

NC considers an antique to be 35 years or older.

I don't remember seeing a U, Vinny. But, it would not surprise me to find some. There were several DMs, though. That single-axle is an R640. These were gas-powered. It still has the 6-cylinder gas engine in it. Has a 10-speed (direct) Duplex trans. Somebody made some odd-ball trailer hitch mount for the rear. It is single-framed, but has the heavy-spec dual rear springs with the "6-bolt" spring hangers. This is a HEAVY rear end. Did not get the axle ratio yet, but gassers were generally geared pretty deep. This unit is actually one of the ones I am considering for a foundation for mine. I think they found one more single-axle R-model there this week. I really want to start with a single-screw, if I can. Will keep you posted, Kent

Like I told the other guys, as soon as we can, we will be making an inventory list. I'll try to figure out a way to post it here. My parts guys reaffirmed that he would rather see the trucks sold, rather than crushed, if at all possible. More to come... Kent