Freightrain

Hey Paul. Glad to hear its moving forward. On adding pics.......... Look below the box you type in, you'll see a "manage current attachments". There is a box that you can "browse" your computer for pictures and upload them into your post.

Like the people who put square lights in older KW's. Not a fan of that conversion, though I guess some people think it makes the old truck look "new". It just doesn't always fit all the round corners of the front ends of old trucks.

Good luck getting ANY straight answer on that one. Everyone here(in any state) gets a different answer depending on who you talk to at their State patrol or whoever. I went round and round, then decided with all the traveling I'll do that it would be safer to have it. If you only plan on putz'n around your home town then I wouldn't worry. If you plan on traveling far then I'd say it's more probably that you might get questioned someday.

Ditto that!

Probably the 237hp version? Where the maxidyne were 285, 300hp? Am I close?

If you crawl under the the truck, look on the driverside of the tranny about the middle and you should find a flat spot with a few lines of numbers on them. Like Mack mentioned "TRD", "TRT", "TRQ" (the last letter means "d"uplex, "t"riplex, "q"uad) and the following numbers gives the gear ratio inside. There are alot of different gear ratios available, but that is not all that critical right now. If you want wiggle the handles and figure out the patterns, then that is a cleaner way to find out what you have.

Depending on my racing schedule next year, I'll try to come over. It's kinda far out for me to say for positive, but I'll do what I can.

I'm not sure what holds the preload on the pinion bearings? solid sleeve or crush sleeve(like a Ford 9"). The nut is cotterpinned, so in reality it should not come loose unless there is issues inside(like bearings or crush sleeve). I didn't have access to big air impact so a 3/4" breaker bar did the job.

Sounds like maybe a double over Triplex? Where 4th over and 5th under is same, just like the double over Quadbox. It would actually be a downshift instead of upshift, thus you don't use it. Ya, it's not a true 15 spd, but not a big deal. My single over you can use ALL 15 gears in progression.

When I bought my B, the seal started leaking on the pinion. Once I got the driveshaft off, I was able to wobble the pinion slightly. Seems someone had it apart before and didn't tighten the nut enough. I put a new seal in and then got the nut one more notch(for cotterpin) and it's been fine for 5 yrs now.

Well..........like mentioned it could have a choice of three different trannys. Duplex(10 spd), triplex(15 spd), Quad(20 spd). Is there a tag above winshield(in center) that shows shift pattern. It should unless someone removed it, or tranny was changed. Try shifting both levers and see what kind of pattern each has. The Duplex will have the right stick only move forward/back(compound) and the left stick will be 5 spd. The Triplex and Quad box will have left stick(compound) either 3 or 4 spds and right stick will be 5 spd. The extra splitter on handle could be PTO control? or tailgate control? Two speed axle someone added? Who knows? The B was made '53-65 with alot of configurations, three cab designs, two hood lengths, two hood widths. Price? That usually depends on what you are willing to pay, what he is willing to sell for. Location has alot to do with pricing also. $1500 might be good price, others might want $5500 for same truck. The floor is easily replaced, as I put a new one in my truck after I bought it. It was rough in the corners under windshield(that leaked) and I cut it all out and replaced it.

Welcome to the site! It's a sickness with NO KNOWN CURE..............bummer huh? LOL!

I can't find a place on my 673 that DON'T leak something. Runs too well to ever take it apart. (I'm checking for GREEN paint, as maybe someone swapped motors in the past LOL!)

Start to check voltage to each jake. Sounds like one is not functioning or the the solenoid is out. A buddy had problems with a Cat with jakes, found out it was a wire thru the firewall that had cut, thus not firing all jakes giving him only LOW setting.

When I change the oil/filter on my B, I put 3 gals in the sump, 3 gals in the filter. I marked my dipstick with the 3 gals in the pan only. It seems to be okay(after 6 yrs of runnin the wheels off it), but after sitting a few days, it seems to drain the filter back to pan as the stick is up again double what it was with 3 gals in it. I marked it there also, so before I get it out I pull and check it. Luckily, even near 50 yrs old I don't add a drop to it all summer.

You can still get the chrome radiator shell NEW from Mack. I got mine about 4 yrs ago?

Wow...someone put ALOT of time into that restoration. Simply beautiful. That lil gas'r just looks lost under all that hood!

Using the aux, is a "need to" type arrangement. Only split when you need the power, and skip along when you don't. That is how I drive mine for the most part, and you'll find that most guys on here with old two stick trucks do the same. No sense wearing your arm out LOL! Just remember upshifting is the simple part, just let the rpm's drop enough to get it into gear. Down shifting you have to raise the rpm to match. As you watch my little video, you'll see that when I downshift the compound(after upshifting the main box), I blip the throttle to raise the rpm enough to drop it into gear. Depending on how wide the ratio is makes the difference in how many rpm you have to raise to get back into gear. It's all in just learning your set up.

Like I mentioned, straight cut gears are very noisy. If a ring and pinion were straight gears, you'd hear it howling over everything in sight. Cars are refined, and made to be quiet. There are limitations to car rearends, but for the most part are strong enough to survive. John Force goes 300 mph on one. The old Mack double reduction rearends have straight cut gears in the final ratio, but the speed they turn keeps the noise from being audible. I'm sure you've heard of the Muncie "rock crusher" 4 spd. Yup, straight cut gears and it whines big time. Cool for a hot rod, but most don't care for noises like that(like old solid lifter motors). Learning to drive a truck tranny just takes time/patience/smoothness. Can't jam it along like a car. It has to be worked like a walking on eggs. I learned on my truck on the way home from buying it. Still "grind" a gear on occasion(nobody is perfect). Just have to live/learn.

Welcome to the world of REAL trucks. Like previously mentioned, you'll not find a HD class tranny with synchros. No real need for them, as I think the only reason they were put in ANY transmisson was for the fact that ANY person could then drive. Back in those early days it took a real person to "man handle" a car. Then with the technology, synchros were added and now anyone could drive a car/truck easily. Well, in the world of large trucks, not "anybody" drives them, it does take some talent. Beside the fact it would be just more parts to wear out and it's not really needed. Most late model tranny's do have synchros but they are in the back box(splitter) and they do wear out. Never have to pull a two stick apart to replace brass because it would shift. Anyway, as you found in the video(it's me by the way), that two stick trucks do take some education to drive. You can drive them ONE handed(or two if you please). The late model 5-6 spd transmission do not shift like the old triplex's anyway. You can float the gears very easily, just with a 6 spd, they will be farther apart and take longer as the motor has to drop rpm alot more then the older motors. You should also know that straigh cut gears are FAR superior in strength to helical gears and since it's a truck, noise is not a real issue(can't hear over the motor anyway). With the torque that these motors are putting out, 3 countershafts make it bulletproof.

Seal Power? or are they part of Hastings?

Nope, wasn't me........though that is just over yonder from me(30 minutes North). Can't say I would know who owns it as I'm not familiar with any running around that area.

I would assume you can get the clutch parts pretty easily. The thickness of the disc should be available too. Though if I was going thru all this I would put all new in it anyway. I'd remove the flywheel and have it ground, and see how it cleans up. As long as the cracks aren't deep, I wouldn't worry too much. Should be able to grind most of them out.

I'll see if I can find the Napa numbers for oil and fuel filters. That is what I run in mine. The only issue I found with my fuel filter canister was the gasket on fitting(outside). Been off too many times, and then you couldn't tighten it enough to seal. Ended up dismantling the center fitting and installing new gasket I had in box of parts that came with my truck.

The bolts will come out of alt. bracket. I'll look, but if you bust it up getting it apart I have a couple gens and brackets laying around.