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mattb73lt last won the day on October 22 2025
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About mattb73lt

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Location
Berlin, CT
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My Truck
B-42 & B-73
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Gender
Male
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mattb73lt's Achievements
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Update on the B Model Restoration
mattb73lt replied to Derrico's topic in Antique and Classic Mack Trucks General Discussion
Looks awesome!! -
Mack B873sx restoration
mattb73lt replied to hicrop10's topic in Antique and Classic Mack Trucks General Discussion
Great news, sounds awesome!!! -
The Nuss Collection
mattb73lt replied to kscarbel2's topic in Antique and Classic Mack Trucks General Discussion
Matt Pfahl's shop just rebuilt three AB engines and transmissions for trucks the Nuss shop is restoring. -
What weight oil to use.
mattb73lt replied to hicrop10's topic in Antique and Classic Mack Trucks General Discussion
I've been using Shell Rotella 15W40 in both my trucks and have switched my older cars (T's, V8, Caddy and M715) to it also. -
Need help
mattb73lt replied to hicrop10's topic in Antique and Classic Mack Trucks General Discussion
That's the same valve body I have as your's and HarryS'. I'll have to look through my paperwork, but I made copies of the installation and plumbing routing from a maintenance manual I borrowed to install it. I'm going off memory, I recall it did say Garrison. As for the Ross unit, like Sheppard, that was a power steering box rather than an add-on assist unit. I've seen some that have a Ross Power Steering logo horn button on various make trucks. I know there's some casting numbers and IN/OUT markings on it, maybe a part or assembly number, but I don't recall seeing Garrison or an ID tag on the valve body. My pump was a Vickers unit I sent out for overhaul that had an integral reservoir bolted on top of the pump. I just went through my photo archives and I took copies of the plumbing from what looks like a Mack maintenance manual. I have a pic of the rebuilt and installed pump. The only picture I have of the valve body was from the donor truck, covered in grease and dirt. But, that picture also shows the steering arm limit stops that I grabbed and installed, too. I do have a picture of it hanging up after I painted it. -
Need help
mattb73lt replied to hicrop10's topic in Antique and Classic Mack Trucks General Discussion
Could it be a Garrison assist system using a Ross piston? The control unit looks like the one I installed on my B73. I had both units rebuilt by a local hydraulic shop, made up the lines myself. -
Mack B873sx restoration
mattb73lt replied to hicrop10's topic in Antique and Classic Mack Trucks General Discussion
That looks fantastic!! WOW!!! -
Getting back to the original question, will it fit? Yes and no. If it is the larger 72 series bell housing on both than yes as they are the same standard SAE size. BUT, there are two different bell housings and there is one for a single and one for a double disc clutch arrangement. A double disc arrangement was fairly common on the Quadraplex as it was the heaviest transmission offered. It also had a rear crossmember to support the weight of the transmission. An easy telltale between the two is the bolt arrangement around the bell housing, there's a 1" difference in thickness in the bolt bosses and length of the bolts. This also pushes the entire transmission back 1" to allow for this clutch. This leads to another issue in mounting the transmission to the frame mounts. You'll need offset mounts on the transmission to match up the mounts on the frame or you can re-drill the frame to move everything back. There could be another issue if the transmission in the B85 is the smaller 67 series, but that doesn't sound like what you have currently installed. My suggestion as you get into this, is dig into what you have and get all the archive info you can from the Museum that you can. Next, get all the info you can directly of both gear boxes you have. What's in the truck may not be what was installed at the factory. There's a stamped pad on the left side of the main box of the transmission, aft of the cast Mack emblem that has "Made with Tetrapoid Gears"(or something close). Clean that off and get all the numbers off it. Also, don't go just by the shift plate installed in the cab as to what is installed. The duplex would start with something like TRD-72 or TRD-720, the Quadraplex will be TRQ-72 or TRQ-720. That extra zero means it's an over gear(overdrive) transmission, 9 vs 10 speed. In the case of the Quadraplex, double overdrive, 18 vs 20 speed. There are other versions of both transmissions, like adding an X to the TRD, which makes it a TRDX deep reduction transmission or an L, which means it's a lightweight version with aluminum boxes. There's a lot of little things that without asking questions and educating yourself can cause a lot of headaches and wasted time trying to fit things together that won't go or mount up. Is this really difficult, no, it's actually pretty simple. Once you know what you have and what you're looking at. Picking the right components and making them work together is fairly straight forward. Asking questions here can be very helpful as many of us have been messing around with these trucks for a long time. Post some pictures of what you have and ask away. It'll save you a lot of time and aggravation.
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Mack B873sx restoration
mattb73lt replied to hicrop10's topic in Antique and Classic Mack Trucks General Discussion
Klixon C Series Thermal Circuit Breaker, available from 5 to 40 Amps. I found mine online after doing a search. Prices do vary a bit for them. I forget where I sourced them, but they're readily available. -
Mack B873sx restoration
mattb73lt replied to hicrop10's topic in Antique and Classic Mack Trucks General Discussion
Is that the air intake hose? Napa would be my first go to. I used a piece of aircraft SCAT tubing for my intake hose on my B73, as it was missing along with the whole engine. It's available in many different sizes and colors. Not too expensive, wire reinforced silicone impregnated fiberglass tubing. It has a lot of uses, fire resistant. Just google SCAT tubing and a lot of sources will come up. -
mattb73lt started following Restoring the Freedom Edition Superliner
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I like the original look, but I always intend to drive my trucks. Sometimes very far from home. Reliability, safety and comfort are big considerations. Tires/rims(radials, 22.5/24.5 sizes), maxi brakes, air ride or spring ride seats, spin-on filters. I've built them to do what I need them to do and to go places and haul my other cars to events and tours. I try to make them nice, but as they're going to get used, they're not perfect. Upgrades to electrical systems like alternators and 12V starters are all geared for repairs on the road, just in case. Getting stranded away from home is a concern, so I try to update things that are common over the counter parts. I also carry some spares with me that might be hard to get, water pumps, small parts, things that might be hard to get on the road. I'm not big on a lot of chrome, but I do add some and try to keep them close to period looking.
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As HarryS said, Houdaille lever shocks. Lever shocks were quite common starting in the late 1920's. Mack had the largest ones I've ever see. They are rebuildable but very expensive to have done. I think Apple Hydraulics is up to $450 each from a quote I got several years ago when I was doing my B73. I had several pairs I had collected off trucks I parted out. I picked the best two that didn't look liked they leaked and used them. They are adjustable for resistance. I worked the back and forth from the least resistance to the heaviest, then set them back to the original setting. As for fluid, I used some 600W rear end grease/oil for a Model T. It was the heaviest viscosity oil I could find, plus I had a fresh quart on the shelf for my T's. If there's no real issues (leaks) I'd just clean them up and reuse them. BTW, my B42 never had them on it, no shocks at all on the front axle. I always thought that was weird as it must have been an option on lighter trucks.
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