mattb73lt

Well, that was fast. Thought deck would be done towards the end of next week from what I was told when I set this up. Got a call this morning that it was done and ready for pickup. Jumped through my ass and got the B42 up to Torrington by 11:00, loaded and headed back to the house by 12:00. Glad I shopped this out. I don’t think I could’ve done it cheaper by myself, plus the mess of sandblasting. They guy I dealt with said it took 6 gallons of paint to cover it. It’s done now I’ve got to hustle it up and get it mounted. Painted all the mounts and guides for the frame, today. I have the oak for the frame top, where the bed slides and rests on. All my hydraulic hoses should be headed out to be fabricated tomorrow or Friday. Lots to do and source, but it’s coming together pretty quick at the moment.

On 8/8/2023 at 10:27 PM, mattb73lt said:

Do what you can when you can. You've made great progress so far. It's a busy time of year and you gotta make money when you can. I ran my own train off the tracks taking on a 1941 Ford cruiser for the State Police Museum. Thought it would be a winter project, but my engine woes burned that time up. I promised to get it done and make it roadworthy and they've been bugging me to get it done and they are footing the bill for all the parts. So now it sits in the shop burning up my time. I was able to move the flatbed deck to my friend's shop tonight, plus all the steel to repair it. That'll take about a week, then it'll go to get sandblasted and painted. Thursday, I'm taking the B73 to a spring shop to add a helper leaf to the left front spring. It was re-arched as the two top leaves were bent when I got the truck and it started to sag a bit when I put the engine in.

This is the Saturday Evening Post cover from 1943 that this car replicates and a recent photo the department did as a tribute.

Picked up the deck this morning and dropped it at O&G in Torrington for blasting and paint. The manager actually set me up with another party they do business with and had a much better price for the work. Should have it back in about a week or so. Then went to Atlantic Trailer and ordered the wood, 17-16'X7" boards should cover the deck. 860 fasteners, six drill bits/counter sinks/drive bits, also ordered to install it. I'll head back over in the morning to pick everything up with the B42. It had a big work out today running stuff around. Interesting how different the two trucks are. The B42, smooth, quiet, easy shifting. The B73, harsh, loud and rough. A lot of the roughness will go away with the body mounted, the harshness will go away as things wear in. And while I love the loud bark of the Cummins and Jake, it'll get a decent muffler in the future. Another day of gathering things up and logistics.

All kinds of stuff getting done. Friday, the B73 hit 500 engine miles and got it's first oil change. No issues since getting it running and it remains very dry on the top and bottom. The oil was still pretty clean and I still have to cut open the old filter just to see what's in there. All 20 new crossmembers have been installed and the head board work should be next. I dragged the hydraulic system out and was able to separate all the lines from the valve body. It'll need all new lines and a valve body as none of it is serviceable. A few lines need to be lengthened for the new installation. All the pistons are ready for installation as are the lifting frames, everything needs paint before assembly. I need to source some wood strips for the top of the frame rails that the body slides on. I'm hoping to get the bed back this week for it's trip to be blasted and painted, that won't be cheap. I'm also going to order the deck wood this week, too.

On 8/16/2023 at 9:36 PM, mechohaulic said:

20 new cross members on 24 ft deck == crossmembers ft apart +- ? head board staying as is with wire mesh top ?

I’m going to leave it pretty much as it is and repair what’s there. I few changes. I’d like to find some polished aluminum chain lockers to mount on the head board and with the new wood deck it should look awesome.

5 minutes ago, mechohaulic said:

that spring shop the B73 is in ;; that's not perrualts in waterbury is it ?? didn't know if they still existed and I NEVER  saw the shop that clean 45 + yrs ago

It is the very place! Been in business over one hundred years. They still do great work. I was in and out of there in about three hours. The front end is now spot on level!

I think they made about 2003 LTs of all configurations. That could be a little bit more than half way through the production run. The best bet, now that you have the serial number, would be to contact the Mack Museum and request the build records for the truck. That could answer a lot of your questions and help you with the history of the truck.

The deck is being worked on. I farmed this part out to a friend who has been a big help in fabricated a lot of parts and patch panels for me. His work and welding is amazing. He's replacing all 20 cross members I bought and doing some patches on some soft areas. When he's done, I'll pick it up with the B42 and take it up to O&G in Torrington to have them sandblast, prime and paint it for me. Going to go with black for the bed, it'll be easier to repaint if needed. while I've done about 95% of this truck myself, somethings are more efficient sending out. Having a flat shop floor is necessary to have the bed come out straight and not build any twist into with the repair work. 

Truck is running great, another test trip should do it for the first oil change at 500 engine miles. It's so much fun driving it and finally seeing it in one piece!!

Welcome back!! Glad to see you starting in on it again. Life does throw some hurdles at you and when it does, projects usually go by the wayside. I wish you all the best on your rekindled endeavor. You can get it done, even it it's just a piece at a time. The history and emotional attachment of your truck should help motivate you. It's going to be beautiful when you finish it!

A little B73 spring work today. Once in a while you need some help. Adding a helper leaf to the left front spring that was sagging a little after I put the engine in last year. Re-arching it helped, but once it got the weight of the engine and cab on it, it was lower than the right side and had a little reverse arch where it was originally bent. I wanted to put two new top leaves in, but was told it could be up to a year to have them manufactured. I don’t plan on doing any heavy hauling with it so this will be a good alternative.

Do what you can when you can. You've made great progress so far. It's a busy time of year and you gotta make money when you can. I ran my own train off the tracks taking on a 1941 Ford cruiser for the State Police Museum. Thought it would be a winter project, but my engine woes burned that time up. I promised to get it done and make it roadworthy and they've been bugging me to get it done and they are footing the bill for all the parts. So now it sits in the shop burning up my time. I was able to move the flatbed deck to my friend's shop tonight, plus all the steel to repair it. That'll take about a week, then it'll go to get sandblasted and painted. Thursday, I'm taking the B73 to a spring shop to add a helper leaf to the left front spring. It was re-arched as the two top leaves were bent when I got the truck and it started to sag a bit when I put the engine in.