steve s.

Michael, I have had good luck finding odd parts on ebay. If you know the dimensions of the valves you need you may be able to do some cross referencing and find a match either on ebay or elsewhere. Are your valves different than a 673 ? the block is pretty much the same isn't it ? You could also change your valve seats to match the valves you have, if you ended up with a different seat angle on each head, you'd never know the difference. Good luck, Steve

I have a 673 that leaked air just about everywhere it could when I first got it, including the hand primer pump. It took a while to find and repair all the leaks. Stick with it , you'll find them. Steve

Hey Doug, Good looking truck. I don't remember seeing a Holmes 750 on a single axle before. Judging by the air cleaner is no longer has a 673 in it. What are the specs ? It reminds me of an orange fat cab GMC that has been to Macungie. Is there a connection there ? Steve

tniss, Going through the court in PA is not terribly expensive, but it is slow and there are many steps involved. To file the petition in your county court can vary among counties, but for me the cost was $ 72.00 a couple years ago. Then you need to get certified copies of vehicle records from PennDot, $10.00 +, A couple of notarized signatures $ 10.00+, certified mail you need to send $ 10.00+ There may be some other items, but you get the idea. And this is all before you get to court and the judge says you own it, and then you can apply to Penn DOT for a title $ 22.50 and next you"ll have the pleasure of paying your sales tax 6%. Another route to getting a title is to go through a title service. There are many of these to be found on the internet, and some of them will deal with trucks, though not too many. Basically you sell them your truck ( on paper ) and they title it in their state, and then sell it back to you with paperwork that will go right through Penn DOT. This is easier, but more expensive....if you find a good co. to work with. Best of luck to you, Steve

TNISS, Firemack has a good plan. If you can come up with an old owners card it might speed up the process. You may have difficulty without something like an owners card or a title number, if the vehicle was titled long enough ago that it doesn't show up in the PennDOT computer system. If that turns out to be the case, your best bet might be to go through the court to get a title. I have done this successfully several times, and while it is a pain in the neck, it does work. Good luck, Steve

Thanks Rob and Glenn. Steve

I am " restoring " a B 61S. I finally got the engine back in the frame, and next is the Quadruplex trans. The truck had no transmission in it when I got it. I remember hearing that it's best to leave one of the trans mounts off to get it in place. All 4 of my transmission mounts are off now. I need some advise - which mounts do I put on, and which one (s) to leave off ? Thanks. Steve

There is a thermostat on ebay now, 3-19-10, search vintage Mack. I paid $30.00 at the local dealer for mine.

The patent numbers are not the VIN numbers. Patent numbers are virtually useless. Most vehicles before the 1970's were identified by serial numbers. B66 gives you the best info on where to find them.

Yes, the frame will handle a diesel engine. The obvious choice would be a Mack, and if you had another B model donor truck, the job would be fairly easy. Otherwise you are limited only buy the tape measure, your skills, and your wallet. A lot would depend on what you plan to do with the truck, and what you want it to do for you. Will it be a play toy, or work for a living ? Do you want big power, or economy ?

Penn, Mack built their first bus in 1900, but did not build any trucks until 1905. What do you have ?

I have not seen it, but I have been told of a 4X4 B model built the way you describe in Mass. It has a duplex trans, and army truck axles. The truck was used to spread fertilizer in fields. The typical Mack has straight air brakes, not hydraulic. The Mack PTO is generally driven off the main box ( 5 speed ) but can be driven off the compound if the case was machined that way. You probably have a PTO access on the transfer case, too. Go for it.

Terry, If you go to the "wanted" section of this site there is a current thread where someone is looking for an ED model ( slightly lighter than the EF ). One is offered for $40,000. I really don't know the value on the open market, but your EF looks very good and should bring a high dollar. I have some old photos of a wrecker like the EF that was for sale back in the sixties. I was just a kid but I wanted to buy it, but I was shot down by my parents. Steve

Your site looks very good, Josh. We all like pictures, so keep them coming. Does the B 53 have integral power steering ? Most B 53's that I've seen do, which is a real nice thing to have. Keep up the good work. Steve

Daniel, You have a 34,000 lb bogie. Steve

I have a friend who owns an MB which came from the factory with a 413 Chrysler. It has since been replaced with a 360

Joe, Your H63 is a great looking truck. Of course it is your choice to do with it whatever you want, but for what it's worth ,I think it would look odd with Budd wheels on it. The only way I can imagine aluminum wheels looking right on such a classic model would be old style 5 hole wheels on the front axle only. Steve

Jim, Look in the photo gallery. Check out" Mack trucks from Haukes Kekerdom the Netherlands" by Pieter78. There are some good pics of N models there.

And Happy New Year to you Paul. You are making good progress. I'm curious about your chassis preparation. Did you do any abrasive blasting or sanding/grinding/wire brushing ? What is the rust stop/primer product you used ? The photo of the chassis in red primer looks real good. On the other hand, the engine looks pretty bad. Do you plan to install cylinder sleeves? Is that why you are looking for standard size pistons? Steve

In Pennsylvania, a truck 25 years or older is eligble for an antique license. The one time cost is $75, but you are restricted to using the vehicle only for parades, club events, and the like. Hauling equipment is not allowed. Pulling a trailer is permitted by the state, but some antique vehicle insurers do not allow it, some do. If your insurance carrier does not object you can haul antique trucks to shows with a truck licensed as an antique. The process of getting an antique license can be tricky, in addition to the paperwork, you have to submit six photos, and then some clerk decides if your truck is worthy of an antique plate or not ( at least it seems that way ) the bottom line is : if your truck is unmodified and has a good paint job it will probably pass the test. Forget the KW, go for the R model, and good luck. Steve

Jeremy, The engine is tilted to the side to give it a lower profile in short BBC trucks like the B 67, or C models. It was also used in MB and F model cabovers for the same reason. I have a B 61 that had a tilted engine installed and I think it really makes repair work more difficult; less room between the engine and the frame on the injection pump side, and generally awkward to work on the bottom of the engine at an angle. Of course if you don't need to work on the engine it doesn't matter. As for a B 57 being more valuable than a B 61, that's anybodys guess, if it's in the shape you want at a price you like, just buy it. Steve

It looks to me like your engine is either a 673 P, or a 711, judging by the split intake. Maybe some one knows better. Another basic thing to keep in mind is that even number models were built with gas engines (B 42, B 60, etc. ) and diesel equipped trucks had odd numbers ( B 61, B73, etc. ). A lot of gas engines were replaced in later years with diesels, so like Freightrain says, the serial number may not tell the whole story. There is also some meaning to the letters following the first letters in your serial number. For example an S indicates a tandem drive, an L indicates Lightweight components, an X indicates an extra heavy duty chassis and so on. What is your serial number ? Steve.

Greg, You mention using lead substitute in your A, which is fine, but I think if you do some research you'll probably find that gasoline did not contain any lead when your truck was built. Lead became a popular additive in the late fifties, mainly for use with the high compression engines of the day. It could be that oil had no ZDP additves when your truck was built either. Steve.

Ossablt, The numbers you list are for the dual reduction rear axle carriers, which could have been used in a few different bogies. My service manual shows CRDP 92 & CRD 93 used in the SWD 57 series bogie rated at 38,000 lbs, the SWD 571, SWD 572, Swd 573 series bogies rated at 40,000 lbs. The 40,000lb models differ by having presed or cast steel housing, and or bronze or rubber trunnion bushings.. As for build sheets, I have them for three trucks, all three are different, and none show the axle weight ratings. The bogie numbers are found in different places on all three also.