Mack58B42

Oh, yeah - it was on oldmacksrus, wasn't it? I vaguely recall that now..... Either way, I have a web page set up and ready to go, so if Fuzzy Buzzard has the data, I'll gladly get it up on a site so everyone can see it again, and we can add to it....

So, I've seen a small handful of threads on BMT referencing the B-Model registry.... Is it no longer hosted/posted on BMT after the site re-design? I'd hate to see it lost or not available to people. If it's out there somewhere I'd be glad to get it re-homed and updated in a current version of Excel, and even create/host a website to make it available to all. I'm no web or programming expert, but I know and have access to people who are that I could work with to get it available again, and I don't think it's THAT expensive to do it.... As the older Macks fade away, it would be nice to have a spot to catalog the old beasts that are still around, and I'm unable to see any other efforts, at least on the web, that are doing this. And why not registries for Superliners, and ACs, and Ls as well? Does the Mack Museum keep a record of the inquiries they get for the older trucks that are privately owned? Seems that most of us that have old rigs have gone to them for info. Perhaps they already have a database, and would be willing to work with us to combine data and post a list of old trucks, in a manner similar to the list they maintain and post of parts suppliers for the old trucks.... Thoughts?

It certainly does give this truck a "let's get down to business" look, doesn't it? I like the look. I agree with jhancock that for work, use the right combo of specs for the application, but for a hobby truck, this looks great! I'm also not a big fan of spokes on the front of a Superliner (all other trucks should have them, however!), but in this case I think the bigger rubber and higher stance does work with the spoked wheels.....

Some of those are actually pretty good looking trucks. Wonder how widely they were distributed, and how many of them are still around today.... Looks like they borrowed a few styling notes from Mack and Diamond T......

That would be a nice find. I'd buy something like that if the price was right.....

Good suggestion. I'm very familiar with his work. I'll scan what I've got, try to find his e-mail address, and see if it's of any interest . It looks like a full catalog of pics for demo units of each model they made in a particular year (haven't been able to pin the year down yet, but looks like early-mid seventies) that came out of a factory binder at some point.....

Yup - getting them in new sheet protectors and binders right now!

A friend called me yesterday to let me know he had run across a box of a couple hundred or so fire truck pics from a collector that was originally up in the Syracuse area. Some look like factory photos, some were taken by a professional, and some look like they were just picked up randomly over time. It also includes a bunch of original ALF advertising pics, and some fire truck art work by an F. Tewfell. I've been going through it this morning, and I'll post a few as I get them scanned. I'd say that over a third of the collection are Mack pics, and it's heavy on the B-Models. Also a lot of early Ahrens Fox. It's a pretty cool collection, they're all in excellent condition, and the price wasn't outrageous....

That's some nice work there!!

Looks to be in pretty good shape for a '67. Were they still using that style hubcap on the front in that year, or did they just migrate over from B-model on this rig?

Hmmm..... I have a buzzer in the cab that's constantly going off, and this may be why. Now that I know it's Bendix, I did some more research, and it looks like this particular model is no longer available, but they have a 279416N that looks like pretty much the same thing, so I have one on order.... Thanks!! Mike

All, I have an air leak in my B85, and I've tracked it down (or at least part of it) to this piece in the picture, which appears to be attached to an air manifold on the passenger side firewall. Air is coming out of the slit you can see where the plastic meets the metal, about 3/4" of an inch above (or to the left of, the way the pic is positioned) the number. I've Googled it, but can't find any info. to be able to replace it. Does anyone have any idea what it is, what it does, and where I might be able to find one?

Actually, the '96 tanker in my local dept. still uses this type of buzzer system on the back of the truck so someone can stand on the back bumper and send signals to the driver while trying to cozy up to a portable tank to get properly positioned for a water dump. And our '85 pumper (now retired), which had a large bed of LDH had one as well for use when backing up while re-packing a long run of 5" hose. Obviously, riding on a back bumper while actually driving is very much frowned upon these days, but even on modern day apparatus, these signaling devices are still useful, and an excellent safety measure if used in the right circumstances....

Love the B81s - and that's a nice looking bunch of trucks!

Same here. I send a minimum of $100 each time I ask them for info. Worth every penny. When I was younger and poorer, I recall sending less, but these days, I'm glad to part with that, and they do an excellent job putting together the package of info on each truck.....

Thanks - another option to consider.....

Yes, it does have a tach on the pump panel. I've actually considered getting a cheap web cam and pointing it at it while i'm driving. It might actually just be the simplest way to get the info that I'm looking for.... As Hobert 62 alludes to below, I just want to see what I'm doing for rpms at 40 or 42 mph just to sort of figure out where I'm at at top road speed - I don't think I need something permanent. But being able to split off that tack cable is an interesting idea. I'll have to take a peek at it and see if I can spot that.... Thanks!

I'm pretty sure my truck was converted to negative ground when it was upgraded to a 12v system. And I do have a complete dual ignition system. I always run it with both of them on. I'm taking it out to a local SPAAMFA meeting in just a bit, so I'll try to remember to get a picture of the coil/distributor package and post it. I found a couple tachs on Amazon that have a wiring diagram similar to what 41chevy posted, but the instructions I found weren't clear about where the 'signal' wire came from/went to. So this helps with that. If I'm running both ignitions at all times, I assume that i can run the wire to the distributor wire of either of the coils, and should be good to go. I'll have to do a bit more research on those tomorrow.... Most of what I'm finding are 9000 or 10,000 rpm tachs. I'm going to try to find something lower, as I'm guessing that this thing doesn't really want to be much over 4Kish......

Thanks! Does it matter that i have two coils? Do I need to run a wire to each, or just choose one? And what's that resistor they show connecting the coil to the live wire?

So, I'm wondering if anyone has added a tach to a truck with a 707..... I don't have any problem with shifting timing in by B85, but I WOULD be interested in knowing what the rpms are when it feels to me like I'm sort of topping out for speed. It seems like the motor/truck is getting pretty loud at about 42mph, but I have no idea at that point if it's just a matter of the loudness being 8 tons of 60 year old metal, rubber, and gears moving along at a good clip, or if I'm getting close to whatever red-line on this thing is (which is another question - what IS red-line on a 707?) It feels like I could push a few more mph out of it, but I certainly don't want to do that if I'll be pushing the motor farther than it's meant to go. I've been told that it's possible to get a digital tach that can be hooked up to either the distributor or coil that can be mounted to the steering column, or Velcroed to the dash, and if that's available, I'd like to know if anyone has advice on what to get and how, exactly, to hook it up, as I'm neither a mechanic, nor an electrician. Want to make sure that I'm not pushing the ol' rig beyond what I should be. I took it on a 30-mile ride a couple weeks ago, and it seemed happy to cruise at about 40-ish, but, still, that's a bit slow on major secondary roads... Thanks! Mike

Looks like a great find!

They farm several different crops, but there are a bunch of farms grouped sort of in the same area, and I'm not clear on which one this actually is. Back in "the old days" I think they used to do a lot of potatoes, a lot of which is now turf, and I assume that these started their lives as potato haulers. They still do potatoes, but I think just not as much as they used to, so I'm guessing that these probably sit around for most of the year, then get used to haul potatoes during/after the harvest, then get put to sleep again until the next time..... I'm quite sure they had at least one other Mack there, but I haven't seen that one in a bit. So maybe they've thinned the herd, or it might be at one of their other farm locations.

If anyone is looking for something to do tomorrow, the RI SPAAMFA chapter is holding a truck show at the New England Tech campus right off exit 8 on 95 tomorrow. I've attached a flyer with details. I'll have my B85F there, and if past shows are anything to go by, there will be a bunch of nice trucks there..... Mack is usually fairly well represented.

Stopped by again earlier this week. Both rigs have current registrations.....

I've got this that came with my B-42, along with an R bumper. The bumper's gone, but I still have this, and I believe that it is also for an R. I'm in RI, so there'd be shipping, but if you think it's what you're looking for and that you might be interested, I can pull it out of the garage and take some measurements for you.....