paulbrook

This is that one - he posted here as Stephenellis. He did some good work on the engine - just in time too, any longer and I think it would have been beyond redemption. Since buying this one from him I acquired a second and parts from the third (which was broken for scrap). He posted a bunch of pictures in the gallery - worth a look through if you have a moment.

A lot of the first and a bit of the second...I have most of the parts for it bar the drivers door. We restore quite a few timber framed truck cabs and car bodies so it is not beyond repair. It is a sleeper cab I also have a second LFSW from the same batch with a slightly better cab so that will help too. Oh and I must admit I thought that it was relatively quiet - it had no exhaust system on at all. Plus my recovery truck was running alongside it with the jump leads attached because I thought that I was going to have to spend a while bleeding air from the system, which proved not to be required as it started pretty much straight away having primed up the lift pump and filled the fuel filter bleeding off the air as I did so.

First run up for a number of years. just over 300 hours run since 1949.... Fire It Up Friday - delayed till Sunday! I was going to do this on friday but the combination of rotten weather and work for clients kept me inside the workshop rather than outside working on one of my own projects. Which in this case is an unusual Mack LFSW , super rare on this side of the Atlantic and one of 8 built in 1949 for the newly-formed Central Intelligence Agency. Four of the 8 made it to UK where, painted in USAF colours, and fitted with generating sets, they prov...ided power for communications trailers. They were eventually sold off and 3 of the 4 ended up on the Dalmeny estate near Queensferry destined to provide power for rock concerts, although this was short lived. This one had a crane mounted on it and was used in the somewhat more modest role shifting timber. Even so it has only 300 hours on the clock. It was dragged off the estate a number of years ago by a chap who got it running but then decided that as a project it was a little ambitious so it has come to live with us here in Cumbria. It has taken me a further number of years to get to grips with it, let alone get it running. So with everything cleaned repaired re- plumbed and generally tidied, and with what was probably its first oil change since 1949 it was time to see if it would strike gallop. Anyway, apply 24 volts and see what happens.....

Wow. That's quite a collection! What type would be fitted to a '49 LF?

Once upon a time I had an equally rare FN. Many years later, an Australian asked me (via the wonders of the internet) if I still had it. I told him that I sold it in the late 1980s. He asked if I could find it and buy it for him. I asked how much. He said "name your price". Sadly I could not find it, but in terms of value of something like an FG the price you quoted must be close.

Once I get all mine together why don't I post a load of pictures then you can compare.

Sad and annoying - my circumstances at the time meant I had to sell it, but I have regretted it ever since. I now have a pair of LFSWs, I am not sure on the plan yet but I have yet to make any real progress. I have an AC to do first!

I might end up with a set - might need a little tidying. In UK but should ship to Ru without too many issues. The reason that I say I might is that I have a firewall and fenders to pick up in Scotland sometime giving me three sets in all. At most I will need two sets and that means one set will be available. Depends how urgently you need them.

Amazingly 10 were shipped to UK at the start of the second world war, and ended up in a quarry in Oxfordshire. I saved one back in the late 1970s (frame number FN1C1181). Sadly I sold it in the early 1980s and I now believe that it has been scrapped. What a shame.

I have a '29 AC and could use a decent cab - not sure about the intricacies of getting a cab shipped to the UK but it would save me a ton of work. Loads of pictures of mine here http://s484.photobucket.com/user/RustyTrucks/library/Mack as advertised there are lots of other albums there too with the AC On the subject of aux boxes I know of two ex WW1 ACs with them in France - unrestored. They were a common modification in Europe apparently after the Great War.

I think that is a perfect starter for a restoration... Here's one of the two I dragged home to restore. They have Lanova diesels:

Indeed. We had a bit of a laugh about it - I work with my daughter Deb and she thinks that back in the 1960s they had a wood shop, a steel metal team, some guys who were good with aluminium and a glass fibre shop - and in the interests of keeping everyone busy they had a bit of everything in that cab!

Very similar construction - ash frame, steel firewall, fiberglass roof and everything else in aluminium!

Well at least you know where you are with a project that is as bad as this. Take a look at some of the stuff on www.rustytrucks.com and also follow some of the links from there to the pictures on photobucket. Here's a recently completed job (all the other pictures of this one are here http://s484.photobucket.com/user/RustyTrucks/library/Scammell Highwayman :

It is not the same truck because that one - the yellow one - is also in my yard. The previous owner (stephen Ellis) let me have it as we are a professional restoration company and he thought that we stood a chance of restoring it although he did some great stuff getting the motor running. This one is seized so the plan looks like it might involve making one out of the best parts. Whilst it looks a bit derelict much of the timber is in amazing condition even though it has stood outside in the Scottish weather for tens of years. The worst damage is the front of the cab where the "A" posts join (or used to join) the firewall. Rather than dismantle the cab (like Stephen did with the yellow one) our plan is to make an external frame which gets everything lined up again as it should be then we can let in some new timbers. Only once the whole structure is stiff again will we risk taking the cab off to get at the rest.

Seasons greetings all. I thought that some might be interested in this old dog that appears to have followed me back to the yard. Rare beastie in UK, according to the information kindly supplied by the Mack Museum this one was built in 1949 for a certain US Government Agency (that was also created in 1949) and was one of a batch of 8 similar vehicles. They were originally fitted with box bodies with GM powered generating sets. They also towed Fruehauf office trailers which sadly no longer exist although one of the remaining axles can be seen on the rear of the LF in the pictures. Virtually complete although looking a little bit worse for wear a look at the tacho suggests that it has only run for just over 300 hours from new. The jury is out yet as to how we configure it on restoration (wrecker, semi or original style box) but for now does anyone have a good drivers side door for an L cab? If so I would love to hear from them! Merry Christmas everyone.

I would be very interested in that conversion too!

I could use a nice sleeper cab for my LFSW. Mine has fallen apart a bit.

There are 2 chain drives. Not sure if they are still available - I have given contact details of the seller to a few folks, but if you are interested let me know and I will give you contact details.

You have mail Sandyo!

To the original poster - you, Sir, are a genius and from this side of the pond I salute you! I have been dying to say something similar to all those who came second in our own UK "this is what democracy actually looks like kids" BREXIT vote. I have rather more facebook friends who might be described as Liberal Elite than I thought I had so I may have to steal your "snowflake" label!

Please see the for sale section if anyone is in the market for an early chain-drive AC!

I have been contacted by a gentleman in Virginia who is looking for good homes for not one but two chain drive ACs. One looks to be about 1925 (early engine type but later radiator) and the other looks about 1930. Both seem relatively complete. He wondered if I could find them homes and whilst I would love to put the pair of them on a ship and get them over to UK I think that it may be more sensible to find new owners stateside. Genuine expressions of interest are therefore sought. At this stage I do not even know the prices he is looking for, but I am sure that there are excellent deals to be made. Some pictures are attached. Please private message me if you are interested and I will pass your details on, and pass his contact details to you. Should anyone be interested in parting either out I would be willing to share the costs as I could use some spares for mine and have a customer in France who has a 1917 AC but needs an early engine.

Excellent - many thanks! Looks like the gray I have already is original and I can match it.

Hi folks I am soon to start tidying up the engine to go in my 1929 AC. Can anyone tell me what the color of the cylinder block and heads should be? From what little paint remains it seems to be a very dark gray, but that could have been daubed on anytime in the last 80 years or so. Also there is evidence of silver paint on the aluminium castings - but my assumption is that they were left as bare metal. Any help would be much appreciated and I will get some pictures and post them up here as work progresses.