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mechmagcn

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Posts posted by mechmagcn

  1. My Mack is registered in Arkansas as a Motor Home. All I had to do was install a refrigerator and microwave in the sleeper. There is no restriction on what it can haul or pull as long as it is not commercial. No CDL is required and the plates are $35 a year.

    Mostly I use it to pull a 16K 37' 5th wheel RV, but have been known to pull other trailers as well. Get some really strange looks when I hook my jon boat up behind it :rolleyes:

    I could have registered as antique, but it would have been restricted to a 10K load.

    Jeff

  2. To start, I am a self employed truck and heavy equipment mechanic with over 20 years experience.

    I can tell you from experience if you are looking at the FP diesel kit for the 3 year 300K warranty, it's not worth the paper it's written on. I built a 3406B several years ago and it went down at 91K (#6 piston disentegrated and bent valves and damaged head and spread debris to #5), had to buy the replacement parts for 2 cylinders and wait for warranty decision. It took them 18 months to decide that the engine had been run extremely hot (if so, why are the other 4 cylinder kits still running after 250K?) and totally denied the claim. This owner/operator is a longtime customer and personal friend of mine, so I know he didn't abuse this engine as it is his only source of income.

    When this company was still Sealed Power, I once had a Cummins go down within the warranty period and they sent new parts and even paid for oil, antifreeze and labor!

    This has been my experience with this company, yours may be much better.

    On the Cummins rebuild using aftermarket parts, I would use nothing other than Clevite. Actually Clevite makes many of Cummins parts. I have opened Clevite boxes and found Cummins badged parts inside.

    Jeff

  3. To tell the difference between a 95 series and a 125 series look at the yoke on the rear of the trannie, If the yoke is close to the seal, it is a 95, if the yoke is about 1" from the seal it is a 125 or later tranny. Both the 125 and 95 series used a reverse shift pattern for the OO, it was only later trans that compensated for this in the shift top. The RTOO9513 trans has a .67 high gear, not real sure of the 125.

    Jeff

  4. When I started to look for a truck to build a RV toter, I really wasn't looking for a Mack. When a customer told me he had 2 sitting out back that he would sell me for $500 with one of them running,(but with a broken frame and totally trashed from having a log loader on it for years) I jumped at the opportunity. I found another sitting in a pasture for $250. Another was taken in on a job for payment( this one was so rusty that the top of the cab blew off while driving it home!)

    SuperDawg, in the beginning

    This is what he looked like before I drug him out of the pasture and proceeded to spend the next 2 years rebuilding from one end to the other. I literally drug these trucks home, I used a customer's lowboy and a log skidder to load and haul. I would grapple the back of the frame and drag them onto the lowboy.

    My other half looked at what I had brought home and asked " you are going to what with that JUNK!!?

    A buddy of mine gave me the KW sleeper that is on it and the flatbed came off of my former F450 Super Duty.

    I kept the EM6 300 engine and added a Fuller RTOO9513 tranny and a 3:55 Rockwell rear on air ride. The cab and sleeper are mounted on a air ride subframe also.

    Aftr many hours labor and more dollars than I whish to disclose, here's SuperDawg at his finest to date.

    SuperDawgs a show winner

    We took a first place trophy at the local 4th of July car show last year!

    There are still several modifications and additions still forthcoming ahead, but some other projects sort of got in the way :pat: .

    We plan to do some extensive RV traveling in the near future, so he will live a life of luxury and leisure I am sure. So far we have pulled the 16K 5er about 15K miles and he gets around 8.5-9 MPG. This truck is also registered as a motorhome.

    Here's a pic of him with his Dawghouse.

    SuperDawg and his Dawghouse

    Jeff

  5. These trucks don't see a lot of mud and water, they have enough road building equipment to see to that. The front axle is always jacked up to grease kingpins, and they are greased until fresh grease comes out. The service interval varies depending on distance to different mills, but usually every 2 weeks for greasing. My point is, they are also running 2 older CH models with over 500K on them and have never had to replace kingpins.

    Jeff

  6. I have a customer with 3, 04 Granites hauling logs. These trucks have been pretty good except for kingpin problems. One has had 2 sets in less than 175K miles, another has 163K and the thrust bearing has disentigrated again. When this happens, the axle and spindle make contact and it is hard to steer. The trucks get greased every 5K so this should not be the problem. The local dealer has no clue as to what is going on. Has anyone else had these sort of problems? Have talked to a few other local owners who have similar problems. :idunno:

    Jeff

  7. I used to have a set of new R model vent assemblies I got at an auction several years ago.I really don't think I ever used them,but can't remember for sure.If I can find which trailer they are in,would you be interested?

    Superdog, you sound like your storage is like mine. I know it's here, but it may take a day or two to find it. Do the assy. you have have the stainless divider strip? If so, yes I would be interested. I have several assy. but none have good rubber seals and they are no longer available from Mack.

    Jeff

  8. I remember working on new GMC's that were made into school buses. And the body companies would use only black coded wires from the firewall harness to the rear. Tracing the problems were always a joy. :SMOKIE-LFT:

    I always hated the IH trucks, they used all black wires in the harness with #s every foot or so. If the wires were exposed the #s would wear off and you would have to cut the harness back till you found the #s again. I have seen later model Macks that had the same system but with white wires.

  9. When you rebushed the trunion, did you replace the retainer rings? There are 2 rings on the trunion bar inside of the caps, did you replace these also. These are there to keep the caps from moving too far and when worn will let even new bushings walk. Even new caps with worn rings will walk.

    Jeff

  10. What would rewiring all the turn signal and brake lights and new headlights and marker lights and dash guage lights on a normal stock 70's daycab r model cost. im looking for a estimate maybe on what it might run. thanks

    Quoting an electrical job can be very scary. You never know what the fellow before you has done. You might check on a complete harness, could be cheaper than a patch job.

  11. Great looking set up you have there , I bet you get a lot of compliments when you are out with it.

    Thanks, we are usually the talk of the campground when we pull in. Usually have 2 or 3 people come over for a look see. Allways some wisea$$ has to ask if we think we have a big enuff truck.(Always tell em, nope the big one isn't finished yet :P ) I added a few pics to my album if you are interested.

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