davehummell

I was loaded with marble chips in the dump trailer driving a f model Mack and the day or so before the trip the owner had two caps replaced on the passenger front drive axle. I was back up above Maryland border when the inner cap came off in one piece got my attention whacked the back of the cab on it's departure and scared the Bajuses out of me pulled over the casing was intact so off I went nothing I could do about the dent in the cab. About 30 or so miles later same thing again but this time I was losing air pressure fast, get off the interstate fast, this time the cap is wrapped around the axle and has taken out the maxi brake lines and put a big dent in the fuel tank it is about dark so I'm looking at what I can rob somewhere off the truck to repair the air system to go home with the help off passing car lights I jury rig the truck up thank god I always take a toolbox with me but just when you really need it the damn flashlight batterys were dead. The owner was some po'd about the damage to the Mack but I told him cheap caps are always a gamble and you were putting me at some risk.

The last place I worked I took care of a fleet of garbage trucks, role offs, tractor trailers with live floors, every day I had to tend to tires one way or other I got so if it was a tire on the outside I would change it on the truck every month I would roll in about 25 tires in the tire room and they were gone and we would be looking for more everything had caps on the drives and trailers, new tires for steers. A 385 steering tire did me in was doing a tire change and that was it disabled at 59 years old. I used to use either to seat the beads before the tanks got popular.

I put in my 58 B a 673 that was made in 1980 in was out of a firetruck with an automatic transmission it has a turbo and the tag states it is a 260 hp engine.

I looked around for the correct box that was used on a B, but no luck so I added a box I got off a Mack firetruck and part of the steering column from an R model it was quite involved I didn't want air assist steering, I drove different trucks with that setup and not for my truck. If memory serves it is a Shepard brand box that Mack used. And you will need either a pump on the end of a generator or alt. or do like I did and find an air compressor that takes a pump on the end. Good luck,

Mrsmackpaul, I didn't want retire at that age but I had no choice and to add insult to injury this last may a guy blew off a stop sign and I hit his truck dead on I was on my can am spyder bike. I lost my teeth broke my jaw, broke my shoulder, broke all the ribs on my left side the surgeon stuck some kind of wire mesh to hold my ribs together, put a hole in my lung, broke my hip, broke a bone in my lower back, got a hole in my skull and had bleeding out and in my brain, I layed in intensive care for over a week out of it. I guess I have no choice now to stay retired. I'm a really beat up 67 year old senior citizen.

Years ago I was hot to get an old harley to restore and I was told about one that a guy had from the early fifty's but was told he was a real mean old state cop. So I worked up the courage and rang his door bell, we hit it off right away he said it was mind boggling how many people asked about his bike it wasn't for sale but I could buy it. A 1932 vld complete rideable bike I took it home and had it running in short order. I got lucky a little time after and scored a 1940 80 inch flathead that one needed a complete rebuild but the 80's don't grow on trees.

I was changing a 385-20 and I ended up on the ground I did in my back for the last time I was 59 I ended up taking retirement at 62 and I am lucky between the ss and I built up a retirement fund that I draw off of. I kept my machine shop open for cash jobs. I am going to be 68 in june and I like my retirement.

I and two of my friends traveled up to the Northeast Classic car museum in Norwich NY. I can highly recommend this place, over 200 cars and motorcycles and a display of radial airplane engines. Lots of high end cars from the thirty's, hotrods even had three cars that raced in the race of gentlemen trog. lots of cars from the sixtys well worth the effort to get there. Last winter we went to the Brockway museum in Cortland NY. that was a place I highly recommend also.

We went up to the Cortlin Brockway Museum last winter and it was closed one of the lady's came to the door and said what were you thinking driving up to here from Wilkes-Barre in a snowstorm, she said come on in and gave us a discount on the price of admission and gave us a guided tour and told us where to get a good lunch great time was had by us. Every winter my cousin and my best friend and I get out to a car museum next month we will be going to the one up by Norwich over 200 cars and motorcycles and hotrods.

I worked for Great northern as a mechanic I think at the end of the 70's they had all R and F model Macks when I worked there. The trucks were well used for the most part.

TJC have you ever heard of Great northern trucking out of Netcong it was right of rt 80? I was wondering if it was still going.

I at one time shot 1,000 yard competitively with a 308 bear wildcat cartridge, 300 yards with an open sight 45/70 Shilo sharps with black powder as the propellant, 100 yards at a running buffalo with a 38/55 and an Italian made 45 colt yellow boy, and BR 50 with a custom made 22 caliber Time precision made rifle. I missed the world record that was about 3and 5/8 inch I shot a 5 inch ten shot group with the one shot .206 off absolute dead center of the bullseye, I had a record group going but I caught a condition and one fell out of the group it would made my day but that is what makes it a competition. After shooting 30 or 35 rounds out of that 45/70 my shoulder would complain, The 308 Bear weighed 45 lbs and I was sending 220 grains at 3600 fpm. it moved the gun 4 to 5 inches in the rests. Just for fun we would get together and shoot bullseye at 50 yards with 22 pistols I used a Smith model 41 and a model 27.

Other Dog I thank you for taking the time to post the pictures always got a kick out of them. I hope we cross paths again down to Macungie this coming year.

You could be right the picture I had hanging on my old roll around was at least 35 plus years ago. I don't think I have ever seen one in person. A few years ago I spied some talk about those engines on some web sight.

I worked on both colors the 1693 was a 343 with a different governor for a truck and some other changes were done for more hp. The 1693 was my favorite engine.

If I remember it correctly couldn't you order that A C engine with 600 hp. I spent many hours working on 1693 engines went to school for them when I worked at Cleveland Brothers. If you were running the upper way west a lot of trucks had brake savers before the transmissions that brake saver really worked way better than a jake. It's a shame Jake brake didn't come up with a set up on the 1693. I paid .17 cents a gallon for fuel when I was getting a load in El Paso. I used to take care of a pete cabover that I finally did an inframe at 1,500,000 miles it still ran to California without any issues but the owner wanted it freshened up. The 1693 was rated at 425 but when I ran my engines I would find out if the owner wanted more you could get about 600 hp without too much fiddling.

I looked over that engine they had on the stand when I was at the truck show, it's a real shame they didn't get them in their trucks I would have loved to experienced that engine see how it stacked up against their competitors engines.

I have an older Lincon 400 amp power source for mig I have a ln-7 spool gun and a mini spool gun for aluminum, an Esab 300 amp tig and stick that I got a super deal on years ago and a little Lincon mig that runs on 110 volt that little welder I used in my machine shop and run god knows how many 10 lb. rolls of 035 wire through that welder. My good friend had a large machine shop and he treated himself to a new mig welder it had printed circuit boards in it had to be repaired so much he stuck it up on a shelf and said never would he buy another new welder. He had a 1000 amp setup for constant welding building up shafts and rolls out of mills. Some of those rolls were very large his one lathe could swing 10 foot x about 20 or 30 feet.

Larry that looks like my engine right side starter and two spin on oil filters and I have the power steering pump mounted on the air compressor and I painted mine Mack gold.

There is a vast difference between penn. dot in Luzerne County and Wyoming county and don't get me started on the Luzerne County Road and bridge outfit. It is quite the job driving my B model any ware out from my house for the potholes and the terrible repaired potholes. I all most stopped driving my restored Model A coupe I am afraid it's going to shake the car apart. I always headed out of Luzerne County roads as quick as I could when riding my motorcycle.

That is the filter off an earlier engine I did research a few years ago and the info I got was on my engine I had to keep that style filter.

We had a can of Commet cleaner setting in the engine dyno room when I worked at Cleveland Brothers it was just in case. I have used it in the cylinder of an old hit and miss engine it got the compression up.

When I worked in the fleet garage that had r's and f's we always painted the head gaskets with aluminum paint and the orders from the owner I had to change the rod bolts when I did an engine. There were 27 or 29 Macks in that fleet.

I live in Luzerne County, and it seems the paper ran out in republican led areas. Thats what I was told.

I gave about 7,000 for my b-42 and have double that in parts and original purchase price. I payed 16,000. for my restored 31 ford model A and still sunk 3,000 in new parts. It's all about your personal interest and determination.