Johnny_B

13 hours ago, j hancock said:

Put on a large element filter instead......?

 

Sorry, couldn't resist!  I don't have the items you need but agree returning to the OEM is a good idea compared to that lawn mower filter on there now.

 

 

Lol🤣 I'm just a big stickler for keeping things "stock" appearing anyway. I'm assuming the availability of the o.e replacement filters are next to none so that's probably why it was deleted 🤷🏼‍♂️

Possibly. Right now I have nothing. I'm not sure what would have been on the truck originally being a gas engine. 

I'm looking for a lead on the air filter housing and related ducts. The one that connects through the cab shell to the heater core is there but missing everything else. It has the EN402. Someone put a small element filter on the carb and it just looks ridiculous.🤷🏼‍♂️

On 6/20/2018 at 10:05 PM, Coenut said:

Did chad sell you this truck?

Just seeing this now, I apologise. Yes, I bought the truck from Chad. 

On 6/3/2018 at 12:00 PM, Hobert62 said:

I put a single axle airliner air ride from a freightliner under my B and it drives  and rides very nice.    Mines a 4.30 gear ratio with my diesel and dueplex it maxes out at 65mph at 2300rpm with 12r 22.5 drive tires.   Drives nice bobtailing but can definatly tell when it's loaded.  

You air ride should only take 1 airline to supply it going to the leveling valve then tee-ing off to each air bag. 

Revisiting this post now that it's finally home. The rear that was swapped in is an Eaton housing with 4:11's. Working on cleaning the mildew off of her yet and learning more and more about her. Got the 401 running. Mechanically it sounds quiet. The carb could definitely benefit from a rebuild though.  Everything except the rear appears original to the truck.

On 7/10/2018 at 5:50 AM, theakerstwo said:

I remember the B models having a generator that the pump mounted on the end of it.

Mine has said set-up. I've yet to really get to look at mine though. Just bought it and getting it moved to my place is proving to be a hassle

Ok, my B42 has the air ride rear suspension installed. From what I can see, whoever did it did a decent job. My question is: to run airlines to the brakes and bags, would I be Better off trying to graft in a complete system off of a donor truck or is it feasible to "build" when whole air system with individual parts? I'm new to the Antique truck scene so I'm looking for any and all information. 

I worked in a tire shop for several years doing truck wheels. The shops insurance company actually had a clause about these such wheels and also split rims. We still did split rims but boy is there a pucker factor when one let's loose....😳

4 hours ago, Hobert62 said:

I put a single axle airliner air ride from a freightliner under my B and it drives  and rides very nice.    Mines a 4.30 gear ratio with my diesel and dueplex it maxes out at 65mph at 2300rpm with 12r 22.5 drive tires.   Drives nice bobtailing but can definatly tell when it's loaded.  

You air ride should only take 1 airline to supply it going to the leveling valve then tee-ing off to each air bag. 

Beautiful truck buddy. What engine are you running? I'm thinking more about ditching the gasser and swapping in something... Either staying true to the era or going newer...

3 hours ago, terry said:

That flathead engine is way underpowered for any kind of work truck.   terry

If I have my way, it'll be more for conversation and hauling my other true love to car show's. 

2 hours ago, Maddog13407 said:

we need  more info.need to know the gear ratio of the rear definitely an upgrade but don't plan on turning anything higher than a 5 something gear ratio with a flathead 401 and a quadbox. we stuck a 4.62 in out B42 single axle out of a B61 jus to go to shows so it would have some highway gears and not be screaming but i wouldn't ever wanna hook onto a load with it as it originally had 6.42 gears . most tandem B42's had 7.49 gear ratios or 8.10 's and would do 52 miles an hour 

 

I'll be able to give more details once it's actually at my place. As of right now my plan is to make the truck either a rollback/ramp truck or maybe a tractor. As soon as it's home I'll update everyone. Depending on how the gas motor runs, I may stick to the original drivetrain. If not, then maybe a diesel/trans swap will be in the future. 

I just purchased my first B. The previous owner (2 owners ago) ditched the rear axles and swapped in a Hendrickson suspension. I think it's off of a Freightliner by the looks of it. None of the airlines are hooked up and also the driveshaft needs figured out. Best I can tell is the pinion angle is off from the original carrier bearing. Has anyone ever attempted this conversion? Would it be easier to just go back to the OE setup? Until I get it home and look at it, I'm not sure what the gear ratio is. It's a Spicer rear and definitely heavy. I get the direction the previous owner was heading but with the gas motor and quadraplex, I'm not sure how well that's gonna fly... Thanks for any guidance.

10 minutes ago, j hancock said:

First  B - model

Second and third is the engine such as 42, 61, 75 etc.  (diesel and gasoline)

fourth and fifth  chassis style  T- tractor, ST - tandem tractor, P straight chassis single axle. SX extreme service tandem plus a bunch more.

rest of the numbers would be the sequential build number. (numbers start at 1000)

Example  B42SX-1501   B model with a 401 flathead gasoline engine tandem extreme service and the 501 built

              B61ST-11234  B model with 673 diesel engine tandem tractor 10234 built

 

https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/tutorials/article/206-b-model-engine-data/

https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/tutorials/article/208-b-model-production-info/

 

Awesome info, thank you. It appears that I do not have a B61 but rather a B-42. VIN reads B42S15224. Regardless, I still love it. I can't wait to get it home. Also, it has the power steering setup that's driven off the rear of the generator. From what I gather, that's a hard to find option? Maybe it'll become a B-61 someday 😉

1 hour ago, 41chevy said:

Contact the Mack Museum with your VIN and a decent donation for the trucks build sheet. It will have a the info on how it was optioned, specs and more. The people there are all volunteers so a nice donation helps a lot.    Paul

Mack Trucks Historical Museum located at the Mack Customer Center

2402 Lehigh Parkway South
Allentown, PA 18103
Telephone: 610-351-8999
Email: mack.museum@macktrucks.com

Cool, good to know. Is there any way to decode a vin number for these online? Having a hard time finding information. 

4 hours ago, j hancock said:

Welcome!  Looks like you have a project now. 

A B-61 is a diesel powered truck not gasoline.  Does the VIN match between the door tag and the number on the right front frame rail?

Seeing that it was a tandem rear suspension and also an extended front bumper, was it a cement mixer?

I was told it started life as a cement mixer. It is double framed. I need to dig into it more to figure out which gas motor I have. I believe it is the Continental 6 cylinder. It's married to the quadraplex 5x4. Couldn't pass it up for how solid it is. I'd love to switch it back to diesel and as cool as it would be to keep the trans, maybe put an 8LL in it. The suspension on the rear was changed two owners ago and basically left as is by the owner I got it from. He included a newer style front axle to complete the conversion.

Hey folks, 

       Tonight was the night! The title has been transferred to my name and I am officially the owner of a 1958 B-61. I'm still trying to learn about this truck. I've wanted a "B" ever since I was a kid and finally it has happened. I've attached pictures of her. Hopefully it will become everything I have hoped for! Not quite ready to start working on her but I couldn't let one slip through my fingers, especially this close to the house. I'm open to any input.