fuzzy buzzard

Boys, ole Mark started out in this hobby a bunch smarter than most of us. Anybody in this hobby with a B model has either drug in more to support his habit or he is wishing he could find another one or more for parts. I bought 1 ten years ago, now I'm up to 8. If I had as much working gray matter in my head as Mark, I would have bought 4 the first trip and been half way done when I started. Theys a lot to be said for these lawyers even if they do ride brand X trucks from time to time. By the way, ole wifey sure hurt my feelings other day! She allows the last B model I drug in ain't fitting behind the shed. Guess I need to find her old glasses so she can't see so good or build the shed bigger to hide more Bs. Bad thing bout building shed bigger - takes away from time playing with old Bs! Course hunting for her old glasses could take forever to. What to do? Over & out from Ignorant Ridge Tom

Other day I drug in a '64 B61. No idea if engine is original (END 673) - it has mechanical governor on pump, a bypass oil filter and left hand mount starter. Question - a '64 should have had a full flow/bypass filter - or would that have been an option? Question - can somebody explain the whys of left hand mount starter on a B when the steer box is in the way and there ain't nothing on the right side in the way? Question - is there a way to determine year of engine by the numbers after END 673? Superdog, the floor is all yours!! Thanks, Tom

Good friend has B with TRQ 720 trans. It takes spells of leaking trans. oil out the clutch housing. Leak doesn't seem to be related to outside temp or oil temp or amount of time truck has been running but will stop when truck is shut off. He is running 90 wt. oil same as I run and I don't having any leaking problems. Anybody got any ideas??? Thanks, Tom

Wiring diagrams are on 'oldmacksrus.com' under info section. Be sure to send in info to registure your B42, I'm working on the update now so shake a leg. The Holmes bed - if you can find serial number tag on the bed, I can tell model and date of manufacture. thanks, Tom

Fred, The email you got was probably from the web site which was up dated Dec 05. I just about got the update finished for this year so send me your email address and I'll try to send what is finished. Don't forget to holler when you get info from Museum on your new purchase!! Tom

Fred, Sorry if I didn't email registry to you, been having so MUCH puter trouble this year. This stupid invention knows I hate its guts and every solder joint in it, so it loves to screw with me!!!!!!!!!!! Email me again -- gannaway@voyager.com -- And I will try to send copy, 8 pages of multiple owners and 30 pages of serial numbers. Also 2nd school bus came in other day. We have a lot of trouble with the web site crashing, Barry Umberger is the king pin for the site and he is busy working every day so getting the site fixed quick just don't happen. Just thank God you don't have to depend on me to fix the site!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mark, Your B is probably 1959 or newer since it has vents, 1/4 windows were common prior to this date. There should be a tag in the right hand side of floor with 2 rows of characters stamped in it. The first row will read ---AC 210 --, the second row will be 3 or 4 numbers. I would be interested in hearing the numbers. I have a B Model Registry on -- oldmacksrus.com --- if your are interested in registering your truck. I also have a B-61 sleeper/1/4 windows ('56) and thats what got me started on the tag in the floor. Give me a call, I can talk hell of lot faster than I can type. Thanks, Tom Gannaway 740-742-2203

What --- $2000 for an integral sleeper B that ain't rusted out so bad that you can't throw a cat through it with the doors shut!!!!!!!!! Good Lord son, go buy this thing NOW - hello you can't buy a junk riding lawn mower without a bed for that money. Go, go ,go ,go, now,now, now, now. Be sure to get a clear title, be sure sure serial number on frame matches serial number on title, BUY NOW!!!! Send Pictures quick. Call or email ole Fuzzy Buzzard to get this one in the B Model Registry (oldmacksrus.com) Hurry, Hurry!!!!!!! Tom

Well, hers the 2nd version, the state of OHIO does NOT require CDL for class 8 registered as antique. We have this in a letter from the Super. Ohio Highway Patrol. Just glad to add to the confusion!! Tom

Rod, I'm getting in on tail of this conversion, assuming this rear is under a Mack. The wedges look like a version of "Wedge Master" clamps. I have a B-67 that was speced with a 2 piece clamp that was furnished by Wedge Master. For the capacity of the rears -- if Tandem rear - look for letters and numbers stamped next to oil level plug on banjo. If single rear -- look for letters and numbers stamped on back side of right axle tube. Then holler back. Over & out from Ignorant Ridge Tom

Fred, I'm always in a hurry, this job has been on the front burner for 10 months and you see how far I've gotten. Wait a minute, my stove ain't got any back burners - its a handicap version - cause I'm too short to reach the back burners! Thats why all my jobs are on the front burners - a LONG row of them. Does your engine have a mechanical governor on the pump or a hydraulic governor? When you get to the cam, see if it has a part number stamped on it and holler at me, please. Freightrain, There is a turbo smoker here, was going to put it in G753 (another hurry job) since original engine is wore out. Then test drive a bit to see if it is any good before even thinking about putting in wide body. At the rate I hurry, I could have the bad cam engine wore out about the time I finish with the G753 engine swap and test. Sound like a plan? Then after turbo smoker is wore out in wide body (if it is any count to begin with), there is ENDT 676 here that need to ride. Planning, planning is the key here. Over & out from Ignorant Ridge! Tom

Got a good END 673 here, bottom end is on new bearings and the heads have been reworked BUT the owner said it lost a cam lobe so he donated it to ole Fuzzy Buzzard. Now, the old 3 stick Wide Body could use some fresher horsepower so that makes a spot for this good engine (after a cam). I haven't done much research yet (heck, what am I thinking - this is where the research starts!)- anybody out there in cyberland full of knowledge on 673 cams???? Were there a lot of different part numbers on them, what about tappets? Did different cams use different gears? Next question will be - anybody got one with a set of tappets? Over & out from Ignorant Ridge Tom

Mercy, mercy! You have hit a nerve in old fuzzy buzzard! I realize this is kinda out in left field based on your original message but I got a song to sing here. These damn truck builders should be forced to install tow air connections on all air brake trucks so the draggin' wagon drivers have a fast way to hook up brakes on the towed unit. Sure its easy to air up the system - just pull the compressor discharge line and hook in your red line BUT do this on the side of the road with every 4 wheeler dusting the ass of your pants and half of the truck drivers (who are on cell phones) tap mirrors just above your head. Now we got the system aired up (your whites are hanging out the seat of your pants and most of that mirror glass is now in your socks) and can release the spring brakes. Now we got to pull a line off the tredle valve to hook up the service line so we can apply brakes to stop this overloaded mess when the fool in the far left lane crosses in front of everybody and cuts you off to get to his exit ramp. So here we go again - mirror glass down the shirt neck again, there goes the seat of the undies this time, damn driver knocks the plastic nut covers off the steer tire you just jumped over top of and the stupid engineer has figured out a way to postion the tredle valve lines so a snake couldn't get to them!!!!!!!!! Since we now design trucks that the dealer shops can't even fix, wouldn't it make sense to put air connection points on trucks so we can safetly pull them back to the factory (or junk yard as necessary) Amen!!!! Case you don't go to church, thats the end of the sermon Rev. Fuzzy Buzzard signing off!!

Mark, Glad you found this site, lots of good advice, thoughts, ideas and BS here. Sorry to here about the wife's objections - if she needs therapy, just have her call my wife. Just 4 would have been a blessing out here on Ignorant Ridge! Will try to catch a warm Sat or Sun and ride the ole 'Wide Body' over for a visit. Remember - WATCH THEM FRAME RAILS! Over & out from Ignorant Ridge Tom Gannaway

The 2 short guys (could also say dummies) are headed to sunny Oregon again Feb 5 with a load. We've got the chains long enough this time to fit the tires so we don't look like tourists fighting with them. If you got something to haul back as far as SW Wisconsin, give Cook a call 814-541-8396 - truck phone. We are suppose to pickup 2 combine heads in Wisconsin and fetch over to PA so there should be about 10' empty trailer on that load. Over & out from Ignorant Ridge Tom

Yep, everybody - THATS IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And if you can believe it, the description on ebay was by the owner - a body man ( or at least he claims to be ). To change the subject, wish all you all could have been on this trip. It would take a book to tell all the tales from 6000 miles in 6 days. But neither snow, sleet, rain, HIGH winds or sunshine held us back. Get Carl to tell the tale of chaining up the Pete in OR with ice chains (that were 2 links too short) or the big hill in Northern CA where by the time we finally got in the right hand lane and finally found a truck ready to get back in traffic so we could park on shoulder to chain up - the CHAIN CONTROL was lifted!!!!! We picked up a '60 IH West Coaster WITH a Super Charged Cummins at West Point, CA. It was a fine restoration (now I don't claim to be a body man but that piece of iron was RIGHT) It went to a good friend at Athens, OH. Hope he will still speak to me after he spends next 3 months washing all the salt and mud off it. Winter just ain't a good time to flat bed a restoration out of Northern CA. Enough tales for now, didn't mean to write the book here but it was a hell of a trip!!

Terry, This is from the Mack Folks: B733LS - 316 B733LST- 38 B733LT - 106 B733S - 237 B733T - 23 Now, cab styles (standard, L cab or integral sleeper) - Mack would have to look up build sheet on each truck to determine number of cabs. Does yours have the soft nose (B61 style) or hard nose (exposed top aluminum tank with horizontal shutters). From digging thru lots of sales literature in appears the early B73s where soft nose. Hope you have sent your info in to the registry so I can get yours listed. Over & out from Ignorant Ridge Tom

I'm trying to get the registry updated for the end of the year. Getting real close to 1900 listed. So all you smoke sucking B model owners that ain't put your truck in the registry, get your info in. Go to 'oldmacksrus.com' and put your info in or send it straight to me at 'gannaway@voyager.net'. Remember - dead or alive, complete or in pieces - the registry is open to all B models! Over & out from Ignorant Ridge, Tom

Superdog, Didn't all the early 70 series start out as soft noses (small radiator)? Then as the Hummin Cummins got rated as higher horsepower, better cooling was required and the 70 series got the hard nose (big radiator). Over & out from the Ridge, Tom

Paul, Glad to hear you got a fire built in the old gal. Been wondering how you were doing since phone call. Sounds like still some problems in fuel system. Try adding pressure gauge where fuel goes in pump to check transfer pump psi. Then, open throttle (while running, of course). If rpm picks up any, fuel psi should increase. Referance - my old wrecker will show about 20 psi in hard pull at 1500 rpm. Another possibabilty - governor problems could be limiting rack travel. Pull the big acron nut that covers rack on front of pump, start engine, try pulling rack forward to see if rpms raise. Holler back, interested in hearing more. Over & out from Ignorant Ridge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tom

Me & the other short guy, Cpt. Cook are headed to OR Sat Sept 10 with load of trailer frames. Looking for load back. If you got a treasure bought in the NW and need a ride for it, give Cook a call 814-541-8396 (truck phone). We should be ready to head back Monday morning. Over & out from the Ridge! Tom

Scott, The 915 base is going to be too tall, try a 710 or 910 base cause it will help the height problem a bunch. The high back seats - if back is too thick it will cause the seat bottom to be too far forward and put the wheel in your gut and your knees up about the tach. So guess the bottom line is - if you get high back chair, be sure it has a thin back. Over & out from Ignorant Ridge!! Tom