VintageSmoke

Been there. Done that. Many thanks!

That sound you heard was my jaw hitting the floor. I know one Mack owner that is going to be very happy and this writer right along with him! My deepest thanks. Am sending you a PM.

That is very useful and helpful information, thank you. My followups would be: 1- It was handed down to the current owner that his truck had been a "tanker." Like so many things passed down like this, it could be incorrect. Could the 75 be built as a pumper OR as a tanker? Maybe the thing to know is how much of the work Mack actually did. Were they completely fitted out at Mack, or did they go to a vendor to get whatever specific fire body they would use? Maybe if you can look up something specific via the serial number, this question might get answered definitively. The current owner would be very happy to know. He bought the truck the way it is now but is happy to know more about it's origins. 2- What was the engine number for the 525? I see one 525 ci engine listed in my resources as the "CT". Will be looking more. Could you get the Mack Lanova engine in the Model 75? This group helped me a while back with a story I did on those engines... it's online now in case you want to see. https://www.dieselworldmag.com/diesel-engines/vintage-smoke-2/ Again, I appreciate all the help from the group, especially Georgia Dave. Always like to return the favor when I can, so if you have questions, now or later, about the life and times of the '61-80 International Scout, I have expertise in that area (published a 400 page book on the topic). Really good on the history of four-wheel drive as well, mostly in the light duty realm.

Appreciate that! I have permission to share the serial number and it's 75S 2386. You know what the "S" is for? Also, it was reported to me the truck was built as a "tanker" with a mid mounted pump. What is a "tanker?" Lowell purchased it in about 1979 from a seller in PA with only 22K miles on it but it had been derelict for a long time. The presumption was that it served in some PA FD. The engine was seized solid. Lowell didn't get around to the resto-mod until about 1995. He shortened the wheelbase and added a modern axle, removed the rear body and tank. He installed the 4-71 in front of a 13-speed Road Ranger. Both Lowell and the current owner use(d) the truck regularly to haul trucks, engines and collectable tractor at combined weights of up to 40 tons.

Doing a story on a Mack truck for Diesel World magazine. The owner told me it was a "1948 A75" but the serial number tags didn't back that upI have put that erroneous info to bed now thanks to a couple of helpful folks on the general discussion forum here. Now I know it's a 1948 75 fire truck that was been converted into a 5th wheel tractor. It also has a '77 Detroit 4-71 in it now. As you can see from the pic below it still looks like a Mack... and it's still fire truck red... but it's no longer as-built. I would like to honor the truck's origins by talking a little bit about the Model 75 and Mack's line of fire trucks. Can someone point me to an easily accessed source of info? The kind of stuff I'd be interested to know would be some basic technical specs for the '48 Model 75, some idea how many were built that year, what would be the most similar E-Model mach to compare it with, and how long Mack built fire appliances in-house. Also, was the '48 75 available with a diesel? I know most department back then didn't want diesels (cold starting is the impression I get) but I'd like to be able to say yea or nay on that. The guy that originally built the truck removed a seized flathead from it. He was the late Lowell Baker, by the way, a well known fixture in the 2-stroke Jimmy world, so the 4-71 was par for his course. If I gave you a serial number, could anyone verify the production year. I'll be talking to the owner again tonite ( 2/7/22) and will ask permission to share that number. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer. Jim

Thanks, gents, for getting me on track. I had come to the conclusion that 75 was base on the E and now I see it actually could be a '48 model year truck. I will now start haunting Mack fire truck posts!

Yeah, looks like the one I'm looking at is not a A-Series. I am beginning to see it's more an E-Series. The 75 fire engine was an offshoot of that, seems like.

Need some help, guys. Doing a story on a Mack for Diesel World magazine. I'm trying to properly ID the truck and don't find any material on it. The owner only knows what he was told by the PO (the late Lowell Baker, who was a well known expert on the Jimmy 2-Strokes). I was told it's a "1948 Mack A75". The serial plate calls it a "Model 75" and the serial reads 75S-2XXX (full # not disclosed as I don't have permission from owner to reveal- I may be able to do that later). In looking here at the A-Series Registry, this truck has a similar look but the model number doesn't match. The A-Series info I can reference lists models A-20 thru 50. The serial plates in the registry all have the "A" in the model designation. I was told it was a converted from a fire truck and this may be the part that's throwing me off but I can't find a "Model 75" either. The engine has been swapped out and replace by a 4-71 (what other engine would Lowell put in ( : < ). I just want to accurately represent the truck as best I can but I am not an expert on Mack and what research I have done so far isn't turning up definitive answers. I have attached a pic of the truck as it exists today. Things I would like to know: -True ID? Model and year? -Related to A-Series? If so details on the variation? -If a special model, production dates and numbers if possible -Original basic specs, (dimensions, engine, trans etc.) Finally, I used to be (in the '90s and early 2000s) in contact with John Montville (on truck topics). Tried contacting him to no avail. Is he still around? He won't be a spring chicken. He was very helpful to me on a research project back then and this project has gotten me to thinking about him. We had some great talks about vintage trucks. Many thanks Jim

Just an FYI to the gang that my story on the Mack-Lanova ED/END diesels is out in the July issue of Diesel World magazine. It's out to subscribers now and will soon be available on magazine stands. It features an image of an FJ Mack that Chuck P was kind enough to let me use. Enjoyed the forum and will check in from time to time in case I need to bone up on Macks! Jim Allen

Been pondering why Mack continued to offer chains in the late '30s and into the '40s. I did a search here but couldn't come up with a search term that brought up a good discussion on it. It seems to be only on the highest capacity trucks. I understand gearing may have been part of it. Maybe an inability to get low enough gearing that the low-powered engines of the day could move the loads (without having so many splitters and range boxes that the cab floor looked like a forest)? What were the last Macks with chain drive?

One of my previous columns that have been put online that involved the Lanova energy cell. https://www.dieselworldmag.com/diesel-trucks/1939-the-first-dodge-diesel/ https://www.pressreader.com/usa/diesel-world-4104/20190507/282522954899892

Good morning ladies and gentlemen- Working on a story for my Vintage Smoke column in Diesel World magazine about the Mack-Lanova ED diesel, focusing primarily on the initial development. I have a fair bit of info on that part of it but what I am having trouble learning is about the transition to very similar END engines. I will touch on them as the successor to, evolution of, the ED but what I can't seem to find is info about the differences between them. I know they debuted three other displacements soon after the original 519 ci ED and they came in 405, 457 and 605 cubic inch displacements. All the references I see in various period publications through 1942 refer to the the original 519 ci as the "ED" and the others as "END." In 1943, that designation changes and the 519 becomes the "END519." Are there some Mack gurus here that can educate me on the technical differences between "ED" and "END?" If any. They pretty much look the same in images, though I am sure the Also, if some here has an ED in any truck and could supply a high res image, I'd use it in the story alongside the vintage images I have. Time is a factor here, as I only have about a week left on my deadline. Also, while I have your attention, when the ED debuted in 1938, in which model Mack trucks were they available? Maybe between '38 and '40. I have info on the wartime trucks, such as the legendary NR series, which were powered by the ED. Also, does anyone know anything about the Lanchester vibration damper? That thing turns up on other engines I have written about and I've never seen any material on it. Many thanks for your attention.