Greetings Guy's
I'm a retired phone company fleet mechanic with about 15 car projects. Flathead powered hot rods, Mustangs, Falcons and now two mack AB truck projects. Also a 1906 Autocar Truck chassis.
I hauled home a Mack AB Truck from a massive vintage "large truck" estate auction that was just about a half-an-hour from my house. I had known about this stash for years and years. I woke up one morning and went on my computer to a Vintage Ford Forum and somebody posted a message about the Bernie Long estate auction, and that it was happening that very same morning. I was dressed, out the door and had my bidding paddle in under an hour. Just in time to see the last truck auctioned off. One guy from India bought 60 of them. Some really neat pre-1920 trucks Some under sheds and some out in the open. The owner had been saving them from being scrapped since 1949. There were so many trucks they were on three different properties. Not all of them sold.
I did not even know I wanted a Mack AB until I saw this short wheel base "AB" under a shed with about ten other vehicles. The cab does not even have a rust pit on it, maybe its been re-skinned but I don't think so? I built that yellow Monogram AC Bulldog model when I was a kid and have always loved those "C" cab trucks ever since. I did not know a thing about AC Bulldogs and AB trucks. I usually buy stuff on an impulse and then do my research afterwards. I quickly found out this is not finding parts and info for old Fords. There is hardly any info out there on these trucks. No repro parts, no used parts and original manuals cost a small fortune. People had been going into these properties for years and stealing metal for scrap. Every part that had been removed from this truck was gone. I was missing the steering box, hood, fenders, doors, radiator, fuel tank, one axle and who knows what else? That night after doing some research I knew I was never going to find those parts for sale but there were still other tucks that had not sold. I made a deal to buy another one with all the parts I needed but when I went to get it, it was gone. Somebody else had bought it from another of the guys running the auction. Nobody knew what was going on there in the frst couple of days. really nice bunch of guys but they had so much going on they couldn't keep track of it all. That left me with buying what I think was once a heavy duty "AB' wrecker. I bought it for $1500.00 just to get the gas tank, radiator and steering box. I still need fenders, a hood and a door. I think they are going to need to be fabricated. I took some good photos measurements of the doors on one of the trucks that was there. Thee is an "AB" being used as a decoration in front of a construction company here in town that I could probably use the hood and fenders for patterns. The radiator was there one week and the next week it was gone. They stole it for the brass. There is a scrap metal recycling place right down the street from it.
The chassis looks like it had been restored at one time and then it was left under a covered shed. I have a good feeling about this one. I think the engine is rebuilt but its stuck. I still need to pull the plugs and pour a little 50/50 mixture of acetones and marvel Mystery oil in there and let soak. Everybody seems to agree on that being the best method for unsticking it. Its funny, the wrecker that looks like everything on it should be stuck turns over with good compression so does the engine in the 1906 Autocar Truck chassis AI hauled home from the auction.
I am going to have a lot of questions on this build???? I have not figured out exactly what years they are, The Wrecker is an early "AB". It was the early Mack truck emblem on the cab and the other one has the double reduction differential so its early 1920s? That chassis had a nice paint job on it at one time.
I'm sure I would be better off buying a finished truck but what fun is there in that. These were so close to home I couldn't resist.
ce there seems to be nowhere else to go.
I pulled the inspections covers and it looks brand new inside.
The trailer's 6000 lb. GVW I'm sure is just a suggestion. Most of that bow in the trailer came back out when the truck rolled off. I have a goos quality Walker 2 1/2 ton floor jack and it will not pick up one side of that front axle.
In four' of weeds I found that gravity dump bed that everybody had missed. Brought it home for $100.00
I hauled aload home every day for two-weeks. This is a 1906 Autocar Truck chassis with a spare engine and trans