ThermoDog

Oh, it’s a B-73

The R is a ‘66. I’ll snap more pics of the L cab next time I’m over that way. Chris lives on one of our local islands here, in Seattle. He is a BMT member but doesn’t spend much time online anymore.

Indeed. Although I do wonder sometimes.

Driving 5.5 hours Sunday to look it over.

Thanks, mowerman. Yup. Just another day but every day above ground is a pretty good day.

Happy New Year to all! Hoping for better days ahead for everyone. Would there happen to be a BMT member from Washington state who could bring me up to speed on the finer points of DOL/DOT hurdles as applies to owning and enjoying a vintage Mack in Washington state? I let my CDL lapse and well, shame on me. Truck now has collector plates and will be marked NOT FOR HIRE. Thank you, Tom

He says hello

I just want to make sure she’s on the lighter side of tonnage for collector plates in Washington State.

That light lets you know that air pressure has yet to reach cut off limit. It should extinguish when the air tank(s) have been charged, at which point you can disengage the park brake. It’s picture represents brake shoes locked to drums when illuminated. But it’s always been an indication for me that my bladder is full and it’s time to pull over and pull the yellow handle. Haven’t figured out what the yellow handle has to do with my bladder though...

Thank you, H67. I was thinking right around 14k.

Hmmm, anyone care to estimate scale weight on a B83SX?

I am trying to work things out with the owner. He says it still runs. It is a 1957 B83SX. Tom

Okay. Thank you.

Hoping someone may be able to identify this B model. Is it an SX?

This is what is currently on my R.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest and in spite of the Kenworth plant on East Marge next to Boeing’s plant 2, I wasn’t really ever overly smitten with the KW. They just looked, well, “unfinished” to me ~ at the drawing board level. If PACCAR anything, it was an old, needle-nose Pete with shutters of the mid-60’s or today’s 388 as dressed out by Merlino Contruction with their order of a few dozen prior to the T-880 a year or two ago. Greg Merlino (Gary’s son) was a good friend in high school (late ‘79-‘83). He sadly passed away around twelve years ago. Merlino still runs their gorgeous 388’s all over Seattle but I’m guessing those aluminum cabs will long be corroded before I’ll ever afford one on the second, or third hand market. No matter. I have my R model and while I apologize to the proud fellas in Denton, TX For building such a beautiful truck in the 388, well it just ain’t no R model MACK. There’s a guy here, locally, who was the parts manager at the Mack dealer in Seattle when I was a kid, in the early 70’s. It is his current partner, in fact, from which I purchased this most recent R I’ve got. Although I’m born & raised in Seattle, I spent twenty years back East (my ol’ man, from Connecticut, was recruited from Brooklyn to work at Boeing in the late-40s). I am very interested to learn more about the genesis of the Western R model having had a few. The one I now have is certainly the nicest, most original so far. In talking with member Alex G. about Dayton spokes in the last day or so, I am really fascinated by the fact most all R models West of the Beltway and deep into New England are typically fitted with Budds; it’s the preference back East (and mine, also, incidentally) to stay with the open spokes. With exception to real early U, F and R models here, in the Northwest, the typical setup would be Budd wheels and later, Alcoas (both standard and super single). I recall R models in heavy-spec, vocational use pretty much everywhere out here in the 70’s & 80’s. Just didn’t see many without steelies. and That Valueliner grille... ...punched from a sheet of anodized aluminum and affixed directly to the hood instead of the beautiful RD grille with polished, vertical strips, attached to the charge air cooler. Along with the grille and the cab ~ standing a bit higher on the Western, will there ever be any intrinsic value (increasing appreciation) for a Western Valueliner or will I always be longing for the real deal - an East Coast RD? Sigh.

Red dog has 44’s, Alex.

Okay. Thanks, Mark. Those open spokes sure look great and it would be great if I could come up with something for my R. But I suppose I’d really need the rears as well.