Vladislav

On 6/26/2025 at 1:25 AM, 1961H67 said:

Thank you for the information, Unfortunately as for the interior of the Freedom is the best part of it , The worst part is the frame, it’s aluminum, the guys we bought it from installed a plate on the outside, and did a good job, but it’s corroded at every cross member, my thought would be unbolt it under the cab , only 4 bolts on each side attach it to the big steel  frame , find a air ride cut off and start changing all the brackets, but I’ve been using it this way so that’s later down the road. I may replace the hood, my number one goal is to paint it back the original grey and red stripes, it’s still the original color on the fire wall . The E6 350 runs great, 10 speed trans . It has some slack in the front spring shackles but overall it’s still pretty sound .I saw a old post were one was hit in the front but I don’t think this is the same truck, I guess it was repainted when the hood was replaced, I bought this one in Gallipolis OH . I’ve had my Helper working on it some today. 

I think all Macks of that year had firewall and door openings (the whole cab inside) painted graphite metallic. So that's not a Freedom feature.

For the frame my way would be ordering a pair of new straight steel rails from PG Adams or so of similar section as the alu ones are, slide them in place of the bad ones and reattach all the chassis parts back on. Probably a big job but you get very close to original config in the end. The rails may be ordered pre-drilled for a few more coins (about 70% extra to the cost though) but that is notably time consuming along the job.

I like the look of the truck in this current color very much. But no doubt bringing its appearance back to that limited series butch is a must to do along a possible resto deal. 

And if I'm not wrong Rene, the Nederland guy had a few sets of Freedom decals fabricated in the past. He used to be a member on here (Mack boy?) so checking out may be an efforts saving point too.

On 6/18/2025 at 6:23 PM, 1958 F.W.D. said:

 

Farmer Grayce, of YouTube fame for those of you who know her!!!! 

So... Did you allow her to steer the FWD in a parking lot???!!! The Hahn would be another story, but FWD!!!... And those 99 Cents mentioned above also smell related.

Don't you need the heater unit to be re-arranged? It's under the passenger seat in the stock configuration.

Thanks guys.

Didn't go for free as it seems to me but looks like a good solid truck on the picture.

Thanks for sharing, I like them L's.

Wow! Great! Thanks for sharing!

Just looks like I need a couple of evenings to go through all those nice shots.

On 6/9/2025 at 12:03 AM, mrsmackpaul said:

Here is some ideas for mounting bunk and cab as one

Vlads sleeper build is fantastic, Vlad also had a thread going were he cut the back wall in the R model cab into the big opening 

A very informative thread, I couldn't find it, Vlad might track it down for you if he reads this and share a link across

 

Paul

Paul mate,

It happens I'm a penny bit busy in the recent times. Interesting thread, would be cool if we see the final result some day. Here is a link to my R-model restoration work. Including the opening arrangement.

https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/61222-r-model-cab-resto-report/#comment-444164

Don't you ocassionally have drawings for laser cut panels you're going to install?

Or are you going to hand cut those plates?

I also want to make new insert panels but their geometry isn't really simple shapes, needs a bit of head scratching for measurings and scatching.

Seems like a steal

Situation of the same kind is here.
Besides of of some crazy taxes you can't import a truck with lower that Euro-5 emission level. Same for cars but 40 y.o. and older ones go as an exception.  

Haven't you separated their heads?

The older style I have on my NR-model had threaded plugs at the ends. So you just fit tension by them. There also shims inside too. In your case an idea pops up on some grinding of the end caps to minimize gap. Sure if the ball portions are even in their shape.

Too probably you may find an aftermarket rod with the same cones and length (Strenle Brothers or so web-site) but those you have look very steady and vintage for the truck.

I have a similar set on one of my Macks, they found a way to get onto a 1984 MH somehow. But I haven't got myself to their inside.  

22 hours ago, Mark T said:

Wages are unrealistic. As an employer, even if you want to pay an employee a fair wage for the task they're hired for it doesn't end there. The rediculous amount it costs to insure that employee between workman's comp and some form of health insurance (lol) adds easily a third more on top of the wage. Usually all this added cost makes an employee a really lousy investment as it's virtually impossible for many to pay a fair wage and get enough production to pay added costs there's no return for.  Unless you're  a huge company making a fortune, you can't afford it. Then there's the matching withholding, that's not too crazy. It also adds to costs though. Then paid time off, HR costs the list goes on and on and on. This isn't going away any time soon.

What you say is a matter of taxes. To level up those who live poorer. They're poor by different reasons, some were born in poor family having no money for education, some are illy and some are just lazy. Seems the approach is a two sided coin. At one we should be merciful since those folks are humans. And at the other we who can make good (or normal) living for ourselves may share some worth with those others for being calm and easy to not get in our line with hungry protests or crime.

But that's a side note. The main stream is the cost of local production is ballasted with taxes over the edge.

Ok, strange situation. Your government wants high taxes from you to produce something or to not produce much instead. But they can import cheap goods from China to supply you and everybody around with. But where get they money from?

Here it's clear. The country explore natural resources and sells them. The government do that. Or controlls, no much difference. Then they buy all kinds of goods from all over the world and sell them in the country. I suppose the goods turn out 3 times cheaper than if a man would make it by his labour. I mean in a natural form. Say you'd need to work 12 months at a plant as a worker to afford a car but now your wages allow you to buy a car in 4 months (literally).

But here the reason is known. Those who control the export money flow can cut off a good dozen for their private needs. And the rest goes to the nation to be calm and qute to not disturb the big boys. So the cut off is as larger as the main stream is. This way you don't need some locals tinkering in their sand boxes with potential risk of anyone to grow up high enough to ask "Who you are for doing that there?" Just easy sell-buy with stable margin.

But that's a country with export-based economy. And what is the source for supply in the US? Growing national debt?

22 hours ago, Joseph Cummings said:

Don't give them the cushy office jobs. Most of them are not needed and actually counterproductive.

Cut off the cushy office jobs, and make them do real productive work. If they don't like it they can go live in mud huts eating worms and bugs

This sounds strange to me since the economy is of supply and demand kind. So if so many folks are employed in offices someones need them. Or that. Could be a matter of burocracy sure. Here we have that but Russia's economy is mostly govnt controlled.

23 minutes ago, mowerman said:

well all this plan about american made i was just thinking,wait a minute,,,where are we ever going to find decent worker bees or leadership as discussed earlier strong leadership and employees are becoming mighty hard to find these days and yes thats a whole other story   ,,bob

So what is the reason a trouble occures finding working people? The answer is people are doing well enough having incoms they have consuming cheap Chinese goods. You can't force a man to stand a whole day near a lathe if he can spend the same time in a office chear. And if you try making lathe job attractive and offer 3 times higher wedges than for office job you would get a product 3 times more expensive than a made in China item. The solution is production of everything at home but 3 times more expensive than in the South East. This way you would just consume 3 times less of goods for your labour. Nobody wants such situation actually. And it wouldn't be achieved when the things are as they are now. To get to that you need to stop the draft of Eastern goods into the country. And that can be done by putting high border taxes. 

Looking the recent events that's exactly what I was typed above. So your distant future (I sure doubt it will come in that shape) would be less goods for more labour.

As I mentioned the approach here in Russia is similar. And you always hear plenty of talks why we don't produce locally and why there are so many Middle Asia workers employed. But those who talk don't realize they would have to pay higher costs for proper economy. On the other hand on my mind the proper economy is the way to go. And you may consume less and still do well just being efficient and not stupid. 

12 hours ago, BOBWhite said:

 What year was the RS700s introduced and about how many did they make? 

Sorry, no ready answer handy at the moment. Plety was written on the site on this matter. You may do some relaxing reading during long winter evenings or maybe some one will knock on the door in this thread. 

12 hours ago, mowerman said:

That’s why I mentioned it’s probably lotsa hands in the middle somewhere … and I heard a long time ago the japs don’t wanna work for free either I know the reason nobody wants to use them

Yup, those middle hands definitely are making big difference. And not a trouble to figure out who puts control on that section of money travel.

That Mack emblem I belive is similar to what was used on B-models.

Watts Mack used to have them in on-line store and recently they started offering plastic chrome-coated ones for some reasonable cost (about $100 if I'm not wrong).

During the years I aquired a pair from flea-bay catching good ones by chance. But they were found semi-pitted to some grade anyway.

Diesel is more special part since B's had smaller Diesel script. Those on your truck were installed on LT's and also on some 60's-70's Brockway trucks.

Just now, BOBWhite said:

How can I tell if my truck is a Hayward? Did they make RS700s in Hayward? 

Yes. They made RS/RL700 in Hayward only. Too probably they were Hayward design too. Hayward discontinued them in 1978 (1979?) when RWS/RWL Superliner came to the scene. Production of RS600 continued and after closing Hayward (in 1980-82 time frame, don't remember) was removed to Macungie. So RS600 could be both produced at West and East coasts but 700's were Hayward built trucks only. 

28 minutes ago, Geoff Weeks said:

Good eyes, Vlad!

Yes it is the Neway ARDAB (piece of C$%p) suspension and the reason the Marmon was parked. It needs new bushings, the plan was to replace with a Hendrickson Air clone (IHC air ride) I had.

Health issues meant it never got done, and I suspect whoever ends up with my Marmon when I sell will want to put another suspension of their choosing under it.

Other than the bushings, the truck is ready to roll. With the bushings out the rear suspension alignment is out, and it is hard on tires.

 I did a lot of work on the Neway before I gave up on it. Neway has NO support for this suspension and once took 18 months to get a needed bracket. The stamped steel air spring seats rot out, and Neway's answer is to replace the whole beam! I made new spring seats from structural steel and solved that problem, but it really has nothing going for it, and with the lack of support, a suspension swap just makes sense.

Very familiar situation, Geoff!

In 2014 I accuired wery good solid Mack Ultraliner. The engine was operational, good paint on the cab, good tyres. And that strange rear setup with a few issues such as eualizer beams butcher-welded and one shock went south. I was full of enthusiasm and had thought to myself I'd put a question on here and easily locate and import all needed pieces. Not difficult to guess what that turned out into. I fixed a few things over the truck just to find FR axle is bent. Could swap with another one but would need to grind off ears for normal Neway levers. Which didn't look reasonable to me so I resolved to swap everything with normal Neway set I was going to get off my R-model. After installation of a restored set onto it. 10 years passed since and the R is still needing frame rails to put revised suspensions onto along rebuilt cab, hood and a sleeper. And the MH is sitting near the front of my house in the yard having about 30 meters of total milage for the time I own it. 

Just now, BOBWhite said:

It has a vin but the door tag is gone. Before the 1980s the Vin system wasn't standardized so there isn't much besides the serial number, and each brand was different. I'll take a look at number on the frame and see if it brings any useful info. Is there a decoder or would I have to send it into the Mack museum? 

What you may find on the frame is the VIN stamping only. Or the chassis number (which I belive before 1980 and also after 1980 was VIN). BTW door tags also didn't contein engine info.

Just now, BOBWhite said:

It has a vin but the door tag is gone. Before the 1980s the Vin system wasn't standardized so there isn't much besides the serial number, and each brand was different. I'll take a look at number on the frame and see if it brings any useful info. Is there a decoder or would I have to send it into the Mack museum? 

You would have to contact the museum. There's on-line decoder but it gives general info only. Something like the production year and possibly an engine option, such as Mack, Cummins, Detroit...

I was looking for actual info on my 1988 R688 such as the original engine number etc. Asked a few dealerships in the US (personally) and ended up getting essential info from the Museum guys.

This truck was up for sale about a decade ago. Zoom in the pic and you can see where to look at for the VIN. That's RS600 not RS700 but also Hayward production.

And Happy Easter to you!

This year this is the same date for both Catholic and Orthodox celebration.