rsmartyn

Hi Gary, Welcome to the site. I'm kinda late cause I just saw your post. Glad to hear you kept your old "B", there's nothing like them. This is a great site with some really good give and take info, glad you found us. Bob

PS: Looking foward to your photos.

Hi Tim, Remember what Dirty Harry said? "A man's got to know his limitations". Mine is getting too envolved with repairs that take too long and keep me from working my stuff to make money. So if I'm not sure of how to do a certain repair or if I need special tools or equipment to do it sometimes I bite the bullet and pay somebody who can so I can get back to work ASAP. Last time was last fall when the thru shaft went on the DM tandem dump. I was really busy working and still had the "B" to keep going so the $1,140 I paid Trenton Mack to fix it was worth it. Bob

PS: Maybe they're adjustable, the B model's front axle are and after 23 years have been adjusted once and greased alot. Bob

Hi Fireman, Thanks for the warning. It's a shame he goes by the name of a great American but a rip off artist is just that in everything else too. I've had success here in NJ in small claims court collecting debts from deadbeat homeowners, but in that case there's a house to get a lien on. Good luck and don't let this jerk make you cynical, most people are honest and decent. Just remember, the earth is round, what goes around comes around. Bob

A good friend of mine always said STP stands for "Sweet Tasting P*ssy". Personally, I run the 80w 90 Bulldog gear lube in mine year round. If its good enough for factory fill, its good enough for me.

Hi HK, I run the same 80w 90 as you in both trucks and have not had any problems. And Freight, I hope your triplex is okay, Macks have the quietest transmissions of any truck I've ever driven (hypoid gears I guess). Bob

Hey Packer, Somebody told me that STP stands for screw the public, is that true? Bob

Regarding that top photo; While I appreciate the skill, craftsmanship, artistry, & hard work it must have taken to create this "masterpiece", I can only say that I wish the "artist" would have expressed himself in a different way, rather than this waste of a perfectly good B model. IMHO, B models & Mack trucks in general do not need this type of "cosmetic surgery" to be attractive. A nicely restored , stock appearing B model is much prettier than this abomination. It almost borders on blasphemy to do that to a Mack! Just my opinion.

HK, Your opinion mirrors mine. Trucks are made to work and make money so although it took alot of imagination and work to do that to a B model, my "Baby Skiddle" still looks better to me. Bob

Hi,

I have got my new prize home and started scrapeing off the greese and crud and finding numbers on the engine, trans, and axles. The engine is a NH220L cummins, the trans is a 15 speed triplex, the front axle is a 9500# with no brakes, any ways the rear tandem is not Mack it is a timken worm drive with power divider, 7.45 : 1 ratio, Is this factory?? it looks like it belongs there and also it needs some work on the bushings and rods that center it in the truck, where do you get such parts?? I never seen a old mack with anyting other than a mack rear. I have sent in to the museum for the info but that will take some time to here back from them. the truck was from montana, It has a jake brake and a exhaust brake, Let me know what you think

Fred

Hi Fred, This is an old post so you've probably gotten the info from the archive folks by now. It's quite possible that Timken worm drive is original especially with a Cummins. My B61T has an Eaton 40,000# split rear, the only one like it according to the archive folks so it seems that back then whatever the customer wanted, he got no matter how weird it was. And some pictures would be nice. Bob

Hi Mike, Welcome and it's hardly fitting for someone who bought a 1964 B87 new and still has the truck to be called a "rookie". I'm sure the title won't last for long. This is a great site with a lot of info that I'm sure you'll enjoy and I'll bet you can add a lot to. Bob

Ok I my Suoerliner is just about ready for the road,1989 E 9 440 hp.I was going to use it for a back up truck,problem is it came out to nice to use once in a while.Truck is real tight,drop the pan on the motor rods and mains look new,I got the truck from the 2nd owner,so I have some of the history,truck never left Texas,shows 490,000 miles,might be,might not,sure looks like it the real milage.I want to run it everday,I run about 7,500 miles a month,run in a 200 mile area of Oklahoma,pull a flatbed,loaded one way,come back empty.How reliable is the E 9?,I want to sell my 2006 Western star,and run the Mack.No problems with the star,just want to drive a real truck again.I haul under contract to one customer,so reliabilty is a real big concern to me.

Anybody who would rather drive a 17 year old Mack over a new Western Star deserves the name Mack Man and is alright in my book. Sounds like you know what a "real truck" truely is. Bob

I aint no queer, but I think the truck is more attractive, with substance

Rob

And that truck'll never let you down or take you to the cleaners. Bob

In order for that to happen, they'd have to call it the Volvo homestead!!!!!!!!!

Hey HK, As long as they don't put that silly name on our beloved dogs cause it's scary enough to see it at the dealerships. Remember when they put it on White's, GMC's and worst of all Awfulcars? Bob

Hey Barry, I'd have to agree that she's a Jersey girl. Bob

I put all new flex lines on my truck from the get go. Most looked pretty old and I didn't want the same demise somewhere on a dark road! I did miss an oil line and it blew on the way to track one day. Lordy what a mess that was....all down the sides of the truck and trailer..>YUK!

Borrowed some line from track owner to patch it up and then put new on it when I got home.

I've already put a separate fuel/water separator on truck to help out(screw on type).

I've always wondered about my inj pump also. Everything looks pretty original, including all the steel lines and I've wondered about doing a PM on it and just get it all redone to eliminate chances? But it runs so well, I hate to screw with it.

Hi Freight, I know what you mean, my little 450C JD dozer ran great until the dealer insisted the injection pump had to be entirely rebuilt when it only had a minor internal leak. Now it's been screwed up ever since so Packer is right when he said (I think) " If it ain't broke, fix it until it is." Anyway, another good story about "Baby" happened about 15 years ago. I put some bad fuel in the tank and knew it when the filters clogged stranding me on the road. At the time I had a cast on my left arm covering my hand to the elbow (lots of fun driving a "B" like that) and I had no one to call for help. I put a garbage bag over the cast, took off both filters (original can type) and banged the elements on the curb. Put them back together, primed her up and you guessed it, she fired right up and ran all the way home without a problem. Nothing like a B model Bob

Enjoyed the pics Doug, thanks. It would be nice to see that place restored since the truck those two boys started had so much to do with building this country and defending it in time of war. Bob

Hey CF, Thanks for the link. I showed it to my wife so she won't complain about all the stuff I've got laying around here. Wow, one guy owned all that but not enough Macks. They got their wires crossed on that B model block truck though, not a '69 since '65 was the end of an era. Bob

Fine lookin' hook you've got there Barry. What's the specs on the rear axle? I worked for a towing outfit years ago and know that there's a formula for the distance from the axle to the hook divided by or something by the cab to axle distance by something else that equalled the weight a wrecker could carry. The single axles could carry more but the tandems could stop better with that extra brake axle. Anyway that's a fine lookin' hook that I'll bet can handle a serious load. Bob

How many of you guys can relate to the title of this topic? I've owned Baby Skiddle (my B61T) for 23 years now and the only time I couldn't make it home was from the accident I had that's in the photo album (actually then when everything stopped and before I saw the damage I was wonderin' how I was gonna back out of those trees). Baby's got her original END673 with an APE injection pump that hasn't been touched since I've owned it, the only thing ever changed have been fuel filters and injector lines. Two weeks ago at low rpm (which is where that truck blows newer higher HP trucks out of the water) she was running rough but would clear up at a faster engine speed. It didn't seem like fuel filters but since that's the fastest cheapest easiest thing to do, I did but no change. Then I went to NJ's annual smoke inspection which Baby passed as always but this time still sputtin' & spittin'. Well, I resigned myself to the thought that after 23 years of faithful service it's probably time for that injection pump & injectors to be rebuilt. Looking under the hood I thought, Wow those fuel lines really look sad and are probably the originals. The original Purolator brass fuel strainer is still hooked up so I decided to put on a new Wix water separator and replace those old Stratoflex fuel lines. Well you guessed it, as I pulled the line that crosses the front of the engine between the strainer and the manual pump it fell apart in my hands. How did this engine still run much less pull a load down the road? With new fuel lines and a new water separator Baby is running as good as ever. I'll bet there's plenty of you guys out there who earn a living with Macks who can relate and I'm sure can add to this topic. Bob

hi, i am the new kid on the block i love old internationals and ford truck

How about old :mack1:s ?

A whole lotta older trucks and construction equipment get exported and are still working as these great pictures show. Without as many dealerships and parts suppliers as in the US it's a real testimony to to see them still makin' money.

Okay, true story time again. Going early one morning to the asphalt plant for a load with the DM tandem dump after I crossed a state highway, here comes an empty NY commuter bus on my right through a stop sign. Baboom, right into the dump body at the foward tandem. For a change nothing happened to me but the front of the bus was smashed to hell, most of it laying on the ground. I asked the driver what the _______ was that and his reply was "NO can stop, no can stop" which was the best English he had to offer. When the police got there they were relieved to see no one hurt especially after the call was for a dump truck bus accident. It was pretty obvious to them what happened but they asked for my story which I offered. Then I told him my dog Shell, who was sitting right there in the buddy seat saw the whole thing to which he replied, "Yeah but is she gonna tell me the truth". Then the NJ Transit wrecker driver wanted to hook up to the bus by backing it up. The cop told him wait a minute, the driver said there weren't any brakes. The wrecker driver said that there wasn't a damn thing wrong with the bus and gave a rather colorful description of the driver. Then he handed the cop an 8x8 block and told him to throw it behind the tire if he couldn't stop. The cop told him where he could stuff his block. Anyway the whole thing was cleaned up in less than an hour and off I drove with no damage and no ticket for a ch ange. Bob

A great mentor to me said that if you lay down with dogs you're gonna get up with fleas. Seems best for us adults to set the example, don't just say it, live it. And Trent, you sure are right by saying stay busy, get interested in something (for me fishing) and strive to be good at it. It sure is tougher for you younger guys now. In the 60's and 70's the drug culture was there and I lost several friends died young but nothing like today. Mackmoney1, your parents should be proud as they can be of you for makin' something of that old DM and yourself at the same time. Now don't get me wrong, I wasn't any alter boy then or now but to waste my life with drugs or booze, no way. Too much fun to have when you're straight. Bob

Guys, remember one thing: the earth is round, what goes around comes around. Been in business 23 years and rarely have been screwed but when I have been, I wouldn't want to be in their shoes cause it's gonna come around. And boy is HotRod right, we wouldn't think of taking possession until we paid. Bob

I wonder if any of you guys have a problem like this:

My wife (who dislikes my Mack trucks) and who has stood by me through good and bad times, who has helped me plan and build my first auto body shop, and was there to help erect the new 12,000 sq. ft shop, has recently discovered through our life insurance agent that I'm now worth more dead than alive!! Although she has threatened to kill me for 20+ years, I now have a little more to be concerned with knowing she is "armed" with this information. I wonder how I will sleep tonight.......

Rob

You better sleep with one eye open , boy a woman who dislikes Macks and knows your worth more dead than alive, I hope you've got some kids to tip the scale in your favor. Bob

Around here in NJ almost every town have signs restricting Jake or engine brake use, has that been happening in the rest of the country? I figure it's from all the juveniles with their straight stacks blasting the Jake 3 in the morning empty or loaded, it doesn't matter to them. I'll bet they were the ones with all the baseball cards flappin' their bicycle tire spokes when they were kids. Funny thing though is that my DM has it's factory exhaust system and I've never heard a complaint about Dynatard noise in the restricted zones or anywhere 'cause you can't hardly hear it.

Hey guys I got pulled over last year in NY and I was empty and the truck was only three years old. It was a freightliner though. The cop passed by me and whipped it around stopped me and asked if I knew why he was stopping me....I said no sir and he said as soon as I saw you were driving a new freightliner I knew I had you. He said freightliner uses braided air hose and I bet they'll leak. I didn't believe him and he was right. He had me step on the brakes and both left and right front leaked ever so lightly...it leaked around the fitting where it was crimped. He said every freightliner he stopped had the same problem and 432.00 dollars later and 4 hours of my time I was back on the road. Freightliner said they've never had any problems with the braided hose and would not pay the bill or the ticket,Tim

So Tim, the moral of that story seems to be our old Macks (loaded) are better than a new Freightliner (empty). Bob