FirstEliminator

Last year I bought a 7041 from White & Bradstreet truck salvage in Maine for $400.

Hey guys, Looking to move a 79 Ford p/u crew cab ---just the cab with the front doors, from Arcadia, KS to North Adams, MA. It's a 23 hour trip. I have a freight account, but not sure if I trust a trucking company to shuffle this around without damaging it. Not sure if the seller has a time frame on moving the cab. Let me know if anyone has space going in my direction. contact FirstEliminator at AOL dot com or w---413-663-3336 m-f 8-6+ thanks, Mark

I see he has a B-83 on there. Strange, he spelled the city name wrong. It should be Northampton, not North Hampton. I've found that if you search western mass CL using only the city the way he spells it, a bunch of his stuff comes up. Found another B-81, plus other stuff that is definitely his. Generators, carts---lot of scrap yard type stuff---interesting stuff.

Thanks guys. Looks like triple frame. Not sure of the ratios. The engine is a naturally aspirated 673. Hmmmmm, I'm not quite ready for a cement truck. This truck was at a show in PA? The seller didn't mention that. He did say he's had it for about 3 years, got it out of Connecticut. The seller was quite a Mack fanatic himself. There were a bunch of B and R models----at least a dozen.

Well, I'd better watch Larry's twin-stick shifting video a bunch of times. Here's what I bought today:

Hi BC, If I find a successful means of doing this, it probably would be something I'd try to promote for work at my shop. I'm sure there would be people interested as it has been a complaint of 4104 owners. hi Mark, Smaller tires would help a little bit. But, it'd be a direct trade off of top-end which is currently 65. Oh, the 7041 aux-box showed up on Wednesday. It's slightly smaller than the 8341 aux in my Brockway. Gosh, if it can fit at all, it's going to be tight. One thing I will have to do is measure the rise and fall of the rear suspension to determine driveshaft length before I reach the reasonable limit of u-joint angle. Do they make a double-cardan U-joint for the size of the u-joints in my bus? Drive shaft angle may be distorted in one way or another where a double-cardan may help----if they make one that size. thanks, Mark Berkshire Transmissions North Adams, Massachusetts

I've bought a Spicer 7041 and it should be here in a few days. The aux will be measured, inspected and mocked up to see how, if possibly that it cam be crammed in the bus. If not, there is a 1970 Ford C-800 parts truck with a 2 speed rear at my shop. As much as I love the old C series Fords, it might be time to take it apart. Perhaps the internals of the Eaton 2 speed rear can be made to fit in the bus 3rd member? Despite owning a transmission shop, I've never seen the inside of a 2 speed rear. GM should have made a 2 speed rear for these buses......they really need it. And yes, a high 1st gear is a very popular topic on the bus forums. No matter which method I try, there is going to be a bunch of machining to make it work. That will be half the fun.

Hey Larry!!! Surprised I don't have any pictures than the seller's for sale pictures that I saved. My Brockway has an air shifted P-8341-D which has a 2.40:1 Lo-Lo. I've had no problems shifting it from Lo-Lo to UD. Worst case scenario is if it won't shift out of 1st--Lo-Lo, I can shift the main up to 4th while in Lo-Lo to crest a hill. The 1st/OD ratio is between 2nd and 3rd. Either way, there'd be 16 speeds to choose from. Hi BC, I was a member of the busgreasemonkey forum. I didn't post enough and I think I lost access. I already had several threads running on busnut. I have a few ideas on making this work, but really need to get the bus and a Spicer 7014 in hand to form a plan. I found a few 7014's that were cheap enough to take a gamble on seeing if it fits. High first gear seems to be a common complaint. A 4 speed aux-box would be perfect for this application. It would be great for reversing too. I'm not too worried about putting in more work than the bus is worth. It's a hobby, so funneling away money regardless of resale price is an accepted fact. Adding this aux-box is a desire that is turning into a mission. Time will tell. thanks, Mark

Looking at the available space, a married box might be the only way to go.

Hey guys, Here is an idea I'm beginning to ponder, but not finding many answers on the internet for specs to help me determine what I can go with. The vehicle is a 1957 GM 4104 bus----like an old Greyhound. It has a 6-71 inline and a 4 speed Spicer. I like the manual, but 1st gear is so high. It's nearly impossible to start on a hill. In a bus forum I belong to I heard some later bus transmissions in 70's were 5 and 6 speed. But, I don't know what is entailed in swapping one of those in place of the 4. I was thinking about what could be done then realized my 71 Brockway 361 is a 5 speed with a Spicer 8341 air shifted 4 speed aux-box. Here are some of the questions I am trying to find answers to: Through my searching I've noticed there are both 3 and 4 speed auxiliary boxes. There is no need to go with a 4 in the bus. Plus, space for adding an aux-box is going to be tight. Not sure if space is an insurmountable problem. So, I am hoping the 3 speed is short enough to fit with enough driveshaft length left to accommodate the suspension travel. What are the torque capacities of the Spicer 6231, 7231 and 8031? I did find the the specs of the 5831 are 275 torque and 150 hp. The 8031 might be a bit big for the bus. Which makes it look like either the 6231 or 7231 might be appropriately sized. Realizing that part of Spicer's model number denotes torque capacity, I would think a 7231 would be best suited to the 7141 trans that is in the bus. Are either of the 6231 or 7231 available as an air shifted unit or can air shifting be adapted to a manual unit? Two stick trucks are awesome. Although, mounting the air switch and running air lines would be way easier than figuring out how to fabricate linkage to go back 35 feet. What are the lengths of these? The drive shaft in the bus isn't very long and I am not sure how much room there actually is. As for ratios, I would prefer something with an underdrive of 2.00:1. I have seen the UD listed in the 5831 specs with 2.35, 2.00 and 1.27 available. Since I am only using this UD to get the bus moving and don't plan to split every gear, the small ratio drop probably wouldn't be worth the effort. Plus, it looks like I can overdrive one gear down in the trans to split for climbing a hill. Any recommendations or advice would be great. thanks, Mark

Hey guys, Guess I won't be picking up this trailer as when I called back to make an offer it had just been sold. Thanks for the replies. LARRY! hey, it's been a while. At the speed my bucket truck moves, it'd take a good week to get to you. At 4 mpg, you could probably save by hiring the most expensive tree cutters in town. My friend Paul that was with me when I stopped by a couple years ago was just in your area. He picked up a 72 Chevelle 454, 4 spd.

Thanks for the replies. It was mentioned to me on the Brockway forum that Texas can issue different permits. One of them is called a "One Trip Permit". No insurance is needed on a trailer. No load can be carried on the trailer. This permit can be used as long as the trip originates or terminates in TX. By golly, this permit costs a whopping 5 dollars.

Hey guys, I am looking at buying a 53' Landoll 660B trailer that is down in Texas. I live in Massachusetts. The trailer is not registered. The lights and brakes work. Any ideas on how to move it to Massachusetts? I posted on U-ship, but had no replies so far. thanks, Mark w 413-663-3336 m-f 8-6 est FirstEliminator@aol.com

Well, it might be a different truck. Unless he changed the tires, mirrors and the fuel tank.. Mark

Looks like this one that was one Craigslist last month: I wrote the seller an e-mail telling him I thought it was a cool looking truck. But, I didn't get a reply. Some guys don't like penpals with no money to buy their stuff. Mark

Hey guys, what is the year and model of the Blue Mack in reply number 6? Is that an LTL? That thing is AWESOME. I'd like to find out what exactly it is so I can keep my eye out for one someday. thanks, Mark 57 B-42-P 58 B-42-T

Hey Paul, Thanks for the advice. Well, I ended up going out to Toledo with a radiator and got the truck going. I actually ended up making it all the way back to Massachusetts. With this bucket truck, top speed is about 55. However, the slightest grade puts it down in the 30's. Some hills we were doing 10 mph----which sucked. So, a 12 hour drive took 20 hours. Anyway, the truck is home. Mark

Hey guys, Still in need of moving this bucket truck. Any recommendations on who to call? thanks, Mark Berkshire Transmissions North Adams, Massachusetts 413-663-3336

Hey guys, There is kind a long story about me buying a bucket truck 750 miles away from where I live. Well, after 3 attempts of trying to drive the truck home unsucessfully I think it is time to look into having the truck hauled. The truck is: 1975 Ford C-700 tilt cab. 12'4" high 23' long GVW is 28,000 (not sure of actual weight) The truck does run and drive. The truck has an overheating problem limiting speed to 38 miles per hour on a cool night. Any faster and the temp gauge keep climbing. The truck is actually in Ottawa Lake, MI which is just over the state line from Toledo, Ohio. I live in North Adams, Massachusetts. The approximate distance is 650 miles. Give Mark (me) a call at 413-663-3336 between 8-5 Monday-Friday. Or, you can try my cel at 413-326-2921. Here is a pic of the truck to be hauled: thanks, Mark

Hey Thanks, Hopefully when I get all the parts to tune up the truck it will run decent. thanks, Mark '58 B-42

Hey Larry, That would be great. I should be coming through soon as I am making plans to pick up that Ford C-700 Bucket Truck in Michigan. Mark '58 B-42

Hey guys, My B-42 definitely needs a tune-up. I need the ignition timing specs for the EN401 engine. thanks, Mark 58 B-42

Well, I was finally able to pick up the Mack. I made it down there yesterday to pick up the truck. It took a little while to get it started. The exhaust pipe in the truck was perforated from rust---so, it had a nice loud exhaust leak and with the leak--a nice reduction in torque. The engine seemed to be running on 4 or 5 cylinders. I was hoping it would clear up. But, it did not run very well. Couldn't keep it idling. The carb definitely needs to be gone through. We made it out on the road. The truck was managing along, then all of a sudden I hit a bump and it wanted to die. Not sure what happened, but I had to pull the choke knob and couldn't take my hand off it. Had to have the knob all the way out. Then it finally died on the side of the highway. I was looking around under the hood and the tube that goes from the firewall to the carb was collapsed, so I took the tube off. Also, I realized that the switch for the fuel tanks was on the floor and that the switch on the dash must be only for the fuel gauge---which didn't work anyway. The speedometer didn't work either. Thinking the carb was run dry I had to prime it with gas. I had no tools with me. There was a rag in the truck that I used to hang down in the gas tank to saturate in some fuel and ring out in the carb. The truck started right up and idled with no choke. I am not really sure what had changed about needing the choke as both tanks had gas in them. Unless that bump caused a fuel pick-up tube to fall off or something. We got back on the road and my girlfriend was following me in my 68 Monterey. Well, the Monterey blew a tire. I had a spare, but it was flat. Had to make a call to AAA. They sent out a tow truck and towed the car back to their shop to put air in the spare. Again, we were back on the road. Made it pretty far. Decided to take a back road. The back road was quite bumpy and I think the rest of the exhaust fell apart. It was really loud and made tons of backfires while coasting downhill. I made it to just one town south of me and ended up behind a cop car. The truck stalled out. Yes, I have a tag on the truck, but I don't have a CDL. Luckily he didn't pay much attention to me. I managed to restart the truck, but it was running really bad. Had to keep playing with the choke again and pedaling the throttle to keep it running. Wouldn't go any faster than 30. As I was coming down the home stretch, I believe it started running out of gas. I kept it going and pulled into the yard at the transmission shop and backed into a space. There I left it. I was happy that trip was over. I had such a headache from all the noise. I felt like I needed to have 4 wisdom teeth pulled again. Oh, plus, the wipers on the truck didn't work and yes, it was raining. Now, I have nothing against the guy who sold me the truck. He did tell me he hadn't driven the truck in a long time other than just around the yard---and that was a year ago. So, it was my risk to take it over the road. I think the truck will run o-k once it has a tune up. Glad to have it home. Mark 58 B-42 P.S. Man, the seat in that B is nothing to write home about. Unless, you live with a chiropractor.

Hey Guys, Well, I have been lurking around here for a few months as a non-truck owner. Yesterday, I purchased a 1958 Mack B-42 single axle. It is still a gasser, but the guy is giving me a bunch of parts with the truck to be able to swap in a diesel. The body on the truck is really solid, everything about the truck is in pretty good shape--despite a few oil leaks and a rust hole in the exhaust pipe. The truck has a duplex trans---not sure if it has overdrive. I didn't check the rear ratio either, but the seller said he had it up to 50mph. The truck was on e-bay and had ended up with no bids. I wanted to look at the truck before I would have placed a bid, but couldn't make it down there before the auction ended. Here is the e-bay auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...TRK%3AMEWA%3AIT Unfortunately, I couldn't bring the truck home yet for the reason I had no tag to put on it and to tow it two hours would probably be more then I want to spend. I had applied for a "repair tag" at my shop. I can put this tag on (almost) any vehicle and legally drive it . So hopefully the tag arrives within a few weeks then I can bring home the little B. Originally, I was looking for a Mack B wrecker. But, they always seemed to be overpriced and the wrecker bodys were way outdated. My plans for the truck are to put a newer wrecker body on the back. The type of wrecker body with the under-reach wheel lift. Then I would have the coolest tow truck in town. Not that I really need a lot of towing done at the shop. But, everyone seems to notice a Mack B and it would be good advertising. I don't plan on driving this truck in the winter. When the roads are covered in salt, someone else can tow in a vehicle. Mark 70 XR-7 460 C-6 69 SS 351c 2v AOD 70 XR-7 conv 351c 4v FMX 69 Sunroof Eliminator 351w 4v FMX 69 XR-7 390 4v C-6 68 Monterey fastback 390 4v C-6 68 Monterey conv 390 4v C-6 58 Monterey Phaeton Sedan 383 Merc-O 58 Parklane Phaeton Coupe 430 Multi-D 78 Bronco Ranger XLT TS 351m C-6 78 F-150 Ranger Lariat 460 C-6 79 Bronco Custom 351m C-6 75 C-700 Bucket Truck 330 AT-540 58 Mack B-42 EN401 Duplex p.s. when I said I was a non truck owner yet list the Ford C-700 in my signiture, it is because I am still waiting on the repair-tag to pick that truck up too----geez louise.

Do you guys think I would need to do an engine swap to something later to comfortably pull a 42,500 lb trailer? What are the different engines that I could swap into a B-61? Any recomendations on what would be the best engine to go with? Mark