DCR

I have a 1958 B61T with a FA 505 front axle and am in need of king pins. Can anyone give me part numbers and/or where I can purchase them. Thanks. Denny

How safe is it to buy a truck that has sat for 15 years? I am referring to the R Model that is listed on Ebay. I am no mechanic but I would think that all rubber, tires, hoses, air springs, fuel lines, brake lines, air chambers, etc. would have to be replaced due to dry rot and rust. Also, what condition can the drive train be in after not being driven for 15 years? Would the engine, tranny and rear end have to be rebuilt/replaced? These are just the natural deterioration of the components. Then you have the critters that have called it home for that period of time. When I bought my B Model a lot of these items had already been replaced/repaired but it is a 1958 vs a 1972 and it had been used as a part-time working dump truck.

Just drove by Strimbu Trucking, Brookfield, OH and they have three Reinke flatbed trailers out front with a For Sale sign on them. Strumbu is a local steel hauler. Have no other info on trailers. The 'phone number listed is 330-507-2135. Denny

Congratulations to all. Denny

Sorry for my delay in responding. I found a new glove box from Lancaster County Upholstery in Lancaster, PA and since I will be in the area next week I will pick it up then. As for the lock, I have called All Macks and Kevin does have them available but am waiting for a return phone call for price. I checked on eBay and found one. I have never bought anything and had to register and got totally frustrated with the process. I'll have to get my 13 year old granddaughter to assist me. That means do it for me. I have the old lock. Can they be rebuilt? Thanks for the several replies to my SOS. Denny

I'm having my bus worked on at Elite Coach in Ephrata on Tuesday. Hopefully it will only take a day and I'll be Boyertown Tuesday evening staying at Camp Walmart. I will call you after I get into town. Denny

I am in need of a glove box door latch and the glove box for my 1958 B Model. Does anyone have these items for sale or can tell me where to purchase them? Watts Mack does not have the latches anymore. Thanks. Denny

Michael We will be in Boyertown about April 12 for a few days and will take you up on your offer. I use to work for Boyertown Casket Co and will be there visiting friends. Denny

I too have seen Dennis' truck; it is beautiful and unique. I believe it was built on a Ford 350 pickup chassis that was wrecked but the construction method can be done on any long wheel base truck. Dennis is very proud of it and will be glad to tell you about it. Denny

Thanks. I hope to be there. Denny

I have always been interested in trucks and equipment since I was a kid growing up in my father's gas station and always fond of the B Model Macks. I have a Cat skid steer and mini excavator that I use around my property or to help out family members and friends and had a Ford dump to pull them. I recently sold the Ford and bought the 1958 B61 that had been converted to a dump. I am not the typical stereotype funeral director. My everyday driver is a Ford 350 King Ranch pickup not a Cadillac or Lincoln. So the Mack fits right in. I do use the Caddy to lead the procession. Denny

As a fairly new member on this site I have really enjoyed the great humor that is present. But now I am going to get serious and climb on my soap box. I have been in the funeral industry nearly my entire life from working at two funeral homes while going to college to having my own funeral home for over 20 years. This ranges in age from 18 to my present age of 63. Age is no respecter of death and it can come at any time. I urge everyone to be prepared for the time by having an Estate Plan in effect. This can include such items as a trust, will, power of attorney, durable power of attorney for health care, living will, joint survivorship on property deeds and many other items. I have seen so many families that have not been prepared and it puts such a burden on the family at a time when stress and emotions are already at very high levels. Also, at this time we acquire a new family member, Uncle Sam, who has his hand out for State and Federal death taxes. Many of these taxes can be avoided or greatly reduced by proper estate planning. Many times businesses or assets have to be sold to pay these debts rather than leaving them for family members. The above items are just a small part of proper estate planning. OK. I just stepped down off of my soap box and apologize in advance if I offended anyone by talking about this sensitive subject that is often neglected until it is too late. On the lighter side, we recently had the funeral of the oldest Taco Bell employee in Ohio. He was 85 years old and worked part time. His family requested that we take the funeral procession through the drive thru, which is where he worked, on the was to the cemetery. We did it and you should have seen the faces on the lunch hour crowd that was there. Denny

Thanks Rob. Will do.

On one of the photos that I was looking at on this site, there was a B Model pulling a trailer with a casket on it. It looks like this may be part of a funeral procession. Being a funeral director and funeral home owner, this caught my attention. Can anyone give me the details? Just curious. Over the years we have had fire trucks carry caskets and on one funeral the deceased's pickup truck was used to carry his casket to the cemetery. Thanks. Denny

Thanks for the help. I checked Watts website and they carry them. Will order today Denny

My generator problem is solved. I pulled the generator and took it to a local electrical shop for testing. They cleaned it and then tested it and said it was good. I reinstalled it thinking that I had some other problem, started the truck and the amp gauge was showing around 30 at 1500 RPM with all the lights and heater on. Thanks for all the help on this issue. Now on to my next item - getting heat in the truck. The heavy paper/cardboard defroster diffuser is shot. What little warm air I am getting is being dumped into the dash and never reaches the windshield. What have others used to replace this unit? Where can I find a replacement? Denny

Rob When it stalled I was coming to a stop for a traffic light or making a sharp right turn. It was my fault. But the engine would not turn over due to batteries. Jump batteries and started right up. I need more seat time for shifting experience. Denny

Thanks for the replies. I can't take the truck out for a hard drive since my generator isn't generating and the truck will stall from dead batteries after about a 30 min run. Still working on that problem. I ran it today at 1500 RPM for an hour, with battery charger attached, thinking that it should heat up in that time frame. Maybe that was not enough time in 12 degree temps. Are there two motors for the heating system - one for heater and one for defrosters? When I pull the defroster switch I can hear a motor running but when I look in the heater box on the passenger side the fan motor in there is not turning with the heater switch on. When it warms up, I will pull the thermostat and replace it with a 180 degree one and see what happens. I could feel engine heat radiating from the firewall but no other heat from the heater. It is just too cold to start tearing things apart and working on it. Denny

What should the normal running temp be on a END673 engine? I have a 1958 B61 and let it run today for over an hour at 1500 RPM and the temp gauge only went to the first line past the 100 mark. I am assuming that this is the 100 degree mark. The whole time the engine was running the shutters were closed tight and I was not getting any heat from the defrosters. I am thinking that I need a new thermostat. What is the proper temp setting for the thermostat or is there something else I should look at. Thanks. Denny

A friend of mine is a PennDot sepervisor in Eastern PA and they have had a lot of problems with Mack. Denny

Weather finally is cooperating and had a chance to re-polarize generator. Nothing happened and still not charging. I will now replace generator with alternator. Can anyone tell me what to do with the generator wires and the regulator wires? Thanks. Denny

You are correct Rob. I looked in the Grainger catalog and it shows that style plug as 250 volts available in 15, 20, and 30 amps. Is this the normal block heater in a B? It seems high but what do I know. I have not pulled it yet to see if wiring is good or if it need replaces. If it is that voltage than I will have to add a circuit to the electrical box to provide for the heater. Denny

My 1958 B Model has a block heater on it but has a plug I am not familiar with. It is a three prong with the ground and two horizontal blades on it. Can anyone tell me what the electrical requirements are on this setup - 120v, 240v, Amps etc.? It is cold in NE Ohio and I want to keep the baby warm. Thanks. Denny

Rob and Leslie, Thanks for the response on my not charging post. With Christmas, cold and snow, I have not had a chance to look at it yet. I've been reading many other posts on converting to an alternator and eliminate the old technology of a generator so will do that as soon as I can. I bought the truck to use and drive and not for show so I don't have to keep everything original. Many years ago my Dad had a Model A Ford and I remember converting the brakes from rod type mechanical to hydraulic. Wasn't original but sure stopped better! I think I am also converting to a negative ground system and 12 volt starting in the future. Denny

I've been lurking on the sidelines for a couple of months trying to learn about the B Model Mack. I am now learning how much I don't know! My truck arrived yesterday, a 1958 B61T converted to a dump. When I looked at it and kicked the tires and test drove it, the truck had a problem with batteries and not starting. Jump the batteries and it would start. The first thing I did when I got it home was check the belts. They were so loose that the fan would spin freely. I replaced the belts, jumped the batteries and it started. This morning it would not start again. Jumped the batteries and it started right up. I charged the batteries. Took it for a drive to the license bureau to have the VIN number checked (non Ohio title so VIN has to be verified) and get it registered and new title work. I thought that the drive would charge the batteries. Wrong. On way back home, light changed, quick stop and stalled the engine. Yes, I am not a truck driver. Truck would not start. Jumped batteries and it started. I checked the generator and it is not showing any output. At this point do I replace/rebuild the generator or install an alternator? The existing batteries are 2 12 volt batteries. I understand the the factory setup was 4 6 volt batteries. Do I replace with two 12's or go back to the 6 volt batteries? I am calling on the brain trust for guidance as to what to do. I am sure that as I get into more items that I will have many more questions. I am still leaning my way around this site so if this post in not in the proper thread I apologize.