Rob

Truck is an FLC series with setback front axle. Don't really know much about that brand myself but they've removed quite a bit of the items that will be in the way, or to be salvaged for reuse later on other trucks. They were supposed to remove the polished fuel tanks from the donor this afternoon but I don't know if that got done or not. No power in the field where that chassis is stored and it was a busy day for all parties. I looked at the receiver truck and decided where I'm going to slice it and we'll make the donor the same length to reuse the existing driveline to save a few $$$. Wanting to actually have the donor cut on site before splitting the receiver apart because once I start, I won't stop till it's back together.

Most of the intake and exhaust valves were found to be far too thin in margin from a prior regrind to reuse and the guides were very loose. The machine shop has a cylinder head vendor he uses as the belief is this set should have not been sold as rebuilt without extensive parts replacement they did not get. The original vendor has shot themselves in the foot over this deal it's been stated. Cylinder walls really don't look bad. Crosshatching is still evident and I've seen much smoother/shiney walls in other engines that did not consume oil at the rate this one was. Our thinking is another set of cylinder heads will put this problem to bed. I did order a cylinder leakdown tester and adapter to fit the Cummins "Big Cam" engines. That test is done the same as we've done aircraft engines for years using clean shop air. My existing compression tester adapters will go with this unit and be utilized both ways for the compression, and cylinder leakdown checks. Appreciate the help.

Talked to the gent last evening and he is sending it. I mentioned a "timer" and there is one included which was an option. From my gathering it was a different control panel. Once here, I'll figure out where to mount the unit. The truck is not going to stay a water tanker much longer but a different purpose is envisioned. More on that later. Thanks,

Thanks for the response Tim. Pan looks good and a nice combination of both hand, and machine work. Hope and it should serve you well.

We lost a LOT of our parking spots in commercial parking lots along the cruising "strip" in the 70's because of garbage being strewn about once people were finished with their beer, McDonalds, or even rubbers, (condoms for the younger set) in the parking lot(s).

Really should be pretty routine once the donor chassis cutoff is on site. That shop does a lot of roll-off repair for a local service and I get involved when a truck is physically cracked, busted, or they want to modify something. As you know that is brutal duty on a chassis. With some of those trucks I don't know how they don't have DOT problems. This Freightliner will be setup with a mechanical driveline to power a pump mounted on an anhydrous tanker which they haul a lot of that product. The truck being a day cab will do fill in work and be run only locally to remove the Western Star from the dirty work. They do spend a lot of time washing and polishing their trucks and trailers which are heavily chrome laden. Not by any means gawdy, but kept very clean. Weld tab guides and a forklift along with jacks should make it slip together pretty easily.

I don't think it out of line either but it would only bring what the market would bear. No one else must have bid from my earlier posting when the dollar amount was at the sale amount? I thought it would bring another 20%-25% given the following they seem to have.

Damn! Only beat me by $11,249.00. I was robbed!!!!! Actually it would be nice to know the future plans for the truck as there aren't too many left out there.

Buddy down the street has an 87 Freightliner something conventional he is bringing back into service as a backup truck for local use. It is a daycab, (FLC)? w/3406 engine and runs very well. It's on Reyco 101 4 spring suspension with Rockwell 4.11 rears. He removed the rotted tender body, and some compromised composite xmembers today and called me over to have a look. Boy is this frame shot. Rust holes through both the top and bottom flanges with the bottom flange being paper thin for a couple of feet. A quick conference and he agrees with my assessment the truck needs rerailed from 18" rearward of the cab. I call another guy with a junk Freightliner "Classic" that scattered the Detroit engine a few years ago and tomorrow or Wednesday we are going to chop that truck up for the rear cutoff. It is on "AirLiner" air ride and the rail spacing is the same, but is just a bit taller in the rails but the same thickness which is about 10mm. Thinking this out, I'll leave a "tongue" on the existing frame rails, and cut a "cheek" recess into the donor rails with the top and bottom slipping over the top and bottom flanges for a secure mounting. Me and "Brother Hobart" have done a lot of praying over the years together and we'll do another seance starting out with "Dear Lord, give me the strength to see this repair through and allow it to hold fast". Actually, me and "Brother Hobart" have done this type of work in the past quite a bit. I think off and on about letting him go, but we've been together for 40 full years now so kind of hard although he's no longer my front line, or "main man": Still gets his exercise out in the yard however as I've not built up a running gear for "Cousin It" as of yet: "It" very well may be mounted onto the back of my B-61T and become the new "Welding Wagon". I'm working with a body builder out in Pennsylvania on an aluminum service body to go with the nice character lines of the B series. Kinda got a soft spot for both Mack, and Perkins Diesels nowadays and that machine just kinda fits the plan.

I don't have a photo Trent but the pads that mount on the underside of the hood are different for the rollers to bear against with air ride.

The receptacle socket I plug trucks into at my house is wired through a "Paragon" industrial timer. When I was running rollbacks on a schedule hauling salvage cars this receptacle "lit up" at 4:30am and the truck was good and warm by 6:00am with 1500W tank type "Universal" brand heaters. Those are what I installed on standby gensets and always got many years of service from them. Never really had problems with "Kat's" either, but seemed to prefer the "Universal" brand. Both operate on the Thermo-syphon principal so never a mechanical pump to worry about. Always installed with ball valves on both ports so they could be easily serviced without draining down a system. I could easily install the same setup on the shop but don't want the truck that close to the building as it's length puts it too close to the entry/exit door of the shop and blocks the personnel entrance. Easier to park around back but there is no power available back there yet. Here's a link to the engine heaters I preferred: http://www.engineblockheater.net/products-and-services/electric-engine-heaters/#

Never heard of them but I certainly would be interested in seeing the finished product.

I see the Chinese variants on ebay, and Amazon, and Youtube reviews, but I'd think parts support would be lacking as I never see anything about that? I don't mind the expense of a good unit as it would be a lot less work for me and open up some space if I didn't need to park next to the building to warm the truck. I've seen rebuild and tune up kits at the truck parts places for the Webasto, and Espar branded units in both the air, and coolant heaters. Not ruling anything out as I simply don't know and have no experience with any of them.

Stands to reason they don't even use products produced in their own country. Something wrong with that picture to me.

Postal regulations mandate the boxes be on a breakaway mounting. That same scenario has played out here also with a steel pipe cemented into the ground as a mount anchor and it didn't prevail in the suit that was filed. That one however involved injuries to the vehicle occupants. That being said, I know a guy out west of town where his mailbox is mounted on a 4X4 timber and not 18" from the mailbox is his newspaper box securely mounted to a locomotive crankshaft that is bolted to a cement slab.