Rob

Wife got home from work a couple of hours after I had went to bed so I didn't get to see her at all last evening, but got an earful this morning. Seems she didn't like that I didn't leave her any Chocolate ice cream for the before bed "snack"! Well she had only left a little over a quart from the original gallon pail so what was I supposed to do besides finish it off? I mean that I had to suffer with seven "Philly Cheese Steak" sandwiches from the microwave for dinner and was not quite full yet as there was nothing else to eat. The sandwiches, the 1/2 gallon of vanilla, then the balance of her chocolate and I was in good shape for the rest of the evening. After speaking with her at work, (Brians' Burger Barge) and discovering that she was going to be late, I decided to get ready to "turn in" for the night. I then cleaned up a little, put on a fresh night shirt, installed my anti snoring devices, (small chains that hook to my nostrils and earlobes as I sweat too much for adhesive products) and laid down for a fullfilling night of rest. Well a couple of hours go by, my wife gets home, and after coming to bed decides she has lost her nose ring someplace in bed. She gets the flashlight and proceeds to look around by my head and discovers that when a light is shined into my ears, my eyelids light up!! Of course she has to have a little "fun" with this but could not find the video camera. Ultimately she wakes me to locate the camera and "stage" the discovery for others to see and enjoy. Well, tough as it was to pry myself from my self generated sweat pool of saturation, and then endure the immediate chilling to my backside from the cool air, I located the camera but it had dead batteries! We didn't have spares so back to bed I went. Incidently, we did find her nose ring tangled in my armpit hair. I did awaken about 3a.m. to take my evening "purge" but this is normal for a person my size. Trouble is, I forgot to flush the toilet, and when wife got up for hers; Well, you can guess the rest of the story...... I got less quality sleep than usual last evening. Ahhhh, all is normal at Rob's house. Rob

Hi Chris, appreciate your insight to the upcomming trip. I can look into some sort of international license although I've never heard of it. Don't think I'd want to drive a loaded truck on a road train. No experience with that much weight, length, equipment, or driving manners as a guest of country. Like when I'm troubleshooting automotive problems, I prefer to ride "shotgun", or in the passenger seat as can process more information when not having to negotiate roadways. Sure would hate to break someones livelyhood with inexperience or worse. Eleven hours on a road trip would be a short day for me so no worries. It's been a few years but I used to work, repair, and rebuild postal service Jeeps, IH Scouts, and Rambler Ambassadors over here that were rt. hand drive. It really doesn't take much time to get used to them but the other side of the road consistently may have a little "learning curve" to it. The thought of a left turn from the left lane and remain in the left lane upon completion is opposite from what happens over here. Thanks, Rob

Hey, I like it!! Superb is a perfect description! If only the rest of the world was so perfect!! Now I got to go eat a couple half gallons of ice cream for dinner as my wife will be too late at work to cook! Rob

Barry, What is the composition of the base, or parent metal of these reproduction emblems? Are they aluminum, zinc, steel, etc? Rob

Personally, I run 80 psi in the tires. 50 to 60 psi could ride better, but you could stand a chance of "bruising" a sidewall as the wall will not be as stiff in use. 100 psi with no load on the truck tends to bounce too easily, (my opinion). In a truck that is designed in later years, this is not much of a problem. The older trucks such as B model Macks, were not designed for radial tires, and have much stiffer spring rates for load carrying capacity. Of course your back pays for this in the long run! Rob

Hi Tom, the answer to your question is YES! In fact I have an Allison HT series transmission from an old Oshkosh airport crash truck. I've kinda slated that for my daughters' B-61 in the future though. She demands an automatic transmission, air conditioning, power windows, locks, cruise, etc...(keep this quiet). It is a divorced type transmission. I'm pretty sure it would handle the torque as it was powered by my D343 from the Oshkosh. I'm going to try my RTO-12513 and see if it does alright. I don't plan to be hard on it and certainly won't work it as it was designed so hopefully it won't destroy itself. Rob

Well sorry to report that I've regained some weight. Seems I can't let go of the morning breakfast of eight glazed rounds, and four glazed twists (washed down with half and half and 1/2 pot of coffee) down at the cop shop with the guys. I'm currently residing right at 325 pounds, (again). This is a real negative offset to my prior progress. My wife whom is a bit taller than I at 5'4'', is now just under 100 pounds lighter than me. Our counselor had the nerve to suggest that we cut our calorie intake in half, (like she knows what she is talking about). I asked just how I was supposed to do that and she disgustingly threw her arms into the air and left the room. I told her that a "stiff breeze" would probably blow her into the next county. This from a person whom is thin as a toothpick! I have a word of advice for you folks. Don't buy Sealy mattress products. My dear mother in law purchased a new king size set for us, (top of the line) with a lifetime warranty during the holidays last year and we are on our second warranty replacement as of this date. The bedding store states they can no longer "afford" to offer a warranty on these bedding products and that if this set fails, they will refund the money paid. They even had the gaul to suggest that their bedding products were not designed to support 500 pounds dead center but rather more widely spaced! I countered with a mattress should not remain compressed with no weight applied by almost nine inches when the person(s) get up in the morning! I know what you're probably thinking by this time. "These people need a waterbed". Well, we tried that once, a long time ago. I was crawling into bed beside my wife for a little "affection" and upon rolling over onto my elbow for some "topside" action, the mattress burst ruining the whole experience. All we could think of was "Gol-l-l-l-y, what a mess"! 2.5 inches of lakewater all over the bedroom of our trailer house at the time. This ultimately ruined the carpet and pressboard floor from rot, and swelling. There was water running down the sides of the lower skirting of the trailer that froze almost instantly as it was February as I remember. The water even ruined my favorite pair of undershorts with the big red hearts that my wife got me for St. Valentines day! I didn't know they were under the bed as I thought they had been put in the hamper. Well got to close for now. Momma has darn near got the hot dogs ready for breakfast; Only get them on Sunday morning anymore but they have always been my favorite. I did post a photo for those that don't know me in my profile. The photo is poor and taken from my enrollment in the second Weight Watchers program we attempted. It was found to be a waste of time as those people want you to STARVE! Now that I've broken my silence, you guys need to post photos of yourselves. I'm sure you've got nothing to hide as I don't. Be sure to post only your "best" photo. Rob

Mike, the reason is called "flat spotting". Older, bias tires whether nylon, rayon, or any of the materials used in that type of tire construction tend to flatten out on the underside that supports the weight of the truck for a period of time. Newer tires with radial ply construction still do this, but to a much lesser degree due to flexibility in design. Older tires of the bias construction will attempt to "round out" when used, but are never as smooth as the newer radial ply tires. One thing to note is that radial tires have more woller or squiggle when driven that some drivers took a while to get used to. There is much more flex in the sidewall and this is the leading factor. One does get used to them quickly and no truck that I know of is factory equipt with bias ply tires when sold new in this country. In fact, most if not all US manufactures of tires no longer offer new bias ply truck tires in their product lines. They can be bought, but will be produced overseas and sold in this country under a few different names. Rob

Mike, you will get a smoother, more consistent, comfortable ride with radial ply construction tires as opposed to Nylon, or bias tires. I try to run all radial tires on the truck but at a minimum, I run radials on the steer axle. Never had any problems doing this although most will say one should not. Truck tires are expensive no doubt. You don't have to go with the highest dollar set for the truck, but inexpensive Chinese junk, (Yang Foo, Double Happiness, etc..) is certainly not the best way to go either. I tend to look to spend about $300.00 per tire, (11R-22.5 size) for an easily recognizeable brand to be in the middle of the road. For a hobby truck, don't rule out purchasing a set of used tires. Rob

That's great Randy. Don't think you'll go far with that passenger side fuel tank though! You tube videos are always poor and without sound for me, but I didn't notice any smoke so I assume the truck runs well? Have fun with it. Rob

I completely missed the part where you mentioned it was a Cummins engine. Off the top of my head I thought the engine was an END510, with Lanova combustion chambers. I agree with Glenn's suggestion as the overheads did need run quite often on the older Cummins engines. Rob

You probably need to get it much hotter than it has seen in years. Can you drive with the brakes lightly dragging for short periods of time? I "hitched" my Mack tractor that had not seen a load in several years to a large field harrow and dragged it around a field for over an hour and it worked wonders on the engine. It did crack the radiator though! I think your problem is related to the fuel and probably not mechanical that won't sef correct with working the engine. Rob

Hi there, never been around an R model that had air start so I'm certainly no authority there. Only two of my R models are 12 volt start. The other is 12 volt electrics, but 24 volt starter like B models. All of the trucks have battery boxes on both sides and use four batteries in total. Rob

It is only 852 c.i.d. so not much smaller than an NTC Cummins. Don't really know what the Cummins engines of that era were rated for as I've never been around them much. I do know the Cummins, and Cat engines were not nearly as smooth running as this thing is. This engine probably would not vibrate a glass of water off the top of the blower housings. Rob

A compression check of the engine is in order. A lot can be learned from this as to overall condition of engine. Rob

You are probably correct there Trent. There were a few LT's produced that did have the H-S engines as I recall. Must be fatigue as I did not even think of them. I know better. There would be quite some value in an original LTL w/H-S power I'm sure. Supposedly, there is about 1600 or some ft. pounds of torque in my engine set up the way it is currently @ 1650rpm. I may have the governor adjusted little different to up that a little but don't have near a transmission that would take full load. I will probably find something that will handle all I can give it but since this will only be a "play truck", it is not that large of concern right now. Shop floor space is becoming a premium and I need to move some stuff to make room. Rob

Hi Grant, most R model Mack trucks had batteries on both sides of the trucks. A total of four usually. Rob

Let me do some research for you Grant. How much of a hurry are you in? Have friends sending sawmill equipment to OZ later in the year and parts could "hitch a ride" in the container. I'll try to find out more information as to port etc. I'm sure the guys that purchased the mill would have no problem mailing the parts to you once there. I purchased a couple of new OEM roof skins and have had the gutters made for much less money than you mention, (even after the conversion). Rob

G' Day Mate! I would not be any type of authority on the Hall-Scott engines at all. Never laid eyes on one that is in a truck but have seen them in boats, and static displays. The LTL truck you mention: Is this a "Louisville" Ford type truck? I don't think the HS engines were around when they came out, but am not really sure. Rob

Hi Grant, we do not have any itinerary scheduled as of yet. I really don't know the geography of the country but we are open to any discussion. As the time draws nearer, we will get into specific details. I'm not against renting an automobile and flying from state to state but really don't mind driving either. Whenever we go someplace, I always do the driving extensively. Thanks, Rob

Hi Grant, what I'm actually evaluating is staying three days in each area, and traveling the balance from point to point. We won't really have a schedule to adhere to, but want to take as much in as possible. Rob

Hi Herb, never had a load on this truck, (tractor) other than the one semi trailer and that was on flat roads but I can see that being a delimma. Ever seen one start to slip only under power through a turn while loaded to the point the truck stops? Rob

Well, as some or most of you know I have this here 12V-71T engine sitting on my shop floor without a home. Tonight I took the first steps at getting it ready for installation into a truck. I will start the story from the beginning: First off, this engine had been part of my workload, (standby power generation) at the federal job for the past 21 years. This engine, along with several others, has always had good maintenance practices, (by myself) with the oil changed bi-annually, or every 200 running hours. Along with oil changes, coolant is changed also. In February 2005, the decision was made to replace this engine due to age and importance to air traffic control operations in this area, and a contract was let out for replacement/upgrade. This replacement was performed in early July, 2006. I elected to retain this engine for my personal use for future installation into a truck, circumventing the disposal process, (legally). As this is an industrial engine rated for standby power generation and set to operate at one of two speeds, 0 rpm, or 1800rpm, I would need a new governor assembly, governor housing for the front blower, flywheel housing, flywheel etc. to facilitate fitment into a truck chassis. I discovered it much less expensive to purchase a complete engine with a limiting speed governor, and an S.A.E. #1 flywheel housing with all ancillary items as opposed to purchasing separate parts individually. With ebay to the rescue, I purchased a good running 8V-71 engine from an IH firetruck, (supposedly) and worked with several members of this board to get it to my shop. Now that I had most things that would be needed, I did not have a chassis to support the endeavor, so off to the next chapter. In mid September 2006, a good friend and fellow member of this board calls me and states that a guy wants to sell an RL-700 series Mack tractor as he is keeping the engine for another project. This is just the ticket that I'm looking for. Upon reaching an agreement for the balance, and agreeing to pulling the engine at my shop we set out to Paducah, KY to retrieve the tractor. It is a little "rougher" than I was lead to believe, but still a nice unit. We proceed to drive this tractor almost 400 miles to my shop on a "wing and a prayer" as this truck had not even seen asphalt for 12 years! Best part of the deal was the seller had filled both tanks plum full, then discovered the clutch was so bad he couldn't pull a trailer, so he parked and forgot all about it. Anyways, after driving this truck without license, inspection, and only 1/2 the lights working, with intermittent/no windshield wipers in the rain, we arrived at my shop in the wee hours of the morning. Casually looking into the tanks to approximate usage, we discover the fuel is very, very red! This by itself is an instant $500.00 fine before they, (cops) even start to screw with you. The truck was thought to be "different" in the fact that it has a 1693TA Caterpillar engine as built from the factory. I knew this had to be a limited production truck as I had never seen, or heard of one prior. My wife, (whom is an accountant at Caterpillar corporate) looked into some of the "files" from the era that the engine was built via serial number and production date stamping(s). What she discovered was that Caterpillar only filled orders for four 1693TA engines for Mack Trucks Inc. A call to the Mack museum, (Mr. Snowy Doe, r.i.p.) confirmed this to be a rare truck alright with only three being produced. I quickly renegotiated to acquire the balance of the truck complete! This RL series truck was only considered for the installation of the Detroit engine and now that was out of the question. I looked around and eventually purchased an R-795 truck that is my current avatar. This is a "common" truck with nothing really special about it. After rebuilding the governor assembly, and fuel injectors, it really runs well. I had decided to keep the ENDT-865B engine as it was so again the Detroit project had no plans, or home. Another year passes by and another deal I couldn't resist on a nice "Western" RL series tractor comes along, so I purchase it also. This is of course to do something with, but what, I don't know. At this point I"m starting the hear the "sweet voice" of my soul mate whom is not very pleased with my latest acquisition, (maybe I should take up fishing, golf, etc...??) ask "What do you need more of that Mack Junk for?" Now this left me in the middle of the floor "babbling -n- shit" without a single intelligeble word to say; I take solace in that she knew I was MAD, and left my "Paradise". This second RL series tractor is really nothing out of the ordinary, but does have an ENDT-866 engine with some mechanical problems. Neither the prior owner, nor myself have gotten into it for a proper diagnosis as of yet. Being an aluminum straight frame rail truck, I don't know if the Detroit would fit into the chassis satisfactorily or not, so this was not evaluated. The tractor being a lightweight, just may be a nice "daily driver". I do have a spare engine like it in the shop. I have therefore arrived at the subject of this long winded post. Tonight I had both Detroit engines picked up by a "well qualified" mechanic to begin the conversion of the 12V-71T engine to automotive use. He is also going to install the 8V-71 engine onto the alternator to be sold at a later date. The R-795 is the participant and even though it runs quite well, is the best candidate to experiment with on this installation. I needed to do this quick before I had a chance to think! Currently the engine is set to 585hp at 1800 rpm and I have larger injectors if needed. Also have an RTO-12513 transmission that has not been installed since complete, professional, overhaul to go behind it. Should prove to be an interested project or "fun truck". It was very hot today with matching humidity. I sat at the computer "cooling down" and thought I would type a bit to let you know what I'm up to in the "off time". I don't really get to work with my own stuff too often and am trying to change that. Still strange to consider working with something other than Mack. If the story is interesting, great! If boring, my apologies are rendered. Rob

You are correct Glenn. I crawled under four trucks this evening to look at them. The 64 B-61 is the only one that uses a double disc clutch. I have never worked with, or adjusted it. All is dry so there is a lot of "dust and rust" in the flywheel housing. It looks physically different from the others and also has a countershaft clutch brake. It seems to work alright. One thing I did notice this evening on this truck is the bushings are shot where the arm travels through the rear spring hanger of the front spring. I could push the shaft all around at least 1/2 inch! The clutch works very well in the truck despite this. Thanks, Rob