David Smith

Thanks, guys, for all the good info!

Does anyone know how many B-85-F fire trucks were built? Thanks! David M. Smith.

Just for the sake of accuracy, this is a 4000, not a 9000.

Ron, Thanks for the quick response! I will check it out. Best regards, David.

David its in Warsaw,IN. Mike Gill Auto & Truck Parts. phone# 574 267-8086 cell is 574 453-7310. open mon.-fri. 8:00am to 5:30pm, closed sat. they have a lot of old trucks and cabs & few old sleepers. thanks Ron

Yes, please post any information you have. Thanks! David M. Smith.

The red B-Model in my gallery, captioned "Covert Mack", was a 1957 with a beautiful cream-colored steering wheel.

Hey, I was wondering if any of you guys had pictures of the bottom of a decent B cab? I've got to do some reconstruction on mine, and was just looking for some guidelines to go from, specifically the back corner where they all seem to rust. Any pics, or links would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

There are quite a few in the various galleries. Good Luck! David Smith.

I have known that the "R" axle was wider than the "B" axle for at least 40 years, yet I didn't think of it until reading LocomotiveBreath's post. "Senior moments" are becoming more frequent every day. I never got farther than the width of the spring leaves. I had wanted to use the "R" shock mounting set-up on my "B". In that case, the u-bolt, or"spring clip", spacer would have been too wide.

Mr. Van Scott, great idea on swapping the R-Model axle. The R-Model spring leaves are about 1/2" wider than the ones on the B-Model. If not for that, you could just swap the spring clip spacer with the integral shock mount for the old one. Best regards, David M. Smith.

Freighttrain, thanks for the offer! I hope you solve your problem. David M. Smith.

I've never had one apart - but from the manual, the older rotary hydraulic

shocks used on the B model appear to be fairly easily rebuildable.

I intend to find out ASAP.

In most cases the rod has failed or an end has broken, and the shock unit is still

on the frame of the old trucks.

I would check with the parts guys like Kevin All at All Mack, or a local vendor

near you. The rotary shocks should be pretty easy to come by.

And, contrary to popular belief, the rotary design is not bad at all. It does the same

job as a tube type shock, but has far fewer options for jounce or rebound, so it

is more fixed in its' intended use.

The biggest failure for the rotary units is leakage, and the failure to refill the shocks.

They don't work at all if they are empty.

Now - for Freightrain -

Fabbing up shock mounts should not be too difficult. The geometry of the front axle

is fixed by the springs and the mounting shims. So as long as the shock doesn't bind at all,

it should be fine. The shock set-up on the later R models probably is as simple as it gets.

You might even try to salvage a set of upper and lower mounts for your use.

Or - even try a front axle from the R model, with the lower mounts already in place.

Experimentation - it's a big part of why we do this!

Paul Van Scott

Mr. Van Scott, great idea on swapping the R-Model axle. The R-Model spring leaves are about 1/2" wider than the ones on the B-Model. If not for that, you could just swap the spring clip spacer with the integral shock mount for the old one. Best regards, David M. Smith.

Matt Pfahl has the swivel ends that you need, and the rod is just U-bolt stock

with the ends threaded - if you want to go with the original set-up.

Paul Van Scott

Does anyone have a source for the entire rotary-shock unit? Thanks, David Smith.

I agree with Superdog, it just needed a little T.L.C. The 96-inch bumper ruins the whole thing for me.

The seller had a question about this B Model from "Jay" in N.C. Could this be Sgt. Mack 5 ???

My vote is for the '50's and '60's. In my opinion, the B-Model was the best truck in it's day, and the R-Model was the best truck ever. I think our R-Models will be even more in demand as collectibles than the B's in the near future. An R with a few up-grades will perform along with any of the new trucks, and look better doing it.

Put the Marvel or any good penetrating oil in the plug holes, let it sit overnight, then jack up 1 rear wheel, put the transmission in it's highest gear, and rock the jacked-up wheel.

After reading your post again, could the starter be stuck in the engaged position due to low voltage while trying to crank it ?

You can get a rebuilt oil cooler from your mack dealer, i had the same problem on a 300, there is O rings in there, you get the cooler and housing together just bolt it on.                      Ron

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Thanks for everyone's help. I will check the oil cooler this week.

My ENDT 675 is pumping motor oil into the cooling system. What would you check first ? Thanks !!!