att

How time flies!!! I have not touched the Mack for a few years, but I put some batteries on it and lubed some cables etc. and she fired right up!!! Sounding smoother than I remember.

I am guilty of neglect and was jet washing the green off her and all the paint came off, so I guess it was no good to start with.

I am now in the process of applying new primer and addressing surface rust issues and have decided to get stuck in and paint her Matt Black with Gloss grille and bumper, not a fan of lot`s of chrome.

It seems that all these US trucks in the UK have increased in value as you can no longer bring in anything post 1965!

Rules and regs are just shit.

....I do not have any manuals, books etc. for this truck.

This sounds really dumb, but how do I tilt the cab on this??

I have found the apparatus at the back of the cab, that you jack, but there must be a pin to pull somewhere?

And whilst I am here.....I broke the hazard switch on the indicators, chrome plated cast ally by the look of it. Any ideas where I would get a replacement from?

Any help appreciated.

Well.....Got the old girl back home yesterday.

Had a bit of luck with a local haulier, he was taking a 14 ton 360 to the South of the UK, so he brought my Mack back, on back-haul.

I went with him and drove it on and off the low loader...

It was a bit dodgy, as the front brakes were binding at this time and cold painted steel and binding brakes are not the best combination in the world when it is raining(driving it off in the dark with rain), but I got it off OK.

Got the brakes free`d off today, just by using them and generally messing around with the truck....Everything seems to be fixing itself....Strange really!

Hi welcome to BMT. If you may have the time and the truck complete,you couldn join the Mack an heavy haul truckshow in Utrecht Netherlands! it is at "the cattle market" on 2 october 2011.

greetings Jan

It would be cool to do that, unfortunately the truck needs more work than time allows to make that date.

I am intending to do most of the work over winter and have it on the road for next spring.

So next year would be a real possibility.

I am also into my Buells and had a few guys over at my place that came from Rotterdam this year, good bunch of guys, two were ex HA. Taught me to fire breathe a couple of years back!

So Holland/Netherlands is definately on my agenda, I was there earlier this year.

welkom from holland.

good looking truck jou have.

maybe we see you in holland

leon (mack4ever)

Hi Leon.....This truck is originally from Holland/Netherlands, so I am going to do some detective work, to see if I can find out where it has been for the first 10 years of it`s life.....I know it has some stickers in the cab, from the dealer that has serviced it.

Thanks for the welcome everybody.

Thanks for all the help and advice guys.

Turned out is was crap batteries. Two new batteries and she fired instantly

Thanks for your time guys, it is appreciated.

I think I need to get the cab tilted and have a good look around for tags, wire traces and start with 12 volts and do some measurements as suggested with a multi meter.....Always better to start with less and work up, when electrics are concerned.

I have time on my side, so damage will hopefully be eliminated.

Thanks again

att.

Thanks for that info so far....

The serial No. of the truck is 7814, I am not sure this is correct, as it was given to me on the phone tonight.

When I was under the truck, tracing the wires, I noticed there was no solenoid on the outside of the starter.

Don`t know if you guys can help me.....The truck is a 78` F786T.

Two12V batteries, both pushing 765 amps.

Positive wire goes to the starter motor, on the positive connection.

Earth wire from battery goes to negative/ground on the starter.

I connected the two batteries together, using the patch lead to connect the negative from one battery, to the positive on the second.....Flicked the key to start her up....And the starter didn`t want to do anything, it tried, it was under load, then smoke started coming from the second battery, so we pulled her off the truck real quick!

Any ideas out there?

Really sad to read this topic.

I have been educated through reading this and reading this has allowed me to realise why certain things in Europe are the way they are, regarding Volvo, Renault and in the US....Mack.

Seems the Europeans are having a go at messing up your trucks.....I look at recent Kenworths, Frightliners etc. and I see a lot of European influences, this is not good, as Euro trucks are nowhere near as strong as US trucks.

The majority of Euro trucks are not designed to leave tarmac and when they do, even to pull up on a grass verge, they get stuck! It truly is dire what has happened over here.

Driver input has been taken away and the majority of trucks are automatic, this again creates problems that weren`t there before.

Seems the whole world is preoccupied with allowing computers to operate machinary, unfortunately, once you put these machines into the environment of nature, they very quickly fail or refuse to work. This is because they are designed in perfect conditions, we all know that nature seldom allows perfection.

I am going to look at a 78` F700 tomorrow, with a veiw to buy and preserve, after reading this thread, it has made me all the more determined to buy it.

Thanks.