Another "new" truck

[mackaholic]

Brought another old Mack home recently. 1931 BC, one of 10 consecutive trucks sold to California Dept of Transportation. Very complete but the engine is stuck. It is an original BC engine. Anyone have any info one those? CID? are they the samme as any of the other early Mack engines? Seems they changed engines with every truck back in the thirties.

[fjh]

Nice Find Bro! Can't answer your question either ! But ! I always wondered why the up draft carb was invented and used so much! seemed back in the day up draft was the thing to do!

[mattb73lt]

Really cool early find!! Are you doing a full restoration or just a preservation?

[mowerman]

Excellent have a ball with it…engine stuck doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t free it with lots of mystery oil snd tapping on the pistons I’ve done it before good luck  Bob

[mackaholic]

On 6/8/2022 at 2:26 PM, mattb73lt said:

Really cool early find!! Are you doing a full restoration or just a preservation?

At this point just a preservation. It is really complete so if we can get it running it should be drivable for parades, shows, etc. It is really beat up. A full restoration would be a lot of work!

[mackaholic]

On 6/8/2022 at 7:59 PM, mowerman said:

Excellent have a ball with it…engine stuck doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t free it with lots of mystery oil snd tapping on the pistons I’ve done it before good luck  Bob

We're working on that! Pan needs to come off as there are some rust holes in the bottom due to condensation(I hope). Oil looks good it it and not overfull. Fingers crossed.

[doubleclutchinweasel]

It's important to keep the bird's nest too!  I think that one looks like a "Factory Original".

[67RModel]

Where the heck is this? California? Look at all those class 8 gems sitting there waiting for new homes....

[mackaholic]

1 hour ago, 67RModel said:

Where the heck is this? California? Look at all those class 8 gems sitting there waiting for new homes....

Gary Berrington's place in Nevada. 

 

[Vladislav]

Great find! A rare beast definitely. Congrats on the purchase!

Speaking the engine I would pay attention to what firetruck guys have in their old Macks.

[Freightrain]

On 6/8/2022 at 4:24 PM, fjh said:

Nice Find Bro! Can't answer your question either ! But ! I always wondered why the up draft carb was invented and used so much! seemed back in the day up draft was the thing to do!

Ive wondered if that was not to keep fuel from overflowing and running into the engine?  Something along those lines?

[mrsmackpaul]

Yes it is official, I am jealous 😘

 

So much classic stuff in the US compared to just about any other country including Australia 

I think the updraft carby was used because you cant flood them, fuel just runs oout onto the ground and not down into the motor literally flooding the entire motor until the tanks empty

This technology of internal combustion engines was still really new, it wasnt until after WW2 that down draft carbys became normal and even then farm tractors and the like used updraft carbys well into the 60's 

 

Paul 

[67RModel]

Yea there is old iron literally laying around everywhere over here. Everybody’s garage or old barn has stuff sitting in it. If you take secondary and rural roads through just about anywhere in the States you will see stuff sitting everywhere. Kind of sad in some ways and kind of good in other ways I guess.

Edited June 11, 2022 by 67RModel

[Quickfarms]

3 hours ago, 67RModel said:

Yea there is old iron literally laying around everywhere over here. Everybody’s garage or old barn has stuff sitting in it. If you take secondary and rural roads through just about anywhere in the States you will see stuff sitting everywhere. Kind of sad in some ways and kind of good in other ways I guess.

Not everybody but there is quite a bit. The sad part is when it is left to rot into the ground 

[russell t]

I had occation to measure a bc engine looking for a cylinder head for a CF engine in a BM truck The head bolt pattern front to back measured the same but the BC engine was 1 inch nerrower measured across the block  than the CF engine. The CF is a 414 CU" engine so my quess would be the BC would be aprox 350 CU".You are very fortunate to have a pristeen EX manifold.

Up draft carbs were most likely used so as to have gravity fuel flow to the carb. All gas powered tractors had their tank above the engine and of cource the Model A ford with the tank in the dash.