1958 B615 For Sale

[Barry]

Posting for a customer!

1958 Mack B615 with V8 Engine (Not sure of engine model)
Engine seized from sitting
No Title...bill of sale only
Asking $7500 OBO

Contact: Karl Dibble  914-598-7218

Hopewell Junction NY 12533

[terry]

Was a V8 available this early of a truck?   terry

[tjc transport]

if i remember correctly first year for a mack V8 in a B615 was 61 or 62. BUT in 58 you could order the B615 with an 8V71 detroit. 

[Geoff Weeks]

I had to go look and according to wiki, the V series came out in '57! I didn't think it was that early! 

[mechohaulic]

according to "the book" the B615 of which 575 where made came into production from 1962- - 1966. 

[mechohaulic]

a number of B's having  different models came earlier then '62 = = = B613----"55=56/ .633 or B 673.all late 50's production. hood clearly reads B615. either way could be a fun project. one concern would be label of "seized "engine looking at the open ports and valve covers unsecured, 

[Barry]

Unfortunately, this is the only info I was given...It may be a later year truck but I'm not sure.  I don't think the owner knows much more about it either but anyone is welcome to give him a call to try and clarify.

[tjc transport]

15 hours ago, Geoff Weeks said:

I had to go look and according to wiki, the V series came out in '57! I didn't think it was that early! 

57 was the first year for the V8 in the B815. 

[Geoff Weeks]

I have heard, and saw written in an ATHS that GM was very reluctant to sell the (at that time, called) GM diesel to any competitor that was producing truck that GMC line was in competition with. 

I know they did, My Dart has one and it is listed in the sales lit as one of the engine options. It was a low production truck that GM didn't have anything in the line up that competed with it. Dart was a heavy, mostly off road/oilfield truck.

I don't doubt what you say at all, just wondering about the logic at GM? How did they look at Mack vs other Mfg?

When it was re-badged Detroit sometime in the 60's that thinking at GM changed, I think they found they could sell more engines than heavy trucks! IHC, and Ford used a lot of 6-71's as well as V8's, KW- Pete installed a fair number of the V8's. 

I know plenty were put in trucks as a re-power by end users, but in the 50's it was few and far between, that it was a factory install. Most of the mfg were still making and installing gasoline engines.

At that time, all large trucks used vendor supplied diesel except Mack, who had their own, just makes me wonder? 

I would think the "story" I got told was "backwards" , that the other MFG were reluctant to install a GM engine, but that doesn't explain KW-Pete and others that used vendor engines exclusively? 

50's were an interesting time in truck mfg. 

[james j neiweem]

The 864 Mack V-8 came out in 1962 as I recall. The engine pictured here is a Mack V-8 not a Detroit. You would think the truck would be a 1962 or newer.

[mechohaulic]

4 hours ago, Barry said:

Unfortunately, this is the only info I was given...It may be a later year truck but I'm not sure.  I don't think the owner knows much more about it either but anyone is welcome to give him a call to try and clarify.

you can be safely assured ; no one is going to "shoot" the messenger. the 615 would be a great restoration. not  a cheap one but nice ride.

[mechohaulic]

1 hour ago, Geoff Weeks said:

I have heard, and saw written in an ATHS that GM was very reluctant to sell the (at that time, called) GM diesel to any competitor that was producing truck that GMC line was in competition with. 

I know they did, My Dart has one and it is listed in the sales lit as one of the engine options. It was a low production truck that GM didn't have anything in the line up that competed with it. Dart was a heavy, mostly off road/oilfield truck.

I don't doubt what you say at all, just wondering about the logic at GM? How did they look at Mack vs other Mfg?

When it was re-badged Detroit sometime in the 60's that thinking at GM changed, I think they found they could sell more engines than heavy trucks! IHC, and Ford used a lot of 6-71's as well as V8's, KW- Pete installed a fair number of the V8's. 

I know plenty were put in trucks as a re-power by end users, but in the 50's it was few and far between, that it was a factory install. Most of the mfg were still making and installing gasoline engines.

At that time, all large trucks used vendor supplied diesel except Mack, who had their own, just makes me wonder? 

I would think the "story" I got told was "backwards" , that the other MFG were reluctant to install a GM engine, but that doesn't explain KW-Pete and others that used vendor engines exclusively? 

50's were an interesting time in truck mfg. 

KW/ Pete used vendor engines exclusively since they didn't have their own engines. one difference  in the Mack Westerns was the more common option of engine power from other manufacture's, east coast macks were primarily Mack front bumper to back tail light (no s in light ) ; only one tail light till new regs . east coast ; construction/ local freight haulers. people (truck orientated) would stop in their tracks when the sound and sight of the bright orange/yellow/white Petes of Monfort of Colorado cruised through CT.

[Geoff Weeks]

The interesting thing in the 50's is, while the 6-71 2 valve at that time was rated at 200 hp (later improved breathing brought it up to 238) right smack in the hp range of all competitors, both gas and diesel, it doesn't seam to be found in many trucks of the time. Cummins had the 220, many gas engines in the 175-200 range. It lends credence to the  story that GM wouldn't sell.

P.I.E. experimented with a 6-110, which was a disaster, with the "pin wheel" blower, might have done well with the later Roots. 

The Buda 844 was the outlier and high HP engine of the day, but had trouble staying together and on the road. 

[67RModel]

2 hours ago, Geoff Weeks said:

My Dart has one and it is listed in the sales lit as one of the engine options.

Have you ever posted pics of this truck on here? You have mentioned it in several threads and I was wondering what it even looked like. I never heard of them until you mentioned having one a while back. Maybe you could make a new thread in the other makes section.