TicketMan4u

I regularly buy items in online auctions at Sam Lilly Liquidators in Helena, AL and have found some pretty good deals there. http://www.samlilly.com/. He mostly has business close-outs, estate items, office furniture, etc. but occassionally has vehicles and recreational vehicles. I recently stopped by to pick-up my latest acquitions and saw a Brockway parked in front of the building. Looking it over it's obviously in rough condition but thought I'd post it here anyway in case someone might be interested. Couldn't find a VIN plate but the office ladies referred me to some photos they already entered in their computer. The auction has not be posted yet. The listing can be found if you go to the web site and enter "Brockway" in the "Search" box. The owner said the auction is scheduled to start July 7th. The cab doesn't look too bad except for the roof which has completely rusted thru in several places. Don't know if it runs or if it will even turn over. Only looked at one side of the engine and didn't have much time for questions before closing. They listed it as a 1974 but I thinks it's a 1973. Also I couldn't find anything on the information they provided in the listing which was supposed to have come from a plate they found inside the vehicle. Item Description 1974 Brockway Truck, 185,544 Miles Model NTC-250 Engine# 10462735 Engine Certification Identification: Family-092 CPI-0176 So.No. 15221 Mfg. Date 11-74 Ref. No. 3966-A2-3 The VIN plate in the photo lists it as a model N361T with Serial Number 79066. The cab has Huskidrive on the right front fender and dash. It has twin Huskies for a hood ornament just above the number "361". It's a single axle tractor with a five speed transmission and some type of towing rig on the 5th wheel. Looks like the winch has been removed if it ever had one. If anybody interested in bidding has questions or needs more information that can't be answered by contacting the company let me know and I'll go back by and see if I can help. This is not my truck and I don't have any part in the company. The owner has just become a friend and I offered to put it out there to see if there was any interest.

Seen this on Craigslist in Cordova, AL. Seen others post similar ads so I hope it's okay to post this one too. Everytime I find one here with a link it always seems to be expired so I'm gonna just rewrite the ad info and post the photos if that's okay. Owner said he "thinks" this is a 1950 L series Mack. It's a complete truck with rust in the lower part of the cab. He wants $1850 or he'll sell the cab, hood, fenders and grill for $1250. He also has the headlights, cab lights, and most of the hood trim. He listed a number to call, 205-522-7302 and here is the link. http://bham.craigslist.org/cto/3439385143.html

Sounds like it was about half and half but I've talked to the old man and we're gonna pass. Thanks for the help guys. staxx, PM sent.

He said the tires were about 70% and just the front tires are on aluminum rims but it's been sitting for a couple of years so I'm worried about dry rot. The old man has a trailer load of used tires he stores in total darkness to protect them from the sun that we use when we need to replace tires. The shop didn't return all of the parts so I know from what the owner said I will at least have to but a set of pistons, rod assemblies, liners and possibly rocker asemblies plus probably all of the belts, hoses, fluids, gaskets, etc to put it all back together. Labor is not a problem as the old man has two mechanics at his shop that could do it. Finding the time to take them away from their other duties would be the problem. I didn't ask why he rebuilt the engine, just assumed it was due to the mileage, 900,000 miles, but now I remember the old man saying a million miles on a diesel wasn't nothing. Or at least it used to not be, I don't know about these new engines. This is my first 90's model truck to fool with. Really no experience at all just what the old man has taught me about 60's, 70's and 80's model Macks. I'm going to see him today to let him know what all I've found out to see if he has anymore questions but most likely he'll say PASS just like most of you did. If we do Staxx I'll let you know how to contact the owner. He listed his location as Troy, AL. Gonna try to get him to join BMT also. Thanks for all the help guys. Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year.

That's what I needed to know. I had already pretty much come to the same conclusion that I could probably buy a running truck for what it would take me to get this one on the road again. And without all the time and trouble it would take me to get there. Thanks again for the help guys and Merry Christmas to you and yours.

I've almost convinced myself it wouldn't be a smart move to purchase this truck but I need a second and possibly a third and a fourth opinion to help convince me before I make my final decision. The truck is a 1999 Mack CH613 with a high top sleeper. It has about 900,000 miles on a E7-427 Mack engine and 10-speed Fuller transmission. The owner rebuilt the engine himself and after about 1000 miles an injector went bad. God only knows why but the shop he took it to completely tore down the engine, put the parts on a pallet then put both the truck and pallet outside. He believes it was because they thought he was just a "dumb ass truck driver" (his words) and didn't know he was actually a Certified Diesel Mechanic who rebuilt the engine himself. When he got the truck back the wrecker that towed it home didn't bring the pallet of parts. He only has 2 of the piston and rod assemblies, the turbo and possibly the rocker assemblies. The liners are not there but all the external parts (fan hub, alternator, starter, a/c, accessory drive, oil pump, power steering pump, harmonic balancer) are all still on the block. He said he couldn't afford to rebuild it again, especially with a rusted head and crank so it's been just sitting up for the last couple of years now. In his opinion the crank and head are too badly rusted to reuse and the truck will need a complete engine replacement. My friend, who has not seen the crank, thinks it can be polished and reused. We're looking to cut costs by repairing the engine instead of replacing it. Also we could possibly cut costs if it could be trailered the 160 miles to our shop but with the sleeper measuring approximately 12' 9" high the owner believes it will need to be towed by a wrecker. The owner is asking $3,000 for the truck. I think that's fair. Sold off for parts I believe it would bring much more than that. I've searched online and $7,000 minimum for an engine was the best I could do. He said it was an E7-427 engine but I also saw an E7-427 ETECH and I'm not familiar with that so I'm not really sure which one I should be pricing. I don't have a clue about towing so I'm guessing at least $1500-$2000 or more for that. I'm comparing all that to two running CH613's I saw online for $9,900 and $12,500. When you add it all up unless I can cut costs somewhere I'm thinking this would not be a smart buy. Now if you guys can offer some suggestions on how to cut costs or know somewhere I could get a short block cheaper then let me know. I join forums with the hopes of meeting people with more knowledge and experience than myself. In doing so I hope to educate myself and rid my mind of ignorance. Your participation in this discussion is greatly appreciated.

Merry Christmas from Alabama Vinny, where it was almost 70 degrees today.

My wife loves that movie. We'll watch it tomorrow at least once for sure. One year they were running a marathon showing it over and over again. My wife insisted we leave it on that channel all day long. Lucky for me that hasn't happened again since. Merry Christmas everyone!

I agree, buying new tires would be too costly so I've developed a source for used tires. A friend I met selling trucks keeps a trailer load of good used tires stored away in total darkness to protect them from the harmful rays of the sun. Last time I needed tires on some trucks I sold they came at a price of $50/tire installed which was paid by the buyer. If I need tires on a truck, he's the guy I go to.

I think they're all 11R24.5 tires but I'll be sure and check them to be certain. I've only sold a few trucks but one buyer did want some tires changed before the deal was sealed. One of my major concerns was looking ignorant by offering a truck for sale with mismatched tires if running them that way was a no no. I think the seller knows less about big trucks than I do and I was just making sure whoever put the tires on for him didn't just put whatever he had available on there and convinced him it was okay.