BC Mack

KSC if the Volvo L4591 Titan Tiptop (photo in old thread) had entered the US market successfully in 1964 one wonders what would could have been...!!!!... it certainly changed the UK and Europe markets, some would say it dominated and maybe the descendant FH still does. we had a great expression for the F86 operating at 32ton gross... "wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding", a gutless beast only matched by the Scania 80, but it was very light and had a great payload capacity that made a few companies a lot of money. BC Mack

Westport Canada have a newish Volvo FH under test in BC... it's a gas conversion of a 12lt engine I'm told on a two axle tractor and has been noted by other drivers to run out of steam very quickly when heading east past Hope BC (the Rockies)... LNG the BC dream..!!! only in Canada Eh.!! BC Mack

Not sure if this is of help but found this site in Australia that MAY have parts not available in the US... maybe our Aussie BMT'ers can chime in here... I took a look through the parts catalogue, seems to be mostly B model items, nothing for my MH but I noted hood badges and remembered some of you restorers asking for sources... probably Watts has the same items, but you never know http://www.tyldenheritage.com.au/parts-catalogue.html the "truck models" tab was interesting for me BC Mack

looked at the trucks but can't say I spoke to either owner, well, maybe I did... spent an hour at Chanor up the road chatting to Chuck about a bus in his yard BC Mack

I forgot to take notes again...!!! check this website in a few days, Scott usually puts his photos on-line just after the show http://www.cachecreektruckshow.org/gallery.php?Year=2015 BC Mack

I spoke with Ross for a while.... and maybe Vic but I don't know him, what truck did he have? BC Mack

more pics

Annual show put on by a great bunch of people... theme is Hayes and Pacific but open to all BC Mack

it will be...... they are a "premium" truck in the euro market..... however, I wonder if the new owner would assemble them in the US with the significantly lower labour cost?? hmmm BC Mack

Marcel...!!!! you sold your best truck... remember, the MH?.. :-) you truckers are having the same issue we get in the transit bus industry... we scrapped the late 80's buses with simplistic systems, wiring and 6V92's to buy 2007 Novabus (a volvo company) with electronically controlled dash fans for cripes sake, and an Cummins ISL that was so choked from the egr crap we had to rebuild them at 160,000kms (that's 100000 miles to ya 'mericans) with the heads going into the core bin they were so worn out. latest craze is CNG, natural gas bus with a modified ISL, 750,000 dollars EACH... for a transit bus!!!!!!... the old ones brought in 1200 bucks for scrap. And why are we doing it?, you ask.... greening is what they say, cheaper to run per mile they say.... of course, many don't make it out of the yard and they are just 6 months old.... yes, it would be nice to dream that running a fleet of 1980's vehicles would solve the problem... but we may have our rose tinted specs on.... our two highest business costs are fuel and labour, maintenance then capital cost.... and one third of the maintenance budget is for the wizz bang fareboxes and gps and door counters..!!! I'm sure as a businessman you've done the numbers, you need fuel economy, no arguement... you are just looking for reliability.... and that's not happening in any field of transportation, including aviation, given all the new high tech we are forced to live with... and try finding a tech to fix the modern highly complex machines... my company can't and it knows it is behind the 8 ball by a mile trying to upgrade the knowledge of the existing 450 techs with only 5 instructors..!!! I can't offer a solution, only show it's not just you truckers getting the shaft from epa et al...... BC Mack

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/37110-daycab-f-model/ BC Mack

this is not NEW news..... been going on for years... this driver drove home a point, but it's not about one thing, it's a frustration brewing everywhere. France is full of "financial refugees" and the govt wants them gone, home country doesn't want them back nor pay for repatriation, UK pays the best welfare in the EU... you don't see them heading for Germany or Poland, no, their handlers know where the best deal is and the underground jobs are working for like people. France has built up a history of government financial supports, farmers, vacation time, hours of work etc, ok when things were good but it's belt tightening time everywhere and the people are trying to find someone to blame, Greece now maybe Spain or Italy next... where will it end? of course, the US has a similar situation with "refugees" by the millions... the UK press seems to have missed that point. the word "immigrant" used to have a meaning, a value... all a controlled flow, but now, it's a world wide movement towards "have" countries until they then explode with internal strife over race relations, jobs, handouts.. we are having a large influx of Chinese into Canada, they pay their "entrepreneurial fee" to the govt ($400k) and then buy a nice house, a couple of Mercedes and keep to their community... we are not seeing it here in the volume others do... maybe it's too cold? (95F today)... but we do let our undocumented refugees wander around the country while their extradition case grinds away. I think the Australian PM recently put it very succinctly... "fit in or f**k off".... a true Australian...!!! is it right? is it fair?? I can't judge that here, but it's going to lead to problems, economic and other, if it continues as the financial balance of the world starts to move and the "haves" become "have nots". can't blame Bush for this one... right? BC Mack

not me Gearhead... it's that Bob Dingsdale blowing the smoke from Vancouver Island into Vancouver this morning, we just sent it your way, free-trade!!!! BC Mack

Vlad the refridgerated van is a 1934 Diamond T... the KW restoration story is on Hank's site..... a lot of work went into it... http://hankstruckforum.com/htforum/index.php?topic=52765.0 BC Mack

thought about that too... just not sure if it is wise to leave the clutch cable and pressure plate springs under duress... maybe I should just go out and drive it more often..!!!!! BC Mack

I enlarged my original photo... the plate on the front bumper says 1949.. this weather is not going to do any of us any good... no snow cap this winter and we are into sprinkler restrictions already... in Vancouver of all places, I thought we were called Raincouver for a reason... city is packed with Americans ... USA vs Japan tomorrow BC Mack

a few other trucks..... I had never seen the chip hauler B train apart before that's it BC Mack

nicely restored Canadian built KW with an old KW company trailer.... note for Farmer, no pole but they have a roof garden..!!!!

it must still snow in July.....

made a quick visit to the local truck show today... couldn't stay all day for the late arrivals or the truck light show at dark time.... getting hot 34C/93F by midday.. tried to group pics for different interests.... old and new BC Mack first the Classics

Hey Gearhead.... your lake is too short for the Mars, what you say if it just scoops the cherries right off the trees and drops them off on the way to Florida? got used to seeing the Mars every summer... Coulson now getting C130's... the remaining Mars will be training Chinese aerial applicators this summer, bunch of them coming over to learn about big flying boat operations, story is they are building new planes in China but don't know squat about fire bombing. here is a demo of the Mars at a logging convention in Vancouver BC... I was watching from the other side of the harbour BC Mack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNJtXTRIWiU

So, it's been a few weeks and today hit one of my milestones.... truck was taken off the road in Oct 2004, towed to me but today it moved under it's own power.... yeah!!!!! update of events... covered in another topic, the new batt box installed and two more batts purchased.. but two dated 2003 passed test with flying colours, go figure.... 12V start in an E9, yes it WAS 24V start new and now I've found all the old wiring. cleaned up the left tank, this one had the white stuff under the straps and is a 1985 unit which replaced the original (which I still have awaiting shortening) and got a red scotchbrite pad cleaning for now, no polishing just yet... I'm painting the frame in sections, not the way to do it but I have circumstances where I keep it that dictates an unusual plan... so on with some black and air cleaner got some too. driveline... spline ok, so two u-joints and on it went... I had cut off the exhaust so just temporarily put the Y and pipes back on... the stacks will come off in a while and I will buy new parts then... $$$$$ tight, as always. as said, today I got to run it on blocks... the litmus test for my clutch pull-and-polish!!!! and it seemed to work ok... so, let's go for a drive around the railyard... and just like Thomas the Tank Engine I went to meet some friends, one of the few cabovers in the area.... well, after three years of ownership I have managed to turn the truck around, it now points north. next installment will be front brake teardown, stacks off, buy two tires, right tank and knock off a few more items from the expanding to-do list... funny how the more I fix the more needs fixing..!!! anyway, thanks for not dozing off... here are the pics BC Mack

KSC Not sure whether to add this to the thread or start a new one... but, we probably have a small audience due to a certain Mack truck gathering... A new posting on a UK forum has compiled a series of articles on long distace driving 70's to 90's which may interest you and others... UK to Mongolia was one of them..!!! not exactly the run I would give to a Swift driver of today, those chaps were not "steering wheel holders" but real drivers.... Anyway... lots of reading if of interest, or just flash by the pictures. http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=127155 BC Mack

Vlad final installation today... other than a few minor points it went well obviously the MH is not really what this is intended for but it works just fine, however, other than my previous pointers I noted two more items to keep in mind if you want to use this box on your MH.. first, with the airtank underneath you have to modify the square hole for the battery hold down bolt to a "keyhole" because the bolt has to be inserted from above and slid into the lock position.... and... the top lip needs to be folded down slightly as the top lid fouls on the rear cab mount casting.. I also discarded their bolt for the rubber clamp and used stainless.. BC Mack

Annual trade show again this year, focusing on new trucks and services but they do have an old truck contingent that some of you may be interested in... the H67 is a locally owned (Vancouver Island) truck, and the local MACK / volvo establishment provided the suitably adorned motorcycle... was nowhere near as busy as last year, with the downturn in oil prices a lot of belt tightening is happening all round in western canada, but we are all getting told LNG exports will save the day... right..!!.. damn politicians...! BC Mack