BC Mack

Have you tried getting in contact with other owners in the UK and Netherlands?? New parts for F cabs are as rare as rocking horse droppings... but there are owners here that have parts trucks so you might get lucky as I don't believe there are any repro parts being made, someone correct me if wrong. You have one of the rare high top cabs? I think there is only one in the US with most now in EU and I remember seeing one in the UK yonks ago. Take a look at this old thread, you may want to PM the EU based owners and have a chat with them.. http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/20383-newbie-in-the-uk/ there is a link in one of the messages to a TruckNet thread on Macks another site, in the Netherlands, which you may have tried already http://mackmuppet.skyrock.com/ on this thread you can find contact info for Reinder Meijer http://hankstruckforum.com/htforum/index.php?topic=50199.0 in the end, networking will be the way to go, exactly what you are doing here... And there is a rule on this site.... no pictures, no answers..!!!! Welcome to the madness BC Mack

Hi Leversole just out of interest what is the cost of a new box? got to do both of mine on the MH, not toast yet, am trying to decide between repair or new... not been to the dealer yet, too scared $$$$ BC Mack

Got a guy at work who was a supervisor at Pacific Truck in Vancouver.... he confirmed it is a Pacific, one of a batch they built for South Africa heavy haul... he sent me a link, but due to recent frayed nerves I will just show the link, not the photo... BC Mack http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/trucks/dennis_child/p12w3_sar_2of3.jpg

Not sure if this is mentioned in Volvo US history but they did make an attempt to enter the US market in the early 60's with their prototype "Tip Top" but it was no match for the market.... similar looks to the Crackerbox?? only 240hp... They quickly dropped any aspirations and concentrated on the EU and UK markets and the Tip Top evolved into the very successful F88, the lineage still seen in the current F16. BC Mack

A more recent example of Mack in Europe Renault Magnum with an E9 and Mack badging was this a potential for the US pre Volvo days??? BC Mack

Well, they are here.......... 60ft trailers for Walmart pilot project in Ontario.... BC Mack http://www.trucknews.com/news/walmart-canada-unveils-first-of-its-kind-supercube-trailer/1001824268/

Hello Farmer 52 thanks for your interest in my non-Mack project, I hope I'm not taking up too much bandwidth talking buses... of 1001 built, 250 still exist but only 25 remaining with seats, hatracks and toilet still in place... it has become one of the "collectible" buses. The one in the youtube video is owned by a guy in the UK who flies over to the US on his vacation time to work on it, the bus was painted in the UK and shipped back to the US to be finished off as he couldn't find any skilled staff over there. I've put thousands of hours into the restoration, started in Feb 2008, nearly every weekend working on my own, still 18 months or so to go... (then I finally get to work on my MH)....not something you would send to a shop to do, however, Matt Pfahl is undertaking one right now and it will be the most extensive resto ever done on this type. I hope the pics are of interest, and, to satisfy all 2 stroke fans I will pour two gallons of dirty oil on the engine to get that 'authentic' look.... BC Mack

Not the usual cabs, but French built IIRC.. plus.. Scania engine spec sheet a pic of B model interior with steering wheel on the wrong side... well, for you guys anyway and an Autocar enjoy BC Mack http://www.commercialmotor.com/big-lorry-blog/a-miscellany-of-macks..odd-old-and-older-only-on-biglorryblog

Hi there Mark, PM me if you get more details about the 12V installation, never seen one but there is fokelore about one.... and one with a Mack engine quietly tested by GM in Germany of all places..!!! I have two Scenicruisers, one is being restored to a level just like in the video... tough slog restoring buses, should have stuck to trucks..!! (ask Matt Pfahl) the original design from 1954 was two 4-71's in parallel mated hydraulically to a single trans and two speed rear axle... an absolute pita for everyone, Greyhound sued GM... in 61ish all remaining coaches were converted to 8V71 and 4 speed spicer and regular diff... this was done by Marmon-Harrington. to install a V12 in the engine bay would seriously cut into the bulkhead, a very weak feature on a good day and the cause of the many "boiler plate" additions to the sides of the coach in years to come. from my memory, the only highway coach that had a 12V71 from the factory was the MCI MC6... BC Mack

AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!! wrote a long reply and the 'puter swallowed it and sent it into cyber-somewhere... supposed to copy before sending, just-in-case, right!!! anyway... here are the two videos I added to show EU "concept" steerable trailers currently in test awaiting legislation... cubic optimisation within legal length laws. Rather than the Ozzie road-train or our Canadian Super B's these are designed for tight EU roads, lane width and roundabouts etc. BC Mack

Well guys.... don't knock it 'til you try it...!!! FH16 XL 750hp.... as the Brits would say... "it's the dogs bollocks" Two different standards... N America and Europe.... different roads, vehicle lengths and weights.... Would it work over here??? well, there is thought at Volvo, MAN and Daf (Paccar) to do just that. From what I read there is interest in allowing longer trailers here and even steerable combination trailers to optimise new cubic demands from light weight high volume shippers and you will need a cabover to remain withing legal length requirements. Will it happen, big maybe... it's all down to the big freight guys, dollars/profit and of course the lobbyists and their closely tied legislators. Will the trucker be included in the discussions?... most likely not. Figure on 'cab shrinkage' being part of fuel mileage gains. Volvo USA have got a bad rap, do they deserve it? I say yes.... and not because I'm a Mack owner but by analasis of their poor USA performance and product to date. Improvements are coming as an offshoot of the FH program, it is a long derivitive of the F88/89 program of the 60's which, in its time, was the king of Europe and the middle east (sorry Scania fans) which then begat the F10/12. Am I biased?, as a cabover guy who started out with this F88... you decide..!!! BC Mack .

allow me to 'age relate' and correct his spelling & punctuation to.... "nice, but" there, that's better BC Mack

Well..... it goes downhill from here folks I was sent this pic of a young hitchiker getting assistance from her friend to board a yellow school bus... so, knowing that you all like.. 1. pictures 2. hitchikers 3. school buses I was wondering which perverted thread to put it on...and I'm sure this one fits the bill. just hope it doesn't put Vinny off travelling on the yellow loser cruiser.. Mammy Xmas BC Mack .

Ben check the photo if this looks like yours... it is the old style to help determine which injector is stuck, remove the four bolts holding the two end brackets, lift out the complete tube. examine the control rack of each injector, it should move in-out with some leverage applied. the stuck one will be obvious... 'careful' tapping can release the jammed part but they are a device of fine machining tolerances so don't get brutal... unless you really "want" to play with the C4..!! don't disturb the screws on the lever where it is mounted on the tube. injector removal is straightforward, needs some dismantling of the rocker arms, fuel lines and a heel bar... get a guy who has done it before if you are unsure. service manuals are on ebay from time to time, there are 15 chapters in a complete book, some are sold in two parts, 1-3 & 4-15 easy engine to repair as every owner knows, 'cos you're always fixing them..!!! BC Mack

Ben... hold off on the C4..!!!! do you have the later Injector Control Tubes with the individual spring-loaded rack levers??? the older rigid tube/lever jammed all injectors if one stuck, newer type elimanted this issue, though you still have to deal with the injector that is stuck.. generally, if the newer individual spring tubes are installed the air intake flap can be deleted... if you have the DD V71 bible.. it is chapter 2.9 of the service manual BC Mack

Buickwrench.... really nice wrecker... here is some info you may find useful to get your head around air systems..... the test is on Friday..!!!! http://www.wsafc.org...ke Handbook.pdf see page 10 Bendix D2 http://www.bendixvrc...documentID=2694 Bendix document library, select item in 'search'.. http://www.bendix.co...ry/doclib_1.jsp there's also some interesting 'how to' video's on youtube too, just got to sort the tecky from the hillbilly stuff.. self help, Google "Bendix air", and away you go..!!! and don't forget to get a good pre-trip guide for your truck, lots of air system problems can be found by doing this correctly..... before you hit the road. HTH BC Mack

corrosion...!!! rear subframe.. rocker panels... radiator support door bottoms they rot from the inside out, windows leak and the water eats the floor and they literally fold in half. most Brit cars of the same era were rust buckets... Ford Cortina's fell apart in three years avoid the hydrolastic (hydro'spastic') suspension unless you have access to new parts 998 engine fine.... 1275GT better Lucas (Prince of Darkness) electrics, open fuse boxes, rain through front grille kills the coil a fine plethora of Mini owner clubs worldwide and forums on-line if you need "new friends".. plenty of pattern parts in UK with agents worldwide, NOS stuff harder to get an excellent vehicle concept but poorly built, got worse during the British Leyland days.. but easy to fix once you get used to them. make sure you have a good local parts supply system.... tires (spelt 'tyres' in uk) were originally 10" so not sure if you can find them here. played with many, raced a few on tracks.. plain jane versions are excellent run-abouts but keep off the interstate, they were never built for US road system... and by comparison to US vehicles they feel strangely small, girls call them "cute"... my fave, the rare pick-up hope that helps and doesn't turn you off, just be prepared BC Mack (a transplanted Brit)

I don't think "cost" should be your first question... Can I assume you are looking at a recent production truck?... if you wish to licence it and use it commercially it will need to be in compliance with all regulations for emissions and FMVSS... for instance, will it meet US standards for brakes, lighting, crash protection.. and on it goes. The manufacturer will be able to enlighten you what it will take in modifications to conform.. You need that door sticker. This provision is actually for public health & safety, well egr hmmmm, but does stop crap 'asian' tires etc posing hazards to other motorists and I have no problems with big brother doing that, keeps food safe too. there are some loopholes though... one is homebuilt, bring in 'scrap' and 'modify' a frame with a US VIN... also, many "grey market" cars have slipped in over the years but they risk customs seizure at the docks... there is also provision for "antique" which is, IIRC, a rolling 25 years in the US.... take a comparison of all the British double deck buses you see, they enter under that provision and just need lighting and passenger safety mods but are used commercially. So, that might be an avenue for you. One blocker is insurance... who will underwrite a non standard type. Purchase prices are high in Oz from what I have seen, and freight cost? Here in Canada we have had a few strange vehicles slip in, buses have severe limits (protectionism) but I read a thread on Hank's forum that there is an operator of Scania cabovers The last thing that you need worry about is the steering wheel position.. then you can calculate "cost"...!!!! Hope this helps you, I've found talking to officials can be frustrating as they all have their opinion of vaguely written rules... but if you really want to do it also consider NZ as a potential source of vehicles. BC Mack

Pass..... it doesn't use enough fuel..!! I need the V8 tingle it could do with a rhinoplasty, 'dog-gone' it, the mutt's not there.. a nice tidy MH, got any interior photos ?? BC Mack

Well, you know what the say.... if you need to know anything, ask a 12 year old..!!! or is that only for computers? BC Mack

Hi Superdog I've done imports the other way.... north. Seems both sides have issues with ownership, eligibility and standards... plus there are Fed and State on your side, Fed and Provincial our side, and they can confuse you and themselves. New and used differ on rules, open recall notices, add in emissions and EPA and it gets complicated for a normal Joe to figure if you see what I mean. FMVSS and CMVSS differ slightly even on the same numbered regulation. A Canadian built truck MAY not meet US build regs, and, as you have noted axle spread/weights MAY need the manufacturer to provide you with a new decal for the door jam after you replace them. Here, my MVB has on their website the full details on how to import from the US and a list of ineligable vehicles (biggy on RV's and homemade bus conversions) so I would suggest that you start at the end of the daisy chain, your local MVB and work back to Fed. My recommendation is to buy the services of an import broker who knows the ins-outs of the process, it could be relatively straightforward but my experiance has been that the border nazis love broker letterhead against your personal import docs. Doing this may save you having a truck ending up in no-man's land... if you export from Canada, drive 200 yards and it gets refused entry into the US it cannot go back to Canada as the title is marked as "cancelled/export"..!! Customs wants their chunk of taxes too.. I'm sure many others have done it, but from my experiance the rules 5 years ago were swiss cheese compared to today. However, these brokers charge hard earned cash, you can save that fee by doing it yourself, it's a risk benefit judgement. Just leave a few Macks in Canada so us poor Canucks have a few to play with..!!!! BC Mack

COE... "the view is worth the climb" you're going to need a trailer to haul your future B to shows, so why not haul it in style? just out of interest this MH sold on ebay yesterday, are prices creeping up?... it is a very early example.... 31 made in 1982... just suggesting.... http://cgi.ebay.com/...=item1c2e035e98 BC Mack

Thanks for that info MHFred.... it was on my shopping list of questions for the Mack Museum..... To licence my MH613 as a "collector vehicle", similar to other regions "antique"... one of the provisors is 25 years old which my 93 isn't... but there is a small loophole I want to try and that is a clause that may allow a collector status for "less than 1500 produced in the model year".... Here in BC Canada, the government owns the licencing and mandatory basic insurance... as a commercial truck my plates & insurance would be about $4-6000 per year, as a private truck about $1500 and as a collector about $400.... obviously with some restrictions and limitations it is the way to go, the only alternative is to make my MH into a self contained RV.. Crazy rules and prices are not limited to the US of A.... BC Mack

It's ok Vinny.... I spent my younger years working on offset half cab British buses/coaches and we never had to install kickstands on them either.. you have exceptional knowledge and enthusiasm for such a young person, our interest/hobby needs people like you to keep the flame going... two thumbs up buddy BC Mack

My ageing brain cells tell me that in the last few days someone was looking for a mixer..... or was that just a dream I had?? http://cgi.ebay.com/...=item19d70c40b3 my model identification skill is severely limited to later cabovers only... is this a Vinny "kickstand special"?? BC Mack