doubleclutchinweasel

Caught my back in that one, too!

Personally, I like the DOT air line tubing. Very easy to work with. Parker makes a full line of tubing and fittings.

The cable on mine had been replaced. The one they put on was longer than the original. It did not hurt, as it just made a little bigger loop.

I got to hang out with Dean a good bit Saturday morning at the Waynesville show. Got my first look at the gold truck. Got to hear bits and pieces of the truck's life story. Can't wait to see it all written down in one place. Definitely has some history behind it.

I keep his daily calendar on my desk so I can get some redneck humor every day.

Yeah. They just work.

Still a wicked-cool build.

Yeah, I think that's Texas. I'm just thrilled to see that at least some of the trucks had a manual transmission in them. F@&#ing automatics...

Where is that, Texas Motor Speedway?

Is this the one that we followed along as it was built? https://www.overdriveonline.com/custom-rigs/article/15042831/longtime-diesel-mechanic-builds-oneofakind-1960-mack-truck

Here is another one on Mickey Delia's website. https://mackmacktruck.com/mack-pictures.html

You know mw and the 2-sticks! Gotta love 'em!

This was my VFR and a friend's ZX7 on a trip to the famous "Dragon's Tail" (AKA: the place I grew up and learned to drive!). This was May 5th, 1998.

Yeah. But we didn’t have them!

Looks like a VFR? I used to ride a VFR-750. Very sexy bikes.

He said, "Hammered"..

Personally, I never loved the 5-speed and 6-speed Maxitorques. Had to pull them way too far down before downshifting for my tastes. Of course, that WAS the whole idea! The Maxidyne engines pulled hard down low. I just never warmed up to it. Still remember the deal on the OD models...go through the first 4 gears pretty quick, wind fourth to the rev limiter, pull it into neutral, eat a sandwich, and then put it into fifth. It seemed like a week went by waiting for the revs to drop enough to hit fifth! I remember one particular truck we had with the 237 Maxidyne and a 10-speed RoadRanger. Not sure if it came that way or got swapped out (no shift plate anywhere on it). That one I loved. Could keep the revs up or let it pull down...your choice. I was happier when I got back in my Quadruplex truck, though. Felt like "home". I guess that's the masochist in me coming out! LOL!

Welcome to The Dog Pound! From the sound of it, you must have the overdrive version of the Maxitorque. That's where you're getting that high interstate speed. There are direct drive versions of that same transmission out there that would have a smaller drop between 4th and 5th gear, but you would probably be maxed-out at about 60-65 MPH (depending on rear gears), Of course, there are a variety of options for you. Macks can be set up with an Eaton RoadRanger or a Spicer transmission, but there is a lot of parts swapping needed to make that happen. And, of course, Mack has built a lot of transmissions over the years that would give you more ratios, and would probably be a lot easier to swap in. You will get LOTS of different opinions on here as to what will be your best bet. But, there are guys on here who have done much more involved swaps than what you are looking at. Those guys will be able to steer you in a direction that will suit your needs. I would suggest giving as much information as you can regarding how you use the truck, so they can help you select a suitable box for your needs. I look forward to seeing some of the responses on this one. Should be an interesting thread. And, again, welcome aboard.

Sorry. I lost the picture where I could see part of the shift plate.

I figured as much. I don't do Facebook. Wife does. She contacted the seller and sent me the stuff. I had no way of knowing if it worked or not. Seller would not tell us where the truck could be seen. When I run across something that is only accessible through, Facebook, I generally just keep right on moving. I watched the startup video. It sounded a little rough initially, but smoothed out. Well, as smooth as a V8 diesel gets. I'm betting it's an R615, with the normally-aspirated V8 in it. Looks like a Duplex from what I can see on the shift plate. Light rear springs (no overloads). Does look like a double-reduction carrier. Frame does not appear to have had a 5th wheel on it, unless I am missing something. I can't tell WHAT it has been used for. I would love to have had that single-axle chassis when I had my ST. Would have put that light, single rear under mine.

Got some response. Had one video of it starting and running. Posting what I got. Might work, might not. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1208157969832910/

I have only seen a handful of steel-nosed R model over here. I think they are more common down under. The only ones I remember were from the oil field industry. Suppose that's why some folks called them "oil field fenders"? NEVER saw a single-axle set up that way. I gotta say, I like it! Would love to see it after somebody like Matt Pfahl or Mickey Delia got their hands on it.

Throwout bearing stuck on the snout, or the cross shaft stuck in the housing. Either way, should free up pretty easily. Wouldn't you think, Bob?