doubleclutchinweasel

Again, ORIGINALLY the gold dog was Maxidyne.

Gold bulldog ORIGINALLY meant Maxidyne engine. In later years, gold bulldogs meant all-Mack drivetrain. I do not know exactly WHEN that changed. But, in '72, it meant Maxidyne power. And, yes, the engine would have been gold originally as well. If this had been an R611, for instance, it would have had a non-gold engine (Thermodyne) and a chrome bulldog.

In my experience, most of the roughness of the ride comes from the rear. My R had a 9,000# front axle, and it was fairly tolerable. The rear was another story. But, I ran the air pressure in the rear (empty truck) low, and that helped.

The older stuff with the bottom-pivoting pedal may indeed be different that later stuff with the top-pivoting pedal. The former were all linkage, I believe, while the latter were cable-operated. You sure do bring up things that make people think!

I have had spring shops make single leaves many times over the years. Not a big deal. If one of the shorter ones breaks, and runs for any time at all, I think it is a good idea to replace the adjacent ones while you're at it, so as to avoid the inevitable failure of those due to the gouge the broken one puts into them.

Lots of engine possibilities. The various "673" Thermodynes (ENDT 673, END 673, ENDT 673C) are pretty common in the older ones. Usually had Duplex, Triplex, or Quadruplex transmissions behind them. A little later, the ENDT-675 Maxidyne came along, usually with a 5- or 6-speed Maxitorque transmission. Very easy to drive. Great torque curve. I spent most of my time with a 250 HP ENDT 673C with a two-stick 18-speed Quadruplex behind it. Once you learned that box, it was really something. Kept you busy, though. That was a double-overdrive setup, and would cruise pretty effortlessly. My last one had that same engine with a 15-speed RoadRanger. But, it was direct drive, which limited the top speed. Low tire pressure helps the ride. Air ride suspension does too. I have seen several with almost all the leaves removed from the springs. That works too. It'll never ride like a Cadillac! Good luck!

A lot of those had DD3 brake chambers on them. They used reserve air to apply the parking brakes. Then, they "wedged". On most of those old ones, the yellow button applied whatever parking brakes they had (DD3 or spring) on both the truck and trailer. The flipper was intended to be used when the trailer was disconnected. If you flipped it manually, it would disconnect the air supply to the trailer. This would set the parking brakes on the trailer. I think they did not want you to use it in place of the yellow button, which set the parking brakes on BOTH the truck and trailer. Again, it did more or less what the later red button did. And, yes, it COULD be used for parking...but that was not its primary intended purpose. Play with it and see what you get.

You absolutely can get R-models for that...or even less. A lot of what to look for depends on the intended use...work or hobby. Once these guys know what you are wanting to do, you'll have more opinions than you can shake a stick at!

This is actually the old version of the red button. If the trailer lines come loose, this valve trips automatically to protect the air supply in the tractor. And, if you want to disconnect the trailer, you flip this valve first, and it separates the tractor and trailer air systems. Like I said, the later stuff used a red push/pull valve to do the same thing.

Mine came factory with a gearbox on the speedometer cable, mounted right on the trans. There are several folks out there. I can't remember the brand on the one I had, but they were still in business at the time. Might have been the Clark listing below, but I'm not sure. https://speedometercablesusa.com/gear_box_adapters.html https://www.ihpartsamerica.com/store/SPEEDO-GEARBOX.html http://www.clarkbrothers.net/ratio_adapters.html

You'd think that all those guys that pulled the Daytons off would have some parts lying around that might help you! Maybe they would swap you for your Budd setup?

Can't do it right now. Makes me cry!

Adding the release circuit, like Rob said, isn't too difficult. It is mostly independent of the service brake circuit. Really just have to get air into and out of the "release" chamber of the parking brake. The service brake side is pretty much the same. Of course, it is a good idea to set up the parking (spring) brake release valve with an anti-compounding setup. There are several different ways to do this. There are a variety of valves with anti-compounding features built in. My old R had it plumbed into the parking brake valve itself. This was a VERY simple system. The anti-compounding valve was not much different than a regular valve, except that the exhaust side of the parking brake valve was effectively attached to the service brake line. This dumped the parking brake air through the treadle valve exhaust when the spring brakes were applied. If the foot valve was applied with the parking brakes set, air pressurized the service brakes and at the same time equally pressurized the release chamber of the parking brake. This essentially cancelled out the additional pressure being applied by the service brakes. Kept you from applying full service brakes and full spring brakes at the same time. Once the parking brake valve was released, and pressurized air was ported to the release side of the spring brakes, the exhaust side of the valve was blocked off, and the service brakes worked normally. Pretty sure this was a PP-2 valve. Might have even been a regular PP-1 with the exhaust port tied to the service brakes. Just cannot remember. Sorry! But, I think it was the PP-2. But, like I said, Bendix has a variety of valves that will allow you to do this in different ways (using modulating valves, relay valves, etc.). The schematic is a little hard to read. But, you can make out the "exhaust" line from the "auxiliary valve" going to the service brake line. PP-2.pdf PP-1.pdf Push-Pull Valves.pdf

No s#!t!

I can't wait to see this thing finished. As close as I am to you, it would be a crime not to see it in person.

Great question, and should spawn a lively discussion! I never saw anything but green back when the world was young, and so was I. But, there were a lot of strange things shipped out of the Mack building over the years. Maybe some of the brain-trust can elaborate on that. Looks like a lot of truck left in those pictures.

I sent him an email from the JustOldTrucks site. Will let you know if he responds. His last activity over there was 3 years ago, though.

Funny you mention the vent window frame. On both a B and an R, I used to hold onto the vent window frame with my left hand while driving. On more than one occasion, the wind blew the vent window closed...on my hand. Made up some words that would make a sailor blush. Finally learned to hold onto the mirror strut instead.

Isn't the R-model frame wider at the front than the B? Seems like on the BCRs, which use a B-model frame, the front of the frame rails are visible in the grille opening. I'd try to save the R, but I'm a little weird. The seating position in R is a lot more comfortable, in my opinion. 'Course, nothing looks as good as a B.

Very cool Super Dog.

We discussed the tube-type rims a while back. Yes, they can be an issue. But, if they were all as bad as people say, we would not have successfully used them for all those years. I believe that the condition of the pieces (whether it is straps, rims, or chain binders) and the competence of the user has more to do with it than anything else. But, that's nothing new. Some people can't work a screwdriver safely.

Shows last activity on the JustOldTrucks site as 3 years ago.

I saw a guy killed under a dump body that fell on him when I was fairly young. Never forgot that. If you block it up, use huge, solid pieces of wood. Don't take chances under that thing. I don't think a 4X4 is near big enough. The mechanic at our shop had 10X10 and 12X12 timbers he used under those things. He also had some steel-framed contraption he made that worked under certain bodies. Be careful. Gravity's a bitch.

The year model might also help. There have been a few different brake systems on the Rs. I have some air diagrams, but they are in the service book. Makes them hard to copy.