Freightrain

Gold anodized to keep from rusting. Looks great!! I'm so unhappy with the way my wheels turned out when I did them. Just 5? yrs and they look like chit. Rusty and ugly. I should have just painted them with a brush.

I was going to make it look more old school with the separate range control below the knob but decided against it. I can't screw it up now by moving the wrong knob.

It's a 13 spd. 18913. (Friend got confused when I was talking to him last week thinking it was an 18 spd.) I learned from shop I got this from about what it actually takes to convert to 18 spd. It needs rear box off and rear gear changed to roller bearing design. The 13 spd version(bushing) won't take the power in the lower splits for very long. I have it figured out. Works fine. Range changes when I move shift forks, splitter works also. I was checking ratios while spinning input and it appears correct. The info I downloaded said something about range hoses needed swapped. Yes, it was backwards with this knob. I also have to plug the green line off at the transmission (air feed line).

To mate to a 18913 transmission. Seems like they weren't made to work together originally. I don't want a new style plastic knob. I found something online but it's kinda sketchy and I hope someone here might have a clue. There is supposed to be something different about the rubber lines and how it range shifts? I plumbed it one way but it didn't work right. Anyone? Bueller?? 🤔

Yup.

Spent Friday evening getting my old Spicer 6041 dropped out of the chassis. Bit of a heavy chunk of iron. I remember using 1" rachet straps to lift it into location but they don't do well lowering so luckily my larger floor jack just reached high enough. Some finesse and I was able to safely lower it to the ground. Not sure how I will get it out of there? Too heavy to carry, no room for engine crane to get around the truck while in the stall. I may be able to drag it out the passenger side, through the doorway into other stall and use crane over there to lift it out of the way. Might have to get crane mounted to rear of pickup use it as a jib crane like in the past. I have a possibility of getting a 1241C to install? Have to go look at it, it has a power tower on it and that is something I don't need but of it will fit I may get it. It will give me a third OD plus the deep under like this 6041 has. Nice for creeping along....and the slow truck race at our annual truck show. Do I really need it? Absolutely not, but if it is affordable I will do it.

I watch Tales of Wells Fargo a lot after I get home from work and relaxing.

I went to assemble the clutch housing and realized the gasket has to be behind the halo. Hmmm??? I googled some and found a video on YouTube that showed that halo just pops off and you can install the gasket and slide halo back on. It has O rings that seal it into case. Simple enough. I got the housing torqued on and cross shafts in it. All ready to go. It will sit on the back of the truck until spring.

Wow, one day shipping! It showed up at work first thing this morning. Something I can bolt together this weekend. I already have the transmission sitting on the back of the truck waiting.

Searched around for a used bell to no avail. I ended up getting a new K3672 from VanderHaags. Should be here in a few days. Saw some listed for well over $1000. Got it for $670.

I have met up with Dan a few times at national conventions through the years. He has quite the collection of trucks. Crawling into the Aussie Superliner at York was a definite highlight.

What a cool story! I've tried for 25 yrs to get the previous owner to get me pictures or some kind of history of my truck at General Towing. He just never wanted to. I do have a huge file folder of "repair orders" through the years. Every little trinket that was changed out. I would love to have pictures from its heyday but I guess he wasn't a picture taker.

I can covert to pull. I just didn't pay attention to the fact that the tube made things different. The gasket hid the machining on the original bell so I didn't take into account. The gasket is the same, the tube just breaks through the gasket as you tighten it. At least on the transmission I have. Unless they changed it and just used a std gasket? I don't know. I will make it all work.

Thanks. Guess I am on the hunt again.

I bought a Mack bell for my 18913. Only problem is the bell doesn't have provisions for the oil line around the front of transmission case. Can I remove the extra oil line without tearing into the whole transmission? I have machining possibilities for adding pockets in my new bell but since it is aluminum and not cast for the groove it may break through. I assumed this bell would work but not having any experience I didn't think about this oil line. I know it isn't really needed in my application. Any thoughts?