RowdyRebel

I just made sure the baffles were knocked out of the mufflers on mine. Still flows relatively unrestricted, but isn't nearly as loud as a straight-piped truck. I was changing the flex pipe under the cab one day not too long ago while waiting to unload. Got the old one off, then it was my turn...so while I was unloading, I got the new flex pipe cut to length...but with the engine running at 1000 RPM's powering the blower, it was too danged hot under there to get it put on. So, I drove from where I was unloading to scale out and park outside of the gates to put the new flex pipe on....WOW that was loud.

Re: option D... I remember a trip out to Yellowstone as a kid. We were driving along and saw a large group of people gathered....apparently there was a bear. So, dad grabs the camera and heads out to get a pic. Bear didn't want it's pic taken and started to leave. Dad chased after it for a ways trying to get good pics...would have used up quite a bit of film.... ....IF there had been film in the camera

Put yer tar chains on....I hear they help when yer stuck...

That was before I got my CDL and started driving bigger trucks. I had always used the clutch in my pickup, so its what I used to. Shifted just fine for me with the clutch.

I used to drive an International 4700 series rollback with a DT466 and what they called the "6 plus" transmission....same 7 speed shift pattern, but without the 4 speed aux. trans....1st was labeled as "L", and every gear was 1 number lower. R135 L246 Loved that truck.

I rode the dragon back in '01....in 4th gear. Wasn't anything TOO bad....fun, really. There were some curves where looking through the turn like you're s'posed to, I could see my own tail light.

ROTFLMFAO!!! They was prolly tryin' hard to keep from bustin' up laughing on the phone with ya...handing the phone off to the next guy tellin' 'em "You ain't gonna believe this $#!t".... ...they's still prolly laughin' about the driver who was right outside their building calling 'em for directions.

Back when I ran all over, I got lost up in Jersey City...wrong turn. I spotted a fire station and figured they drive large, heavy trucks around town all of the time and HAVE to know where places are (and what routes to take to get there) in order to respond quickly to a call....so I stopped and asked them how to get where I was going. That paid off...they knew right where I needed to go, and the route they told me to take was pretty truck-friendly.

If you are restoring the truck and want it to be as OEM as humanly possible for maximum potential appraised value, then I'd say use the OEM bolts....otherwise, I would have figured out a way to make cheaper bolts work and saved the cash. ...but that's just me. ...then again I'm a cheap bastard.

Is that EACH or for the whole lot? I've learned not to buy inner & outer nuts for my stud-piloted wheels at the Mack dealer...they are 1/4 the price just up the road from 'em. For general hardware stuff I usually dig into the grade 8 bulk bins at TSC or Rural King...

They had one of those down here...but a big ugly yellow inflatable rat. The unions around here are usually holding signs saying whatever contractor has the job isn't paying "union" wages. I'm always tempted to stop and tell the lazy F'ers that if they were ACTUALLY worth what they THOUGHT they were worth, they'd be the one's working....but they aren't, so they get to sit out here looking stupid & going broke while those other guys work to take care of their families. I was working one job that had them picketers (they didn't have the rat, though). The first day, they were off out of the way...so it really wasn't any big deal. The next day, though, they were right there on the corner in the way...so that's where I walked the dog while I was being loaded. I was HOPING the dog would drop a big'ol stinky deuce, but no luck. Anyway, the second time in there, one of the union thugs stood up and stepped towards me and said "I would appreciate it if you didn't walk you dog here. There's plenty of other grassy areas around." I told him "Yeah, and I'm sure these guys would appreciate it if you sat your lazy asses elsewhere, too. This grassy area is closest to my truck, and this is where I'm walking him." There was a brief stand-off before I shrugged, laughed at him, and he sat back down in his chair. By the time I got back, they were sitting in their cars across the street.

For me, it would depend upon a few factors. First, what is the difference in down-time? If the truck will be down for the same time whether you fix what's broke or rebuild the whole thing, then spend the money (if you have it) and rebuild the whole thing. However, if parts are on back-order or if it just takes a while to rebuild each hole, and if I couldn't afford to have the truck out-of-service for any longer than necessary (customers are depending upon me and this truck, etc...), then I'd just fix what needs fixing and worry about the others if/when they present themselves to be a problem. Second, which I've already alluded to, what does your budget allow? If money is tight, fix what's broke and worry about the rest if/when they give you problems. If you have the money, go ahead and rebuild the whole thing. Third, is this a hobby truck or does it need to be 100% reliable? If it is just a hobby truck, I would fix what needs fixing and leave the rest alone. I can mess with the others if/when they present a problem. However, if I need to run the truck to earn a living, then I'd spend the money (if I had it) to completely rebuild. Thing is, those "good" holes might last another 20 years...or they could fail tomorrow. Same with the new parts. Only difference is that the new parts and the labor rebuilding 'em will probably have some sort of warranty if they fail tomorrow. All you know is that they are testing OK right now, out of the truck & on the bench....which doesn't necessarily guarantee they work properly while properly installed. Tough call, for sure...

It was shortly after the election, I was at a construction site and the man signing the paperwork had an Obama hat & shirt on. We got to talking politics....turns out he worked for the Obama campaign to help get another black man elected. I pointed to my front fender and told him ain't no way in hell would I have voted for Obama, and it had NOTHING to do with his skin color. Turns out he didn't vote for Obama either....he was a convicted felon and COULDN'T VOTE!

...says it has 24.5 rims on it. Putting bigger tires on would be easy.

I have an E7-460 mated to a T2180B with 4.17's riding on 11R24.5...I tach out around 83 mph (give or take...). 70 mph is around 1700 (if the tach is correct...the speedometer isn't. ) While it would probably be a good fit with tall 24.5's, I'm not sure I'd want 4.42's with 22.5's of any size on any truck that would see highway miles...the RPM's would just be too high for my liking. Local work around town, it would be aight....just stay off the big road.

Saw a guy almost have his truck burn up today.... Mack Vision...only been in the thing a short while (company driver for a small fleet owner leased to the company I'm leased to...truck was bought used). Anyway, his air dryer CMS'ed while he was unloading. I've never seen one like it, though...although that ain't saying much. Got 2 small canisters...one with a 2-wire electrical and the other a 3-wire electrical. Well, the 3-wire electrical thingamabobber that was plugged in was blowing smoke like a MFer, so he shut it down. Unplugged all the electrical connections and it SEEMED to be doing OK....he was unloading when I left. I dug a pipe fitting out of my side box and gave it to him in case he had to bypass the air dryer to get 'er home.... Yours looked more like a "controlled burn" though...

Ain't no thing. I don't mind...gets me home with daylight to spare to get things done around the house. Sleep is overrated anyway. My life has been one huge experiment in sleep deprivation.

Yup...no argument there. Haven't slept in 2 days, and it ain't looking good for tonight, either. Gotta leave out to get loaded in 5 hours and still messing around trying to figure out how to get the ride height adjusted properly

OK...so I found an old snap-on 1/2" wrench in my grandpa's old toolbox that was hacked down to exactly 4-7/8"...should be easier than using a tape measure....now I just gotta figure out what I need to measure.

OK...if that were the case, that would REALLY jack up the rear end...

OK, so after my weekend project, somehow my ride height got thrown all out of whack (rear shocks were fully extended) Now on those measurements, they don't make any sense....unless the 4 7/8" (+/- 1/8") is the difference between deflated and inflated measurements....is that a correct assumption?

Actually, I spent more time slacking off than I did working If I'd have started first thing in the morning on Saturday and/or (instead of sleeping in both days) and not been on the computer most of the day (both days) I might have got it done in 1/2 a day instead of 2. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's procrastination. If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would ever get done 'round here.

Welded it up.... Grinded it down... Primed... Painted... And get it put back together... Wheels back on... Fresh oil in the axle... And let'er down one side at a time...