vanscottbuilders

Excellent story Randy, Thank You! Paul Van Scott

Tom, Reminds me of an old line from a movie; "After terrifying himself a few times, a man rarely forgets what he was flying!" Paul Van Scott

Julien, The Mack Truck Museum can help you out. The information may take a couple of months to receive. Be sure to send them a donation. Paul Van Scott

I have some general questions about dual ignition Mack gasoline engines and their operation. We have a 1937 Model 75 pumper truck in our shop for a thorough restoration. The truck runs beautifully with a freshly rebuilt carburetor. Part of our job is to get a new set of wires on it. My Mack experience is exclusively with diesel engines - so I am really at a loss here. A) Do these engines always run on both ignitions simultaneously? Does anyone know if an ignition wiring set is available for both the magneto and the distributor? C) Is there any trick to threading the new spark plug wires through the original tubular wire guides? This looks like the toughest part of the whole project! Thanks for your help. Paul Van Scott

I know GMC had a front air suspension system used in a very few tractors at that time. I have never seen another truck from that period with one either. But - we learn something new every day. Is it possible for you to find out any more about the truck?

Happy New Year to everyone here - And Thank You all for your advice, information and questions. That's what makes this a great website. And Other Dog's photos, especially the good ones - they help too! Best Wishes for continued good times and good friends. Paul Van Scott

Nice stuff Mike - Thanks for the pictures! Paul VS

Dele, The picture looks like a pretty nice old work horse. What are you planning to do with the old girl? The Thermodyne diesel engines, like your 250, were pretty much bullet-proof. They were very dependable and worked well, particularly in dump truck usage. One of the reasons that the Thermodyne engines were so reliable was the fact that they didn't develop a lot of horsepower or torque for their size. Mack's philosophy was to use gears instead of high power engines. And it worked really well. Hence the 18 speed Quadruplex in your truck. That truck will regularly move 20 tons or more almost anyplace you want to go. And it will always come back for another load. You might not get any speeding tickets, and you will become an expert on shifting that transmission - but that truck is a very good truck. The DM Macks were economical to operate, cheap to maintain, ran forever and still look good. How much more could you ask for. Good luck with whatever you are going to do with the truck. Paul Van Scott

You have all the advice you need in these first two posts. After you have done about a dozen of them - I think it gets - harder! These are not easy, especially if you are trying to be neat and scratch-free. But they do indeed come out and go back in, and they will work when you are done.

Real bad - but that's not the point!

The C model cabs that I have seen are the same non-metallic green as the early (pre-1973) R and DM cabs.

Mike, I watched you check in with the G model. Wish I knew it was you - I would have said hello. Paul Van Scott

The fellow who owned that big blue KW says it was originally designed by Thiokol as an off-road missile hauling tractor, which makes sense. The numbers on the side panel behind the driver's door looked like Air Force ID numbering. Sure was an impressive monster, albeit with a surprisingly light looking driveshaft and U-joints. Massive rear ends, massive transmission, huge engine and a really weak looking driveshaft. Strange - but I'm sure there was a reason. The same fellow also owned two other very unique trucks - one was a half-track ski vehicle that supposedly was a school bus in Canada during the winter season. Pretty interesting. All in all, this was probably the best venue I have ever attended for one of these big ATHS shows. Very nice facility and a very nice turn-out of trucks. Paul Van Scott

I have learned that the hinge itself is not unique to Mack, rather it was used on many manufacturers hood panels, including automobiles and pick-up trucks. Someone here will know more about this than I do, but the hinge was a standard molding in the automotive industry. Earlier someone did suggest that the DM hard-nose hood hinge might work, and I think it would. And Mack should have it available. The price should a little more reasonable if that is true.

For anyone interested - I think this an LT or lightweight tractor, which is very rare in the H series trucks. Also, this truck appears to have a triplex transmission, rather than the more normal duplex. The cab appears to be in great condition, and it has Budd hubs. This would be a fantastic project for someone so inclined. These trucks are very hard to find in decent shape.