vanscottbuilders

Willy, Nice looking dump truck. The simplest way to get to power steering and Budd wheels is to look for an axle from a newer truck. I know that Jaime Samuell did his a few years ago and used an axle from a mid-duty Freightliner. It worked out real well. Obviously the spring perches have to measure fairly close, and the overall hub to hub width has to be fairly close or the tires will end up directly under the wheelwells, and will rub when turning or under heavy load. So some careful measuring is in order. The Macks were a little narrower than most of today's trucks, so look carefully. Another consideration - the 673 doesn't have any provision to drive a hydraulic power steering pump. The pump can be driven by a connector that runs off the back of the generator. (See Watt's Mack - they have them) If you want to keep the Daytons, guys like Matt Pfahl at Pfahl Mack Restorations have some access to original Ross or Shepherd power steering units. These units retro-fit directly onto your original axle. Keep us posted. Paul Van Scott

Willy, This has been an ongoing discussion here for several years. Look into the old forums, and you will find a lot of information about retro-fitting a turbocharger to your NA 673. The general consensus is that the engines were not set-up to accept a retro-fit turbo, but in some instances there have been successful installations. (There have been plenty of meltdowns too) The early turbocharged 673 engines may not have had the oil cooled pistons, and were also limited in their rated power (205 hp, I think). The later units were rated up to 250 hp, and had the oil cooled pistons and other modifications to handle the charge air pressure. Regardless - the engine is not a good basis for a hot-rod motor. If you can go back and buy the whole E-7 engine, it might be a better starting point! Actually, by the time you are done with the retro-fit, if it's done properly you will have spent a small pile of money and a big pile of time. You might consider purchasing an early Maxidyne 237, 250 or 285 hp, and probably will be much better off. I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news - but the retro-fit turbo route is a tough path to be on. Paul Van Scott

Jim, Wouild consider building more sunvisors? That one looks great. Might provide a little revenue to supplement your project. I know I'd take one if they can be done reasonably. Paul Van Scott

Tony, I'll have to take a look at the exhaust manifolds. I never noticed the difference between the H and B models. Have both apart and visible in the shop. The decision to start with the simple brake parts is smart. As for the brake chamber - I usually rebuild mine, unless I'm updating the truck to new spring brake chambers. So many new parts say "Made in China" on them that I try to use old stuff whenever possible! Paul Van Scott

Tony, Just like the others have said - start by getting the drums off and greasing up all of the moving parts. That gives you a chance to check over the drums and linings too. I would also take the activator chambers apart to look for broken springs. The only issue here is that you could inadvertantly damage a bladder in the can. They'll be old and perhaps dried out, and easy to damage. They are easy to get and to replace though. The spring in the chamber is to help return the brake to an "off" position, if it's broken or damaged it will cause a dragging brake. One other little item to check is the quick release air valve. Take a look at the Bendix Air Brake booklet, available at Bendix' web site. It has a simple diagram of a typical tractor/trailer air system, and identifies the QR valve's location in the system. The valve could be plugged or damaged, and will cause the brakes to delay on release. Hey man - at least it runs!! What else did you expect? Paul Van Scott

Thanks for the suggestions everybody. Steve - you are right, I think the "Red Baby" is the right cab style. There was the exact right truck for sale in Wheels of Time a while ago, and it wasn't a lot of money. Hindsight's 20/20! I'll get out my old issues and try to find it. Seems like the photo showed it sitting with the front end down on the ground and front wheels off. Paul Van Scott

Here's a question for everyone out there - I am looking for what I believe is an International Speed Truck, or perhaps the next heavier truck from the early to mid 20's. A "Six Speed" model might work, if it is early enough. I have been all over the Internet and found nothing of any real value. At least I haven't found any good information. This has been a pet project of mine for some time. I have a small collection of Buddy-L tin toy trucks from the 20's that were given to me when I was very young. They are modeled from the IH truck, and they are all in original, unrestored condition. I would like to locate a full size truck to restore and display with the toy trucks. Any ideas or leads would be appreciated. Thanks, Paul Van Scott

The engine ID game was great. I'll try the other games. I've forgotted how nice the 409/348 Chevys looked. Thanks Kevin. Paul Van Scott

Good Morning, Can you tell us where the trucks are located? And a description of each. Photos might help too. We're loaded with opinions and free advice - and glad to help! Welcome to our site. Paul Van Scott

This is pretty good! Thanks, PVS

Don't forget that you don't have an overabundance of horsepower to work with. Raising the final drive ratio will take away from the low end pulling power. A fifth wheel camper is normally not too heavy, but a ratio with a numerical value less than about 4.11:1 is just asking for trouble. For road speed, a ratio of about 4.28 with an overdrive transmission would be a good choice. The truck would still have reasonable low end power, and road speed that would at least keep you out of everyone's way. These trucks were not hot rods. No matter what you do, modifying the gear ratio to raise the top end speed will take precious pulling power out of the bottom end. For that reason, and for keeping the driveshaft speed down to a dull roar, an overdrive transmission is a great choice. An overdrive Allison should be available. Not cheap - but available. It is really nice if you can make about 65 mph at about 1,600 to 1,800 rpm. Don't worry about the top end, as you probably won't want to twist the engine that high for hours on end anyway. Especially if you're buying the go juice. To do the calculations quickly, there a number of final drive gear ratio calculators available on the internet. Keep us posted. Paul Van Scott

Not much to report in on. I've been tracking down all of the little parts for my B-67 front brakes and tie-rod ends. Think I have everything except the little brake shoe retainer springs. Going to have to find a spring vendor and match them up. I did find an old fashioned clutch and brake shoe re-lining business in Rochester. And they think they have a Mack 673 clutch, pressure plate, flywheel, throw-out and pilot bearing assembly all re-lined, resurfaced and ready to install stored upstairs in their shop. So - I've definitely got that on the radar. This is the time of year when everything just seems to drag along. And with a slow world economy, a slow business environment, a wet, gray weather pattern and just plain old grumpiness - it's really dragging along more than usual. On a brighter note - the sun came out last Friday, and the telephone started to ring for the first time since Thanksgiving. I now have two new appointments this week to discuss new houses with people. All from one day of sun! Do you think we maybe don't actually get enough sunshine? I've been smiling about that all week.

If you have the build sheet for the truck, the process is fairly simple at any Mack dealer to track down the required spindle from the arrangement number. There are probably several spindles that were used in the 20,000# axle assemblies that were available from Mack. And there was indeed more than one. The truck is new enough, that if you do not have the info - Mack may have it in their records. They should be able to track the information with the truck serial number. If not - the museum will have everything you need, but you will have to wait for the information. Trying to get parts like this from an outside source without the part number or the arrangement number is a little risky in that you may not get what you need. And, as with most used parts, once you buy it - you own it! Hope this helps. Paul Van Scott

Danny, Great video. And a beautiful old A-Car. What is your association to Malbro's? I'm just curious. It's a great way to gain experience when you can start young and see it all first-hand. I was a resident pest to my Uncle who is also in the specialized heavy haul business. Now I'm a lot older - and an expert pest!! They still don't let me play with sharp tools. Welcome to our site. Paul Van Scott

You might be better served to post this on the Engine forum, and maybe on the Modern Truck forum in our site. I think you will get a better respondse to your questions. Paul Van Scott

Tony, As soon as you can, get together a list of the really good restaurants in your neighborhood. They make really good "spousal peacemakers". You will need them from time to time throughout this project!! Paul Van Scott

Tony, Herb is right - check the front engine mount and the transmission mounts. The rubber donuts are probably shot, causing the reduced clearance issues. The exhaust on our H-63 is 3.5", and the original had a horizontal muffler under the truck. I don't think that should make any difference in the pipe diameter, though. There won't be any more clearance than you need, but things shouldn't be hitting each other. Paul Van Scott

It's good to be busy. Everything I read says we aren't near out of trouble yet. Paul VS