vanscottbuilders

I hate when that happens. Best not to talk about it though. Just hope it doesn't get worse too quick. Paul VS

Great to hear that it all went well!! Good Luck with the rest of the project. Paul Van Scott

Tom, 125,000 miles per year is plenty to keep you busy. Especially on the less travelled highways that you normally are on. PVS

Well, I'm back home for a few days. Going back to Beaumont, Tx. on October 19 for another stint. This trip I stayed in Houston and looked at damaged property in Conroe, Cleveland, Silsbee, Port Arthur and Beaumont, Tx. Not too much damage around Houston and north around Cleveland/Conroe. East and Southeast, however, it's a different story. All around Galveston Bay is pretty much demolished. I don't think any one building escaped damage. And a fair number of buildings need to come down, if they haven't already. Going to take awhile, maybe a year or more, before full services are restored to the area. For those of us who live in the North and Northeast - this is one of the big reasons that we stay there. If you haven't seen the actual storm aftermath, you really can't comprehend it. The damage is everywhere. Makes our cold winters look pretty good. And - don't even get me started on the snakes and alligators!! Man, I hate being lunch for some critter.

Thanks for the pictures Barry. Looks like a great show. Paul VS

Mother, Father & Son. Don't you get it? Cut down on the wait time for the bathroom!

Morgan, I like the T-12 cold start flourescents myself. We have eight metal halide bulbs up high on the ceiling, and a continuous row of flourescents at about 12' off the floor all the way around the shop. The sodium and metal halide lights are more expensive to buy, and way more expensive to run. But they do provide good wide area light coverage. You might use one or two in the center area of your ceiling. Truth is, we rarely turn on the big lights. And they take a while to start. I have used the flourescent lights in my airplane hanger, which is unheated; and used them in the last truck shop, as well as the construction shop. Never had an issue, and never had a surprise on the electric bill. Typically, I will have a few lights on each switch, and use a few switches, so I'm only lighting what I need. The furnace sounds perfect. Can you duct some of the heat to the far reaches of the shop? Might be better for painting in the winter if the whole area was a reasonably constant temperature. And, if possible, bring your make-up air in from outside rather than cycling shop fumes in to the burn chamber. Return air, which runs through the ducts, is fine being returned from the shop and through a filter to be reheated. The return air does not come in contact with the flames. The make-up air does. The metal inside is a good idea too. Might have to come back to Indiana to check this all out! Paul VS

Pretty interesting picture - I don't think I have ever looked at both cab backs in the same photo before. Everyone else might already know this, but I never realized that the window in the concave panel is actually mounted higher in the cab than the flat back window. (Look at the body lines and seam roll between the roof panel and the cab corner, and compare the two trucks.) Thanks for posting the picture. Paul Van Scott

If you are a big guy - get in the truck. You will know immediately!! Seriously, the concave cab was built to allow a longer trailer to legally be pulled in the Eastern states, where length laws were more restrictive than Western states. The concave back panel is very obvious by its' curvature that extends into the cab area, and therefore makes the cab interior a little smaller. (about 6 or 8 inches smaller) The concave panel was available as an option on most B models, but was most common on the B-67 and the other shorter length tractors. A quick look will readily reveal a straight back panel vs. the concave panel. Hope this helps. Paul Van Scott

There's no question - That is a very nice truck that they trust you with. Nice to see that you are keeping it clean and free of dents. Unless, of course, that's not really your truck in the photo. H'mmmm!!

Morgan, I've been watching this post and thinking about it. In my opinion putting any sort of open flame heater in a shop where you will be painting and working with flammable solvents and fuels is not a real good choice, period. Putting a heating unit outside, or in a separate room sealed from the workshop makes more sense. Keeping the explosive fumes from being returned to the furnace or stove makes even more sense. You've heard from one poster here about losing a house and a shop to fire. It does happen. I have a very good friend in Pennsylvania who lost his automobile dealership to a disastrous fire on night some years ago when he was cleaning up the shop floor with a solvent and the fumes got into the outside mounted coal boiler and exploded. He's very lucky to be alive. It really does happen. Use your head, rather than just trying to be cheap. It pays in the long run. As for fuel, it probably doesn't make much difference; it's all about what is available to you at the most reasonable cost. Heating any building on a part time basis is far less than efficient. Keeping a building at 50 or 55 degrees is a much lower cost proposition. You might consider a high efficiency heat pump as a low cost way to keep the building at a moderate temperature. The heat pump probably won't do all of your heating, however. Use a fuel-burning heat source for raising the temperature that last ten degrees or so, when you are working in there. Heat pumps can be had that use water from ground wells, or a little less efficient air to air units are pretty cheap. Heat pumps are also super clean, so no painting issues arise from oily exhaust fumes or dusty environments. And there are no flames involved in the operation of a heat pump. Putting the tubes in the concrete for radiant in-floor heat is the most efficient way to go. Fin-tube radiators are also really good, especially if the concrete is in place, and you want to use hot water heat. The old stand-by, forced air, is also probably the simplest, but least efficient way to warm a space. Once you get all that concrete mass, and all that good old Mack steel mass warmed up, it radiates a lot of heat. Keeping the building at a temperate heat level costs very little once everything is warmed up. Raising the temperature another five or ten degrees using the more expensive heat source is not too bad. As the property owner, you have control of the situation, so think about the heat pump. In the case of our new shop area, we lease the space, so our options were a little more limited. We had a new pretty efficient natural gas fired high mount heater installed. The space is very well insulated. I don't expect that it will be very costly to keep the space heated to about 55 degrees, and 60 or so, when we are working. It is an open flame furnace however, and, although we have a large sealed paint booth available to us, I am still concerned about the flammable liquids we use, and fumes we create in the shop. We stay constantly aware of venting the space to, hopefully, avoid any problems. Wood stoves, coal stoves and the like are all OK, but making them safe is difficult. Sometimes the smartest money you can spend isn't always the cheapest thing to do. Nice to hear you are going forward with shop improvements. You sure do have a great location for working on the old trucks. Paul Van Scott

There is a recent post on these forums that addresses the 11.00 x 24 rubber. If you look through these posts, you will also find the address of the Mack Museum in Pa. The service that they provide for us is invaluable. Send them your donation (Usually $100.00 or so) and your serial #'s. They will, after a few weeks, send you a package with all of the truck's information that is available. Usually, you can expect a build sheet from the factory, model year, series of truck from the factory (dump/mixer, tractor, straight truck, etc.). They also have reprints of many original factory manuals for the trucks. Ask about those, too. Paul Van Scott

For it's worth, I've found the old 673 Macks to be among the easiest of the diesels to start after sitting for a long time. My own B67T sat for twenty years, that we know of, and started, after checking for correct fuel pump rack movement, in a very short time after getting fresh fuel to it. My R model did the same thing. And it runs like a top. I do think that bypassing the fuel tank with fresh fuel from a five gallon bucket feeding a temporary connection to the supply line is a smart trick. Just avoid the rusty old tank altogether. Don't forget that five gallons won't last long, with the return line still feeding back to a fuel tank. Man - 1,200 miles!! What a great find. Good Luck, and have a lot of fun with your new toy! Paul Van Scott

Don't get too choked up. Those were also the original colors of my truck. Still, I thought the thought meant something.

I can't tell you how glad I am about the dog. I take my dogs more seriously than I do people. Dogs have never let me down. Those people who would turn in a dog for just being a dog really do not deserve a place in our society. Anyway - on a better note - The mixer looks fantastic. I'm going to paint my B-67 the same colors, just in honor of you. The wood in the charcoal for the salmon - Do you notice any difference in flavor when you use it? And the bacon and water were great ideas. You might have missed your true calling in life. Found a little bbq rib joint on Rte. 104 east of Williamson, NY that the locals tell me is second to none. Gonna have to make that trip. It's a typical rib place - a shack with some picnic tables outside. Gotta get there this month or next - before the snow.

Just got into a really stinky, moldy hotel in the Galleria area of Houston. At least my wireless service works. Ah Well - two weeks of uninterrupted joy and happiness. Can't wait. On a good note - I did get the B-61 I posted about a few days ago. And I found a beautiful stainless Fruehauf tandem axle trailer about 32', probably about late 40's or early 50's. I'm working hard on buying that. It's the perfect trailer behind a single axle B Mack. The B-61 is all around pretty solid, but the front fenders need attention. They are certainly fixable, but new ones wouldn't hurt either. The truck is really complete, and the chrome and trim is in great shape. Floors are solid, and the cab mounts look good. We haven't tried to run it yet, but I don't think it will have any major problems. It isn't my intention to keep this, as it is basically the same use to me as my B-67, which is pretty far into the restoration process. So, I will be looking for reasonable offers on the truck. Or maybe a trade for something. The real idea behind this purchase was to keep the old girl from the crusher. Everybody have a good week!

Mike, The vendor I'm thinking of has a very nice early 50's Chevrolet panel van street rod that he uses to advertise his company. I remember the car, just not the guy! I'll find his card here somewhere and post the info. Paul Van Scott

Looks like I'll have to leave for a while in the interest of making money. I'm going to Texas on Sunday and expect to be working there for a month or more. Part of our business is writing estimates for the repair of damaged buildings. Especially larger damages and historical structures. And, after a careful polling of our qualified people, (all three of them) all of whom must be better at winning arguements than I am - guess who gets to go to Texas to look at hurricane damages? It may take me a little while to get the lay of the land - but rest assured - if I can, I will be out scouting for trucks and trucks parts, too. I'll be starting in Houston on Monday. Probably coming home two weeks later. Then going back to Houston, Galveston or Beaumont, depending on where the losses that are contested are located. Won't be doing too much posting for a while. Mostly, I'll be brushing up on my "standing in line at the airport" skills. And brushing up on my Tex-Mex eating skills.

Mike, If you look in Hemming's Motor News, there are usually several vendors who restore steering wheels. There is one in particular who shows at the Spring Carlisle show and swap meets. He does beautiful work, and will do the large Mack steering wheels. My poor memory says that the price didn't seem too bad either. I'll see if I can find the name and phone #, and post it ASAP. Paul Van Scott

The roof photos are pretty revealing. Depending on the time of day and your frame of mind, it could look pretty bad, or not! But - no matter how bad it looks, it's really just a little more grinding and a little more welding. And - you don't have to have it running tomorrow morning to make a living. That alone should improve your perception of the issue. Have Fun! And - we'll talk someday about an R-700 for me. I'm on board with Glenn, they make a real nice truck. Comfortable, dependable and timeless looks. Paul VS

Depending on the location of your wedge type activators and cans, you will probably have to remove and relocate the brake can mounts. It's not too bad of a job, and you can get several lengths of brake operating cams. I would try to get the cans as far from the wheels as I practically could, so you could mount large brake cans, especially on the rear axles, where you might want maxi brake activators too. Check carefully for adequate room. Obviously you will be changing shoes and backing plates. It's a good time to look at wheel bearings, and to change seals and felts also. If it is a possibility - It might be simpler to find used axles with the S cam brakes already on, and just put seals and felts in and linings, if necessary. Good Luck, whatever you decide. Paul Van Scott

I was going to ask you a while back if you might want to sell that truck Rob. I really liked it when we moved it for you, but I think I'll let you go and see what becomes of it! Looking real good so far. And - there is no such thing as a "quick, simple paint job". At least not when you want it right. Though I'm sure you know that by now. Keep up the good work. Paul Van Scott

Several years ago, when I bought my R Mack and lowboy from a retired excavating contractor, I found a really nice B-61 single axle tractor behind his barn. I asked about it, and was told he wasn't quite ready to part with the old girl. Although he said he had never used the truck, he always wanted to restore it. Just never got to it. After a little homework, I found that the tractor has had only one owner in its' working life, and then into this fellow's hands for an easy retirement. It belonged to Louis Johnson Trucking of Port Gibson, NY, and probably spent its' life running from Upstate NY (the good part of the State) to the city, or down to the Johnson terminal in Pennsylvania. Anyway, the cab looked near perfect (at least by my memory), and I'm told it would run without much trouble. (This fellow does take good care of his stuff) So I kept my ears and eyes open over in that part of the world. And, it paid off. I got a phone call today. Seems that he is now ready to sell it. If I don't take it, he thinks he will scrap it. Didn't take me long to make that decision. Even though I don't need it, I can't let a real nice old B model Mack go to the wrecker. I'll probably post the truck for sale, after the dust settles, and I figure out what I have. It would be best, I think, if I got it running and driving, shook out the bees and put some heat in the exhaust. Then I can give somebody a pretty accurate report. Stay Tuned!

Just to confuse the issue - If any of you are interested, I will be getting a set of four brand new 10.00 x 20" bias ply re-caps on Dayton rims. These are part of a deal for a B-61 I acquired this morning. I am using tubeless radials on my trucks, so I will part with these very reasonably. If anyone is interested, contact me by PM here on this site. Paul Van Scott

You need to go get the dog - it's important. Maybe you don't have to keep him - but you can't let him die for doing nothing. You owe him that much.