vanscottbuilders

Skip, It's a very early R-600, 1965 production date. Do you have or know of any sheet metal corners, or a really good cab rear cut-off? Thanks, Paul Van Scott

Well, the B-67 cab is back in one piece. Or at least as close as it was from the factory. It was called the Million Mile Cab - If you really take apart a B cab - you realize that it is made of a lot of little pieces. A lot of little pieces!! Should have been called the Million Piece Cab. No wonder they are noisy and drafty and rust easily. There are lots of joints, holes, seams, welds and places for moisture and dirt to hide. Most of these tight spots were unprotected from the factory. You have to prime each sub-assembly prior to completing the refitting. After you get it together, there is no way to seal up some of the bare metal. Still I guess they were really considered state-of-the-art for their time. And I think we have done a pretty good job of reassembling, sealing and priming the old girl. Should add a few years to her life. Now I'm thinking about applying "LizardSkin" ceramic sound and heat insulation to the underside, the firewall, and the entire interior before painting.

After reading the story about you leaving the owner's son in a rest stop - I understand why you might feel like your job is on thin ice. I'll retract my statement about Thursday posts as being in the nature of good, clean fun. I might have tried it, but I never inhaled. PVS

Actually the color is a light grayish green. It's a little hard to describe, but it's no where near as dark as the original Mack green. Very antique looking. PVS

Heh, heh If you're looking for dirt - Go back and look at the dates of Tom's posts - he usually posts here on Thursdays - early in the afternoon from home. What's up with that?

This sage green I'm thinking of is not bright at all. And I think it would look good with dark green or black fenders. I would also paint the interior in the sage green if I used it. When Jaime Samuell did his blue B-85, he did the interior in the same blue, and used black fenders. It's a real sharp truck. But - I'm still thinking.

Does anyone if someone makes replacement cab corners for the lower rear corners on the R Model Mack cabs? I sure could use a pair. Thanks, Paul Van Scott

Shawn, Welcome. You'll like it here. Paul Van Scott

Nice to have you here. Seems that there has only been three or four of us regularly contributing to the blogs - so we need the help - we mostly aren't believing each other much any more! Anyway, just kidding. Welcome aboard. Paul Van Scott

B-67 Update: The frame is leveled and squared upside down on stands in the middle of the shop floor. The front springs and axle are bolted in place. The rear air suspension cross member is in place, and the removeable parts are all sandblasted and epoxy primed to match the frame and axles. Rear spring hangers are going in, and the rear springs are next. The cab is almost back in one piece. The donor roof and back panel are all blasted and primed and fit in place. I should be welding tomorrow. I saw a color on the cover of "Classic Trucks" magazine this month. It's a street rod magazine. Anyway the color is a DuPont sage green on a late 40's Ford F-1. It might look real good on a B Mack. especially with a red frame and running gear. I'm having a little trouble with my original choice of red with black running gear (the factory original combo). Seems everybody has the red color. Red is the color of my company trucks, although lately my own work vehicles have been white or gray. So - I'm looking around. Pretty good week, all in all. PVS

Supposed to snow here tonite and tomorrow and into Monday. But last night it was close to 70 with thunderstorms. I'm buying zip-off shirt-sleeves and pant legs! Can't be too careful. Paul VS

I guess I kind of forgot about the avatar photo - but the thought of using your picture should correct that condition!! Thanks for the reminder. And I just took some new pics of the B-67 progress. Now I just need to figure out how to start a photo gallery on BMT. Yeah, the shop we currently have is almost perfect for us. If we stay in the current complex, the new shop will be larger and better lit. And it is more "out-of-sight", which we like. The decision has not been made yet, but I am leaning toward staying in the rented facility. It's just simpler, and like you said, we have everything there that we need. It seems that our little fleet of derelicts keeps growing. The concern is that moving everything, then disassembling and reassembling the bridge crane in a new rented space is not a permanent solution. The question is how long before we have to move again? And the gravel pit storage we have for trailers and outside equipment is smack in the middle of upscale residential development. So how long will we have that? Those are the deciding factors. We're working on a solution, and we have until September to pull the trigger. Thanks, Paul VS

Paul, I would think that you might want to contact a freight expeditor. Someone who handles the paperwork, containerization, customs and shipping for a fixed fee. In the late 80's, I was involved in some international importation and exporting of aircraft, both assembled & flying, and disassembled in containers. We found that a knowledgeable expert is worth his weight in gold. Shop around for exactly what you expect. Another idea might be to contact some of the larger used truck & parts dealers in New York to see if they might help. Most of the used heavy trucks and a lot of used parts are being exported from the US by these dealers. However, for my money, my first choice would still be the expeditor/forwarder. Just be very sure that you are clear as to your expectations, and very clear as to how you want the vehicle handled. A lot of damage can occur quickly by some careless handler along the way. Good Luck. Paul Van Scott

The Fishers police have been warned to keep on the lookout for unknown flat-beds. Known national homeland security risks. And - I wasn't home this week. Took an invitation to see how the other half lives. Went to Augusta, Ga. to watch the golf Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Pretty nice trip. Have a good weekend. (There really isn't any Fishers police) Paul VS

Joe, Congratulations on the new job. That should take some pressure off. Paul VS

I like that old Ford! Paul VS

Another week gone by too fast. Seems to be a pattern. Anyway, we are reviewing all of our building options, including taking a long term lease on the new space available to us where we are currently located. There are some real advantages there - we get free use of the huge paint bay, the sand blast facility and whatever help we might need for assistance and specialized shop equipment. The complex is basically the home of Pooler Enterprises, which is a huge excavating and site development company. Their heavy equipment shop is right next door. The guys love our old trucks. (or they think we're really nuts!) And these guys are excellent mechanics, so it has worked out really well. The expanding business that wants our current space is a tenant of Pooler's in the complex. I am also doing all of my homework on what type of building would be best, and how would we configure the structure, if we were to go forward with building plans. I looked at several parcels of land this week. It's a good time to buy land here right now, with the depressed real estate market. The 2000 Peterbilt 379 that wouldn't leave finally did leave late last night. So my Mack can spread out again, all over the shop floor. I should be able to get some fresh photos this week. And I guess I need to change my avatar on the forums, as the truck in the picture no longer belongs to me. Like the man says - Nothing but Fun!

I've tried dealing with those guys - they're tough!

Thanks guys, these are good ideas. I agree with you Glenn, the wood posts below grade are the weakest part of a pole structure. But I think if they are done right, the pole barn is a good way to go. If we were to use a wood or steel building, we would line the interior with white steel sheeting for good light. And we would use a row of large fixed pane windows up high on the two side walls for natural light. As for more ambient light - I have inquired about a fabric covered steel truss structure - More on that later. Waste oil is probably a very good way to heat a building used as a shop. And it might even be more effective if we put the tubing in the concrete floor, and use the waste oil to fuel a boiler for in-floor radiant heat. Heat's a big deal for us - even though we only keep a shop between 55 & 60 degrees, we turn the heat on in September and don't turn it off until late May. The lighting in our current shop is all from overhead by high intensity metal halide fixtures. I have done numerous facilities for manufacturing, fabricating shops and an aircraft hangar in which we placed a continuous row of flourescent lighting on the walls at about 8' off the floor. That worked real well in conjunction with the overhead lights. In the aircraft building, we also built flourescent fixtures into the walls at floor level so you could see under the airplane when you were working down there. We do have some time, so I'm hoping to look around a bit and ask a lot of questions before making a decision. As I develop a prototype, I will sketch it up and post it here for review. Paul Van Scott

This may seem odd, given that I am in the building business - but, Does anyone have an opinion on what might make the best work shop building? Some of you may know that we currently rent a pretty large shop area from a good friend of ours in an industrial complex. It's been a great convenience for us. Close to home, well lit, warm and with plenty of space for our large stationary bridge crane which allows easy heavy lifts. We keep all of the trailers and "future" projects in a gravel quarry a very short distance away. Anyway, we are losing the shop space soon to a business that is expanding within the facility. A temporary solution is available to us in the same complex for about six months, but the handwriting is on the wall. We would like to buy a piece of land and build a large shop for ourselves. It would be much more efficient for the truck operations if all of the trailers and assorted equipment could move with us to one central facility. The land options actually appear to be pretty plentiful. The question is - if we were to think about a building approximately 48' to 60' wide and 80' to 100' long with a 20' ceiling height, which would make the best material choice - a steel sided wood pole structure, a completely steel structure, or a fabric covered steel truss building with rigid end panels? In all cases, we want to be able to insulate and heat the building. The fabric covered building is a new idea. It sure does have some advantages. But I am really curious as to the disadvantages, if any. We are in an Upstate New York snow belt area, so the load ratings of any building concern me. I have priced both the wood and steel structures, and there is not much difference between the two. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks, Paul Van Scott

Interesting article on national news about the big oil company execs telling Congress how their record profits are completely justified, and how they should continue to get tax abatements and tax relief for their investments! It is supposed to be a free country, and I don't think Congress should limit the profit potential of any industry. (Think back to truck regulations, railroad regulations and airline regulations, which were all huge failures. The government has no place in private business. Think Amtrak!!) What would be a great idea, however, is to encourage competition in the oil industry, and to offer the tax incentives, that big oil currently gets, to fledgling businesses, who in turn, might drive the retail prices back to a reasonable level through competitive bidding for market share. And - I believe that we can make that happen by constant bombardment with e-mail, letters and phone calls to our individual Congressmen. Just let them know what you want, and remind them that you do vote, and remind them, tirelessly, that they really do work for you, and you will not hestitate to find someone who can better represent you, if they don't want to. This effort would be far more effective, and lots easier to get done than a trucker's strike that asks for guys to shut down the equipment that they already can't afford to operate. I know people who are doing exactly this right now on a daily basis. If we all did - it should make a huge difference. remember the "Squeaky Wheel" theory. The truck strike did not have a real effect. It was doomed from the start - poorly organized, poorly communicated and, most of all, not supported by a large number of truckers for a variety of reasons. Let's try an easier approach. Paul Van Scott

Red Horse, Please do keep us posted, and maybe tell us about the process and the results with your chrome shop. Would you mind asking if he wants more work? And where is the shop located? I have essentially the same parts ready now for a chrome shop. Thanks, Paul Van Scott

Thanks Joe, Have a good week. Paul VS

Interesting week. Weather is getting steadily better. Snow's almost gone. I like these days - you can really feel the change coming, even though it's still only 15 or 20 degrees at night. It gets to 40 or so during the day. And when the sun shines, it really seems to shine bright. Not much Mack truck news this week. But we did get paid for the 2000 379 Peterbilt, and got a pleasant surprise when a fellow from Indianopolis showed up, like he said he would, and paid for, and took, a road worn 379 Pete that we inherited with a bad engine last fall. I like it when guys show up with their own wrecker - it's a good sign!! Got some bad news this week, coupled with some not so bad news, and ended with pretty good news. 1st - we learned that we are losing our truck shop space. Some of you know that we rent the space from a good friend on a month to month basis, with the understanding that the adjacent business may expand at some point in time. Well - I guess it's that time! That's the bad news. Hard to believe that I have been in that space for about three years. When I took it, I told Gary I needed it for maybe three months to restore the B-67. He laughed. He must have known better. Anyway - we are moving around to the back of the complex to a bigger and even better lit space, on the same temporary basis. Should give me plenty of time to finish my B-67 and get the lowboy sandblasted, redecked and painted. That's the not so bad news. And the good news is - This little truck hobby is pretty fun, and it's working out okay. So we (my Uncle Jim Schreiner and I) have decided to start the process of acquiring some land and building our own building. And it looks like we have several options. All of the land choices have direct access to a state highway and are within a couple of miles of a NYS Thruway exit, so the heavy haul equipment can go with us for economy's sake. Hope to get the back axle sandblasted and primed this week. And get the cab surgery moved along so I have just one cab to look at, rather than a couple of cut apart pieces. Onward and Upward.

It's definitely pretty interesting stuff. And as said earlier, the chances of getting the industry to act as a unified group are really slim to none. Moreover - the Owner/Operator industry is made up largely of guys who are driving because they love it, not necessarily because they are good businessmen. Many O/O's are running brand new shiny trucks that they can ill afford with huge truck loan payments, plus the normal growing family bills, plus the increasing taxation from an over bloated government, and of course, the mortgage, utilities, truck maintenance, insurance, license fees etc., etc. Those guys cannot miss one trip, much less several days or weeks out of work. Truck repo's would skyrocket. And, to make things a little tougher on them, the freight brokers aren't normally overly generous with the rates. They know they have you by the proverbial short hairs. People in this position are much more desperate than most of us can imagine. And fuel costs will drive some of them out of business before they know what happened. But - American Owner/Operators, like American farmers, are really independent. And you have to respect that. They don't want you or me telling them what to do. So the long and the short of it is - Rates can't possibly change, and fuel will continue to rise, and guys will keep losing their trucks, homes and families as long as a lot of operators are willing to work too cheap. I don't know how you manage that. But I do know that if you buy a reasonably priced, well cared for used truck that you can afford to run and comfortably pay for, and shop very carefully for all of the peripherals that go with it and build a cash reserve for the surprises, and if you work both smart and hard - the trucking business is not a bad way to make a good living. Because there truly is more freight than there is trucks.