vanscottbuilders

Macks were built to move mountains with minimum horsepower and a lot of gear advantage. If you haven't done so already - Go online and find a gear ratio or final drive ratio calculator - there are lots of them and they are easy to use. Feed it the required data - tire diameter, max or desired rpm and final drive ratio (including any overdrive multiplier) to get the speed at that particular rpm. 7.88/1.00 is probably too much gear for a road truck. Great for pulling a load though! If your truck will be used in a lot of parades or other fairly slow activities, it might be real good, but you won't be passing too many people. Even with a .65 overdrive, the final drive is over 5.12/1.00, which is still a pretty low final drive ratio by today's standards. Paul Van Scott

You should do a little math and get the real numbers, if you haven't already. Go to a gear ratio calculator online and plug in the required data - tire diameter, max rpm and final drive ratio to get the top speed. Then run a calculation at 1,650 rpm or so, for a nice cruise engine speed, to see what you have. Running around 70 mph at 1,650 is a real nice, easy cruise. I think the TRQ-7210 is a .69 overdrive, which gives you a 2.88 effective final drive with the 4.17 rears, probably way too fast as Mike has said earlier. Excellent for going downhill though. Would you consider trading with someone for a single over triplex or quadraplex? The 4.17 rear gears are great with a single overdrive Mack transmission with a .86 or so overdrive, for a 3.58 effective final drive in high gear. I'm sure there are a lot of guys who could use the double-over box. Keep us posted, Paul Van Scott

Rob, I think the shutter temperature sensor and "open/close" valve on the top of the engine takes in air from the air pressure governor mounted on the upper left firewall. That is the limiting factor, or at least, was on my B-67. Running straight line pressure to the shutter temp control cured the issue. I can get details from Jimmy, if you need - he's doing the final assembly now. Paul VS

Now that's funny! Paul Van Scott

If everyone did that, there would be far fewer problems in our world! Thanks, Paul Van Scott

Burdell, Do you need the instructions for a Jacobs Mfg. brake kit, or for a TEC brake? Paul Van Scott

Garth's right on this - if the differentials are the same, and I believe that they probably are, why not just swap the carriers from one truck to another? Both the B42 and the B-53 were heavy duty chassis designed for dump truck and mixer work. The camelback suspension and the beam and block suspension are both very hard riding without a substantial load, so one is probably just as good as the other for purposes of restoring a truck. The bushings and parts for the camelbacks might be a little easier to come by, if you need. And re-drilling the frame is no easy task for a suspension swap. There is, however, one glaring question in all of this - and that is ---- How comfortable are you with Garth meeting your mother??????? Paul Van Scott

I'm way off the subject Rob, but your comment about the farmers and Chinese tires leads right to it --- My personal solution to solving a myriad of national problems is a simple 10% import tax on all goods Chinese. This serves to level the playing field a little, thereby making domestic goods a little more competitive, and allows the USA to repay the Chinese some of the trillions we owe them from our foolish borrowing spree with money generated directly from the very people who insist on supporting the importation of inferior products. Along the way one could hope that we might see the error in our thinking that buying cheap, inferior goods is ever a good idea. Let me just recall some of the recent Chinese import issues (incidentally - all of these are from the past 24 mos.!): Toxic toys, Lead paint, Poison pet food, Choking hazards in kid's toys, Sulpher in drywall (poison), Toxins in prepared foods, and the list goes on. And now - we are going to trust these people, who have no regard for human life, to make the tires we use on our high speed, overcrowded highways. All because they are cheap?? WTF?? Are we stupid or what?? Paul VS

Very Good - Thanks! Paul Van Scott

Rob, A little shopping at the local tire vendors can go a long way toward saving some money. Often times a vendor will have something in inventory that will work well for you at a reasonable discount. This may be especially true with the 20" radial, as I believe it is a tube type tire and largely obsolete for the fleets and most new trucks. Potentially a dealer may have some older inventory or tires in stock that someone ordered and failed to take delivery of. Another good possibility, although limited by the 20" size, may be "new take-offs". Fleets or motorhomes or anyone with special tire requirements will have a tire dealer take off the new tires and install their particular preference. The dealer typically ends up with the new rubber in inventory and may be willing to sell it at a reduced price. (A little lesson directly from Jimmy - the world's thriftiest operator) It might pay to look around. Paul VS

Barry, I used a standard alternator bracket from an early 80's ETZ engine with almost no modification to bolt a new Leece-Neville alternator on an NA-711, which should be the same as a 673. Worked like a charm, and it's a standard Mack part. If I can get at it, I can get the part # for you, if interested. Paul Van Scott

We definitely had a better year in 2009 compared to 2008. In the construction industry in our Upstate New York region, I wasn't sure we could survive a year ago at this time. 2009 picked up somewhat and we are still here. We reduced our expenses significantly; we did get lucky enough to contract a fairly large commercial project which helped out a lot; we built a couple of new homes, and all-in-all we managed to squeeze out a fairly good year. Nowhere near enough to wipe out the losses from the last couple of years, but at least pointed in the right direction. The indications are that work will continue, albeit at a much reduced pace from several years ago. New home inventory is down about where it should be, existing homes are selling fairly well, and the finance rates and tax incentives are still with us. So I've got my fingers crossed for 2010. The truck shop became "The Fishers Truck Company, Inc." this year, and we obtained a dealer's license from the State of New York to buy and sell motor vehicles. We are also planning to sell some select products to the trucking industry that specifically help out an operator's bottom line. (More on this later) There are three sold projects in line at the shop for total restorations following the B-67 that is finishing up now for Gray Hamilton. The truck shop is a hobby for me, although it seems to be growing. My uncle Jimmy is pretty much working full time. (So much for Jimmy's retirement. Heh, heh - if he only knew how much his wife paid me to get him out of the house!!) Over the next few years, I may retire to the truck business myself. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. We have collected a small, diverse fleet of heavy trucks to save them from a nasty fate. The website is being designed now, and these trucks will be advertised for sale as projects. (Got a lot of weird cool stuff - like a Walters with an original NHRS 320hp Cummins, a really heavy duty Autocar with extremely low original miles and 65k rears, a beauty of a Chevrolet 3100 series pickup, a Brockway 361 long hood with its' original 1674 Caterpillar, a very cool KW W900A with its' original KT525 Cummins, and a bunch of others) These all need various amounts of work. It is my intention to very accurately describe the trucks and their attributes with photo files for each on the new website. Hopefully we can find them good homes and pay the bills along the way! So, I'm thankful for a good 2009, and looking forward to a better 2010. Best wishes to everyone here for the same! Paul Van Scott

Joe, I like your H-63. We have one very similar in our shop now for a total restoration. As for Budd wheels and hubs, I believe that the Budd wheel was an option from the factory at that time. The disc wheels were quite common out west. I do have a complete "hub to hub" original Budd hub front axle with brakes that I believe will fit your truck. I'll have to check the model number to be sure. If you are interested, PM me here on BMT. As for the rear axle, it may be simpler and cheaper to change out the original rear end and potentially gain a more desireable final drive ratio as well as the wheels you are looking for. Paul Van Scott

That's a pretty engine Scott!! Paul Van Scott

Rob, This is my best guess - because I have never swapped the springs from a B-61 to a B-67 but --- The spring boxes and insulating rubbers show as the same part numbers in the parts manual for the model FA-505 front axle. The B-67 utilizes the same frame and running gear as the B-61, just different cab mount locations and slightly different radiator shell. And. obviously, the different bellhousing to allow the slant and the right hand starter mount. As for re-arching, I have used the cold re-arch method twice in B model Macks with excellent results. Keep in mind that these are no longer work trucks, and will see very light usage. With a restoration project, it is pretty much standard for us now to send all spring stacks into the spring shop for disassembly, replacement of any broken pieces or leaves with worn center holes, re-arching as required, and re-bolting and clamping. That way we know what we've got, and we can stand behind the product when, or if, it is sold. A word of caution - be careful with the insulating rubbers. I found them impossible to get as new parts. Another word of caution - be a little judicious in choosing the people you trust to do your measuring. Some B-53 owners have had their brains rattled so badly that may they have some difficulty with normal daily functions. Reading a tape measure may be out of the question. Hope this helps. Paul VS

Joe, Thanks a lot for your post. When Rob and I put our heads together and suggested this Transportation forum, this is exactly what we had in mind! I hope things are going well for you, and I hope some of our BMT members take advantage of your generous offer to help out! Welcome to the site! Paul Van Scott

BMT is a great forum for all Mack truck enthusiasts to share information, ask questions and trade ideas about our toys and our work trucks. Sometimes we might take all of this for granted. Santa Claus arrived in fine fashion at my house on Thursday loaded with truck stuff. And it reminded me that we should take a minute and thank Barry, Tracey and all of the folks at Watts Mack for their support and service throughout the year. As parts get harder and harder to find, and as more and more original parts are taken by corrosion, having someone who is willing to research, purchase and inventory many of those pieces for the restoration hobby is really invaluable. Having the same people support our website is fantastic! I called Tracey on Tuesday, December 22nd and ordered all new chrome trim for Gray Hamilton's B-67 (Blockhead here on BMT). The original was simply too poor to use on this truck. Although I am not a big fan of reproduction pieces, I don't have a good chrome plating shop that is nearby or trustworthy. So having access to all of those trim and hardware pieces by a simple phone call sure made life a lot easier. Anyway - I ordered a lot of stuff on Tuesday, December 22nd and on Thursday the 24th two big boxes with most of my stuff arrived! (I probably should also thank UPS! This was regular ground transportation) Sure made for a nice Christmas in the shop! So from all of us here on the Big Mack Truck forums - Thanks Watts Mack for all of your help and support!! And - Happy New Year to Everybody! Paul Van Scott

SICK, SICK, SICK !! You are truly a very warped person. Funny, but warped! Merry Christmas. Paul VS

Thad, Definitely from the MSN days. Maybe last May or so. The asking price was $4,000.00 I think. The seller would probably take a bit less. The truck was recently on TruckPaper, so I think it is still available. It's a very clean cab with minimal rust. There appears to be some light damage to the right front fender. The interior is good (needs a headliner)and it has an original Mack air ride seat. The frame and the winch have been kept painted. (Dark green with a red frame) I am full of projects right now, or I would buy it myself and pull a short high flat or my little lowboy behind it. It is probably pretty useful for loading up non-running old trucks, with the big winch. And it looks very cool! If you can't find the listing, let me know by PM. I have a complete set of photos, and I should be able to find the owner's contact information. Paul Van Scott

Let's not forget that every elected person works for us - the one's who elected them. And - we still have the right to un-elect them. Maybe now we've finally had enough, and will do something instead of just complaining. I've asked this before, but I'll do it again for effect - When was the last time you communicated with your elected officials? Any of them, not just Senators or Congressmen? Have you ever done it? In an age of e-mail, cell phones and faxes, it has never been easier to send your representatives a nice little note telling them of the wonderful job they are doing! Sort of like a business owner with a bunch of worthless employees - it's time to show them the door. From now on think of this Merry Christmas gift from your Congress - and get pissed off enough to do something!! Paul Van Scott

Thad, Are you specifically looking for a Cruiseliner? There is a really nice F-600 near you that I think needs a good new home. It is running and licensed. The truck has an original rigger's winch and a fifth wheel. It is a heavy spec single axle day cab with a 711 and a Quadraplex. Very low original miles, and a single owner throughout its' working history. You could literally get a ride to the fellow's house and drive the new truck home! If you want, I have the name and contact info, although the truck is here on BMT in th older For Sale forum. Paul Van Scott

If I were going to build a new shop for my big toys - I would probably use a 44' or 48' width by the 100' you are thinking of. The overhead doors should be a minimum of 14' high and 10' wide, and should go on the gable ends of the building. Doors on each end are preferable to allow drive-thru access. The 44' width lets you get two full size tractors and trailers in the building with generous work room around the trucks, and a third full length work bay for projects, shop equipment, benches and the pre-requisite bathroom. (The 40' width will work, but it gets tight quickly if you are parking more than one truck inside) I would use "attic" type roof trusses, which will give you space upstairs for an office and storage including under-eave storage if you want, without significantly raising the cost of the building. (You might also consider putting the bathroom on the 2nd floor) The attic trusses are also easy to insulate and finish with drywall. The stairs will take up more room than most people realize - just be sure to account for that space in your plan. (With attic trusses, using a 20' eave height puts the 2nd floor at around 19'6" over the concrete floor - so it's a big set of stairs) One serious consideration has to be the eave height. Here I wouldn't skimp at all - 16' would be a minimum, with 20' a better choice if you will have any overhead lifting equipment. (The bridge crane in our shop is the best investment we have made for doing lifting, moving and assembling of big parts inside) Another advantage to the 20' eave height is that it allows for "shed" type roofs along each eave side of the building. These areas can be great for covered outdoor storage of vehicles, equipment, firewood, boats etc., with no loss of shop floor space. (Using the 20' eave height might require "killing" the high look of the building. These shed areas can be brought down in height to give the building a more proportioned look, and still provide a 10 or 12' ceiling height for drive in storage.) Another thought, to potentially save some money, might be to put the office space in one of these "shed" areas, and put the workshop area in the other, thereby substantially reducing the total size of the 20' high truck shop area. As for in-floor radiant heat - it's really nice, and it's really expensive. It would be my first choice, if money wasn't a consideration. But, I think the money may be better spent insulating the walls and roof really well, and using a pair of seperately controlled ceiling hung gas fired heaters. You probably will use a creeper when you are under the trucks anyway. Heating a 4,000 sf concrete slab takes a substantial boiler system, and a pretty extensive network of tubing laid out in a knowledgeable pattern for the heat distribution to be effective. If you were working in the shop full-time, it might be worth it; but for a hobby shop, it's a big nut to crack. Upstairs you might consider a furnace and duct system that allows for central air conditioning. That attic office space is going to get hot! Windows are also nice. The natural light does make a shop feel a lot better, although there may be security issues to consider. Windows do not insulate - not even on their best day. Keep that in mind. Lighting is huge - and needs to be considered carefully. Personally, I am at an age where I can't have too much light. Consider wall mounted continuous perimeter lighting at at least one constant height about nine feet from the floor, with two continuous rows of lighting being better. Supplement this with perhaps ten ceiling mounted high intensity shop lights. We have tried lights mounted in the floors under the center of the truck bays. They are not really all that great. Don't bother. Last, but not least, seriously consider hiring a design professional to help you lay out the interior spaces. You might be surprised at how an outside professional organizes the workspace. And they are normally not very expensive. We build a lot of buildings for many different purposes, and I wouldn't consider doing a shop for myself or anyone else without bouncing the concept off of an architect or a space planner of some sort. Just as a reality check - the average cost of a bare-bones pole barn with a 6" reinforced concrete floor in our area is around $25.00/sf for the first floor, the second floor area can add around $15.00 or $20.00/sf of finished area for basic finished space. Insulation, electric, gas, heat, venting and plumbing all add to the cost. A final cost for a really nice, well finished shop and office is probably $50.00/sf with the sky as the limit. One of the nice things about a shop building is that it normally can be finished in stages, as long as you have a good plan to start with. That can take the sting out of the finished cost, and get you in your new shop much quicker. Good luck, and keep us posted! Paul Van Scott

Jim, Congratulations! I'm anxious to see the latest photos. Paul Van Scott

Jim, What you are saying about nuclear power is essentially true - with some qualifications. Nuke power is clean and efficient - barring any bad problems. The only real ongoing issue with nuclear power is the storage and/or disposal of the spent fuel. We could use a good solution that utilizes the left-over waste for something that further wrings out the remaining energy, thereby rendering the spent fuel to an inert and stable state. The second issue with nuclear plants, in our country at least, is the waste of time, money and government intrusion required to get a plant approved. (Currently that time period is at approximately ten years!! And that's if everyone involved does their respective job, which is very rare) There are a few reasons and benefits that make wind, solar, earth mass and hydro energy sources effective. First - We don't have to become completely free of "the grid" or free of any fossil fuel usage. There is no need to go back to living in caves - the change in thinking doesn't have to be painful. If we reduce our oil and coal addiction to 50% of its' current level, we could produce all of our fossil fuel requirements within our own borders, with existing reserves. So - the renewable enegy sources don't have to produce all of our needs, at least not yet. Maybe they could start us on a path of "foreign oil independence". Our current renewable energy technology might buy us enough time to research and develop some new power generators to carry us into the future. That future probably includes nuclear power. Second - You say solar power doesn't work, and that "solar arrays" are a bad thing. But you are ignoring the one spot where solar collectors work extremely well. On your own roof! "Low profile" solar collectors are now available from numerous manufacturers that essentially match the profile of a standard residential roof shingle, or a standard metal roof panel. These panels are barely noticeable when you look at the house, yet can produce enough power even in the cloudy Northeast, to provide a good amount of all of the electric power needs of a normal new home. It's not free. Neither is anything else. But, it's renewable, leaves no waste, produces no pollutants and requires little infrastructure. And the jobs created are American and local! Think of all of the available roof space, just in your own town. Then think about all of the available roof space in the country, if you can!! It's mind boggling. Collectively vast areas for solar exploitation that already exist. Huge opportunities for America to go to work. Furthermore - it's just the tip of the iceberg. I'm with you on wind power, in that I think the landscape suffers from the proliferation of wind turbines. But, huge work benefits and job opportunities exist if we produce wind equipment and build wind farms. Thousands of localized, good paying jobs. And that's just as important as weaning ourselves off of oil and coal. Wind is dependable and a proven source of energy. Perhaps not perfect, but still a source, nonetheless. In short, there is no perfect single solution. Rather, there are a number of suitable clean, renewable energy resources. The United States can become the world's leader by simply doing what we do well. That is, to think of new ideas, capitalize on new opportunities, and take care of ourselves by going to work. It will be an exciting time, as long as we recognize the issue, open our minds and act accordingly. Paul Van Scott

I miss Reagan too! And I miss the "old" America. Not the one we have managed to mismanage into oblivious submission today. There are a few facts in this forum that cannot be ignored - no matter how far you try to stick your head in the sand, or wherever. Fact #1: We are addicted to oil. Not just as a country, but as an entire world. There is a limited amount of oil. We don't really know what that limit is, but there is a limit. As more of the world's population becomes affluent, they are using more and more of the finite oil supply. Simple. Fact #2: The world's population is growing. And more and more of the people in the world are becoming affluent. Especially as we Americans give our jobs and industries away at a wholesale rate. Just think of China. Ten years ago the Chinese were still riding bicycles and mule carts as their primary transportation. Today, China is the largest automobile consumer in the world - surpassing the US for the first time in history. Think also of the smaller countries, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, most of South America, Asia and the Middle East. They are all becoming more affluent, and consequently, they are also becoming larger consumers of energy. Again - Simple. Fact #3: If we keep pumping billions of tons of CO2 and other pollutants into the atmosphere, along with the trillions of calories of excess heat that we produce by burning fossil fuels at the rate that we do - something has to give. The air becomes polluted and unsuitable for a healthy life, and, much quicker than that, the upper atmosphere, where the gasses gather in a layer, doesn't allow the heat to escape. The earth warms up. Simple - again. Are you seeing a pattern here? Fact #4: This is the most surprising fact. We can fix this whole problem and solve our country's financial woes, along with putting the USA back in the game as the world's top player. We just have to own up to the fact that there really is a problem. Then we just have to act like "old" Americans. Do what our fathers did, and their fathers before them. We have to stop whining and pointing fingers at each other. Forget this bull shi-- about "who is going to take of me??" and start looking at the countless opportunities staring you in the face right here and now. Efficient, clean and ongoing - Heat from the sun and the earth itself; Electricity from the sun, the wind and the rivers. More heat and electricity than we can even use! And - it's ours. It's already here. Can you say "No more imported oil"? No more wars over oil, a cleaner world in which to live, huge technological and industrial opportunities, and, best of all, a real statement that we are an independent people, capable of standing on our own two feet and making our own decisions about how we want to live! Oil has been artificially subsidized by our government to keep the price to us very cheap. A gallon of fuel oil can produce enough energy that is worth something on the order of $40.00 per gallon! But - you can buy it for less than $3.00! If the price of oil is allowed to seek its' own ceiling, and the wastefully spent stimulus monies used to fund new research and start-up industries, we could be back on top in no time. A little painful in the short term, no doubt. Change always is tough. But over the long haul - it might be a good way to go. Put people to work, and stop burning up what we are running out of and fighting over. Create a renewable infrastructure of energy. Something that nobody can take away from us. Something that we don't have to go overseas and fight over. Just think about it in a reasonable way. Don't put your head in the sand. Don't try to blame your friendly, out of control politicians. They don't have a clue, and are simply pandering for votes. They are not there to help - regardless of what you think. Stand up, be an American and take some responsibility. You'll like yourself for it. I'm a very conservative Republican. I don't believe in big government, and I don't like entitlements. I make my own living, and I don't need government help or intervention. I believe that opportunity is what made our country great before, and what will get us up out of the gutter we have stumbled into. We just have to look around and act on what we see. Thanks for the soapbox. Paul Van Scott