steve s.

To answer your question James yes, modern brakes could be adapted to your truck. But it also could become an even bigger task than adding power steering. And again that is something you could do further down the road if you choose to. I would guess that since your Mack was originally a fire truck it probably has had a fairly easy life with few miles, and not many heavy loads. Your brake drums are probably fine. When in good operating order the original brake system will do everything you need it to do.

Happy Birthday. Your wife has good taste. That's a neat little truck. What are your plans for the it?

James if you are able to keep this discussion going, it will be a good motivational tool for you. You already have the attention of old Mack fans from at least two continents, and knowing that we will be waiting for updates from you should help you keep going on your project. Most old Macks like yours steer pretty well the way they were built. I don't believe that power steering was even an option. Of course you will make sure that all of the joints on your front end are free and well lubricated. With the relatively light 330 Continental engine, you may find that there is no need for power steering. Maybe you'll have to work a bit at low speeds or in tight spaces, but the original system will probably be very good going down the road. Of course PS can be added if and when you choose to. Probably your best bet would be the linkage type assist that attached between the front axle and the tie rod. That would allow you to keep your original steering box and avoid a lot of potential clearance issues. Adding power steering can be done, but you will have to be the designer, engineer, and fabricator, not to mention the test pilot.

I would recommend that you first decide what you want to do with the truck and how involved you want to get. Then formulate a plan. Do you just want to assemble the truck and make it drivable ? Or do you want to clean, sand blast, refurbish, and paint every part before reassembly? There is several years and many thousands of dollars difference in the two methods, not to mention the outcome. Since you are a young man and new to the old truck world, my suggestion is that you don't go the full restoration route, but rather just clean up the parts and put the truck back together, making whatever repairs are needed to make it drivable and safe. Your life is going to get very busy in the next few years, and you will get much more enjoyment out of an old truck you can drive compared to an in depth restoration you can't find time to work on. The truck can always be restored later, perhaps when you have more time and money, and by then you will have learned much more about your truck, too.

Of course I have no idea about your White, but we often forget that in the very early days of trucking the horse was still widely used. Many trucks were equipped with water tanks and used to "flush" the horse's manure off the streets in larger towns and cities. Good luck with your new Mack. It looks like you should be able to get it running without too much trouble.

Yes, Brocky, they are the guys in Illinois. I don't know about anyone doing Continental work in Utica.

It's nice to see another B model in good hands. Are you in PA ? I am finishing up a long term B model project of my own. I have accumulated a lot of extra parts that I no longer need.

Thanks for the pictures James. Finding an oil pump for the 330 Continental engine should not be a problem. That engine was not only used in a lot of trucks, but it had dozens of industrial and agricultural applications. They are very good engines, too. There is a place that might even have a new old stock oil pump, Home Page - Montes Equipment Here in the northeast there are still a fair amount of old Brockways with that engine to be found as well.

Welcome, James. I'll bet you father would be proud to know that you plan to finish the job he started. Pictures would be nice, but more important might be the model of your truck and its engine. Parts are out there, but sometimes you have to search to find them. This board is a great place to start. So tell us, did the truck run since your family has owned it? What engine does it have? I generally prefer to see classic trucks like yours kept original. But it's your decision, and a lot depends on what you plan to do with the truck when it is finished.

The Quadruplex has been out of production for a long time, but there are still a lot of them around. They were most common in B models and early R series trucks. Perhaps the most popular Mack transmissions in those day were the TR 72 or 722 series of 5 speed transmissions. An O suffix would indicate an overdrive in 5th (TR 7220). Any of these five speeds would have a compound gearbox attached. That gearbox would either have 2, 3, or 4 speeds. These were all two stick transmissions with basically 10, 15, or 20 speeds forward. Most had an overdrive in the compound. There were variations with fewer usable gears, but this is the basic rundown on the Duplex, Triplex, and Quadruplex. The clutch housing for an SAE 2 flywheel housing from any one of these transmissions should bolt right up to any other version. The "baby quad" that I have is smaller than the TR 72 series, it is a TR 770 and was most likely used behind a flathead six gas engine. This transmission would be fun behind a 12 valve Cummins or something like that. The Duplex, Triplex, and Quadruplex were found behind the Thermodyne Diesels and large gasoline engines, but they became obsolete with the introduction of more powerful diesels that required fewer gear ratios. What you are working on or trying to accomplish ?

I think it is very unlikely that Mack ever installed an L model cab on an ED truck. For one thing the L cab is much too wide for an E series truck. The earliest E models had wooden framed cabs. Maybe what you saw was someone's replacement for a cab with rotten wood.

Don't sell your truck! If you had oil pressure before your oil change, you should still have oil pressure. You probably need to bleed air out of the filter. Do you have the large full flow/ bypass filter? That is the one with 3 lines on the bottom. If you had some oil come out the vent, you must have some pressure. They can take a bit to get all of the air out as I recall. There are several places on the drivers side of the engine where you can pull out a plug and install a test gauge, if you need to. Good luck.

The short answer is yes. I can offer two examples; I have a B model the was a concrete mixer. The mixer was driven by a flywheel PTO. To make room for the PTO shaft, Mack used a #1 to #2 reducer at the flywheel housing, and a # 2 at the transmission. This truck had a 673 diesel and a double overdrive Quadruplex transmission. I have another transmission kicking around here that is a "baby quad" that came out of a smaller gasoline powered Mack. I think it only has one overdrive, but it will mate up to a # 2 flywheel housing. Steve

The 540 bore is 4-7/16", piston clearance at top of skirt .002", minimum ring end gap .016". This info is from a 1966 Motors Manual.

The H63 has been sold. Thanks for all of your interest. Steve