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The story was the headline in today's local paper. I had completely forgotten that we had another fatal golf cart crash here a few months ago. A course worker was found dead under a cart he was using to do maintenance work on the course.

Yep, the "I'm a gonna get to it" has been the demise of many a vehicle.

Wow!

Currently on public surplus web site. Looks to be in excellent condition, 78K miles, and was going for $2K when I posted this. https://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/all,va/auction/view?auc=1852603

A guy I worked with for many years who was in his late fifties/early sixties was killed this past weekend when the golf cart he was standing on the back of flipped over while his adult niece was operating the cart. The family was celebrating a high school graduation and were taking the cart down to a lake in his subdivision to go for a boat ride. Apparently she struck something causing the cart to overturn and in turn throwing him off of the back. He suffered a head injury, was unresponsive immediately, and died at the scene. His significant other also suffered serious injuries after being pinned under and dragged along by the machine and she will be hospitalized for several days as a result. I thought I'd post this since so many of us will be using golf carts at Macungie this coming week. I know they are slow speed vehicles, but like every other machine if you don't respect what can happen it can still be dangerous and I would hate to have an otherwise wonderful event marred by a tragedy like this. Let's all use some common sense.

I don't dispute that many items, particularly price sensitive consumer goods, are likely to be imported, but there is still a hell of a lot of stuff being built here too. Basically the world has made a significant change in our lifetime when we went from an analog to a digital world and it has had impacts that almost no one could foresee. I worked in a factory in Ashland, MA that made clocks powered by synchronous motors. It is gone now because virtually all clocks are now digital. The GM assembly plant in Framingham is gone because fewer workers can build more cars using robots so the capacity of that plant is no longer needed. We are building more cars than ever here, but they are built by far fewer workers. Here is what I found: Top 20 Facts About Manufacturing In the most recent data, manufacturers contributed $2.18 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2016. This figure has risen since the second quarter of 2009, when manufacturers contributed $1.70 trillion. Over that same time frame, value-added output from durable goods manufacturing grew from $0.87 trillion to $1.20 trillion, with nondurable goods output up from $0.85 trillion to $1.00 trillion. In 2016, manufacturing accounted for 11.7 percent of GDP in the economy. (Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis) For every $1.00 spent in manufacturing, another $1.81 is added to the economy. That is the highest multiplier effect of any economic sector. In addition, for every one worker in manufacturing, there are another four employees hired elsewhere. (Source: NAM calculations using IMPLAN) With that said, there is new research suggesting that manufacturing’s impacts on the economy are even larger than that if we take into consideration the entire manufacturing value chain plus manufacturing for other industries’ supply chains. That approach estimates that manufacturing could account for one-third of GDP and employment. Along those lines, it also estimated the total multiplier effect for manufacturing to be $3.60 for every $1.00 of value-added output, with one manufacturing employee generating another 3.4 workers elsewhere. (Source: Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation) The vast majority of manufacturing firms in the United States are quite small. In 2014, there were 251,901 firms in the manufacturing sector, with all but 3,749 firms considered to be small (i.e., having fewer than 500 employees). In fact, three-quarters of these firms have fewer than 20 employees. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Statistics of U.S. Businesses) Almost two-thirds of manufacturers are organized as pass-through entities. Looking just at manufacturing corporations and partnerships in the most recent data, 65.6 percent are either S corporations or partnerships. The remainder are C corporations. Note that this does not include sole proprietorships. If they were included, the percentage of pass-through entities rises to 83.4 percent. (Source: Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income) There are 12.3 million manufacturing workers in the United States, accounting for 9 percent of the workforce. Since the end of the Great Recession, manufacturers have hired more than 800,000 workers. There are 7.7 million and 4.6 million workers in durable and nondurable goods manufacturing, respectively. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics) In 2015, the average manufacturing worker in the United States earned $81,289 annually, including pay and benefits. The average worker in all nonfarm industries earned $63,830. Looking specifically at wages, the average manufacturing worker earned nearly $26.00 per hour, according to the latest figures, not including benefits. (Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of Labor Statistics) Manufacturers have one of the highest percentages of workers who are eligible for health benefits provided by their employer. Indeed, 92 percent of manufacturing employees were eligible for health insurance benefits in 2015, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. This is significantly higher than the 79 percent average for all firms. Of those who are eligible, 84 percent actually participate in their employer’s plans, i.e., the take-up rate. Three are only two other sectors – government (91 percent) and trade, communications and utilities (85 percent) that have higher take-up rates. (Source: Kaiser Family Foundation) Manufacturers have experienced tremendous growth over the past couple decades, making them more “lean” and helping them become more competitive globally. Output per hour for all workers in the manufacturing sector has increased by more than 2.5 times since 1987. In contrast, productivity is roughly 1.7 times greater for all nonfarm businesses. Note that durable goods manufacturers have seen even greater growth, almost tripling its labor productivity over that time frame. To help illustrate the impact to the bottom line of this growth, unit labor costs in the manufacturing sector have fallen 8.4 percent since the end of the Great Recession, with even larger declines for durable goods firms. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics) Over the next decade, nearly 3½ million manufacturing jobs will likely be needed, and 2 million are expected to go unfilled due to the skills gap. Moreover, according to a recent report, 80 percent of manufacturers report a moderate or serious shortage of qualified applicants for skilled and highly-skilled production positions. (Source: Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute) Exports support higher-paying jobs for an increasingly educated and diverse workforce. Jobs supported by exports pay, on average, 18 percent more than other jobs. Employees in the “most trade-intensive industries” earn an average compensation of nearly $94,000, or more than 56 percent more than those in manufacturing companies that were less engaged in trade. (Source: MAPI Foundation, using data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis) Over the past 25 years, U.S.-manufactured goods exports have quadrupled. In 1990, for example, U.S. manufacturers exported $329.5 billion in goods. By 2000, that number had more than doubled to $708.0 billion. In 2014, it reached an all-time high, for the fifth consecutive year, of $1.403 trillion, despite slowing global growth. With that said, a number of economic headwinds have dampened export demand since then, with U.S.-manufactured goods exports down 6.1 percent in 2015 to $1.317 trillion. (Source: U.S. Commerce Department) Manufactured goods exports have grown substantially to our largest trading partners since 1990, including to Canada, Mexico and even China. Moreover, free trade agreements are an important tool for opening new markets. The United States enjoyed a $12.7 billion manufacturing trade surplus with its trade agreement partners in 2015, compared with a $639.6 billion deficit with other countries. (Source: U.S. Commerce Department) Nearly half of all manufactured goods exports went to nations that the U.S. has free trade agreements (FTAs) with. In 2015, manufacturers in the U.S. exported $634.6 billion in goods to FTA countries, or 48.2 percent of the total. (Source: U.S. Commerce Department) World trade in manufactured goods has more than doubled between 2000 and 2014—from $4.8 trillion to $12.2 trillion. World trade in manufactured goods greatly exceeds that of the U.S. market for those same goods. U.S. consumption of manufactured goods (domestic shipments and imports) equaled $4.1 trillion in 2014, equaling about 34 percent of global trade in manufactured goods. (Source: World Trade Organization) Taken alone, manufacturing in the United States would be the ninth-largest economy in the world. With $2.1 trillion in value added from manufacturing in 2014, only eight other nations (including the U.S.) would rank higher in terms of their gross domestic product. (Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, International Monetary Fund) Foreign direct investment in manufacturing exceeded $1.2 trillion for the first time ever in 2015. Across the past decade, foreign direct investment has more than doubled, up from $499.9 billion in 2005 to $1,222.9 billion in 2015. Moreover, that figure is likely to continue growing, especially when we consider the number of announced ventures that have yet to come online. (Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis) U.S. affiliates of foreign multi-national enterprises employ more than 2 million manufacturing workers in the United States, or almost one-sixth of total employment in the sector. In 2012, the most recent year with data, manufacturing sectors with the largest employment from foreign multi-nationals included motor vehicles and parts (322,600), chemicals (319,700), machinery (222,200), food (216,200), primary and fabricated metal products (176,800), computer and electronic products (154,300) and plastics and rubber products (151,200). Given the increases in FDI seen since 2012 (see #15), these figures are likely to be higher now. (Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis) Manufacturers in the United States perform more than three-quarters of all private-sector research and development (R&D) in the nation, driving more innovation than any other sector. R&D in the manufacturing sector has risen from $126.2 billion in 2000 to $229.9 billion in 2014. In the most recent data, pharmaceuticals accounted for nearly one-third of all manufacturing R&D, spending $74.9 billion in 2014. Aerospace, chemicals, computers, electronics and motor vehicles and parts were also significant contributors to R&D spending in that year. (Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis) Manufacturers consume more than 30 percent of the nation’s energy consumption. Industrial users consumed 31.5 quadrillion Btu of energy in 2014, or 32 percent of the total. (Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Outlook 2015) The cost of federal regulations fall disproportionately on manufacturers, particularly those that are smaller. Manufacturers pay $19,564 per employee on average to comply with federal regulations, or nearly double the $9,991 per employee costs borne by all firms as a whole. In addition, small manufacturers with less than 50 employees spend 2.5 times the amount of large manufacturers. Environmental regulations account for 90 percent of the difference in compliance costs between manufacturers and the average firm - See more at: http://www.nam.org/Newsroom/Top-20-Facts-About-Manufacturing/#sthash.RnentlHb.dpuf

46 years old and still in front line service! That would be a poster child for Mack (and Baker) if they still built fire apparatus.

Ditto; I'm going to miss my daily Mack fire truck fix. OBTW; Typo on the Scenic Brook pic. B85F, not B86F. After all these I understand why you would be tired and miss a couple of tiny things. Thanks again!

Albert, Install an electric pump and either block off the hole for the mechanical pump with a flat plate or leave it on and just route the fuel lines around it. Here is the one I used recently to replace a failed electric pump: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CIQ5DG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 This pump has isolated electrical connections so it can be used on a positive ground system without any issues. Just make sure the pump is wired through the ignition switch so it will not remain on when the engine is off. This makes sure it will not fill the crankcase with fuel if the carb needle valve fails and it is a safety feature if the engine catches fire.

$90K; a top of the line F-450 is $80K these days. Maybe Paccar should get into the HD pick up business.

It keeps me from searching eBay regularly.

I prefer non-ETOH fuel, but if you mix Star-Brite with the ethanol fuel and it will run like a top.

The key phrase is "I can't admit doing it..." And it is nice to collect all those quarters I charge for pictures. On a serious note, we almost lost the antique tag privileges when a considerable number of folks decided to start registering their daily driver as an antique. I have no problem with the Klingons stopping that so those of us that own true antiques don't have to pay taxes or get annual inspections.

Absolutely. And the invitation to come visit is always open. Too late for this year, but a great time to come is over Memorial Day weekend when the Boy Scouts place a candle on every grave at the Fredericksburg National (Civil War) Cemetery. Very moving. https://www.nps.gov/frsp/planyourvisit/luminaria.htm

I passed a couple of the Wagoneer's old Freightliner's cab overs pulling out of Charleston, SC on my way home this week. They are getting their moneys worth out of those rigs. I had never noticed the bunk above the cab on these rigs before. Getting into that must be quite interesting.

I'll be there provided the creek don't rise and the Chevrolet don't quit on the way up there. Ken, I'll pick you up if Mike can't.

I see a huge market for marine applications. There are thousands of good fiberglass hulls from the seventies on that would do great with this engine and a straight or V drive. Many good hulls sell for less than $2K and if you could re-power it for less than $20K or even $30K, you would end up with a boat that sells new for over $200K. I hope some of the aftermarket vendors look at making marine manifolds for this and maybe market a complete re-power kit with manifolds and transmissions.

Sometimes it depends on whether you take them off with the engine hot or cold. It is usually easier to spin them when they are hot if you can get to them without burning your hands. It also depends on whether the installer oiled up the o-ring before the filter was installed. And sometimes the installer just over tightens them.

I can't admit doing that since it is against VA state code to run errands using antique tags.

That is a myth. The manufacturing sector accounts for over 1/3 of the US economy. What there is a lot less of is manufacturing jobs, mostly as a result of increasing productivity from automation. The good news is the jobs that remain tend to be on the higher end of the pay scale with automation replacing many of the lower pay scale positions. Source:http://www.epi.org/publication/the-manufacturing-footprint-and-the-importance-of-u-s-manufacturing-jobs/#epi-toc-5

Usually high noon on Saturday at the Watt's Mack tent. Look for the leaderless group that looks like we are trying to figure out who fits what handle from the web site.

Typo no doubt. I'm sure you mean 1948, not 1978.

To me the fundamental difference between Paccar and Mack is the number of assembly plants Paccar has. I'm sure it is much easier for them to offer a low production product since it does not disrupt their sole production line. I think what everyone regrets is the lack of small custom builders that used to be a big part of the industry. The smaller builders have either been consolidated into big companies, i.e. Western Star, or just went out of business because they cannot compete like Marmon. The same thing happened in the fire apparatus industry; when I started in the early 70's there were 20 to 30 builders, today there are four who dominate the industry.

If Mack was still selling those models everyone would be running them down for not keeping up with the competition. There is a reason why they aren't built now. It's funny how everyone laments the lack of a 600 HP engine for the Granite, but longs to go back to a 237. Instead of wanting to turn the clock back we should be hoping that Mack/Volvo can produce a modern truck that everyone wants and blows away today's competition.

Nice, glad it worked out. Do you keep a book with the truck that documents changes such as this for succeeding owners? Or in my case for me since I can't remember sh*t anymore.