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You can test either flasher with a 12v test light. Wire it up with the test light taking the place of the turn lamp.

The DW and I came down to Charleston to help my oldest son finish cleaning up from the floods. On the way down I stopped by a friends house to pick up a couple of smoke ejectors (big fans) to place in the crawls spaces of our rental houses to help them dry out. While I was there we were looking over his AB fire truck which is almost identical to mine when I noticed a wheel laying in the hose bed of his truck. I asked what it fit and he tells me it is a spare that came with the truck, I have been pulling my hair out looking for one wheel for my AB to replace one that a prior owner let sit in water until it almost rusted out and here it sits in the garage of a friend not 50 miles from my house. Life is good! So we get to Charleston, make the usual hellos, etc. and my son says we have something we got for you and Mom. He hands me a bag with a mug inside that says "This Dad is being promoted to Grandpa" WooHoo first grandchild! Life is even better!

I assume you replaced the old flasher because it stopped working which begs the question; are you sure it is the flasher? A bad bulb or a break in the circuit will make the lights stay on steady instead of flashing. If anything a 12v should flash very fast if it is the incorrect voltage.

Nothing says New England like beautiful trucks, pretty leaves and Dunkin Donuts!

How come there is never a bystander to catch action like this on their phone and post it for the rest of us?

Of the many "Thank God for stupid people so I can have a nice house" calls I ever ran one of the top was the lady who put her mechanic husband's greasy clothes in the washing machine and filled it with gasoline as the wash liquid. Don't now if they got clean, but they did burn up along with most of her house.

Someone who will send the parts back to you all cleaned up.

One other thought...Have you checked with the Mack Museum to see if anyone has sent in the chassis number to ask for the truck's history?

I believe that is a Type 45A. An acquaintance of mine started his fire service career as a volunteer with Lampeter. We have talked about this piece a couple of times. There was an IH dealer in Cumberland, MD that bought and sold a few Mack fire trucks. I cannot remember his name, but I'm sure someone on here will know who I am talking about. I would check with him.

Sent you a PM.

What's wrong with the one you have?

And on top of everything else we have a congress that is unwilling to pay for the roads we need to keep things moving. I cannot imagine how frustrating it must be for any trucker to have to move through the I-95 corridor from Richmond to Boston with the constant back ups and poor road conditions. You could not pay me enough to do that on a regular basis.

Any idea of what model, other than an "A" it is? (45, 75, 405, 505, etc.) Do you have the information from the Mack Museum that would give you the chassis number? Is it open cab, semi-open, or closed cab? Pumper, ladder truck, squad? Have spoken to Harvey Eckart to see if he happens to know where it is?

One thing that is universal about all old fire trucks is that they will have some, and often a bunch, of jury rigged wiring. When I did my 52 I took a five gallon bucket worth of wire out of it and everything still worked. Municipal repair shops are generally not known for there excellent mechanics so instead of troubleshooting a problem the quick fix is to cut the old wire and run a new one. Additionally, the station troops often add items without doing it properly. In fact one of the distinguishing features of FDNY apparatus was the main electrical junction box was actually locked so the station personnel couldn't add their own goodies. What are your plans for the truck? Have you joined SPAAMFAA or a local chapter of SPAAMFAA?

I sent you a PM.

And home to the greatest antique truck collectors on earth! A must do for every person who has any interest in old iron of any kind.

Start at the basics and go from there. Did it run when you bought it? If so, what has changed since then? Re-check anything that has been done since it last ran and get a friend to check it again. Is the battery disconnect switch on? Is there a "master" switch on the dash to turn on? Disconnect and charge both batteries; check to ensure they will hold a load; make sure they are connected back correctly (probably positive ground); check the wires going to the starter to ensure they are clean and connected; ensure the truck's ground connections are connected and clean; check for voltage at the starter when the start button is pushed; if you have voltage the starter is suspect; if not re-check the circuits.

Have you contacted the Mack Museum with your chassis number? They will supply an owner's manual with the information you get about your truck. It is free, but a suitable donation is in order. Any specific information you are looking for?

I was told the air intake was low to the ground which caused the stall out. That doesn't sound kosher to me, but obviously something made it quit. Kind of makes you wonder since ladder trucks were always the first choice to enter a flood if you had to make an extrication because of their weight and long wheel base.

My son lives in the James Island portion of Charleston and we own some rental property in the same area. Friends of his that have a rain gauge report 30 plus inches of rain have fallen over the past week in that area. All in all he has been pretty fortunate with only 4-6 inches of water entering his crawl space and a little more in the rental property. Some flooded duct work, a musty smell, and a lot of worry has been the extent of the damage so far. Another friend sent me a picture of a Charleston FD tower that stalled out in the flood and then caught fire. My definition of a bad day at work.

Suburbanites are pretty popular because of their size, even the dual rear wheel versions. Like most trucks of that era they are pretty simple and should be pretty easy to figure out. If you acquire it there are plenty of examples around to help find out what is missing and what goes where. I almost bought one a couple of years ago, but it was a little too rough for my liking. It is still close to me if you need pictures to help with the re-assembly. Good luck.

We need a little more information. Has the truck always done this or is it new? Do you actually turn the steering wheel without the front tires responding? How many turns does it take to go lock to lock and from center to lock? Is it the same both ways? Can you hear air leaking when you turn the wheel? Have you watched the steering mechanism while someone else turns the wheel to make sure everything is tight?

Thanks guys. My view is every day above the grass is a good day; some are just better than others. This was one of the better.

Does it look like this? If so Tim "Cosgrove" Jones in Rockville, MD can help you out. Let me know and I'll send you his contact information.

Love the 46 GMC's and Chevy's. My Dad had a 46 Suburban for his service truck and I have often thought about finding one to do as a tribute piece to him.