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I used to ride with Bn 18 out of E-45's quarters on E.Tremont Ave in the Bronx in the early 80's, at just about the end of the "war years" for the lads in the S. Bronx. I remember the chief taking us to a place where all you could see for block after block was burned out 4 story apartment buildings. He turned to us and said "We didn't burn these out a building at a time, we burned them a room at a time."

The open cab R is a one of. As Paul said the open cabs were living proof that the fire service's outlook was "a hundred years of tradition unbridled by progress." When motorized apparatus came on the scene they were open cab and since most departments were tradition bound they stayed that way. The MLK riots pretty much changed that with the appearance of many home made plywood roofs to protect the members from flying objects. We are slow learners, but several smacks to the head with a brick seemed to do the trick.

Made my reservation in the campground for the show yesterday. I hope we get a big turn out with lots of rigs that haven't been seen for quite awhile.

Two possible options: Contact the Mack Museum with the chassis number; they will have the information. The service manuals are commonly available on eBay.

Its a good thing those who suffered so much by standing up to the companies who treated labor like a commodity didn't have the same beliefs or we would all still be working 80 hour weeks for whatever wage the company deemed was ok. Like it or not the 40 hour work week, pensions, and health care all come from those who stood up for their beliefs and had the courage to do something about it. "Either we hang together or we will surely hang together."

If you want it give him a call. He will deal.

Condolences to the family. Death is never welcome, but it hurts a whole lot more when the deceased is so young.

Finally brought it home yesterday after having the deal almost fall through. The check engine light was flashing when I test drove it and the owner told me he would have it repaired. When he took it to the Cat dealer they could not find any codes except a code showing an internal fault to the ECM. The only solution was to replace the ECM for around $2500.00 even though the truck ran perfectly. Understandably he balked a bit, but I wouldn't take the truck until the light was fixed, so he stepped up and had the repair performed. A real gentleman who did what he said he would without me having to get crappy with him. Man this thing is quick for its size. He told me it really likes 65-70 mph and he was right. It was hard to hold it to 55 or less. The DW followed me home and when we stopped for fuel she pointed out I was driving it on his tags, without my insurance and still running about 15-20 over the limit. Questions of my sense and sanity ensued.

Interesting that it has a split windshield like the L models. I suspect the body builder installed it. It is also very similar to the CD squads that were everywhere.

This reminds me of the old country saying "You can fix ugly, but stupid goes all the way to the bone" It isn't the look of the rig that matters; its the skill and work ethic behind the wheel.

What is the chassis number of the fire truck? Nice truck.

Thanks for all the kind comments. I wouldn't defame the dog by putting it on any other brand. I gave thought to using an older rig; R or maybe even a B, to do a custom conversion. The problem is getting reliability and comfort out of an older rig. Like it or not the newer stuff is just more comfortable and reliable. No I have not found storage, but with this rig pulling back and forth shouldn't be a big deal. The previous owner told me he got 11-13 mpg pulling a 40' tri-axle race car trailer as long as he drove with some patience. The 3500HD Duramax I'm using now gets around 9 - 10 mpg, so it should be about the same at the very worst. I hope to see all of you in York and/or Macungie.

The DW (boy am I lucky to have such an understanding bride!) and I bought a 2000 Freightliner FL70 with a Renegade Toter home conversion on it this week end so I can tow the truck to the shows and live in comfort while we are there. Yeah, yeah, I know its not a Mack, but frankly Mack has never done much in the Medium duty market and they just were not used very often to make these. The truck is a 2000 FL70 with only 78K miles on it. It has a Caterpillar 3126 300 HP coupled to an Allison 6 speed automatic. The coach box was made by Renegade is 13' long and has a small kitchen, full bathroom, sleeps 4 to 6, on-board generator, fridge, etc. Basically everything you would expect to find in any motor home. The whole unit is extremely clean and well cared for; I've seen dirtier units that were brand new on the dealers lot; and is in remarkable shape for a 15 year old unit.

Beautiful! Will it be ready for ATHS or Macungie?

There are many manufacturers. Circle D out of Carlstadt, NJ was one that was very popular. I think Ziamatic may have made lights as well.

Have you contacted the Museum to see if anyone has sent in an inquiry about the truck? How about trying a carfax type search on the chassis number? Have you tried advertising on the SPAAMFAA site? Beautiful truck by the way.

Nice truck...glad to see you are keeping a piece of history alive. The roof is definitely not a Mack product. The CF is based on the F model and I have seen one of the other open cabs being enclosed with a roof taken off of a junked road tractor. It almost looks like a Crown roof.

An acquaintance in Frederick, MD has placed a 5.9 Cummins in an E model quite successfully. He used a Gear Vendors over drive, retained the Mack rear, and installed power brakes, steering etc. I'm sure he will have the truck at either York or Macungie this year.

Yep, I firmly believe that most of the auctions on eBay are not honest. It is way too easy for the seller to shill the auction which in turn makes other sellers believe their items are worth more than they should really sell for.

This has been advertised on various sites for quite awhile.

Do you happen to remember what transmission it had in it?

Way too much money fueled by even bigger ego's for me. These things make very person who inherits Dad's old truck think their truck is worth a fortune.

Sent you a PM

Your best bet will be to check the base for a PN. My guess is you will have to replace the entire filter with something you can find replacements for. The good news is it is not a stock filter, so you aren't losing anything significant.

For the clutch try Automotive Manufacturers in Richmond, VA. They can rebuild it for you. 804-321-6861 They are very old school; no web site; they keep your information in a wire bound notebook, etc. Have you contacted the Mack Museum for all of the information they have on your truck? They will supply an owner's manual that may have the clutch information you need. Is the pump a rotary gear? Cal Little may have some information, but he is semi-retired and pretty hard to contact these days. Can you post pics of the truck as well as the pump's model number? The good news is that the pump is almost always left when someone puts an an old rig out to pasture; the bad news is they almost never drain them. But, with a little looking I'm sure you can find a pump that will be a match for your truck.