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Ken, I'll be there on Thursday. Give me a call. Carl

It's worth doing a lining on the tanks to prevent future issues. I'm using the epoxy kits from Caswells on the 25 AB. I know flipping around a big steel tank to line it is a problem, but it can be done using an engine hoist or some other type of lifter.

Is this the B model that came from Washington DC via the military?

Looks real sharp! There has to be an ad there somewhere about the first Mercedes powered lathe.

Congrats.

I went the community college route and then went on to University of Maryland's University College. On-line learning is great as long as you are disciplined. The average undergrad class required at least three papers per term as well as mid-term and final exams. I actually thought that the classes I took in a traditional format were less demanding. The first thing to do is to figure out where you want to get your 4 year degree from. You can then work out what credits they will take from a community college, outside sources such as the NFA, and "life experience". Don't just take CC courses and expect them to transfer as they may not. Given the time constraints of a young family and a full time job I would try a regular community college format first since it forces you to take the time to attend. I know that sounds backwards since on-line offers more flexibility, but that can easily let you fall behind because of everyday life's problems. Another issue is cost. UMUC's tuition was outrageous in the end; well over $2000.00 per class plus books. CC is usually far less. Check out the IAFF site for the colleges that they have established on-line programs with. You can do it if you want to. At one time I took 20 hours per term, worked a part time job and spent 56 hours a week at the fire house. The wife and kids didn't know me and the dog growled every time I came in the house, but it was worth it. Feel free to call me if I can help.

Irvington NJ?

If you contact the Mack Museum they still have all of the original shop drawings for any part made for your truck. Send them the PN and a suitable donation and they will send you the shop drawing to make the part from. Generally you will get the complete assembly drawing, but you can ask for drawings of all of the sub-assemblies as well. I usually ask for the assembly drawing and then ask for any sub-assemblies I need based on the PN's on the assembly drawing. They have drawings for AC's as well if you need them.

Always knew Macks were hot!

Rosenfeld Concrete out of Milford, MA ran quite a large fleet of Autocars, Macks, and chain drive Sterlings back in the day. He had chain drive Sterling mixers on the road into the seventies. Based on the stuck mixer and the GMC in the background I'd say this picture was from the seventies and they were still using the Sterling and the LJ.

Nice truck! The B models from that part of the world are always beautiful.

I have seen pictures of a very similar rig from Long Island, NY. I wonder if it is the same truck.

Removing the pan is no big deal. The beauty of the old time rigs is they were designed to be repaired on the side of the road, so taking one apart in a shop is relatively easy. If you are going to all of the trouble of cleaning and re-painting the sheet metal why not remove the engine so you can properly detail it and the engine compartment? The aluminum parts should be cleaned and polished and/or painted a chore you cannot do properly with the engine installed. My advice is to pull the engine, check the clutch, and clean and paint everything properly.

I agree with Randy; I thought it was very light attendance compared to past years. Some of the local VFD's showed up and I was able to score some lights for the shop; a set of five streamlite survivor rechargeable lights with the charger base and four streamlite liteboxes. They are great lights for the shop and where else are you going to get a heavy duty rechargeable light for around 10 bucks each? My best buy was a 110v scene light on a collapsible aluminum stand for $20.00. It's perfect for lighting up an area to do painting or any other task that requires bright lighting. I also found four brand new Hale valve handles. These always rust, so having new replacements is great. The only find for the 25AB was a pike pole holder. The best part was meeting old friends. It was hard to move more than 20 feet without running into someone I know. I just don't know if it is worth the cost to get a room, pay fuel expenses, etc.

I was not impressed by the auction; mostly because they didn't have what I was looking for. My impression is that prices are generally soft for most items such as bells and lanterns. Most lanterns sold for les then $200.00 with a newly plated example in excellent condition fetching $250.00. A large bell that came from an ALF steamer went for $400.00. Bells sold for less then I remember in quite awhile. Even the toys seemed down. Pretty nice Miller ladder truck @ $400.00. Worse yet: the flea market has almost nothing of interest. Lots of shirts, etc., not nearly as much iron. I didn't find anything at the set up last night. We'll see what turns up this morning.

You picked the only C model rescue equipped with a Detroit that I know of. Always knew you were a closet fan of the two strokers.

You don't see them because most drivers just ran the pressure up until "it feels right". Hydraulics was for nerds and paid guys who had to pass a promotional exam.

I don't know much about the particulars on this truck, but as a board member of an organization that owns donated trucks I can see both sides of the donated truck issue. We would all love to have perpetual care for our beloved restorations, but the reality is that no organization can afford that. I don't blame any organization that sells any trucks that are donated to them. Generally the organization needs cash, not another expense, and the donor still gets the tax break they wanted. Since there is no requirement for a charitable organization to take the highest bidder the organization can pick who ends up with the truck. If the sale is handled properly the truck should go to a good home where it will be cared for and get out on the show circuit for all of us to enjoy.

I'll be there trying to find bits and pieces for the AB. Specifically I'm looking for the bell bracket and maybe a couple of nozzle pegs. And of course apparatus extinguishers. Getting in town on Friday if anyone wants to do dinner Friday night.

Check with John Chalmers on the Museum's supplier list for the switch covers. I have never seen those used on an AB.

Congrats on the find. Keep us posted with pictures. The C models are great looking trucks. We had a couple of straight ladder trucks with the Spicer two speeds in them. To say they are not the best choice for a fire truck transmission is being kind. I have lots of memories of Mom's holding their ears while pushing baby carriages past us as we attempted to climb a hill while responding in those units as it screamed along in low gear. One was finally replaced with a five speed manual and the other went on to be refrigerators and boat anchors. IMO the use of the Spicer 2 speeds is probably what kept many departments from adopting automatic transmissions sooner. I know it did for our department.

The only folks who are not Harvey's friends are those he hasn't met yet. I can't begin to list the kind remarks and encouragement he has given me whenever I have the 52 at a show.

I'm so done with this crap. I never thought I would be bringing fire wood in for the wood stove on March 25th! We had about 4" yesterday, but at least it didn't stick to the roads.

My experience is you can find almost anything you need for a restoration if you look long and hard enough. Check eBay every day, attend as many flea markets as you can, try various search engine searches under as many listings as you think someone might list what you are looking for under, and put the word out to as many folks as possible about what you are looking for. I just located a pair of tail lights for my 25 AB that I have never seen anywhere on eBay. If you had asked me about those lights two weeks ago I would have bet a hundred bucks I was never going to find them. The 30 - 45 minutes I spend searching the internet each day for needed parts finally paid off. The gauges you are looking for will turn up somewhere at a price you want to pay.

Yep. If there is one item in Mack's history that deserves to be preserved at the Mack Museum it would have to be the super pumper system. What a shame it got away.