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I am in the process of rebuilding a 1925 AB fire truck engine. I need to find valve springs for the engine; new or used. The engine is the removable head version with 9 bolts per head. If you have springs from another version let me know and I'll chase down the PN to see if they will work. Carl Maurice 540-785-0555

You are quite right Mike. A friend who has been at this far longer than I have said in the 70's all you saw at musters was rigs from the 20's, 30's, and a lot of 40's and 50's. Now you see a lot of 70's stuff with a sprinkling of other eras mixed in. As he says the old rigs are still around, but they are put away in a garage and probably neglected because the owner has lost interest or died and no one wants to get the rig out. Another factor is the belief that many non-collectors have that Dad's old rig is worth a fortune and they are not "going to give it away" when in reality there is a limited market and the truck is really not all that valuable even if it is 80 years old. So they just let the truck sit there because they just know it is very valuable and the buyer who offered them going market value is just trying to take advantage of them. Eventually time will take its toll and the rig will be worth even less until some "bright" family member realizes it is worth more as scrap or parted out. Then it is gone forever.

We could do a "50-50" with the profits going to the museum and the winner gets fuel money.

I have already sent in the registration and made hotel reservations. Bringing the 72 IH 1310 Oren mini-pumper this year. I'll probably start a separate thread for this, but I was wondering how everyone would feel about setting up some type of receptacle for Mack Museum donations at the show from BMT members. We all appreciate what the museum does for us, but nothing says love like money in the pot. Ideas?? Barry a "red kettle" at your tent??

That's close to home. Wish I had more money, more room , and a strong desire for a divorce.

If you have the time and resources to do it I would buy the CF back from the scrapper and part it out.

What kind of time does an "ice watch" keep?

Tom, If you are in the Raleigh area look up cf685f on this site. He lives in Raleigh and has a CF. Tim is very knowledgeable about CF's and would be a good resource for you.

Only 5 N models made by Mack according to Harvey's book, but I'm sure other builders used the N chassis as well. I know the Hicksville, NY light plant/squad got turned into a delivery truck by Tidewater Mack.

Mine is also an AB3A. I'll have to make it by Heaver's place to check it out.

While higher calorie foods will add the weight, so will any food if you eat too much. If you read the Weight Watchers cook books the meals are not so low calorie as they are about portion control. Very few portions exceed 4 ounces and a lot are 3 ounces. You could eat four ounces of french fries daily and still lose weight if that was all you ate for a meal. I know poached chicken breasts are low in calories, but they are also low in flavor, hence most folks feel deprived when their diet consists of meals like that. Try using some form of a marinade on the protein like a low calorie dressing. Dry the meat off before grilling or sautéing and a lot of the calories will disappear without removing the flavor. Most of us add weight a little at a time, but want to take it off quickly. it doesn't work that way over the long haul. Working out until you are exhausted (or injured) or starving yourself just doesn't work for long. Set a goal of one pound a week; after all who wouldn't want to lose fifty pounds in a year? Did you know that walking uses as many calories as running? It just takes longer to get the work out in. As farmer52 said it is all about calories in versus calories expended. A slight decrease in consumption coupled with a slight increase in output will result in weight loss.

Have you searched through the forums? There were a couple of threads where members wrote in they were parting out CF's. "Parts Needed for our Fire Truck" was one that had a parts CF listed.

The last two I saw go at auction went for $1200.00 each. Mike; you got a deal! I am looking for two for the AB if anyone knows of an early Mack apparatus extinguisher out there.

Mike; That one is the Sewell Fire Co. in NJ. I also got pics at the ATCA show. (for some reason the copy/paste function no longer works for me on this site) Carey; You are right, yours slipped my mind. Nice picture.

Compared to the ATCA show ATHS is far more expensive. Seems like they are striving for the "big boys" and don't care about the rest of us. Kind of makes me wonder where the admission money goes to.

As most of you know I am in the process of restoring my 1925 AB pumper/chemical truck. Based on conversations with other collectors I'm pretty sure there are not a lot of AB fire trucks left, but I'm also sure there are some hiding out there that haven't seen daylight for quite a few years. So the question is; does anyone know the location and details of any AB fire trucks? Here are the ones I have found so far: Mine; 1925 Pumper/Chemical Ex. Bloomingdale, NJ Tom Hermans 1925 Pumper Ex. Lakewood, NJ Bridgehampton NY 1922 Pumper Still in fire house Berlin, MD 1924 Pumper/Chemical Still in fire house Sewell Fire Co. NJ Pumper Still in fire house I know one was sold by Ware, MA 20 or more years ago; current location unknown The first pic is Tom's truck shortly after delivery. The second pic is mine the day I brought it home.

I was lucky because my employer for 32 years forced me to stay in shape if I wanted to keep my job. They also provided the equipment, time and annual physicals for me. Since I retired it has a been a bit more of a struggle. The DW and I try to walk regularly, but generally the excuses are easier than the workout. A word of advice for all of the younger (under 60) members; get and stay in shape now, because time does take a toll. As I get older I find it is not as easy as it used to be to get back in shape. Old age takes away options, like running, due to the beating you have given the body in earlier years. I ran 10+ miles per day for awhile. Now the knees scream when I get out of bed. Good luck and I hope you keep it up. Congrats to Randy on getting it off and keeping it off. I know five folks who have gone the gastric bypass route and he is the only one who has successfully kept the weight off.

Saw this a little late. Hope it all turned out well. Remember the first rule of law: If you can't beat the evidence get it thrown out on a technicality.

I feel your pain Randy. Even in a fully conditioned basement I have problems with condensation rusting my woodworking machines. As for heating a building; If you can afford it I highly recommend the Mitsubishi split systems. I installed one in my 36x36 garagemahal this past summer. I have kept it at 60 all winter and so far the most it has cost me is $25.00 for a month's electricity. Very efficient and provides A/C as well.

I don't believe so since the "Cincinnati" cab was produced by Truck Cab Manufacturers in Cincinnati, OH. They have been in business since 1948 and they still make fire truck cabs.

If you have an interest in the history of Mack trucks and the facilities they used to produce them I suggest you pick up a copy of John Montville's "Mack" published in 1973. It is an excellent book that does a great job of covering the formation and operation of Mack.

Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone know how they did the chassis numbers for the AB's? Obviously they are not sequential since two trucks delivered within weeks of each other are 150,000+ numbers apart.

This forum is the best. bar none. Thanks to Barry and all of the members who treat each other with respect while at the same time accepting differing points of view. Great information, enlightening discussions, folks who would do almost anything to help you out, and some damn funny responses. No one belittles you for the occasional mind fart that gets posted. What more could you ask for?

I can't help but wonder if the slightly different C models from Ohio are in fact left over chassis from Ahrens-Fox. A-F delivered 3(??) "C" models before their owner, Beck, was bought out by Mack for their bus and fire truck line. The C is the only fire truck Mack ever built that was not based on another Mack chassis as it was a "pirated" design from A-F. I know the first A-F "C" models was delivered to a company in NJ and I believe is in the hands of a collector.

What's the chassis number? Mine was delivered by the Newark, NJ branch on August 31, 1925. CN 411835