BillyT

First KSB you're dead on! I tend to have simple solutions for all the world's problems which I'm the first to admit may be naive. Here's a blanket statement. All the problems in the human world can be traced to three things: Greed, Corporate greed, and Religious zealotry. Zealotry,not religion. I have muted every word out of the mouth of the two candidates! All I know for sure is neither deserves the coveted silver briefcase. The red button part gives me chills!! Richard Nixon was a bloody patriot compared to these two! Trump I disregard out of hand we don't need a spoiled two year old near that red button! The other one epitomizes all the worst traits of a career politician! The two parties have become an obscenity!! What the hell are we gonna do!! I'm not a liberal, but holy shit our pos unindicted white collar criminal gov. Spent 100m of his own money to buy his post. Trump and the other one spent hundreds of millions of their own money and accepted millions of dollars in campaign contributions(bribes) The money they've thrown away and accepted equal the GDP growth of a small country! What positive things could have been done with that money?

OD, you nailed it again! That little t.s. in Opal was another one of my favorite stops, Spent many a night there! Also the TA at the 109 in Elkton,tho if it was filled up I might end up at the McDonald's next door.

Naw my wife is retired from Sears, she got the thing on closeout cheap! I'm sure it's made in China,but they've hidden the hecho in China marking! The other thing is all the emissions and other electronic crap drives the price of a vehicle up! It especially pIsses me off that they are legislating the " lane departure" alarms and front collision mitigation devices on the newer cars! If you can't stay in your lane you're either distracted,impaired, or incompetent! At some point what little "defensive driving" is left will be replaced by devices that can and do screw up! With the possible exception of defective brake lights (rare) on the vehicle in front of you proper following distance will enable you to stop "in time" to prevent an accident! The new drivers will become accustomed to the vehicle doing their driving for them they won't even bother to pay attention to what is going on around them. You can thank the " insurance lobby" for most of this but it works out well for everyone but the car buyer and the responsible driver!😣

UD, I've always thought this, The 1st gen 5.9 dodge Cummins in a one ton p.u or c/c got 25 mpg mt.Properly maintained the thing is good for 500k.It had a minimum of "add on" emissions b.s!(The truck exemption) I am fairly unique as I do 100 percent of our families vehicle maintenance.Most of the folks on this website do all or most of their big truck maintenance,but I'm fairly sure they are at the point where they don't have the training(or equipment) to do much beyond preventive maintenance on their newest cars or pickups! My wife's boring Toyota corrola is one of the last cars with a minimum of electronic emissions and 0 infotainment b.s! I am convinced and have been convinced for years that this a ploy by the automakers to get your ass into the dealer for repairs, or to frighten you enough(from your last screwing at the dealer) to participate in one of the corporate worlds greatest profit centers...THE EXTENDED WARRANTY!! They'll sell you an extended warranty on a m.f. ball point pen!😁 If they passed a law that the automakers and truckmakers had to meet their outrageous fuel economy and emissions standards without one emissions device except the pcv valve (necessary) or they would have to close their doors.I promise you the engineers would do it!! Ain't gonna happen,no chance! The profits are too high with the present business model! They've built engines and trannys that will last so long with proper maintenance with the best lubricants,that you're so tired of looking at the same car you lease a new one (another profit center)! Ok folks today's rant is over,gotta shampoo a carpet (guess whose idea that was?

Time to bore you with one of my anachronistic diatribes! The whore analogy is dead on,concubine is too polite,as it implies some level of professionalism! This applies to most of corporate America and elsewhere not just the the car and truck builders...oops I meant assemblers! Of course I am on the "soapbox" concerning " buy American" continuously,but how can you really tell! Saw a new Escalade with a Teamster sticker and a buy American sticker the other day. Obviously A retired teamster. But I'll bet if you took every offshored component off that Caddy it would be up on blocks and you could fill a packing case with what's left! I'm sure the average motorist who bought an American badged vehicle out of patriotism has no idea! They've been doing it for years,but it's getting worse! I was putting a set of struts on my daughter's Taurus a couple years ago and the wheels were made in Mexico! Gotta wonder how well the Golf switches Will hold up in a commercial application! Or for that matter the Fiat components off a 500 under the dash of a 250000 dollar Ferrari !

Everyone's advice was valid on your steering issues. Also after you replace all the appropriate bushings and such,it is good to measure the rear axle position from some part of the frame that doesn't wear like a bolt hole that exists on both sides of the frame to the same place on the axle. Do the same on the front axle. You don't have a truck frame rack so this will be approximate. If the truck doesn't wander after you've replaced all the inexpensive wear items,and the kingpins are within tolerance you're probably good! Like 41 Chevy. Says a worn kingpin will wear the tire on the inside, Incorrect tire pressure will wear the tire unevenly just like a car,but it is simpler to diagnose on a straight beam axle. One of the members surely has a manual on B model alignment specs.Don't adjust the steering box too tight or it will bind,also cause extra wear.Do they still have a Mack dealer on Beaver Ave in Pgh? I'm sure Watts is a fine dealership,but I'm surprised you have to go all the way to W.Alex. To get parts! Have fun on you're winter project, I like the way you're B looks already!

If you sprinkled ground sirloin you might get B.C. Frys 951 Diamond T, 12v71 back from the grave!😁

OD, you nailed it again! That little t.s. in Opal was another one of my favorite stops, Spent many a night there!

WOW does that sound familiar!! I had a friend back in the 60s who read somewhere that Australia was actively recruiting responsible persons to move to your country,but by today's standards the requirements were pretty draconian! These folks had to be hard working,self supporting ( I.e. have a job waiting, or a sponsor who would employ them,or sufficient money to sustain their lifestyle) My friend said there was a great deal of opportunity in Australia! Kinda like our old west! There is a crying need in America for skilled tradesman (nobody wants to get their hands dirty) But our "leaders" want everyone to get a degree.And most of those who do are up to their arses in debt for their school loans! You could employ virtually every able bodied person in America for years at a good wage just rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure! Here in Florida the contractors can't find welders, plumbers, carpenters etc. Well guess what,there are plenty of people from other countries who are willing to get their hands dirty here! I think everyone who wants a degree should have the opportunity to EARN one ! All the problems M M Paul described are rampant in America.!

Having driven both the double bunk century class and it's Navistar equivalent, up until 2008, the difference in quality to a lifelong "gearhead" like myself is apparent. Every facet of the Navistar cab and interior is noticeably better quality than the Freightliner.To be fair,the plastic "bump" in the Navistar bunk is annoying, but not insurmountable to a tall skinny dude like me! The teardrop mirrors are better looking but take some getting used to on the Navistar.All this is academic,because driver opinion falls waaaay behind cost in most big fleets! Until I started viewing this website I've never driven or had any exposure to a foreign built class 8 truck, except for a new Mid-Liner, which I consider the medium duty equivalent of a Renault Dauphine!

HG you took the thoughts right out of my head! Have you heard about the Acura wagon model that with the "forward collision avoidance" FEATURE that would "occasionally" lock up the brakes when it "saw" a vertical object like a reflector pole or delineater next to the highway? Probably not, they hushed it up REAL quickly! No problem, it only did it "occasionally"!! Did you listen to the tape KS provided? Like every other patronizing,condescending,directive I've ever heard directed at truckers by trucking executives and other people who have never been behind the wheel of a truck they "talk down" to us like we were idiots,.I have to read with my grandson but I'll get back to you guys on this subject , the long ongoing attempt to put defensive driving in the hands of a flawed technical device which is cheaper in the long run than a proper training program or (heaven help us ) the advantage of years at the wheel ( takes too long) You too GR Dash! The "Fed" has "legislated" certain devices on new autos.On my wife's 2012 corolla it was abs,air bags,active suspension,.These are all proven fairly reliable devices,so I'm not complaining.They should add a rear camera then stop!! They are planning to add sensors .I'm low on power I'll get back to ya

If you pass an old truck driver on the road he will think he is in a time warp!! Cool "wagon"!

I sometimes think I have the last vehicle in Florida with mechanical Windows! A 92 Isuzu p.u.! I really would like a power window on the"shotgun" side so that when the window fogs up in the winter I could roll it down.Or when I come up next to one of the many idiots who have no working brake lights or a turn signal out ( because they never check them),not when it just burned out. I agree with SD, you could probably adapt a right side motor and controls to the left,if you're handy, and I assume you are or you wouldn't be on this web site! If you buy an aftermarket kit ask where it's made,especially at Summit, since they are selling Chinese made products.I have a Summit branded sbc intake manifold my son in law bought without thinking to ask,that's Chinese made! I'm sure some of you wonder why I'm driving a Japanese pu when I'm so "anti offshore"! Of the hundred vehicles I've owned (all but three American made it is the best built) also the hardest riding and most uncomfortable! But I can live with that!😦

KB, I'd attend just to hear "Wild Horses" ! "Sister Morphine " with Ry Cooder on slide might be a little "politically incorrect" for a bunch of executives😁

Absolutely GH, to charge the group 34 battery used for the marker,headlight,tail stop, and turn signals, Msrp will be in dollars not piasters! Also ship the donkey or optional hi torque water buffalo separately to avoid complete commercial vehicle tariffs.

While I was waiting for the winds to come this am, I have come up with rough draft for a unbelievable business opportunity we can all participate in! All of us are mechanics,welders,painters etc Some on a journeyman level. When I saw the picture of the Cabover Rickshaw (my name ) somewhere in Southeast Asia It occurred to me we could design a state of the art version of this vehicle😁 get the rights from Freightliner for one of their lightweight 50's cabs "very retro" heliarc or mig up a chrome moly frame(cheaper than aluminum) Get Chip Foose to design a "one off" alloy wheel, have Corky Coker design a low resistance wide Whitehall tire,Two piston wilwood calipers oughta stop the thing even when the "powertrain" is at full gallop!! Paint it with waterborne coatings to protect the ozone layer.A lightweight "methane conversion system"piped from the "powertrains" orifice to run the cab air conditioning! An integral sleeper would accommodate 10 more "guests" a billet roof rack would accommodate an additional 7 guests and everyone's luggage in Third class,in true Southeast Asian tradition! Some of you who are stockmen,might design a genetically engineered "powertrain" and of course build the whole thing in AMER ICA! How could we lose? Comments please! Remember this is Florida,there are no beds available in any of the mental health facilities! Might even win the Ridler!

While I was waiting for the winds to come this am, I have come up with rough draft for a unbelievable business opportunity we can all participate in! All of us are mechanics,welders,painters etc Some on a journeyman level. When I saw the picture of the Cabover Rickshaw (my name ) somewhere in Southeast Asia It occurred to me we could design a state of the art version of this vehicle😁 get the rights from Freightliner for one of their lightweight 50's cabs "very retro" heliarc or mig up a chrome moly frame(cheaper than aluminum) Get Chip Foose to design a "one off" alloy wheel, have Corky Coker design a low resistance wide Whitehall tire,Two piston wilwood calipers oughta stop the thing even when the "powertrain" is at full gallop!! Paint it with waterborne coatings to protect the ozone layer.A lightweight "methane conversion system"piped from the "powertrains" orifice to run the cab air conditioning! An integral sleeper would accommodate 10 more "guests" a billet roof rack would accommodate an additional 7 guests and everyone's luggage in Third class,in true Southeast Asian tradition! Some of you who are stockmen,might design a genetically engineered "powertrain" and of course build the whole thing in AMER ICA! How could we lose? Comments please! Remember this is Florida,there are no beds available in any of the mental health facilities!

Where to start? first I'm waiting to see how well everyone likes the ecoboost when it has a few miles and all the electronics and computerized b.s. starts screwing up.I do 100 percent of our families automotive maintenance, and quite frankly I'm not qualified to work on the newest vehicles. The alloys in the automotive components today are far superior to the old days,but the big number is the lubricants, put them in an older simpler motor and change them regularly you can't wear them out.As nearly as I can tell the majority of problems with modern cars and trucks is with the electronics and b.s. accessories that modern America is convinced they need! As far as the throwing of rocks and broken concrete into a new p.u. Who does that? Ever hear of a 20 dollar sheet of plywood? Do you guys with high dollar aluminum dump bodies let the loader drop big rocks in them? Carlotpilot, when I first started hauling cars in 74, About the only way you could get fired with no recourse was to hit a properly marked overpass cause we were required to be under 13.6 when we left the yard. It was pretty much the best paying trucking job.well one of the older drivers hit a bridge because he was too high! Put a big crease on a new Ford wagon! 100 mi from the terminal in Ohio.He bought the car from the dealer,had his wife drive him to pick it up,and drove it for 10 years! I would have never thought of that! Makes perfect sense!

Didn't know they had truckers in India, thought they were all doctors over here😁 Bet that guy with the Cabover Rickshaw is the envy of all his friends!!,No animal abuse over there! Hope they don't turn down the load because he didn't tarp😁 At first I thought the guy upstairs was driving the "truck",til I saw the fella under the "doghouse" Be a good time to "shoe" the donkey on the overweight load! Gray hair,where do you find this stuff?

Enough to make a D.O.T. man "take his pension"😁

Jettertrucks, is Magic City Ford still there by Roanoke? Used to haul a lot of pickups and cab and chassis in there.