Underdog

I drove a half worn out RW 350 years ago and dont remember complaining about the power. I am not a power junkie; I have always been happy with a 300 or 350. Reliability is more important to me. Of course a test run under my trailer & load is a must. This truck is on Truckpaper.com and I am surprised it hasn't sold yet. Decent RW's are getting harder to find.

This is why I am not even considering a new truck. I have found a couple CHN's that are very close to what I would spec, but I don't want to accept the financial risk of being a guinea pig. I figure I will get the truck I want now(Superliner), and in the future if the EPA says no way, I can put antique plates on it and go back to turning wrenches.

That is why the new truck market is in the tank. It has more to do with EPA regs as it does the economy.

They are already starting out in California. Jan 1,2010 anything older than 1993 will be banned from the ports of L.A. and Long Beach. Anything older than 2003 will need emissions upgrades. And what starts in CA. usually spreads nationwide eventually.

That is one more reason I may change trucks, to trade off my Vision while it is still worth something. Pre- EGR trucks are getting a good price right now, before they are completely outlawed. I would like to keep them all and just add to my stable, but Sweet Polly objects if I have more trucks than I can drive at one time!

I have a yellow H cabover on my December calendar. I will try to post that later for you to tinker with. Same here, I just don't feel like going out to play in the snow today.

He would probably have you breaking rocks on the first day. I hear the grub at Rob's place is not bad.

In my own twisted way of thinking, I like to make some kind of statement by running older equipment and being profitable. I'm not buying into the new pollution technology either. I could buy a brand new truck, but risk the same downtime(possibly more) than a 20 year old truck, all while trying to make a payment every month. I have seen many of my colleagues lose everything trying to make truck payments.

That is exactly my point. Nowadays something called a "Vagrant Law" would not be politically correct and subject to legal challenge. How DARE we sentence a poor soul to hard labor for the crime of not contributing to society! I, for one, would like to see more of this. Then Rob might could hire some decent help. Having Rob as a boss has got to be better than breaking rocks. Gregg

Resale value has never been my foremost concern. I usually just buy what strikes my fancy at the time, and plan on long term ownership. My Vision is a 427, and pulling bucket I average around 6 mpg now, so I would expect similar fuel economy with an E6. Truthfully, the fuel economy on my Vision has always been somewhat disappointing. I bought this truck new in 2000 when fuel first went over $2 a gallon, trading in my V8 MH cabover. That V8 would get 5 mpg no problem. Now to jump from 5 to 6 mpg has saved me a good deal of money, but I would think electronic controls and aerodynamics would yield better economy than 6 mpg. A good driver on an older mechanical engine can match that. Technology ain't all it's cracked up to be. My priorities have adjusted over the years as well. I am in this to make money, but I am financially comfortable at the moment and don't have to kill myself working. A little downtime at home waiting for parts isn't the end of the world. My home dealer, TransEdge(Allentown Mack) is still pretty good at finding older parts.

I'm just funnin' wit ya, Double L. These engines (and the Detroit 2-strokers) are a piece of History. I feel priveledged to have experienced them before they are all gone. When I was in trade school for truck repair in the late '80s, all we had for hands on training were 238 Detroit "donor" engines, as the school could not afford better. Even at my tender age, I realized I would probably not ever work on these dinosaurs again. Lo and behold, through job placement after training, I got a job at a company with a fleet of 40 238 Detroit engines! Sometimes things happen for good reasons.

The ACLU lawyers nowadays would have a field day defending both cases! All the way to the Supreme Court!

Why you gotta get me started, Double L? I miss my old MH more than some women I've known. That V8 thumpin' right under the doghouse was quite the thrill ride...

some codes change on different model years. What year truck are you working on?

Vendor components have always been available options on Mack trucks from the '40s up to current models. The model numbers will indicate the engine options if you familiarize yourself on what to look for.

I am trying to train little Maggie to take over my lubrication chores. So far no luck with that. Being only 8 years old, she suffers short attention span. Many things more interesting than greasing Daddy's truck...

I'll join you for a beer on that. I saw my first frameless 18 years ago when my boss at the time got a REPO'ed Cobra from a bank auction. We all thought "this will NEVER fly!!!" Now I would NEVER go back to a frame trailer. I will dump my frameless anywhere (and I have). BTW, that first frameless 18 years ago had something else I had never seen before- Hub piloted wheels! As a mechanic, I thought "NO WAY can 8 nuts hold 2 wheels on!!!" My, my how times and opinions change.

Try to grab a code next time the fault light comes on. Sounds like it might be the fuel pedal acting up.

Sounds reasonable on the price. Grab it. The W900 of this vintage with a CAT are very desirable collector trucks that can go much higher in price.

WHAT?!? I can't hear a thing with that dang 318 buzzin'! Seriously, though, welcome to the forums, Thirdcoaster. And seriously, we would like to see pictures of your truck! It sounds very interesting.

But you got it done like I knew you would. You are much more advanced than I am as far as computers go. I like the Mack. Nice addition.

Valid points, indeed, Superdog. I miss my old V8 MH, but would not consider another V8 for the reasons you state. I see the same trouble coming down the line for any pre-EGR truck. E6 engines are still plentiful and reasonable to work on. I also have the benefit of a competent parts dept. at my local Mack dealer that can still get older parts as long as they are available. Although it is rather scary that they are changing over to VOLVO part numbers...

As soon as Tom sees your post I bet we will see a Peterbilt school bus. Gregg

These are my thoughts as well, Rob. I do most of my own maintenance and repairs, and my CX is now over a million miles, so that part doesn't concern me. An older truck with no computer is simpler to maintain, IMHO and it dont get much simpler than an ol' reliable E6. Polly worries for me that I will be giving up creature comforts for the sake of style. But I am willing to accept the loss of cruise control and power windows. I have always been comfotable diving an R and this one seems to be a viable truck to do my job.

Air in the tanks is invisible, too. But sometimes you gotta drain the moisture out!