T-Mack1

Online auction is active. https://tomhallauctions.hibid.com/catalog/706752/01-20-2026-mack-truck--primitives--beer-items--plus-

Like said above, driving it down the road verse trailering changes stuff. And ours, a firetruck (from a major city to boot) adds to the decisions. Safety becomes an issue if driving down the road. We changed our "Service Only" brake chambers on our '57 B85F to have spring brake chambers on the rear. We are planning to drive the grand kids around and that was a no brainer. Yes, very visible and had to add the yellow knob on the dash. The QRV is hidden under the firetruck "turntable" ( the equivalent of a fifth wheel but is for a permanent mount fire trailer (Hook & Ladder)). The firetruck dual starter buttons , the two separate battery systems and the run the ignition off "Battery A or B" switch is a discussion Jack and I have repeatedly. I'm leaning towards keeping it, but battery technology today verse 1957 makes it almost not needed, especially on a truck that's no longer on emergency response duty. So, keep it because it's sort of neat, or get rid of it (or not use the buttons but leave them in place) because it's not needed....?? Paint..... On a working truck, unless it has Historical value (like a UPS truck, or the Bethlehem Steel truck at the Museum), it's a new owner choice. That includes doing one of those patina looks. On ours, as a firetruck, a previous owner (Mr. Barton from East Hampton, CT) repainted the truck and put his own lettering on it. "Barton" on the hood, and "Ladder 1" over "East Hampton" on the doors. It originally had "Boston" "Fire Department" on the hood, and "Ladder 11" on the doors. After a bunch of talking, where I really wanted it back to the Boston Scheme, verse a "Mack Family" scheme, I think we are headed to the Boston scheme. More Historic, and a conversation starter. There is a thought to have a list of owners somewhere but that is far from important at this time. Trolley valve...... the trailer is long gone, so it does nothing (lines are plugged). Jack is leaning on getting rid it. My plan is to convert it to a type of manual Hill-Start (Mack "Grade Gripper"). Our treadle is a single circuit type, so easier to work on. I picked up a double check valve at the Mack Museum garage sale this past October. It has 2 inputs, 1 output. where one input shuts off the other. This will prevent the Trolley valve from venting thru the not pressed brake treadle and venting air and, vice-a-verse, when using the brake pedal, air venting out the trolley valve vent. That's going to be a hidden upgrade, so not many people would understand it's there. Note, I also picked up a modern 2 circuit treadle and a governor (compressor un-loader) at the garage sale, both NOS. Converting to Primary and Secondary air....... talk about a lot of work. Good work, but very tedious. Then there's the wiring. Restore to original functions or make it more modern. It's mostly hidden so only some people will notice. For ours, Doug Maney, the curator of the Mack Historical Museum, said to me "Tom, you will find that firefighters think they are electricians, but they are not". Need I say more. In the rewiring, I keep wanting to make it more modern (the electronic tech in me) , using more relays to shut things off when the key is turned off (yes, adding a key is another upgrade for a firetruck). Jack, the Master Electrician, wants to keep it simple and that means more original. Wheels, Update or keep original. That's more on how much you want to spend. Shiny Aluminum, modern size rims, etc etc. We have 11.00-20 tires on the 3 piece Budd rims (sliding ring (bead ring) that hold the split lock ring in place). The price of 20 inch truck tires is rather high now a days, because they are now custom ordered at most places. So we are converting to 22.5 inch Budd rims. Wanted the "Five opening" rims, but they are hard to find. Picked up 6 Accuride "Two opening" rims at a great price. But now I have a lead on 4 "five opening" ones, and if we get them, 4 of the two opening rims will be available. We now got tires for the rims. Just a matter of sanding and painting the rims. Dream: add a second row of seating for the grandkids. That will be a very noticeable modification. But, depending if a lead on another "open cab" cab pans out , it could look awesome and raise the value. And I would like to make it a bolt on addition, so it could go back to a Tractor-Drawn-Aerial-Ladder if someone "gives" us a tiller trailer and a free space to store it. So........ the decision seems to be a Concourse Trailer Queen or a Driver. We're going for the "driver" restoration.

Not sure, but looks like on-line auction starts at 7PM EST on 1-20-2026 https://tomhallauctions.com/auction/griswold-neer-werk-pol/

I looked at the Auction House's website and a date & location hasn't been posted yet. https://tomhallauctions.com/

Not sure, but if they both don't work at the same time, I would think it might be a dash power supply or ground issue. Ignition switch or fuse could also be suspect....

Sweet!!!! one day my brother and I will have our '57 B85F to the point it could be used in parades.

I'm one of your subscribers. Everyone, see "Edward-Thaine" on YouTube.

Morris Me, Are you the father & son Youtuber's that have a two B model fire trucks, where at least one of which is a B21?

Some tv show/or YouTube video I watched a few months ago had a hydraulic pump for the steering that somehow was mounted to the back end of the generator. I always wondered if one of those new electric assist units they make for custom cars could be fitted.

I guess I was spoiled. Up until January '25, I worked at the Mack factory. If a truck bleed down over night it was looked at with a fine tooth comb. Actually an electronic air leak down tester, and sometimes a sniffer which is actually a extremely directional microphone and a headset. I forget the spec, but 0.3 psig in five minutes sounds familiar as the limit. And that would be with air brakes applied (bracket thing holding pedal down). Many pass with no leaks at the test. Note: a 0.3psig leak would take approx 36 hours to go from 130 psi (average compressor cutoff on new trucks) to zero psig. Although the PPV (pressure protection valve) shuts off the accessories at 90psig, so it may take longer.

Found out my brother Jack also has one. Question: Does anyone have a picture of one of the Huskie chips??????

Reminder, you might also check for significant air leaks. When our Areo-Quip line to the brake treadle went (internal lining cracked), we couldn't build pressure. Replaced it and now we build pressure quick. Still have some kind of leak as it bleeds down if a few hours.

https://www.restorationspecialties.com/ I know the owner, Jeff Mihalko. Good guy. I know him from the minibike reunions he had on the property for years. The company was started by his late father, Dave.

Jack and I plan on being there. I've have been doing some volunteering work at the museum. They are selling some bins of excess parts and brochures to help fund running the museum.. Also some wheels & tires.

My brother jack and I were there. Got to talk to a lot of people. It was a debate who talked more. me or him.

Not sure if this should be here, or under electrical or in the wiki section. Attached are two fire truck wiring diagrams I got from the Mack Historical Museum the other week at one of their Volunteer Saturdays. Both have dual distributors and dual starter buttons. One appears to have the second Ammeter on the dash, the other diagram has it at the pump panel. One is harder to read. 8MR5416_B85, B95, B125_ENF707_Firetruck_Dual-Ign_Dual-Ameter.pdf 8MR59006_B85,95,125F_Fire-Truck_Pumper-Ameter(1960).pdf

Our '57 B Model has it on right side (passenger side), out side of frame rail, slightly behind the front axle. You can see the oil pan in the back ground of the picture. Modern Mack's also have it on the front frame rails (at least until Jan 2025 when I retired). Normally left side, but some have it on both L & R rails and one is usually hidden to counter thief and resale of frames with modified VIN's.

Not a dumb question. We don't have a generator. We have an Alternator. They make AC voltage so it needs to be converted to DC and that is done with a rectifier. Although many generators make AC, automotive ones generally make a pulsating DC so no need to convert. The pulses of DC go into the battery and that smooths it out so you have steady voltage. And, the question many people ask, what's the difference between them? Generators have magnets in them. Some of them, big magnets that do all the work, some small magnets that excite a voltage on the parts of the gen to make a voltage that then gets spun to amplify and get the desired voltage. An alternator doesn't have magnets. It uses two wire coils, one spinning , one fixed. By putting voltage on one coil, you can get the desired voltage on the other. By varying the input voltage you can control the output power to get the desired amount. Which is better???? Both have good points. In the automotive world, a generator will create voltage even if the battery is dead as a door nail, where a alternator needs a voltage to start making voltage. A vehicle with a generator can be push started with no voltage on the battery and will run. An alternator vehicle needs a tiny bit a voltage so it won't work on a totally dead battery . A generator charges at a fixed rate, where an alternator has a variable charge rate, so will charges the battery faster. At idle, a generator usually drops in voltage (lights dim) where on a alternator, you can vary the input and get more output at idle/low RPM's. NOTE: : Since energy doesn't just come from nowhere, the energy to get to the desired voltage output is from what ever is spinning the generator (Gas, diesel, Hydro etc etc.). That's why, once you get a vehicle with an alternator running by jump starting it, it can make voltage.

Our '57 B-model firetruck tractor had service only rear chambers, so we upgraded. Well...... when I was setting up to start taking old chambers off, I put the carboard down so I didn't have to lay in the stones. Then laid out my tools and crawled under. AND THEN SOMETHING CAUGHT MY EYE ON DRIVE SIDE OF AXLE HOUSING. A black rat snake was staring at me. He was somewhere around 5 or 6 feet long.... I sent him on his way out into the woods.

Finally for this update, Installed the solid-state 3-Phase rectifier to replace the selenium one. Mounted it to a piece of aluminum and for added measure, added an addition small heat sink to the back. It's mounted on the inner fender. The B-model fender insert hides it well. Plan is to fake out that we still have the old one hooked up, for looks. Note: we and going to be rewiring the truck real soon, so forgive us using the old wires for now.

Next, got some new hood emblems. old & new pict's. Still need B85 and Thermodyne. the passenger Dog is a reproduction we got at Macungie

Latest updates. We now have spring brakes. Bought a QRV (Quick release Valve) with balance line, and since the original "service only" rears chambers were "30", got 30/30 spring brakes. And, a used park brake valve that tests ok, popping out at 45 psig. Yes, I broke down and used plastic DOT air lines. And new rubber hoses all the way around.

I can walk to Macungie. Although I never measured it, I would say it's about 2.5 to 3 miles. I do know the Mack factory is 3.8 miles from my house. Yep, use to take 6-8 minutes to get to work.

Very Nice Vlad. The Mack museum has a 1945 NM that they have in running condition and nicely restored. ( YouTube video below) There is also a video of a 1945 NO on there YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@macktruckshistoricalmuseum7922

mowerman, mrsmackpaul and tjc transport, Yes, a heater in an open cab sounds strange. The Spec sheet we got from the Museum had OMIT on the heater line. But, we use to own a 1946 jeep CJ-2A and it had a heater in it that helped keep the passenger's feet warm. And we do have the duct work in our dash sheet metal to have a defroster and that could, "in theory", help warm the face up a tiny bit. I have the bows from a boat that fit nicely, just have to get canvas made. As for the windows, the passenger side is mostly there, with only an inch or two at the top cracked off. The Drivers side is gone.