Vladislav

Thanks for posting the picture. If I'm not wrong the truck came out on a scene in the past by some reason.

How about the hood central hinge condition? They're usually troubleful when having age.

Australian and NZ Cruiseliners had rectangular headlights indeed. But from talks on here I figured those were quite few in number, something like a hundered trucks count. Down Under Superliners had appearance similar to American ones. If we speak about the headlights. With minor nuances though. We go off-topic here with that, so better to initiate a separate thread on the subject.

Two thumbs up!!!

Double round headlights. In rectangular bezels.

Also no direct answer but a point to guess from. My 1983 Cruiseliner was made at Macungie plant. And has the axle mounted box. The round headlights Superliners had their chassis style similar to Cruiseliner. No matter they were assembled at Hayward or later at Macungie. And as long as they used Cruiseliner chassis (and there was NO Ultraliner chassis before 1984) and that chassis didn't have a spot for mounting the steering gear, the latter must be having place on the axle beam. An add note from my side. I always keep my eyes open for chassis wievs of different Mack trucks and Superliners are near the center of the focus. Of what I ever saw there were no early series Superliner chassis with chassis mounted steering box.

Double congrats! The truck looks really cool! Sorry can't comment you boy's appearance. Just with him health and best of luck!

As said above. And that's the only idea on my mind at the moment.

Definitely an interesting matter got digged out. I also haven't had idea on possible installation of the seal between the bearings. Looking by an engeneering (design) point of view I'm with Geoff - "not meat and not fish" as we would say where I am. So possibly some technological reason or reason of some other kind was involved.

Yup, that fixed flange style showed up closer to the end of 80's as it seems to me. I have a question to you though. My 1945 Mack model NR has those cone flanges arranged with double splined end axle shafts and elephant ears bogie to frame brackets what being seemed as #44000 setup. The matter is those "mushroom" flanges have oil seals installed in them. So gear oil from the banjo can't go into hub bearings and the latters are spinning in grease. At the same time I have a 1984 MH-model with similar looking axle flanges but those bearings utilize gear oil from the axle. Were both of the styles existed as different options or was there a swap from grease in the hub bearings to oil?

Welcome to the forum! One nice looking R-model indeed! As for airride conversion I would go another route than welding a frame section off a Freightliner and so on. You can find a cut off or just a suspension set off a R-model which was produced by Neway. Very common setup for R's at the time but more for tractors than dump trucks and so. Neway was usually installed as a tandem bogie but actually that's two sepapate suspensions each of conteins a pair of brackets you attach to the frame, a pair of big levers an axle attached to and one Macks axle with Mack differential. So you can just use one axle setup and install it onto your frame with no cutting/welding the original rails. Just drill bolt holes where they're needed to be. Doing that you'd need a crossmember for installation of the frame brackets (should be taken together with other parts) and also you'd use a differential with no power divider (from the RR axle) since you're going to have a single drive and don't need the divider. This way you achive a truck with all OEM parts and solid factory frame rails. Vlad

I used to use Tamiya water-based paint but dissloved it with alcohol for airbrush condition. Much better application than adding water and much less poison vapours in relation to acetone-based solvents you need for common paints.

As said above I guess. To Mecho: #44 axle shafts had separate cone at the hub end up to a certain year. Later axles became of a style with flange, like #38 were. With 6 mounting bolts thicker than 8 bolts in #38 flange.

This may also not work for '89 truck. Starting from somewhere about 1991 wiring in a RD became all made by wires in white insulation. With tiny black scripts (or marks?) on each one. Not multicolored harnesses as "88 and earlier models were made. IDK if the particulat schematic is identical or not but that doesn't seem be of a must. And sure work with wiring all of one color isn't a big pleasure.

38 hubs have totally different flange. But axle spindles both of 38 and 44 have same sizes where hub bearings are fitted. So geometry of both axle housings seem identical. I mean length (width), hub bearings seat and also the spot where you mount the diff. Sure it's never wrong to double check sizes of the parts you use for a swap but just changing a diff from 38 axle housing to 44 doesn't seem bringing a trouble. Another point though the diff housing may have or not have studs where they're needed to be (if needed) or have different style of the torque rod attachment.

Parker 266-8 (black braid) or 206-8 (blue braid) looks like a good option. Its original purpose is air brake hose but it's declared also as for fuel, oil, power steering and even air conditioning lines. So must be resistant to very high pressures and aggressive fluids. And if you install it with reusable fittings (as was recommended and described above) you will achieve the original look regarding to your truck (and mine too)

From what I could see in the video the truck has R-model frame rails with typical R-model front spring hangers and cab mounts. But the radiator core is tiny indeed. Neat looking old R-model and definitely a great piece of trucking history! Thanks for sharing.

If you try setting backlash or play away from the dead center you will so get overtightness in the center. Actually you may be finding the tightest spot over the box range (near the center) and than relate it to the marks on the housing. Where you are tight and near the center is the spot for the setting. There may be cases (I don't know particulary with Ross but expect so) a steering gear may be assembled wrong during repair in the past. That way the dead center may be not where a mark of it on the housing is. And it's a headach with installation of such a gear and setting its tightness too. Speaking excessive play the most modern steering gears are double reduction. You could check that out regarding Ross by its blow out or cut through diagramm in a manual or on the net. If so the pay may be determined not by the teeth sector only but also by a screw/nut. Usually that mesh is not adjustable and occures play due to wear of mating parts. With way of fixing by change of them.

For more than 10 years I kept my eyes open for such the diagram, My truck is 1988 (1989 model year) R688. And I didn't have any luck. There's a "R-model wiring diagram" as a black and white electric scheme you can find on this site or elsewhere on the net. But that one is for earlier year's R's and doesn't correspond much to what you have in your truck.

Wonder didn't the parts dept printed it in a print shop while you have had your waiting time and than put in that solenoid-free bag? Sure kidding. Congrats on the purchase of the piece of happiness!

So soon!... We have the school year starting from 1st of September. Summer passes by that fast you need more free time enjoying it! Hope he will study well so could use weekends for the shop activities

No, that's a different swich. That one switches main engine air intake. From normal way through the cap of the filter canister to from under the hood area via that second pipe at the canister. For cold weather operation as it is subscribed somewhere (in the truck?) and that seems as a Canadian thingy. So that second pipe on (that Canadian style) filter housing is NOT for the tip turbine. This way the scoop in the hood works its role. Asking the original question. No, Maxidyne tip turbine was way far from not the only engine option used on R's/RD's. Plenty of different Mack engines installed during 4 decades of production starting from Thermodyne gassers and ending with Mack 4 valve E6 and E7 (in the restyled RD's). Also engines of different brends could be used including such exotic as two stroke Detroit Diesels and Chrysler gas V8's. And if you want to learn as much as possible on your Mack truck the best (and the only?) way is reading this forum! Personally tested

Wow! For 1:50 they're amazing!

The shift linkages of MH and Criseliner have about nothing in common. Excepting both have the lever separated from the tower when the cab is up and both use a U-joint. The matter of difficulties with shifting may be due to worn out linkage (you aren't able to find the spot where you shift into a certain gear) or due to worn out sliding clutches/mating teeth in the tranny gear wheels. This second way you have grinding in the gear change moments. Shifing Mack trannies require special skill which could be obtained by practice. I tell this as a guy who has never had experience driving American truck or another non-synchro transmission before appeared by the wheel of my 1st Mack truck. Now I understand that transmission had hard wear on the noted above parts but anyway could be shifted smooth if you know particular moments to get into a particular gear.