vision386

Thanks Rhasler,thats what i was looking for,a parts list/breakdown the parts are still available,i passed on the info this morning....Mark

Nice Jeep? or what?!

I was eastbound on 40 in Arkansas a few years ago,riding along listening to my new XM radio,when it dawned on me i had'nt seen a car or truck going westbound for about an hour,clicked over to FM,BBBBBBEEEEEEEPPPPP!!!!!!"the national weather sevice has issued a tornado warning for Lone Pine,AR! "so guess where i am? sky got black instantly! i pulled over under a concrete overpass,got the tractor as far over as i could,the funnel cloud was 1/2 mile to the south! a woman and little girl were in a little U-haul truck,also headed east,when they came out from under the overpass the wind blew their truck over on its side! put a signpost through my pass.side windshield! took the pass.side mirror off my truck! (never did find it)the funnel cloud was literally right in front of me! took just a few seconds to pass. I pulled the windsheild out of the u-haul truck,so the people could get out (both were un-harmed,wearing seatbelts) they got in truck with me till it was clear. scared to say the least! when it was safe to go,i headed for west memphis,truckstop there was destroyed,had to go all the way into memphis without a right-hand mirror! the Mack dealer there fixed me up with a new mirror/windshield,but some scary stuff! my only experience with a tornado,one i would not like to encounter again!................Mark

Thanks for posting that Tom,thats the one i was looking for,figures its in about the only Mack book i DON'T have LOL!.......Mark

I have a neighbor who has a 1977 Kenworth W-model conventional,400 big cam cummins,13 speed road-ranger he uses the truck as a septic tank pumper. Came to me with a question maybe someone on here can answer,the truck was originally equipped with a Kysor shut-down system,(low coolant,high temp.low air pressure) problem is that the red light works,but not the buzzer (we have concluded it is the buzzer thats defective) is this something that replacement parts are available for? this buzzer makes an OBNOXIOUS noise when working,and when the truck starts,once air pressues is built up it goes off. He is looking to keep the truck as close to original as possible,as it belonged to his father,i told him i'd see if anyone on here could point him in the right direction............Mark

May have found a picture of spot the wonderdog's long lost cousin "sparky"....................Mark

Best i can tell,the truck was originally registered to Robert (bob) Eckstein Round Lake Beach,IL i tried the DMV as well,no help at all there. I tried peopleseach,just about all i could think of,but if he has passed,that would explain a lot. Tried a lot of the local Mack dealers in the area as well,all i got was the old "our records don't go back that far" routine. I had just about exausted everything i could think of,which is how i happened on Bigmacktrucks.com,i figuered if anyone knew anything about this truck,it would be on here!..................Mark

I got to look inside the truck back when i took the pictures,it was definately a +3 cab with the late model dash and "western interior" it was the oxblood color (dark red). I believe the first picture i took with the single sleeper was in 1977,not sure about the later ones with the larger sleeper mid eighties i suspect,only thing i can recall specifically about the interior,was that the controls/housing for the Kysor roof mount A/C unit had been taken apart and chromed,same with the handle/door for the factory rooftop vent,and it looked sharp! quite the mystery this truck seems to be! maybe if we can narrow it down,i will get with the Mack museum and see what i can find out.....................Mark

Hey Trent,thanks for all the effort tracking down this information,kinda' puts an end to a long search! i have been trying to find out what happened to this truck for a long time,real shame about the owner too,i was hoping i could track him down and kinda pick his brain about the particulars and specs on the truck.Guess when i do find a truck project to build,i'm going to have to "wing it" a little LOL! still like to find that bodyshop (if its even still around)get the paint codes for what they used to paint it,i really liked that paint job,always have and would like to duplicate it on my own truck sometime. I did know it was powered by a 1693-TA CAT,just never knew what trans was behind it,of course if i do get to build a similar tractor it will be all Mack,as a matter or personal preference,not historically accurate. Air-ride too,my backs not 21 anymore! LOL! i also knew about him (Bob) winning at Englishtown,thats where i took the few pictures i have of the truck,there is also supposed to be a picture of it in one of the books about Macks,but i havent found out which one but will keep looking. i did'nt know about the calender either,maybe can track one down on Ebay or somewhere. What i really need is a few more good pictures to work from,with some detail of the paint,it was pretty un-usual,with some fogged in pinstripe/separation lines (think 1970's panel paint) which is hard to see in the pictures i have,but not terribly hard to duplicate with an air-brush...........Thanks again! Mark

Allthough i am personally fond of The R and B-models,in my opinion the best looking Mack ever was the LTL,often refered to as "The Duesenberg of trucks" by a lot of the old time drivers,just a great looking truck all-around!............Mark

The very first truck i drove was a 1963 B-61T,it was originally an old Hess oil truck,pulled the same trailer all the time it was in service,but when we got it,it did not have rear turn signals,only a single stop/tailight. in the name of safety we did install "modern" signal-stat turn/brake lights,but as others have stated,laws vary from state to state here in VA,original as manufactored is exempt from inspection,but normal everyday vehicles must comply with DMV rules and regs.ie: lights,seatbelts etc. my thinking is better safe than sorry!.............Mark

First time i ever went over the dam itself was in my MH,E-6 400,with dual 5" straight pipes (young and stupid) now old and deaf! but starting down the grade in about 5th or 6th gear ,jake in the third position man o man was that music! (maybe not so much to a non-truckdriver) that was always a nice drive,some pretty country for sure!..................Mark

Sure they did! they were just a lil' bigger back then!..............Mark

Really no need for a tach with a 318! LOL!.....Mark

Trent,here are the pics that i have...............Mark

Trent,thanks very much for the info! i did'nt put much hope that the truck was still in existance (or in one piece!) the search for this particular truck is what lead me to bigmacktrucks.com early on,Rob kinda filled me in on the details of what finally happened to it, it was a 1693-TA CAT powered tractor,which was a bit un-usual at the time. I have heard from several people that the truck was parted out/junked but where/when i still dont know for sure. I would still like to get in touch with the original owner,see if maybe he has some better pictures of some of the specific details ie: trans.,rears,interior etc. so when i do find a truck to restore,i'd like to make it as close as possible to the original. Maybe that salesman can get the vin# and i can always get the build-sheet info from the Mack museum.......anyway,thanks again for letting me know! i appreacieate it!.................Mark

Looks great so far! glad to here the boot is not leaking,always seemed to be problematic on every truck i've owned/driven with a separate bunk....thats gonna be quite the truck when you get er done!.......Mark

Lookin good Trent! lotta work to keep a black truck clean! (or any truck for that matter LOL!) but thats sure a sharp tractor!................Mark

Heres another one thats pretty far-gone!..................Mark

Prolly not "PC",but wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy Easter!........................Mark

LOL! i know thats right!.........Mark

Hey Ernie,could'nt ya just see this thing trying to make a right off Tonnelle ave. somewhere? LOL!...............Mark

Came across this today,supposed to be the longest fifth wheel tractor in the USA, 94' bumper to back of trailer! if you look at the website,there is a picture of it in Times Square,NY! Yeah,right!.....................Mark http://www.reomobilemedia.com/facts.html

Tom,sure i know all about "Jersey shore" they make us all look bad! LOL! i used to get asked alot if i knew "The Sopranos" i would be like,you know its a TV show right? and not everybody from Jersey is a gangster (or knows one) LOL! its funny to me other peoples impressions of just what Jersey is really like! anyway,you came to the right place for help/tips with your truck,there are some great guys on here that will help you anyway they can!........Mark

My nextdoor neighbor in jersey was a volunteer fireman,in charge of driving the tanker (an old hess oil truck,B-model) never had any roll-over type problems,but when the truck was donated,it went in for paint/bodywork lettering etc. the only fact that was overlooked was that there was 800 gallons of unleaded gas left in the trailer! made the local newspaper,luckily the structure that burned down was un-inhabited! (chicken coop) it was quite the fire! i could see it from my house about 10 miles away!..........Mark