vision386

Well,you only gotta'make one person happy right? looks pretty good from what i can see! i don't remember seeing any mushroom trucks with V-8's mostly R- U-models 237's and some with the "300 plus" years ago they had a terminal over in West chester,PA next to AAA,they had HUNDREDS of B and R-models sitting around for sale,for years,that at the time coulda been bought CHEAP! hindsights 20/20 right? LOL!.....Mark

I saw that on the same trip,it had been a while since i had been through there (several years anyway) lately most of what i do is in the northeast,i have'nt been across the Miss.river in a long while! personally,i really dont miss running out west at all! other than it being a lot easier to find a place to park after 2 PM!but there are still quite a few places to get a good meal left,if you know where to look! but not near as many as there used to be..........Mark

Got to looking at some "aussie" Macks today,came across this one,which i thought was interesting,never knew of the existance of an all "resin" or fiberglass cab on an F-model,be a neat one to see finished!..............Mark http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8OqMmZCrJs

I too know this feeling very well! in the words of my grandfather "been doin' a lotta' choppin',but no chips are flying!"............Mark

Same thing with a place i used to stop quite a bit,last time i was through Ohio,i delivered to Cambridge just west of the scale on 70,my next stop was in Columbus the next morning,so my plan was to stop and eat/sleep at the Duke truckstop in Buckeye lake,got to the exit,place is GONE! big empty lot like it was never there! they had the best homemade pies and soups! the mom an pop places are going away fast,i personally dont like too many of the big "chains" but not much choice anymore!..............Mark

Nice pictures! i have always admired the "aussie" paint schemes on their trucks,i especially like the pin-stripes and attention to detail,they seem to come up with some unusal color combinations,but they always seem to "work" together. I believe it was a "carolina thing" but i used to see a lot of blue/black trucks with a red frame,on the right truck i thought it was sharp. I also find it interesting to see "spoke" type wheels on a modern truck,but given the rough terrain,makes perfect sense to me,easier to maintain, and a lot tougher than aluminum wheels..................Mark

lets not forget,Ya always need a beer to go with that hot-dog!..........Mark

Yup, sure do,i used to run from South Jersey to Binghamton 6 nights a week when i drove for my grandfather,took a load of apples up,and usually brought back a load of empty packing crates or glass bottles back. I remember both places had really good food at the time. I dont get up that way very often anymore either,but used to enjoy stopping at both places,we even had a charge account for fuel at Penn-can,i still have an old fuel receipt somewhere,136 gallons of fuel for $65.00?so i'm kinda dating myself!................Mark

Hey Bob,congrats on the truck! sure looks like its in nice shape! guess i'm about the only one left now without a "hobby" truck! LOL! i figuered Cliff would point you in the right direction! real clean lookin' ex fire truck? I only met him a few times,i was just starting to be active in the South jersey ATHS chapter right before we moved down here,so i did'nt get much of a chance to make a lot of contacts,course i know damn near everybody in south jersey with a truck for some reason!...........again,great find,good luck with it!.................Mark

Gregg,i thought that was your F-model,was'nt sure made the assumption based on the shows location being Harford,spent many a night at the Penn-Can truckstop when i was still living/running out of Jersey! some really nice trucks at that show from the looks of it!.............Mark

Neat video,thought i recognized someone near the end?..............Mark

Nah,Armellini is all "team" operation,if i'm gonna get greased,i'm gonna do it myself! LOL!....my dad worked there in the sixties,started out on a IH emeryville,then got a brand new F-model,they were real proud of these,cause they were the very first trucks in the fleet with factory installed AC! old kysor roof-mount,Pop said that sumbitch would freeze you out of the cab1 and give you an earache,blowing right in your ear while driving! In 1966,pay for the first (senior) driver for a round trip from Jersey to FL was $60.00! $45.00 for second driver! (plus $5.00 eating/expense money each!) air-mail to FL,then flowers back up north with 20-30 stops on the way back! the round trip sometimes took 2 weeks!.........Mark

Nice "ducky" LOL!.............Mark

The one i'm starting to see a lot lately is when you are gearing up to merge onto a highway,some waterhead in front of you will get almost to the end of the get-on ramp and STOP!!!!! (with a 1/4 mile merge lane,and clear traffic!) makes no sense to me,i think when i retire,i will open a "how to merge school"!.....Mark

"Colorful" to say the least! LOL!................Mark

Hey Trent,if they want to see whats its like to back into a hard spot against traffic,or drag a 53' through NYC,maybe they can arrange a ride-along with me !LOL! cant say for sure anything i say wont get "bleeped" for TV though! i agree,if the general motoring public was better educated on how to drive around a truck,the roads would be a much safer place for everyone! sad thing is,its not just the cars anymore! sorry to say,but i see just as many assholes in trucks as i do "4 wheelers" anymore! i liked some of the things the show had,i wish they'd have spent a little more time with the owner of that Bullnose KW,seemed like a pretty interesting guy!...............Mark

This is the truck my buddy ran,was an 86, 425 3406-B Cat,13 speed road-ranger,he ran one round a week from Avondale,PA to Grand island,NE hauling fresh mushrooms for the dominos pizza dist.center,and usually a load of cheese back east-bound. his family moved in across the street from us in 1987,and come to find out he had once rode team with my father back in the sixties,when they both drove for Armellini Express out of the Vineland,NJ terminal (now gone).....Mark

I was home for a change,and got to watch the new program,just like most truck shows,all petes and KW's so nothing much of interest to me! only comment i would make,is MAN! that guy that hosts it,should maybe cut down on the caffeine/drugs a little! NOBODY gets that excited over a cabover KW! LOL!.......Mark

I had a neighbor in Jersey that drove an LTL-9000 (company truck) it was an 86-87 with a 425 B-model Cat,13 speed,with 3:35 rears! this thing would fly! he called it the "airplane" LOL! only problem he had with it was RUST,his company took it back to Ford,and they said it was a pretty common problem,as the cab could have been manufactured as early as 1967! and been sitting since then,same cab as all the "louisville" L-models. The last new truck he got was a CL-9000,really nice looking truck! only thing he did'nt like about it was the gray/orange "burlap" interior! but rode good,handled good ,even with the air-ride cab,that they were still working the "bugs" out of. You're right,i dont remember the last time i saw one on the road!...........Mark

Larry,my compliments! thats some nice looking work right there! if seen a few add-on sleepers adapted to a B-model,and to be kind, they were kinda' "boogered up" but your job is sure a nice one! i have done a little sheetmetal/fab work myself,but never had much luck/practice with a stretcher,at least not the compound curves you ended up with,i always "cheated" a little,and kinda' nipped out the bend corners so they would follow the contours better,but must say i'm impressed!.....Mark

Hey John,are you talking about J.spinelli & sons in Millville,NJ? before i moved to VA i remember seeing at least one transfer dump,if i remember correctly,it was a bright yellow T-800 Kenworth?............Mark

Sorry i did'nt clarify my thoughts on what i think Mack would have done in absense of the merger with volvo, I think Mack would have "pulled in the reins",re-grouped and concentrated on the vocational/speciality market,they would still be building engines,trans.etc of their own design. Without assistance from a foreign country,as they have for 111 years,but thats just wishful thinking. I personally am resistant to change,when i believe its for the worse (which i do) and my family has owned and operated Mack trucks for the equavalent of 100 years,so they are something i do believe in,or i would'nt have bought 5 of them throughout my career,pre-volvo i had no trouble with getting parts,getting service,a Mack dealer was a Mack dealer period! now,NOTHING is "in stock" i need to make an "appointment" for service,every time i go in for a "minor" problem,i'm looking at a minimum a 2 days downtime,and likely a $1000.00 bill! but volvo is sure looking out for the "little guy"! if you dont own 50-100 trucks you are "persona non-grata" with volvo,and yes i know this from personal experience! so no,i do not think volvo is good for Mack,nor will i ever. And yes,there are a lot of us "oldtimers" who feel the same way,i have made my living with a MACK truck for almost 30 years now,not a volvo/Mack or anything else! this is by choice,and brand loyalty,,,what do you think would happen if it was announced that Kawasaki was taking over Harley-davidson? do you think 5 generations of bikers would be happy? or the japs are gonna build a better bike? i think not! Mack trucks inc. is an American institution,with a loyal following akin to harley,this forum is a perfect example of that,i have never seen anyone undertaking the restoration of a 40 year old volvo,so that in its own says something of the volvo longevity.....i see an R-model working almost daily,cant say the same for whatever the volvo equivelant is,dont remember visiting an "all volvo" truck show,never visited someones home in this hobby decorated with volvo memorabilia! my wife did'nt name her beloved cat volvo LOL!.......again,this is just MY opinion!................Regards,Mark

I was reading this mornings article about the OPOC engine,watched the video on its operation,which lead ,me to this diesel powered motorcycle,its a Yanmar diesel,set-up to use the motorcycle chassis......really sounds a lot like an ENDT-673 (at idle)! sounds like Mack timing! to me anyway!.....kinda' neat i thought.........Mark

Ah,you're too hard on yourself there bud! nobody hates you !(with maybe the exception of that yutz that was on here sometime back),Motorworks300???? LOL! that douche that was offering all the timely mechanical help tips,how to adjust your airhorn bearings etc.....when is Macungie?.....Mark

Suprised me as well,i looked at some of their other parts for sale,did'nt see anything but these doors out of reason (pricewise)......Mark