Rob

Some were but I can't give you any type of ratio to them. Rob

Yup, seen that several times through the years on all engines. Just snug with the plug is all that's needed. Some think you need to put 150 ft. pounds against em or they'll leak...... Rob

To the best of my limited knowlege there is no difference in the pistons and liners between the two engines. They are both Maxidyne series. The differences are in the injection cycle dictated by the injection pump governor settings, and timing of the injection cycle. A sound 237 Mack engine will reliably output 300 horsepower and plenty of torque with some type of charge air cooling, and recalibration of the injection pump assembly. This is a balance power package and only working with part of the system will not yield the long term durability if this balance is upset. If you recalibrate the pump from the Maxidyne series settings and don't install a transmission with more gears, (Maxidynes typically had five, or six speeds) the engine will seem to fall on it's face as the spread is too wide. Rob

I like the black smoke and almost instantaneous throttle response of the V8 engines. Sound good through the pipes too. Although mine are only the 865, and 866 variants, the sound is all their own. Rob

Mute.

The steering gear mounted to the axle was in the early RW, (Superliner) series. I think the 1986 model year was the introduction of the Superliner II and this had the steering gear moved to a frame mount along with the move to rectangular headlamps from round. I could be off by a year as I'm not entirely sure. Rob

I'm really surprised Volvo hasn't learned from the mistakes White made after the war. Remember all the truck marques they swallowed up and run into oblivion, (Autocar, Western Star, GMC) etc. Exponential growth is not always the best path to proceed upon. This could be a case of history repeating itself. It's all about profit, and satisfying stockholders which is comical. Stockholders in a corporation usually don't give a shit about the product, history, nor operations as long as they make profit on their investment monies. If they lose monies, or do not see profit, then monies or investments are moved to another venue that seems brighter at the time. No pride in quality, or loyalty to a product manufacturer any longer. I have a couple of new gensets powered by Volvo 13, and 16ltr engines and they are just as reliable as any John Deere, Detroit Diesel, or the like produced diesel engines. These are all purchased on contract so it is definately not loyalty, reliability, or ready spares availability driven. They all have the same manufacturer building the alternators, it's just whatever engine manufacturer submits the low bid for their engine is installed. Not my way of doing things and probably not like most end users would operate by. Look at trucking companies such as Yellow or any of the larger ones out there. They have a mixture of power units all due to contract pricings. The terminal in Morton, IL gets six new tractors and they will be one brand, the next lot arrives from a different manufacturer. Everybody is struggling with this garbage mandated by the govenment as far as emmisions. Even the government is fighting amongst themselves with it. This itself is funny as the government isn't even exempt from itself. Thanks to the american taxpayer this type of garbage can exist because they pay for it. Rob

They do not have a real problem with snapping, especially if they are maintained. Most don't think anything about a speedo, or tach cable till it no longer functions. At the age of your truck I would replace both the jacket, and cable assembly as a unit. Oil it yearly and it will outlast you. Use speedometer cable lube taking the top panel off the dash, unscrew, (or unclip) the jacket to instrument head, and pour oil in the jacket(s). Don't need an awful lot, probably about 1/2 ounce per cable. A small bottle should last several services. Rob

I don't know if your tach is cable driven, or electronic. 1987 is a little newer than I'm normally exposed to. If it is cable driven the cable is most likely snapped from age/usage. It is driven from the front of the auxilary shaft on the rt. side of the engine forward of the compressor mounting. The cable inserts just below the injection pump with a knurled nut retaining it. Rob

It is held on with a nut that is locked with a fold over washer onto the nut's flat. This is from what I've seen and could be different on later model trucks. It is securely fastened however. Rob

Forgot to mention earlier if you have power steering the pump could be mounted to the rear of the compressor so the lines would need removed also. The compressor has a metal gear for the drive with several teeth. The phenolic coupling that fastens to the auxilary shaft has corresponding teeth. I don't remember them being timed but are rather a slip fit. The compressor will slide right up to the mating surface if the teeth engage. Don't force it going back together, it's not needed. Rob

I'd never thought about that before but can see it being difficult with the cab shifted. Rob

I haven't done it yet. I do think with the doghouse off in the cab I may be able to wiggle in there with a long extension and a wobble socket. I don't think it will be anyway near easy though!! Rob

Not bad on an R model. Coolant in and out, oil in, air out line for plumbing. There are three bolts and the one at the upper inside next to the block will require a long extension to reach. Use a new phenolic coupler when you reinstall the reman unit. Rob

All engine have a "sweet spot" where they will deliver the best fuel economy. If your engine torque was plotted on a graph this spot is usually just to the left, or just above maximum torque output of the engine. This "sweet spot" is not normally where the engine is operated in however as it does not offer the crisp, or instantaneous throttle response that a little higher rpm does. Rob

I see Double L's show is on the 12th of June. When is Macungie this year? I want to make that one if able with a truck. Great looking ad Barry. Rob

A54S means it was built as a gasoline powered tandem chassis. The 1854 is just the last part of the serial number of that chassis and has nothing to do with the series of truck. If the truck had been built as a tandem tractor it could be A54ST1854. I assume the engine is an END510 witch was common in that series and damned near extinct for parts. I am under the impression the A series of trucks were produced in the 1950, 1951, 1952, and 1953 model years. If yours is in fact a 1954, it is probably a carryover from earlier production. As you asked, it should have the SAE #2 bellhousing but will not use the later standard pad mounting on the side but rather mounts via "ears" to the frame adapters. Rob

Yes, most used a "'Signal-Stat" 500, or 900 series column mounted switch with two green indicators for the turn signals, and a red indicator for the hazzard flashers. All functions utilized the same bulb in the switch. Rob

Usually they are. Try to get one with a metal can as it radiates the heat away better than the plastic encased ones. This yields a longer service life. Rob

Yup, the three prong style which is the heavy duty variant. The two prong style is usually reserved for lesser current draw of automobiles. This is in years gone past of course. Rob

Hello and welcome to the site, pretty sure you'll find some sort of entertainment around here. We like photos so don't be shy. I like your screen name, kinda reminds me of something I pulled on my wife. Late one night I "Let it Loose" under the covers and I thought that sweet young thing was gonna kill me within seconds, but she didn't. Instead I'm left to a life of misery and suffering, cause I inadvertantly bred the "Momma", which I'm sure you'll read about. Rob

You have the power cylinders as you mention and you will have a tough time getting the parts but they can be had, expensively. I couldn't remember the proper name for them and referred to them as rotochambers also. Having the heavier rated suspension presents a challenge to retrofit for the larger diameter chambers needed. Type 24 spring brake service chambers are a slip fit on the lighter rated suspensions. The best, easiest, and safest way to accomplish this is to find a donor R model truck and strip both trucks to bare axle housings, then install the R model hardware on the B model. Before you go to all this trouble ensure the bolt spacing is the same on both trucks for the brake adapters. You may need to have a thickness adapter fabricated for spacing but it depends on brake parts installed. R model trucks spaced the brake chambers further inboard, and lower on the mountings than the B series did. Either way, you should probably look to upgrade the system. Parts aren't getting any more available for the old systems as they age. I've not seen spring brake power cylinders since I was a kid. I didn't even remember them until your photo. The numbers you posted are the actual axle housing. As mentioned earlier the suspension type starts out as SWD and a series of numbers. Yours being the heavier should be something like SWD58XXX. That series of trunion stand is very sturdy but did manage to get broken/cracked from time to time. It is cast steel and my 64 B61 has 3/8ths plate welded to the front and rear vertical legs on both sides. Must have seen some rough usage in it's service life. Good luck. Rob

Thanks Glenn, sounds like I'm going to have to make this happen. Rob

Looks like I can't say no. I'll keep you guys posted. How fast will the truck run on 11RX22.5 rubber with the 5.05 rear ratio? Thanks in advance for the calculation. Rob

Hi Glenn(s), the engine has a 13 speed Mack trans still attached to the rear that I could get but he really wanted to keep it as a spare. He still has a couple of Mack tractors in use, but not much longer as he has moved to Kenworth, (I don't know why). I know the engine runs well because it was driven to my shop after being righted, and then driven back after being deemed not cost effective to repair. It did however run well and I don't know if it ran while on it's side. I've split a B-61 grille shell to add a few inches of forward protrusion that will provide clearance for a charge air cooler and a/c condensor, yet retain non functioning shutters on my B-61. The radiator will also move forward within a carrier that will bolt/weld to the original. I am doing this for an E6-350 I have, and still plan to. I think if the E7 series engine is similar in size, I may go that way and use the E6 in my daughter's truck, (not the B67). With the exception of the extended nose, I am looking to maintain a factory built look from the outside. I have so many plans and so little time........... Thanks, Rob