39 Baby Mack

The PLE dimension should be stamped on the pump. Apply air pressure to the air cylinder and measure the distance from the face of the cylinder to the end of the plunger--- easiest way to do this is with an old Mack rack setting tool- set the tool to the air cylinder plunger and then transfer that measurement to a depth mic. Once you have this measurement- subtract the PLE dimension from air cylinder extension dimension and that will give the amount of shims needed(+or- .005") Keep it shimmed to the high side for better performance. Ron

Beautiful truck Best of luck with it!! Ron

If the hour meter still works then the tach cable isn't broken!!! Check and make sure it isn't the gauge itself? Ron

As I posted before----- In the summertime off in the distance, over the dull hum of the crickets, if you listen close enough you can hear an "F" model Mack rusting away!!!! Ron

Looks to be a type 45, in pretty nice shape! Ron

Cool--- thanks for the video!!! Ron

I'm doing this from memory. I'm pretty sure it's a 237GB13 Mack filter which crosses to a Baldwin PF-819 Ron

Rob, Sorry to see you go, you will be missed!!!. Have enjoyed talking with you over the website, good luck to you in your future endeavors. Ron

The picture shows a full flow/bypass filter- Mack #236GB311A which as stated above crosses to a Baldwin #P706M. It is not interchangeable with a 750 Luberfiner. A 750 Luberfiner does not have gaskets on the top and bottom of it and and a Mack full flow/bypass does Ron

Been to Reinauer Brothers many times. At one time they had one on each side of the road so you didn't have to cross over Rte. 17 like you do now. Ron

Unfortunately you're right, we all like Mack trucks for sure, but the Mack trucks we like aren't, for the most part, the new ones. Sure I'm glad they still make Mack trucks and I'm glad they're now, in this country, all made in Macungie instead of the highway trucks being made on a joint Volvo and Mack assembly line in Dublin, VA. I'm an older guy and for me they quit being true Macks when the injection pump left the side of the engine and the word "Renault" found it's way onto the crankcase breather. I know the older motors wouldn't meet the emissions standards but they sure were a lot easier to work on----they made sense--- they didn't rely on smoke and mirrors! Life, and things in general, sure used to a lot simpler and a lot more fun!!!! Ron

Trent You barred the engine backwards (counter clockwise) to 25 degrees B.T.D.C. right ? This is a different way of doing this than I'm used to for sure but I guess it will work, of course this is assuming that it was actually timed to 19 degrees when you started with it. You actually have no way of knowing for sure unless you flow time it. Hope it works out OK. Ron

Nice looking job, Vinny, keep up the good work!!! Ron

Happy Birthday!!! Ron

Happy Birthday guys!!! Ron

I like the picture of the Thaddeus Kosciuszko bridge A.K.A. (the Dolly Parton bridge) on the Northway. Been up that way many times hauling horses. Ron

Happy Birthday- hope you have a nice one!! Ron

Good thing it was a "newer" V-8, if it would have been an old 864 I'd like to know where you find bastard thread 11/16" allthread!!! Ron

Happy Birthday Michael, have a good one!!! Ron

Happy Birthday!

Beautiful truck, good luck with it. I can't believe the shape the cab is in, must be one of those special "rust free Macks" they didn't make many!! Ron

It all depends on how the original fit was. If you look at the picture Mike posted you see the really rusted ones that probably "grunted" pretty good coming out. Then if you look at the shiny ones they weren't as bad. O.T.C. makes a hydraulic puller rated at 17 tons to pull the Mack dry liners. I had one of these that worked very well. Also had a homemade one using a bottle jack that did the job too. Ron

PAI used to make emergency injection lines that were straight, we used to keep one under the mattress in the bunk for emergency repairs on the road. You could, most of the time, find somebody that would try to help you as long as the parts weren't a problem. These you bent to make up the line you needed, they came in handy on more than one occasion. Ron

Looks great Vinny You and your Papa are doing a fine job. Keep up the good work, you'll have it done in no time!!!! Ron

Hey Ben I was just wondering if you were interested in railroad locomotives too. Because if you like two stroke Detroits the familiar 53, 71, and 92 series in different configurations you'd probably flip over their larger cousins that were built by the Electro Motive Division of General Motors(now Electro Motive Diesel owned by Caterpillar) They were used in EMD locomotives and their series numbers were 567, 645, and 710. That's the cubic inch displacement per cylinder and they came in many configurations. The largest were V20-645's in F-45 and SD-45 locos and I believe were rated at 3600 H.P. The largest 710 was also a V20 used in SD-70MACS and were rated at 5000 H. P. these were only purchased by Conrail. The 710 series engine I do believe is still in production. I know this has nothing to do with trucks but if you like two strokes you have to admire these things!!!! Ron