Ford CL-9000 - Ford's surprise in 1977

[39 Baby Mack]

On 3/9/2013 at 11:46 AM, Red Horse said:

As to who built the CL cab, it was Sheller Globe.

Sheller-Globe was who made the R,U, and DM cabs for the Mack Co.

Believe it or not the "F" model cab was actually made by the Mack Co. in Allentown out of parts stamped out by the Budd Co.

This was, I think I'm right about this, the only cab that was ever built in house.

I remember going to the Mack Co. in around '73 or '74 and seeing them assembling the cabs.

Ron

[james j neiweem]

I never thought about it before but the F model and the bud cab have similarities around the window area. Maybe KS knows about the F model cab assembly.

[Bobby Covert]

I have those brochures.

[felicello122]

The silvers were great motors, we repowered a couple of trucks after the doubleo92's puked the silvers had great power and stayed together.

[Green Dash]

Overdrive did a pre-production dissection on a CL in 1977. Classic stuff.....

http://public.fotki.com/modeltrucks25thscale/truck_magazines/truck-and-trucking-/1977-overdrive-magazine/08-overdrive-magazi/

[vision386]

Overdrive did a pre-production dissection on a CL in 1977. Classic stuff.....

http://public.fotki.com/modeltrucks25thscale/truck_magazines/truck-and-trucking-/1977-overdrive-magazine/08-overdrive-magazi/

Mike Parhurst was notoriously hard on Ford products,it's a wonder the W-Series ever made it into production!.............................Mark

[h67st]

Green Dash, that Fotki Overdrive scan is great...especially the cabover Pete with the 12V-71 in it (tractor of the month runner-up). I wonder how hard it was to maintain those 12 cylinder DDs.

[607t1173]

Actually the 12V71's weren't all that difficult to maintain.

I had a friend who was definitely the best and smoothest truck driver that I ever knew who bought one new in a '74 Freightliner.

His ran over 500k miles before he had to do anything other than general maintainence. They had in my opinion the most distinctive and pleasing sound of any diesel engine of that era.

They were a beast in their day though a little hard on fuel...but who cared when fuel was only 35 cents a gallon.

I've got a 12V71TT engine (out of a gen set) just sitting and waiting for the right truck to install it in.

I don't want to put it in a KW or a Pete so my options are few since the twin turbo's are mounted at the rear of the engine.

[fifth wheel]

I got this one for the drivetrain components, but to good to dismantle. ran the 3406 a little this fall, and a very nice truck.

photo (106).JPG

FW

More information ; built 12/1983 , does not have an air ride cab. I like the Ford product line.

Interior pictures (2013) (2013)

FW

[Green Dash]

More information ; built 12/1983 , does not have an air ride cab. I like the Ford product line.

photo (116).JPG photo (117).JPG

Interior pictures (2013) (2013)

FW

i think the stimulated woodgrain dash looks better than the brushed aluminum, or whatever it is.

[marelo]

Hello everyone!
Can someone explain to me the main differences between the CL9000 and CLT9000?

Thanks for yout time.

[ws721]

Fithwheel. Do you still have that CL? Did you cut the engine out or unbolt it?. I don't know how to paste the page but if you go to our web site on page 8 there is my W series and a friends CL. The CL's were very complicated for their time. With the all air ride cab, Which was an option to get with out. Then the 3 separate heater/AC systems they were interesting. I also have heard that the MH was influenced by the CL. Have not been able to verify that in any way. But they were quiet and rode well when the air ride was maintained. Good luck trying to find wiper motors. A lot like the MH wiper set up.

[Red Horse]

Hello everyone!

Can someone explain to me the main differences between the CL9000 and CLT9000?

Thanks for yout time.

Cl= single rear axle, CLT= Tandem

[rsb502]

Actually the 12V71's weren't all that difficult to maintain.

I had a friend who was definitely the best and smoothest truck driver that I ever knew who bought one new in a '74 Freightliner.

His ran over 500k miles before he had to do anything other than general maintainence. They had in my opinion the most distinctive and pleasing sound of any diesel engine of that era.

They were a beast in their day though a little hard on fuel...but who cared when fuel was only 35 cents a gallon.

I've got a 12V71TT engine (out of a gen set) just sitting and waiting for the right truck to install it in.

I don't want to put it in a KW or a Pete so my options are few since the twin turbo's are mounted at the rear of the engine.

Hmm, can you say long hood R or RW? That would be a pretty cool ride with a 12V71TT!

[felicello122]

Actually the 12V71's weren't all that difficult to maintain.

I had a friend who was definitely the best and smoothest truck driver that I ever knew who bought one new in a '74 Freightliner.

His ran over 500k miles before he had to do anything other than general maintainence. They had in my opinion the most distinctive and pleasing sound of any diesel engine of that era.

They were a beast in their day though a little hard on fuel...but who cared when fuel was only 35 cents a gallon.

I've got a 12V71TT engine (out of a gen set) just sitting and waiting for the right truck to install it in.

I don't want to put it in a KW or a Pete so my options are few since the twin turbo's are mounted at the rear of the engine.

it would ba nice in a super liner!

[Phase 1]

Sheller-Globe was who made the R,U, and DM cabs for the Mack Co.

Believe it or not the "F" model cab was actually made by the Mack Co. in Allentown out of parts stamped out by the Budd Co.

This was, I think I'm right about this, the only cab that was ever built in house.

I remember going to the Mack Co. in around '73 or '74 and seeing them assembling the cabs.

Ron

The G model cab was said to have been built by Mack also.

[kscarbel2]

On March 9, 2013 at 1:56 PM, 39 Baby Mack said:

Sheller-Globe was who made the R,U, and DM cabs for the Mack Co.

Believe it or not the "F" model cab was actually made by the Mack Co. in Allentown out of parts stamped out by the Budd Co.

This was, I think I'm right about this, the only cab that was ever built in house.

I remember going to the Mack Co. in around '73 or '74 and seeing them assembling the cabs.

Ron

Ron, Many of the F-model's cab parts were produced (stamped) by York Corrugating, in York, Pennsylvania.

[theakerstwo]

On 3/7/2013 at 9:38 PM, h67st said:

Ron, you're right...I hated looking in the mirror on curves because you leaned way over and the stack didn't. They had a crazy dual A/C system...I was told that they were nearly unrepairable.

The A/C was made up from car A/C parts.It had a vacuum pump for the A/C controls and don't remember now but i think the vacuum pump was electrical driven.

[fjh]

The vacuum was created by a leaking air venturi affair in the under bunk storage. I don't think it would go thru a DOT check now a days. Wouldn't pass, audible air leak! This unit was built using leftover car parts from the fifties and sixties! As Glenn described, the heater controls ran on vacuum.

And the switches were from a 66 F-150. I'm surprised they didn't use vacuum for the wipers as well. Good example of using what you have on hand to build something for sure! The MH design blew this out of the water! The MH was the best cabover built by anyone at the time and since in my opinion! 

[BillyT]

I never drove a 9000 Cabover but  I remember watching their cabs lean on a turn!  Must have taken some getting used to! Green Dash,Mike Parkhurst was hard on Ford's but some of them deserved it! Overdrive did a review on the Ford Cabover that preceded the CL ( the square crackerbox looking one) and they were pretty hard on the cheap plastic wire looms,as opposed to the woven cloth ones used by Brockway! I drove one of those Ford's and the overall appearance was that of a stamped out Tonka toy!

[kscarbel2]

You all need to remember we're talking 1977. At that time, Mack's volume COE was the F-model, which was obsolete in many ways versus the CL-7000. And we built the F-model thru 1981. Great truck (but heavy), made Overnite's accountants smile daily, but its designing began in the late 1950s (launched in 1962).

Back then, an all-new truck required about 5 years of development. The CL-7000 was designed just after the Transcontinental (which was refined and perfected by the time of the Mk.2).

The CL-7000 did initially have a cab air suspension stabilization shortcoming, but that was quickly resolved. Meanwhile, the 1st gen Cruise-Liner had more recalls than any other model in the history of Mack. Until it's last day of production at Hayward, it was a continuing nightmare. We went from one extreme to the other when we terminated Cruise-Liner production at Macungie and launched the MH. Production parts procurement for the first MHs, in 1984, was messy, due to design changes. But we were strolling strong in 1985.

[gxbxc]

A company that used to haul bread from thomas to up state NY had two cl with 8V92's they were purchased to run 40" doubles on the NY thru ways pedaling bread  I think i even remember a calendar with  40' triples hooked up .the company had run Macks for ever and did continue . Side note they also used to haul coffee and whiskey  out of NYC and used to get a truck a month hijacked , used to take the driver's license and give him cab fare home a couple days later the truck would be found undamaged on a back street ,today the driver would be in a coma and the truck burned some place . things have changed in 50 years.

[Red Horse]

Thx Kevin-Never saw that commercial-back when they really tried to be in the business versus their half hearted attempts today-at least in the US.

[Truck Shop]

 A friend of mine owned this 1980 9000 with a silver. I drove it several times he also owned a 352 Pete that I normally drove. 

 Truck Shop                            

[phantom 8v71]

On 3/8/2013 at 8:21 AM, kmeitz said:

Maislin Transport out of Montreal Canada ran their share of Fords in the late 70's. My father ran central dispatch out of Phila for them, and latter went on to run their special commodities division.

Any idea if theres still some lying around somewhere in new york? I have some family history in the company. Nothing important just both my grandfather and great grandfather Montena worked for a long time at the company. According to my dad my grandfather was one of the first to drive the double trailer for Maislin. As you can probably tell I'm nothing close to a trucker due to my laack of terminology, I,m just trying to get some information about my family and maybe see a piece of its history.