Mac Firetruck 85 LS 1107

[Christine Berini]

Hi,

I'm looking to get some service parts for a Mack Firetruck

Can anyone with knowledge of the older Macks help me out?

Looking for

Spark Plugs

Cap, Rotor

Two set of points

Wire set

Rear Brakes, including drums and hardware

Front brakes including drums and hardware

I'm sure I could find these local but have nothing to go from as far as part numbers...

Thanks in advance for any help!

[1958 F.W.D.]

These parts are not exclusive to Mack.

The ignition parts are most likely Delco-Remy, and any good (old-school) parts house can more than likely still get them.

Spark Plugs- Champion or Autolite, check with any distributor, can most likely still get them, they are not rare by any means of the definition.

The wire set you would probably have to make up by hand from a spool and new boots and clips.

Brake hardware is more than likely all obtainable from a Bendix source. You'll have to take the drums, shoes and brake cylinders off and take to an old-school parts house that sells Bendix and match up casting numbers.

[1958 F.W.D.]

Is this for Ashland, Ma. Fire Dept???

[mowerman]

welcome and good luck,,,your picture is upside down...bob

[fxfymn]

Take the old shoes to a shop to have them relined. The wheel cylinders are available for several sources; Amazon, Rock Auto, and Find It Parts among others. Take the old ones off, get the part numbers, and you can match them.

If they are NLA they can be relined by any shop that does restoration work such as White Post Restorations.

Where was the truck from originally?

[2stacksuperdog]

Where in New England?

[yarnall]

I have 85LS1101 delivered to Boyertown, PA. A neighbor has 85LS1100 delivered to Linfield, PA. George Kaiser has 85 LS1106, but it burned up in a fire a few years back. It was delivered to Collingdale, PA. They are all on the same sheet from the Mack archives. 85LS1107 was delivered to Ahsland, Mass on September 5, 1947.

The spark plugs are Champion D16. We made our own wires. I don't remember what we did about caps, rotors and points, but bet we got them at Napa. I had the master cylinder and wheel cylinders rebuilt at White Post Restoration. I did not re-line the pads. I also did not have the brake booster done, but I might. It cost $500 to have the booster on my 405A rebuilt.

Welcome to the forum. Lets see some more pictures. Here is mine. http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/gallery/image/10134-1947-mack-85ls-1951-mack-405a-1979-gmc-7000/

Mike

[kmeitz]

Mike,

Do you have photos of your neighbors that was delivered to Linfield?

[yarnall]

Mike,

Do you have photos of your neighbors that was delivered to Linfield?

I prints of it in a parade in the fifties and a picture of it behind the fire house before he bought it. I would have to find them and scan them. Not to good at that. MIke

[fxfymn]

Believe it or not this is the first fire truck that I have memories of riding on, at age 4, when my Dad got a call while he was babysitting yours truly and he took me along. We still had the engine when I joined the department in the late sixties.

It appears the poster is not coming back to the forum, so I was wondering if anyone recognizes where the picture she posted was taken. It looks like a fire service repair facility to me.

This is the only picture I have of the rig. it was originally a Polaroid, so the quality is not too good. My is Dad posing for someone with the truck, probably in the early sixties. This is also the same truck that crushed him against another truck, breaking his pelvis, while loading hose.

[1958 F.W.D.]

Believe it or not this is the first fire truck that I have memories of riding on, at age 4,

DSC_0025.JPG

HOLY CRAP CARL!!!! They had motorized fire apparatus back then????

Just kidding.....That is awesomely cool!!!!! Did you try to send her a PM???? Maybe her email will notify her that she has a PM?????

[Loadstar]

That's a great picture!!! Priceless!!! Looks like a newer fire truck next to the Ashland Mack in the picture Christine posted.....I imagine it's either in a repair shop or fire station. If it was in Ashland you would probably know about it..... If a different department had it I would have thought the lettering would have been changed. Hopefully she comes back....maybe you can trade Macks!!! How cool would that be!!!

[fxfymn]

Obviously, I would love to own it, but the 75A will always be the first love and the one I'll keep as long as I do this hobby.

I did PM her, but as of now no response.

I have spoken to a couple of jakes in Ashland that did not have a clue about the truck. It has been gone well over 30 years, so there is not much chance any of the current lads remember it. Next time I'm up there I'll try again to see if it might have come back home.

They do have a 45A sitting out back under a carport that we acquired for the auxiliary FD (teens, too young to be call guys) from somewhere in PA in the late sixties. It's pretty rough, had the diamond deck "modernized" with aluminum, and is slowly rusting away.

[bulldogboy]

Back in the mid - '60s there was an explosion at an oil company in Framingham, MA resulting in three LODDs. I believe that two, if not all three, were from the Ashland Fire Department. The "Boston Globe"

ran a photo of the funeral, one of the three trucks carrying the caskets was an "L" model Mack. I'm guessing that this was the Ashland Mack. I kept that photo along with other Mack photos from the '60s

but, of course, I lost them years ago.

bulldogboy

[fxfymn]

That occurred in 1961. A coal yard caught fire and exposed the three horizontal oil tanks at the end of the coal sheds. The tanks eventually exploded killing three Ashland firefighters; Chief Hubie Moran, Lt. Norm Barry, and FF Norm Reebenacker. Additionally, several severe injuries occurred.

My Dad was on the way to the incident when the explosion occurred and most certainly would have been killed along with the other members had he arrived sooner. At the time the department was all call firefighters, but the town was in the process of hiring it's first career force. All three of the deceased had been hired as some of the first career personnel.

The Mack in the picture was indeed the same truck.

The "new" Framingham station located on Rte. 9 in Framingham Center is actually located on the scene of the fire.

[yarnall]

It would be great if you could re-enact that photo above. I'd like to know where it is. Mike

[Loadstar]

It would be great if you could re-enact that photo above. I'd like to know where it is. Mike

That's a great idea.....would look cool Side by side!

[bulldogboy]

fxfymn:

The "new" Framingham station located on Rte. 9 in Framingham Center is actually located on the scene of the fire.

That's the station on Route 9 opposite Framingham State University? My son went to FSU and his dorm was across Rte. 9 from this station. That was quite a story about your father. Just goes

to show you how timing is everything; a few minutes one way or the other can change a lifetime. Thanks for the info.

bulldogboy

[fxfymn]

Yes that is the station. Don't know if you ever noticed the RR tracks that run right beside it. They were used to serve the coal yard and it is where the members were standing when the explosion killed them.

When I was on the job I thought about this incident a lot since it was totally preventable. The members who were killed were standing behind the tanks, a major no-no, and they had just showed up without being requested. Some proper training or discipline would have prevented the deaths.

In our business you cannot replace proper training if you want to come out the other end unscathed and this incident reinforced that for me throughout my career.

[fxfymn]

Here are a couple of pictures of the 45A that is sitting behind the Ashland, MA HQ station. CN 45A1011 Anyone who went to the Mass State Fire Fighting Academy in the seventies may remember the piece as they used it for a few years as well.

[Loadstar]

That looks like a pretty nice truck. Did the auxiliary ever do anything with it? Seems like its fairly complete....even has a roof patch kit on the running board!!! Here's a rookie question....what's the difference between a 45A and a 75A?

[bulldogboy]

The 45A, 405A, and 505A had 500 GPM pumps. The 75A had a 750 GPM pump. The difference among the 45A, 405A, and 505A was the use of different engines.

bulldogboy

[fxfymn]

We used it to "spark" an interest in the fire service. Did a lot of training and standbys. I can only recall using it on one fire; a large dairy barn back when such items were still in the area.

After I left the area the truck was "loaned" to the fire academy when Ed McCormick was running the show. I have no idea how it came back to town or where it came from other than somewhere in PA.

The aluminum deck was added since I last saw it, and the bell was still on it as well. I'm surprised it is still sitting as the A models are quite sought after by collectors.

The 505A and the 75A both use the ENF510A Thermodyne six cylinder. The others use a flat head six with quite a bit less power.

[yarnall]

Nice truck. They would make a great pair.

[bulldogboy]

fxfymn:

Air horns and a Roto-Ray on a Mack 45A, that's unusual. I also like the Weber grill on the front bumper; good for rehab at a long incident. That's a nice truck; I can't believe that AFD hasn't

restored it for parade duty.

As to 1960s firefighting, that's the way things were done in those days. My career started with riding the back step, semi-cab Macks, unlined rubber coats, etc. and finished with RIT teams,

enclosed cabs with seatbelts, the National Fire Academy, etc. Like everything else in life, firefighting changed a lot over the years but we still have to remember, honor, and learn from the past.

bulldogboy