Popular Post Mack58B42 Posted April 20, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted April 20, 2016 Well, my deposit check's in the mail, and if all goes according to plan, this rig will be headed here in the next couple weeks.... So glad to have another B85! It means that my B42 will be hitting the road, and I'll miss it (although I never did get as good on the Quadruplex as I would have liked!), but I've wanted another B85 for a while, and probably should have just been a little more patient in waiting for the right one to come along.... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loadstar Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 Nice looking truck!!! Hope things go well and you get her home soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fxfymn Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 Very nice. Quote Money, sex, and fire; everybody thinks everyone else is getting more than they are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Ike Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 What's the chassis number.... Mine is 1957 B85F1242 Quote Ed Smith1957 B85F 1242 "The General Ike" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cf685f Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 Awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack58B42 Posted April 20, 2016 Author Share Posted April 20, 2016 3 hours ago, General Ike said: What's the chassis number.... Mine is 1957 B85F1242 Ed, Mine's 1216, so they weren't quite neighbors on the assy line..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
609albert Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 nice looking B ,is it a gas 707 or diesel ,air brakes ?was it in R.I.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack58B42 Posted April 21, 2016 Author Share Posted April 21, 2016 It's the 707 gas. But it does have air brakes, and even a Maxi-brake. I don't like old hydraulic brakes, so I'm happy about that. I'm not sure I've ever seen a B85 with a Diesel. Anyone know if any came from the factory with the Diesel? I believe that this is from Chestertown NY. But RI is going to be its new home.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldogboy Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Nice looking truck; the "B" model is my favorite fire truck model. I had the good fortune to operate a couple of "B-85F" and "B-95F" pumpers back in the day, the cabs were a bit cramped inside but they were great trucks. Your truck is from Chestertown NY, its website has a couple of historic photos of the "B" model being delivered and also a couple of photos of a Mack "C" model pumper. bulldogboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yarnall Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Nice truck. I don't know how many B85f"s were delivered with Diesel but the first three went to Bermuda. A guy was on here about two years ago trying to restore one. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack58B42 Posted April 21, 2016 Author Share Posted April 21, 2016 4 hours ago, bulldogboy said: Nice looking truck; the "B" model is my favorite fire truck model. I had the good fortune to operate a couple of "B-85F" and "B-95F" pumpers back in the day, the cabs were a bit cramped inside but they were great trucks. Your truck is from Chestertown NY, its website has a couple of historic photos of the "B" model being delivered and also a couple of photos of a Mack "C" model pumper. bulldogboy I checked their website, but didn't see anything related to this. I'll have to look again and search harder this time. Will be interesting to see.... The Bs have also always been my favorite. I'm most partial to the B81s, but they're huge, and I can't fit one of those in my garage! And since I've always loved fire trucks (used to drive in my local dept.), it only made sense that the end game for me would be a B model fire truck..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack58B42 Posted April 21, 2016 Author Share Posted April 21, 2016 34 minutes ago, yarnall said: Nice truck. I don't know how many B85f"s were delivered with Diesel but the first three went to Bermuda. A guy was on here about two years ago trying to restore one. Mike Hmmm.... I think I vaguely recall seeing a pic of those Bermuda Bs somewhere along the line. Don't remember a mention of them being diesel though. Maybe in one of the B model books I have. I'll have to poke around and see if I can find that again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mack58B42 Posted April 21, 2016 Author Popular Post Share Posted April 21, 2016 So here are a couple shots of the B85 arriving today. It'll need a good cleanup, and there are few small things to fix. Also have to lower a mini light tower that's on it to get it into my garage. I'll post a few more pics once I get it home (it's in my neighbor's barn at the moment, as his fire truck is in my garage while he stored the B42 for the winter, as that was too tall for my garage!) and get it washed and waxed. Overall, I'm very impressed. A few rust spots on the body and back fenders that will need some attention, but overall, it's a very nice truck for its age. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Ike Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 The first factory diesel B model fire engine was indeed the one that went to Bermuda. It was a B125F though not a B85F. Number 1041 if i recall. A 1960 build. Later pictures somewhere on this site show it with a squirrel tail officers side front suction through the fender. Quote Ed Smith1957 B85F 1242 "The General Ike" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldogboy Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Mack58B42: Look at www.chestertownfiredept.com, then "photo gallery". Scroll down to "misc older photos", the "B" and "C" photos are there. Also, a color picture of the "B" is under "fire engines". The first three Mack fire engines with diesel engines were delivered to Hamilton, Bermuda in 1960. There were two "B125F" pumpers and one hose truck. The pumpers had front suctions on the right side. The pumpers were "B125F1041/1042. I saw one of the pumpers still in service in 1979. Got to get back there some day!! St. George, Bermuda Fire Brigade had a 1960 Mack "N85F" pumper. After the departments merged into one island wide fire department, I don't know what happened to the "N" model. St George's website had a photo but the site is gone. bulldogboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack58B42 Posted April 24, 2016 Author Share Posted April 24, 2016 Thanks Bulldogboy - I found the C-town pics and downloaded them. A couple of them actually helped confirm whether or not a couple things were original to the truck or added later.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j hancock Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 Really nice fire B! Quote JimIt doesn't cost anything to pay attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack58B42 Posted April 25, 2016 Author Share Posted April 25, 2016 Thanks! Now I just have to figure out what happened to it during the trip here. I'm told it ran beautifully when it left, but since I got it, it's been running like crap. Been checking all the ignition/battery wires, and that all looks good. Now i'll have to check the fuel filter to see if it's being starved. I think it ran out of gas by the time I got it unloaded and down to my neighbors barn, so I'm hoping that the problem is just some crud in the fuel filter.... We'll see..... But otherwise, it's a great truck, and I'm happy with the overall physical condition of it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yarnall Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Hopefully it's just crud in the filter. I have that problem every time I run my farmall out of gas. When it gets to 1/4 tank it is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack58B42 Posted May 12, 2016 Author Share Posted May 12, 2016 Ahhh..... That's better...... Dennis at OldMacks.com stepped up to the plate and sent his mechanic out to see what was going on. it was obvious that it was burning very rich, so after changing the plugs, cleaning up the carb, sanding a groove off the needle, and installing in in-line fuel filter it ran better, but still was flooding at low rpms. We discovered that the fuel pump was rated for 5-9psi, but the Zenith carb is rated for 3psi. So I'll get a new pump, and a new needle, and hopefully all will be well. But as you can hear in the video, as long as the idle/rpms stay above 1100-ish, it runs great. Very encouraging...... 2016-05-12 16.10.03.mov 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fxfymn Posted May 13, 2016 Share Posted May 13, 2016 Don't waste your money on a new pump, put a fuel pressure regulator on it. Then you can dial in the proper pressure no matter what the pump delivers. 1 Quote Money, sex, and fire; everybody thinks everyone else is getting more than they are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
41chevy Posted May 13, 2016 Share Posted May 13, 2016 4 hours ago, fxfymn said: Don't waste your money on a new pump, put a fuel pressure regulator on it. Then you can dial in the proper pressure no matter what the pump delivers. Ditto on the fuel pressure regulator, if you buy a new pump (which you don't need) you would still need to buy a regulator to bring the psi down. Paul. Quote "OPERTUNITY IS MISSED BY MOST PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS DRESSED IN OVERALLS AND LOOKS LIKE WORK" Thomas Edison “Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘Holy shit, what a ride!’” P.T.CHESHIRE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack58B42 Posted May 13, 2016 Author Share Posted May 13, 2016 Thanks - already made that call and have one on order. It's actually not all that easy to find either a pump OR a regulator that goes down to 3psi, but Holley has one, and I have it on order. So, we'll know in a few days if that solves the problem, but I'm pretty optimistic. I'll also get a new needle in case we didn't quite get rid of the groove and gas might still be sneaking by that as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
41chevy Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 2 hours ago, Mack58B42 said: Thanks - already made that call and have one on order. It's actually not all that easy to find either a pump OR a regulator that goes down to 3psi, but Holley has one, and I have it on order. So, we'll know in a few days if that solves the problem, but I'm pretty optimistic. I'll also get a new needle in case we didn't quite get rid of the groove and gas might still be sneaking by that as well. Double check the float to 1) be sure it's not "leaky" and 2) that is isn't set to high so it over fills the fuel bowl. Paul Quote "OPERTUNITY IS MISSED BY MOST PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS DRESSED IN OVERALLS AND LOOKS LIKE WORK" Thomas Edison “Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘Holy shit, what a ride!’” P.T.CHESHIRE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack58B42 Posted May 14, 2016 Author Share Posted May 14, 2016 Thanks Paul. The mechanic Dennis uses and sent out is top notch, and is very familiar with the 707. He went through the carb, and everything in there is good, except for that slight groove on the needle. We sanded it, and it seems to be OK, but he's sending me a new one, just in case. But the fact that it runs great over about 1200-1400rpms is indicating that the thing is just flat out getting too much fuel blow-by at any rpms below that, so we're pretty sure the regulator will solve it. Of course, no one locally has a regulator at that low a rating, so I have to order it and likely wait 2-3 days..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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