Popular Post j hancock Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 In 1994, Dick Kwak drove his 1939 Mack FH 280 miles from Ballston Lake, NY to Buffalo, NY for the ATHS National Show. To facilitate the trip, the drive sprockets were changed to give the truck a little more top speed of about 45 mph. The original EO engine had previously been replace with an EY engine. He entered the New State Thruway at the Amsterdam interchange and headed west. Unseasonable cold temperature and rain made for an interesting trip considering the truck had no heater or wipers. After the show, a more leisurely route was chosen for the 280 mile trip home. Must have been one hell of an adventure! 9 2 Quote JimIt doesn't cost anything to pay attention. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 Wonder how much gas it drank? terry Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-408859 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Horse Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 3 hours ago, j hancock said: In 1994, Dick Kwak drove his 1939 Mack FH 280 miles from Ballston Lake, NY to Buffalo, NY for the ATHS National Show. To facilitate the trip, the drive sprockets were changed to give the truck a little more top speed of about 45 mph. The original EO engine had previously been replace with an EY engine. He entered the New State Thruway at the Amsterdam interchange and headed west. Unseasonable cold temperature and rain made for an interesting trip considering the truck had no heater or wipers. After the show, a more leisurely route was chosen for the 280 mile trip home. Must have been one hell of an adventure! Wonder how it felt to be passed by a set of turnpike doubles-on the hill at Herkimer?? Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-408870 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobert62 Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 (edited) That's great! That's what these old trucks need, to be driven. Wonder what the person at the toll plaza thought? Edited November 4, 2018 by Hobert62 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-408872 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddog13407 Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 remember hearing this story many times, we don't live far from where this truck has sat for many year. sadly someone stole the gold scripted Mack taillight off this truck as I remember it had when it sat in Dick's yard. he passed this past year I think and his kids brought this truck to Balston. he has many many treasures in his yard that everytime I had stopped are NOT FOR SALE including many AC mack shovels and cranes, a brute of a DM and some early BX Macks Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-408893 Share on other sites More sharing options...
j hancock Posted November 5, 2018 Author Share Posted November 5, 2018 On 11/3/2018 at 8:19 PM, terry said: Wonder how much gas it drank? terry Bet there were several stops to top off the tank! Quote JimIt doesn't cost anything to pay attention. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-408948 Share on other sites More sharing options...
j hancock Posted November 5, 2018 Author Share Posted November 5, 2018 On 11/3/2018 at 10:35 PM, Red Horse said: Wonder how it felt to be passed by a set of turnpike doubles-on the hill at Herkimer?? Maybe he passed them! The story goes that the rain west of Utica got pretty nasty and the traffic slowed down so the speed differential was pretty close. I can't imagine making the trip on 90. I would have used 5 or 20 both ways! 1 Quote JimIt doesn't cost anything to pay attention. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-408949 Share on other sites More sharing options...
ws721 Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 I actually saw the trip your talking about. I was going across the Thruway. What I would give to have that adventure today. That's saying something because I've had a few adventures of my own. In fact I posted a couple of em on our website. Quote Remember if it's got a hood it's no good! Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-408962 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Skwak Posted October 27, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted October 27, 2019 Hi everyone, sorry for the late addition. I'm Dick's youngest son, Steven. We recently were able to come up with the article written in the 1994 fall edition of Wheels of Time. The only thing that they forgot to mention was the crisco my father had used to oil the chains. They had to put dawn dish soap in my mother's windshield washer fluid so that she stood a chance at seeing anything. 8 2 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-434578 Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeH Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 Great read! Thanks for taking the time to post it! Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-434586 Share on other sites More sharing options...
yarnall Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 That’s a great story. The truck was 55 years old now. A similar age truck now would be a 1964. It would have a lot more amenities. Mike Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-434626 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmackpaul Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 A fantastic story, I love this type of stuff People doing what others consider unusual and uts great fun as well Thanks for sharing Paul 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-434628 Share on other sites More sharing options...
j hancock Posted October 28, 2019 Author Share Posted October 28, 2019 Thanks for posting the article! I noticed the sway bar mounted on the FH rear suspension this year at Ballston Spa. Don't know why I hadn't before? Interesting set up. 2 Quote JimIt doesn't cost anything to pay attention. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-434661 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skwak Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 It is my pleasure! Most people who knew my dad know this story so I have heard many renditions. I’m still familiarizing myself with the FH but I was looking over that suspension, I know the truck started as a dump truck so all I could think was this would allow for an adjustable height for the box. However, this may be an altered suspension due to its later uses. My father hadn’t driven the truck to Ballston Spa in over 12 years, it had sat in the yard that whole time. I cleaned the points, hung a 1 gallon gas can from the windshield, and it fired right up. I know his spirit is still living in this truck. A few parts were stolen while sitting in the yard like the radiator cap, the Mack script emblem on the front of the radiator, and an antique brake light on the back of the cab that he had found. I’ve got the correct radiator cap on it now but if anyone has any pictures of the brake light or a radiator emblem that I could purchase I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for all of your interest! Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-434714 Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekennedy21 Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 https://www.ebay.com/itm/1930s-Mack-Truck-Radiator-Hood-Badge-Emblem-7-x-3/202809154425?hash=item2f385e1b79:g:-sgAAOSwn5JdkrHa 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-434758 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patdbossct Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Pm me Steven I can help you with your missing things ! 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-434759 Share on other sites More sharing options...
1977vega Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 On 10/27/2019 at 10:12 PM, yarnall said: That’s a great story. The truck was 55 years old now. A similar age truck now would be a 1964. It would have a lot more amenities. Mike Like wipers and heat???? 1 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-434790 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quickfarms Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Like wipers and heat????Now people think it torture not to have air ride everything, AC and a good stereo 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-434802 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Skwak Posted November 2, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted November 2, 2019 One more addition. Found this award while cleaning and sorting out our literature room. He never mentioned it 3 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-435018 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brocky Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 Very Nice!!!! Something to defineatly hang on the wall.. Quote Brocky Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-435019 Share on other sites More sharing options...
cncFireman Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 Truck has some amazing history. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-435127 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 God love him I would I would just put it on a trailer sounds like he probably had a ball doing it .....I’m sure he is in a better place....my pop and my uncles,,,all broke in on trucks like that one.....rough way to go ...lol..bobSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/54736-drive-in-the-country-in-a-1939-mack-fh/#findComment-435184 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.