this is a super trucker

In the best use of the term, not the derogatory way "super trucker" is usually used these days. We could only dream of being in the same class with Joe. I actually ran across him back when I started trucking. Never tlked to him but the truck is hard to forget.

Story:

The Mustang Mack​

Owner: Dan Thomas​

Owned for 43 years by truck driving legend Joe Mustang. Mustang bought the H-Model in 1959 and drove the truck continuously until 1994 at which time he was 78 yrs old. From border to border and coast to coast Mustang and the H-Model were well known as they hauled many a load with the most common being odd sized and shaped steel products. Mustang remained a teamster throughout his career and pulled for companies such as Belyea, ETMF, Landstar, Ranger and Inway to name a few.
Mustang took the H-Model through several changes during their careers together. The changes were brought about to accommodate new length and weight laws. Up until 1964 Mustang and the Mack component equipped H-Model were on a steady haul delivering and picking up radial style aircraft engines throughout the United States. It was in 1964 when Mustang decided to buy the attached Brown 410 flatbed and specialize in flatbed loads. To meet the current laws and to maximize payloads the first makeover was performed.
Makeover 1: The steel frame was extended to make for a 212" wheelbase and a tag axle added. The well-worn Mack turboed thermodyne was replaced with a CAT 1673 while the tri-plex trannie and Mack rear end remained.
Makeover 2: A few years later Mustang repowered the H-Model again with a CAT 1674 and stretched the steel frame out to a 224" wheelbase.
Mustang was quite content with his new arrangement however the trucking game was always changing and it took new equipment to keep up. With only 40 ft. of deck space on his Brown trailer he was beginning to lose out on loads. And the new trucks were lighter and higher horsepower to make it to their destinations quicker. Not wanting to trade out for new equipment Mustang decided to do a third major makeover on the H-Model. Mustang had kept his eye on what the new trucks were running for components and began gathering the necessary items to perform the work. For example, Mustang was in Michigan picking up a load of machinery from the auctioning of the Diamond REO plant when he spotted a stack of good-looking aluminum rails. He struck a deal on a set and hauled them home.
By now it was the mid seventies and Mustang had his garage full of the needed components to begin the work of the third rebuild of the H-Model. First he cut the steel frame at the transmission mounts and slid it into the aluminum rails, which had been cut for a 264" wheelbase. Next he added the Western unit air ride suspension and R-170 rear-end. The front axle and steering was replaced with a Mack Superliner unit attached to a Kenworth 3 leaf spring. Joe also custom built all of the crossmounts and attached them to the rails using rivets. The engine was replaced with a CAT 1693 PCTA and behind it a Fuller RTOO 12510 10 spd. A unique air clutch was added as well. A modified radiator was installed to cool the big power plant. The Pete fuel tanks and bumper were modified to Mustangs liking. Since the H-Model was dismantled Mustang installed a new interior, which included WW 11 vintage aircraft gauges, aviation grade Teflon coated wiring, and a shifter modified from a P-38 fighter plane’s stick. At night the cab is a glow of red from the aviation map lights. Even the shift tower was custom built by Mustang. All of the hoses are stainless braided as well as all of the bolts used in the makeover. The massive 8-inch weed burner exhaust is off of a turbo prop airplane engine.
There is so much more tell about Joe Mustang and his incredible H-Model Mack. It could make a great book for us truck enthusiasts. It seems as though the words of every truck driving song had Joe Mustang in mind. Joe Mustang was always as well kept as his truck as he dressed in his trademark black western attire.
I first came upon Joe Mustang and the H-Model parked at a truck stop in Medford, OR. When I was young and growing up in Western Pennsylvania, my Dad owned an H-Model. I spent many summer days riding with him hauling steel to all the major cities in the East. So when I saw what appeared to be an H-Model Mack I quickly turned around. After taking pictures and conversing with Mustang for a long time I headed down the road but never forgot the man or his truck. 20 years later with the help of Stan Holtzman I was able to locate Joe Mustang and the H-Model.
In May of 2002 I made a deal with Mustang to acquire the truck. He had recently turned 86 years old and taking care of the truck was getting too difficult. It was a sad day for Mustang when I showed up to drive the truck away. It took several hours for us to review all of the unique features of the H-Model. Mustang paid special attention to the maintenance needs of his old friend and he instructed me on all of them including writing a short manual for my reference. He had always performed the maintenance work himself, except for the fuel pump, which he trusted with only one man from outside Harrisburg, PA. and he had a spare part for most everything on the truck neatly wrapped in paper and marked on shelves in his garage. If he broke down on the road he would call home and have the part sent to where he was parked. Even the unique light bulbs for the aviation map reading lights and gauges as well as the diamond plate pieces had their spot on the shelves.
It was now time to get on the road, as I was anxious to be out of the busy LA area before dark. Mustang rode with me driving and his wife followed in the car. He wanted to be sure I could handle the truck and get through the busy freeways. With the air clutch it took some getting used to as to not jerk on takeoff. We crested a grade with the City of LA in the background and Joe was ready to turn me loose. We said our goodbyes and Mustang climbed out of the truck for what could be the last time. I could see Joe in the rear view mirrors with a long sad stare. There were tears in his eyes as he watched me pull out onto the highway. It was the end of the road for Joe and his love affair with the old H-Model Mack.
As I pushed the truck down the highway I became so aware of the amazing craftsmanship and balance that Joe had put into this truck. The power from the deep throated CAT 1693 was awesome as it boomed through the weed burner, the shifting so smooth, the gentle feel of the road from the steering wheel, the quietness of the rattle free cab so comforting. I thought about his closing words to me "you got one hell of a deal".
I glanced down at the doghouse where the key ring Mustang had left me lay. Now it was my turn to get choked up a bit. The key ring had miniature spurs attached so reminiscent of Joe. But it was reading the words "King of the Road" engraved in bold black letters just as I stuck it in overdrive and the cab pulled slightly from the power, that did me in. Yes, Joe Mustang, there was no doubt about it.

You were the "King of the Road"!​

Since I bought the truck and wrote the note about it I have had the pleasure of taking the H-Model for many a ride to different shows. Joe Mustang and his H-Model are well known as I have discovered. People from all parts of the country recognize the truck and ask about Joe. I have found that Joe is held in high regard with many and that he was a true truck-driving gentleman and is fondly remembered by all who came in contact with him. Sometimes it is only the truck they remember because as one man said " I only saw the truck running down the road and I never could pass it" or the tale of one driver with a new rig outfitted with the latest power plant trying his best to pass Mustang up the grapevine without success.
Mike Evans of Ohio recalls the first time he encountered Mustang and his H-Model. It was in the wee hours of the morning on a long flat stretch through Texas. Fighting to stay awake in a new KW with high horsepower Mike recalls a flash of diamond plate roll past him in the fast lane. Startled and curious he hammered down and came along side the unusual looking rig. As he described, there sat a man in black with a black western hat glowing in the red iridescent of the interior lights. Without ever looking over at Mike the driver raised his left hand and gave a strong pointing motion forward. And with that the truck began to overtake Mike until he was well ahead of him. Mike kept up the best he could for several hours until the truck finally pulled into a rest area. There he became acquainted with Mustang and took a few pictures of the H-Model. It wasn’t until the KC ATHS show that Mike would see the truck again.
There’s a driver I met who remembers loading steel with Mustang at the Fontana, Ca. mill. Both were going to the same destination and were loaded late that day. The clock was ticking and the loads were promised for on time deliveries. The driver said he pushed as hard as he could to keep up with Mustang but finally called to him on the CB that he just had to pull over. Mustang came back with reassuring words that if he could hang on for another 20 miles there was a small truck stop ahead and it had the best 500 mile coffee and 1000 mile chile he ever had and he would buy. The driver just laughed and shook his head as he continued to tell stories of running behind Mustang and the H-Model. This driver who I again met at the ATHS show in Fontana is nicknamed Smoky. I took him around to the side of the truck where Joe was sitting and they were reacquainted after nearly 30 years had gone by.
A driver from Buffalo, NY recalls the time Mustang would take to insure his load was secured and tarped just right and that when he ran empty the chain box and tarps would be setting perfect in the middle of the trailer.
Bill Meyers said the deck of Mustangs trailer was so clean it looked like a bowling lane when he would come into Gary, Indiana to take on a load of steel. Another driver told me of Mustang taking on 2 loads of sheet piling. With the long frame he could take on long sheets without looking heavy. Dispatch was in a bind due to another truck not showing up. Mustang had overheard the dispatcher saying the load went to Seattle, and since he didn’t have to deliver until Tuesday in Oakland, Ca., and with it being a Friday he knew he could dodge the scales running the Dakotas into Seattle. Joe pulled out with over 100,000lbs of piling. The driver said the only give away was the way his tires looked.
A weighmaster recalled Mustang coasting into the scale and quickly letting off the air into his tag axle to take a few pounds off his over weight front end. He said Mustang did it with such finesse that he never bothered him about it. He never could figure out where the supposed relative of Mustang lived when he would pull him over for running on back roads around the scales.
I get the feeling though, that it was hot freight and hot women that took a lot of Mustang and the H-Models time.







And here are a few pics that go with the article.




Joe and the truck in 04 after he sold it.

 

I havn't seen any interior pics and I dare not "barrow" any more

 

He's still around last I heard. He shows up to the shows every now and again from what I hear. That picture of him in 04 in front of th truck was after he sold it.