Bottom falling out on pre-emission trucks?

How many of you guys will rebuild a part before you replace or scrap it? With older stuff it is possible to rebuild almost every part. This includes all air valves and switches. Bendix makes seal kits for everything they made including the maxi cans. Trollyvalves, foot valves, pp1 valves, tw 1 valves. R6, R12,R14. Trico and sprague wiper motors. You name it. All rebuildable on your work bench or kitchen table at hardly any cost.
Only electric power you need is for starter button and lights.

 

The old one size firs all Pete Air Trac and Air Leaf springs made by Goodyear or Firestone would last 25-30 years in the south as long as the didn't sit in direct sunlight or sit deflated with weight on them too long.( they would crack at the folds.) They always costed less than $150 ea. new. Sometimes u get lucky and find one in a salvage yard that is older then dirt but still works fine.
All the guys I know with the ‘03 on up’s are going broke replacing the new china made junk springs that don’t last nowadays.

 

I’m slowly working on our old ‘65 White 9000 wrecker. Cummins NH743-220 sits at a slant and in the passenger side of cab. Hot as heck in the summer hence the shag carpet. Lol!
This little truck has a history of being mistreated by all who used it. It sat at my uncles shop with key in it to be used by anyone who needed to be bailed out and had the balls to drive it. It runs great but needs a rattle can restoration badly.
I pulled up the rug only to find someone had tack welded with stick arch the floor panels down around the engine because sometime in history all the bolts broke loose. So that has slowed down progress a little.

 

And yes the brake pedal is 3/16 thick cast iron. Lol!

 

Those were the real trucks.

Someday I'd like to find a 1955 Ford F800 with full air brakes.

Currently I have a 1968 C 700 that I need to make into a dump truck that one is nice with full air brakes.

And a I have a 1968 Ford n950 with a 671 Detroit.

And I have a 1952 GMC pickup truck so I have enough on my plate right now.

You've got quite a collection going on over there.

 

Pre emissions trucks of late 90's are in very high demand, just nobody wants vintage equipment from 70's and 80's

 

Except me !

 

Lol there are not that many of you left around.

 

The Ford N’s are cool. A friend had a ‘67 with NH220 and 13 speed she restored and sold it to a guy out west a few years ago. She has some youtube vids of it and her 9000LTL.

Almost 25 years ago Roadway was retiring their local city fleet of Ford C’s with the small Ford/Cat V8’s and 10 speeds. They had them towed to a local Salvage yard and cut up for scrap. Some of them had recently been overhauled and were in great shape. A friend of mine towed a handful of them in to the scrap yard. Sad time.
A distant cousin of mine works for that yard and said Roadway shredded all the titles so they could not be resold whole. Freakin criminal.

 

And everybody that knows me would say ...Thank God for that !!!!
LOL