The Truck Project Thread

Share all you want friend, that's what it's all about anyways. Keeping them alive and running, and showing the young 'uns how it's "supposed to be done", LOL!!!!

 

Man, that's the real deal ain't it.
That's why I can't imagine hiring a driver unless he was a retired old schooler like me (and you of course,) that get's the value of all this labor of love stuff we go through to have something nice. Until then, I'll drive them all by myself. I got my son who's got the old school favoritism mentality now too, so he's in line for being the next generation A Model'er.

 

@W900AOwner look through the pics and notice the steering draglink picture.... lol I will tell you my experience with the D O T on that setup. .

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/6071537912.html

 

Congratulations on a job well done. Thanks to people like you, we the admirers have the privilege to see these beauties on the roads for few more years.

 

I take it the unknowing did not like air assisted steering?

 

You are on track neighbor lol, more like didn't know what it was and it's function.
We left Huntington in 2 trucks, I was driving the 98 379 pulling the beam trailer hauling a 1977 International twin screw with TH-55 Ingersoll Rand top head drive rotary drill rig. Roger the owner was driving "Tweety Bird" our bright yellow 1976 W900A that was castrated to a single axle with Pete air ride, and had a 1300 CFM Ingersoll-Rand air compressor mounted on it. Compressor was powered by a 855 Cummins. We roll down I-64 with not a dare in the world, everything is going great, the red top N-14 is purring along, CB on and the radio down low like any other day driving. And here comes the Shelbyville scales in Shelbyville, KY. This is where it all goes south, or down the drain! I roll across the scales and get a green light so I start grabbing gears and easing off toward the entrance ramp for the Big Road. I look and see Roger crossing the scale as I ease on off dragging my feet to insure he is hood. As I go around the curve I loose sight of him so I end up on the berm with my 4 ways on in a stretch with no guardrail. After about 15 minutes I see someone walking down the road, it's Roger..... He crawls in the cab covered in sweat and frustrated! Jim, you got to find an exit and turn around and get another exit to get back to that scale house, that woman back there is CRAZY!! Ok calm down, so we head back.
Upon arrival Roger tells this little blonde haired dot woman this is my mechanic. I ask what the problem is and she tells me that the drag link is not in compliance! It has to much play in it, it should have NO moment on either end. Now growing up I use to help pour Babbitt bearings so I'm use to older things. I look at her and tried to explain..... Ma'am, this is called hydraulic assist steering, it has that movement in the end for a reason, do you see the 4 hydraulic lines attached to the draglink?? Yes I see the lines but that has nothing to do with the end being wore out she said! It's not wore out, that is the normal function to operate the cylinder on the steer axle. Long story shorter.... I had to pull the cotter pin and adjust it till it tried to steer one way as soon as Roger started the engine! He got it off the scales and out of sight where I tried to readjust, but unfortunately it had damaged the O-rings. Lot of these dot people have no clue and no experience about 1/2 of what's out on the road! And it's sad their word is what we have to go by.

 

Oh well, the DOT's just gonna have to dig into their archives to learn something then. It's not that it wasn't a common practice to put air assist on them, but the "new breed" of cop probably ain't never seen nothing like it, LOL!

 

I took a short video of the sleeper interior and the sink working last night to show how nice that is gonna be, lol...Running water to wash up/brush teeth is a beautiful thing, without having to share a set of sinks in some mens room with 3-4 other slobs that go all week long washing up just in the sinks.

Of course the better half's gotta stick her nose in it. Now I'm getting a curtain velcro'd around it to "hide" the plumbing. This is a MAN'S place, no room for girly stuff in there, geez. Next thing you know I'll have a pump bottle of hand soap, and one of them towel racks with those "foo-foo towels" that are just for show, not supposed to use THOSE towels I'm always told.