A generic (sort of) Cummins Big Cam question

The 359 is my favorite model Peterbilt. My last Pete was a 1959 with 1966 wide nose hood, small cam 400 I built myself, 15 speed with sqhd 3:70 rears. I will have to find a picture and post it next week. I also installed the '66 dashboard and stainless steel visor. I bought it with a 335, 13 speed and 4:88 rears on walking beams.

 

My 1973 white road commander had the same running gear 335 with a thirteen speed but the thirteen speed was an under drive.
When you shifted the flipper on the handle you shifted from under drive to direct instead of direct to overdrive .
It also had the walker beam Hendrickson suspension .

 

Tip of the iceberg, my friend. Most of us here were weened on motors like this. I see the tag is missing on the accessory drive. Some say it's a 270, but definitely a small cam, and there was nothing wrong with those. Full 2100 rpm motors ( I think) Back in the day, if you had a 350, small or big cam, that was a big motor.

 

Oh yea!
Back in the day you shifted at 1750 and 2100!
You could could really rail the gears with the 13 speeds I had.
The only thing that you shift any quicker was a 318 Detroit with a thirteen speed.
My 14 liter Detroit shifts so slow compared to the old ones it's like shifting an old 300 Mack with a five speed.
The guy who taught me on a 300 Mack would clutch it and then slide it thru the neutral gate and then had time to light up a cigarette before he needed to grab the next gear lol

 

Which made the jake brake a bit useful in snorting them slow winders down to shift. I had forgotten about that.. whoo. It's scary to sit here and learn what I have forgotten. The slow winder engines used to be a pain in my mind waiting to finish a shift. (Which is why you did not shift when making a turn across intersection, while waiting for engine to fall, the whole rig might stop due to pressure and angle in middle of the turn...)

Some engines go to 2300. At least ours did. Oh the joy. One in particular did 3200 upside down on the tach best guess when kicked across the American Legion Bridge at 110 in the far left lane early in the morning racing 6 other tankers for 5 silos at the Pentagon Arlington Ready Mix. The first 5 can depend on 6 loads each day paying 65.70 something each. So that's 300 something gross per day, 1500 plus a week.