• Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!

Memories for us old truckers

B

Birken Vogt

Charter Member
Probably true about the gas engines but with the 8.2 Detroit it was always disconcerting to open the hood of a Ford and see one of these on the valve cover.

general_motors.png
 
Truck Shop

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Her are two photos and hard to find photos at that, of J Series 1939 to 1942 Sterlings. A very rare truck and another one I have only seen one of and that was in 1985 in
Red Bluff, Calif setting near the local airport. Setting next to that J model was a beat-up RD 405 IH . Has anyone else seen one of these critters. You will not forget that
ornate grille.

Truck Shop

1942-STERLING-Model-J-BORDENS-MILK-Semi-Tanker-CALIFORNIA.jpg sterling_1939_modelj.jpg
 
Truck Shop

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Birken Vogt said:
Probably true about the gas engines but with the 8.2 Detroit it was always disconcerting to open the hood of a Ford and see one of these on the valve cover.
Click to expand...

Ford like so many other auto/truck manufactures had to rely on other companies for diesel power plants. But the same holds true for big truck manufactures-KW, Pete, and Freightliner.
only recently did PacCar start to build their own power plant and Freightliner Daimler with Detroit. International, Mack and Volvo were the main few with there own engines.
That big blue GM you posted sure is ugly though:oops:.

Truck Shop
 
R

RZucker

Senior Member
Birken Vogt said:
Who can tell more about that truck? Is the Cat·Diesel·Power badge factory? What year and what kind of Cat engine?
Click to expand...
I would imagine that would be a 1673 or one of Cats other useless early truck engines. I highly doubt a 1693 would fit in one of those rigs. Or it has a later 3406 in it as a refit.
When I was 15 I drove a Ford like that with a 20' spud box during summer vacation, it wasn't pretty and the second day on the job my "co-driver" was a big black tomcat to kill the mice in the sleeper. That truck had a 250 Cummins and a 4X4 spicer with an air shift brownie. Normal load out of the field was about 52K gross and it did pretty well for short hops on private farm roads. (The cat got fat too).
 
R

RZucker

Senior Member
Birken Vogt said:
Probably true about the gas engines but with the 8.2 Detroit it was always disconcerting to open the hood of a Ford and see one of these on the valve cover.

general_motors.png
Click to expand...
I had a Ford Louisville service truck with an 8.2 and the GM sticker was the best part of the truck. :p
 
B

Birken Vogt

Charter Member
I never thought I would hear somebody use the word "best" and "8.2" in the same sentence. I hated those things.

I am surprised to hear they put one in an L-series, it would seem that was too much truck for the wimpy engine.
 
R

RZucker

Senior Member
Birken Vogt said:
I never thought I would hear somebody use the word "best" and "8.2" in the same sentence. I hated those things.

I am surprised to hear they put one in an L-series, it would seem that was too much truck for the wimpy engine.
Click to expand...
They really weren't much of an engine for anything but service trucks. I owned 3 over the years that did treat me well but never saw much over 22K gross. But I have also seen disasters where people bought several new ones in 40K tandem drive trucks and found out they weren't up to that job. Replaced a few with 3208 Cats that lived longer lives.
I once replaced one with a 6V-53 the customer had laying around. I'm not sure that was an improvement... it was one noisy little beast, but it stayed together and even had real Jakes to add to the noise.
 
92U 3406

92U 3406

Senior Member
I say this all the time but man I should have been born about 20-30 years earlier. I love this old iron and wish I got to catch more than just the tail end of it in regular use. This old stuff had personality in a way. Now you can pass a Volvo, Shaker, Pete or KW on the highway and it just looks the same as everything else out there.
 
L

Labparamour

Senior Member
Truck Shop,
I love the photos! Are some from last year's national meet in Salem? I didn't spend near enough time there. The best part was watching/hearing the trucks drive in.
Thanks for sharing!

Darryl
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top