Just keep it, Al.
You too, Ed.
I really hope someone on here buys it.
Al. Keep it you will never build one as nice!
I’d take it in a heartbeat if Alan would take an arm and a leg. But then I guess I’d need an automatic or a PDK. 
How about a kidney? I’ve still got two of those.
@dlearl476 posted:I’d take it in a heartbeat if Alan would take an arm and a leg. But then I guess I’d need an automatic or a PDK.
How about a kidney? I’ve still got two of those.
Give the left arm and the left leg. I think you could learn to quick shift with the right arm and quick clutch with the right leg.
Alan and Ed . . . They have put such heart and soul into their very special builds, its hard for me to understand how they could part with them. I don't think I could bear it. I guess it is about the money. That was the plan at the start -- just business -- but still ...
@El Frazoo posted:Alan and Ed . . . They have put such heart and soul into their very special builds, its hard for me to understand how they could part with them. I don't think I could bear it. I guess it is about the money. That was the plan at the start -- just business -- but still ...
After driving big truck 47 years & 3m miles, I really dislike driving in any vehicle. Connie and I decided to drive (rather than our usual $49 flight) to Florida 1-1/2 years ago, it was a 1-1/2 day grid for me. I've enjoyed creating different cars but have absolutely no attachment when done. I could have resto'd two CMC's for what's in the Outlaw and an extra 100 plus labor hours. It hits BAT around the 15th.
@Alan Merklin posted:After driving big truck 47 years & 3m miles, I really dislike driving in any vehicle.
Huh.
I drive a lot for work as well. Driving for work and driving for pleasure are entirely different activities for me. I'd be chauffeured in my work vans if I could, and I live to hoon in the mountains.
Everybody's different, I'm told.
Alan....I had a BSA. (BS Artist) tell me that he and his brother drove their truck a million miles in a year. Rolling the numbers thru my head, I told him he was full of it ! No matter how you calculate it. It can't be done. He continued to try to tell me how so I just changed the subject. I believe your story though. That's a lot of driving ! I'm surprised that you still have a back and can walk ! ............Bruce
@aircooled posted:Alan....I had a BSA. (BS Artist) tell me that he and his brother drove their truck a million miles in a year. Rolling the numbers thru my head, I told him he was full of it ! No matter how you calculate it. It can't be done. He continued to try to tell me how so I just changed the subject. I believe your story though. That's a lot of driving ! I'm surprised that you still have a back and can walk ! ............Bruce
BS for sure because that would be 2,739.726 miles per day for 365 straight days.
@Robert M posted:BS for sure because that would be 2,739.726 miles per day for 365 straight days.
All while averaging 114mph.
@Kevin - Bay Area posted:All while averaging 114mph.
Without any fuel or food or bathroom breaks! Those brother's were Iron Men! 
I'm totally buying Al's 2M miles, though. I would almost guarantee I've gone over a half-million just in the course of running service over the last 36 years. That's only 14k/year, and for years I averaged 25k mi.
Vans don't last very long at that rate.
I did have back issues but the Neuro Dept head surgeon at John's Hopkin's fixed my ...C- 3,4,5.
When I was 8 y/o my mother bought me an orange Allied Van Lines all metal truck w/ trailer, so I blame her for my infatuation with trucking a not so glamorous occupation. I was naive enough to get hooked into 47 years averaging 64k miles a year. Courtesy of Uncle Sam (Army) I was " selected" as a Heavy Vehicle Instructor at Ft. Jackson, SC (MOS: 64A20 ) A short stent followed hauling for friend's salvage business in Rockledge Fl. Moving back to my parent's home to NJ, I worked for a few small companies over the next several years to build my resume hoping to be able to one day to get hired by the big guns in the business. With my history stone solid it was easily to get hired by Fortune 500 companies, the first being Georgia Pacific in NJ where I stayed for just over 20 years running upper NYS, NYC and north NJ metro areas (now enjoy a decent Teamsters retirement) Moved to PA where just across the border into Maryland, True Value Hardware had just built a state-of-the-art distribution center, was hired on the spot and drove new equipment every year for 6 years . A short 1-1/2 year break to teach auto shop, followed by a Target Corporation headhunter tossed me a great offer including a 4 day work week so, I resided there for 4 years. Keystone Freight Inc. being Target's largest freight sub-contractor courted me with a lucrative offer including being in the Long Shoreman's Union (picked up a small additional retirement) Lastly, I was an auto transporter owner operator until 2016. I was fortunate to get into trucking at the right time when it was a respectable occupation that paid well hence, I had decent employment through the years. I had one bad incident when I drove for Georgia Pacific, a Camaro ran a red light going under my trailer tandems with both the Camaro and I me doing 50 mph in heavy rain, I surely thought I had instantly killed the girl and that, scared the crap out of me. The Fire Dept took a lot of time to cut her out and was uninjured. Today, I would not recommend anyone getting into the driving profession as it has way gone downhill in compensation, benefits, ethics and equipment safety. It's more dangerous than ever as there are larger companies that now self - trains in house then hires these so-called drivers aka steering wheel holders, that can't even communicate in the English language.
Just curious Alan.......On the average, about how far can a new standard 40' to 50' Tractor-Trailer go on a fill-up ? Or maybe I should ask how many gallons, on the average, does a rig like these hold these days ? By the look of the size of those saddle tanks, I wouldn't want to pay the fill-up bill !
Do you remember the FMVSS-121 dual air brake regulations ? That was fun !.....Bruce
@Stan Galat posted:I'm totally buying Al's 2M miles, though. I would almost guarantee I've gone over a half-million just in the course of running service over the last 36 years. That's only 14k/year, and for years I averaged 25k mi.
Vans don't last very long at that rate.
I'm with Stan, just doing some quick figures if Al averaged 50 MPH for say ,10 hours, he could do 500 miles a day. Very doable......If he work 300 days a year and took some time for Christmas, New Years, a birthday or two, vacations he could do 150,000 miles a year. That times 47 years worked, would be over 7,050,000 mil miles in that time. I'm sure he wasn't as busy as this seems. But that sure looks possible to me that he could have traveled 3 mil miles no BS. I'm not a math wizard just a simple meat cutter who knows about seat time. Good job Al at keeping the rubber side down all those years.
Just curious Alan.......On the average, about how far can a new standard 40' to 50' Tractor-Trailer go on a fill-up ? Or maybe I should ask how many gallons, on the average, does a rig like these hold these days ? By the look of the size of those saddle tanks, I wouldn't want to pay the fill-up bill !
Do you remember the FMVSS-121 dual air brake regulations ? That was fun !.....Bruce
The diesel quad cab truck on the back also had a Harley that paid and extra $500 so in the bed went ......
____________________________________________
Depends on if it's a 53' van or flatbed but a car carrier trailer is the worst . In the early days 6mpg was the normal ,later on pulling a 53' True Value box a new Freightliner 13 speed 7.2 or so. I had my own Ford F-650 day can w/a Cat 3162B & Allison 6 speed automatic w/ two 40 gallon and one aux 90 gallon tank, around 1,400 miles ( $662.00 at today's prices) it that got 8.2 loaded or empty because of all the open structural framing on the trailer. When fuel was nearly $5.00 it was tough times. The max allowed bumper to bumper length is 65' but auto transporters like myself are exempt and at times I was around 70'.
____________________________________________________________________________________ Do you remember the FMVSS-121 dual air brake regulations ? What a blessing :`~) A good thing when they went to automatic slack adjusters instead of crawling under the truck ever few days with a 9/16" brake adjustment wrench.
Attachments
Images (2)
gotta have air shock seats or whatever replaced them
I had forgotten about the slack adjusters. Yup, a 9/16" wrench and a small ball-peen hammer to "un-stick" the spring loaded locking collar around the adjusting nuts. The worst was a flatbed for hauling a bulldozer. Get your coveralls on so you can crawl all over the 16 wheels mounted on tandem trucks of 8 wheels each. Brake replacement on those was a miserable job.
Went back east with some CHP guys to Bendix Westinghouse air brake school to learn about all the new FMVSS121 regulations and the new brake systems. The CHP guys were the Motor Carrier Safety Inspectors and to be the enforcers of the new Calif. Title 13 codes. That turned out to be a good thing for me because I got hired by Los Angeles Trade Technical College to teach classes on the new air brake systems to other law enforcement units and other Govt. entities in LA County.
What started my original question was over the 4th of July week I was traveling. One morning while walking the dog near the motel, I happened on a Volvo truck/trailer (enclosed cargo box) that had to be at least 60 feet long (I stepped off 26 paces for the trailer alone) The two beautiful polished aluminum fuel tanks each had a tag that said 115 gallons ! That is a lot of fuel ! Then I asked myself, When does it become a tanker truck ? Of course it was a silly question but that is a LOT ! That is more than 3/4 ton of fuel !............Bruce