My F711 RST Nullarbor adventure

G'day all,
Finally purchased a '68 F Model Mack some 40 years after my first trip as an eager kid in a semi Adelaide - Darwin also in an F Model.

Found her on the F Model Mack Facebook page over in Kalgoorlie and flew over two weeks ago to pick her up.



She's a tidy old truck, originally a Wrights long wheel base stock crate pulling doubles. At some stage she's been updated to Maxidyne configuration with a 9sp OD RR.

So I fuelled up at Boulder for the start of the trip home to Sydney,






EDIT
Stopped at Widgiemooltha for a serve of hot chips and to gradually let the rear tyres down in stages to Swishy's recommended 30psi that I'd previously researched in another thread. So I opted for 65psi, had two leaks (dammed caffeine agrivated bladder) and headed on down the road with a slightly improved ride about to the vicinity of Mt Morgan and then noticed the air gauge dropping rapidly. Got her off the road as the spring brakes came on at walking pace. Couldn't hear the buzzer as there were no door seals and I had ear plugs in. I was cruising along at 1900 (about 85k's) just getting the feel for the Ol girl.

Found the leak where the air hose joins the compressor exhaust manifold, the hose had a tiny split. So I had to turn her off to try and patch it.

I run an Amaysim/Optus mobile, so no coverage and the emergency Aldi Mobile/Telstra unit wouldn't register on the Telstra network over there for some reason... So I had to give it a go myself. First attempt was to clamp some old brake hose over the spilt. Re fired the motor (air start) and found she wouldn't build up over 35psi and the air start tank with its own gauge was now down to 80. Here's me thinking it's all over before it's even begun!

So, this time I carefully removed the whole manifold/hose assy and had a another try with duct tape, brake hose and clamps, fired her up, with the same result.
To make matters worse, the battery wouldn't hold charge, it had deteriorated in the 12 odd months the truck had been sitting, so the mighty little eBay compressor I had sent over earlier was of no use to me.

So I removed the little manifold to gain better access, everything was bloody hot too!

Then I remembered I had a Aldi Repair Tape pack in my tool bag. Had never used the stuff before, but I thought it was worth a try. So I read the instructions, activated the epoxy tape with a bottle of water, wrapped it lightly around the split and fitting as instructed, then worked the epoxy resin through the bandage type material (not using the disposable rubber gloves supplied) and then finally tightly wrapped the supplied rubber sheath around the repair as instructed. whilst waiting the ten minutes for it to go off, I tightly wrapped duct tape around the whole repair as thick as I dared to still clear the compressor and the re fitted some hose clamps to try and help the repair survive the hot pulses of the compressor.

I should add at this point that my mindset was one of disbelief that this was happening, but with an overriding sense that this problem could be solved quickly, even though I couldn't lift the cab by myself due to the cab torsion bar being out of adjustment.so luckily I'm a thinish guy and can fit between the steer tyre and chassis, just!

My hands were a mess from the resin, but I had a roll of workshop hand towels with me, so along with sacrificing a bottle of diesel conditioner I was able to clean my hands somewhat.

Refitted the hose/manifold gingerly (to avoid cracking the aged rubber inner lining) in the hope it would hold and that the truck would start, the start tank now showing 65psi, she started up immediately being warm and started building up air normally. So now the gauge would climb right up to 125psi and then leak back to 90. I had only been seeing a best of 105 very gradually prior to this.

Gr8

Now lookn for round 2

Noice lookn lorry


pls continue

cya

Part 2
With the tyre pressure/bladder stop and the road side repairs, I had lost about 3 hours from my lunchtime departure. Luckily I had a slab of water and some reasonably healthy snacks onboard thanks to Gemma ( previous owner) not only picking me up from the airport, but also taking me to town to stock up on supplies as well as a sleeping bag etc for the bunk. I'd also like to thank Benny and his father Chris for helping clean the truck for me whilst I was out shopping, checking fluids etc.

Taking another step back to before I departed, we noticed a small diesel leak from the supply hose rubbing on the front cross member, so I cut and wrapped that with some old hose to prevent it rubbing any further.

Back on the road, my goal for day one (Saturday April 30th) was to leave Kalgoorlie/Boulder by 12:30pm after flying in at 9am and make it to either Madura or possibly even Eucla, given a really good run.

Anyway, the way the day turned out, I got to enjoy a beautiful sunset approaching Norseman and pulled into the back of the truck stop there to check my repair and to fit up a 7" LED light bar to the grab handle below the bulldog. This was relatively easy, as I had also purchased a loom off eBay, with fuse, lit switch and relay, aux power outlet that I plugged a double USB outlet for phones etc to compliment the old high power sealed beams. With the battery well and truly shagged, the alternator did its best to give me about 12 volts with everything on, so I adjusted the old sealed beams to somewhere closer to being right, had a snack, another leak or two, had a quick phone call from my lady whilst I had coverage again and then got back on the road with Balladonia Roadhouse as my revised goal for the day.

The LED light bar was aimed too low and I had over adjusted the sealed beams too low also, so I kept my speed back to 80k and knowing I'd need to stop for another leak, I used the opportunity to give the little LED a tweak upwards. Just happened to look skyward whilst doing my business and was awestruck by the Milky Way in all its glory, so I allowed myself 5 minutes to walk around the truck, check tyre temps, tail lights and to just take in the amazing star gazing as my eyesight adjust to night vision.

It was getting bloody cold, so I got out my trusty old faded woollen hi vis work jacket, put that on and got back on the road towards Balladonia. The LED light bar was certainly helping now, but it had been a long day with the late night flight over, chatting with a navy guy and a generator mechanic and our lovely flight and cabin crew most of the way, seated in 1A.
I did however grab a few hours quality sleep at a motel near the airport and had a hearty breaky at the airport before the short flight to Kalgoorlie.

So with no heater, no door seals, the drivers 1/4 window without a latch and fumes coming up the gear stick tunnel I wanted to ensure adequate airflow in the cabin. So I popped open the drivers side bunk vent and left the roof vent open, whilst stuffing my overalls around the gear lever.

I cruised on into Balladonia Roadhouse thoroughly exhausted, could see some guys having a friendly beer out the front, but decided to go back to the truck, have another snack and climb into the preheated (read heat soaked bunk) and even removed my work jacket as it was so warm, opening the $18 sleeping bag into a quilt and went out like a light at what was probably 8:30...

Part 3

I wake up cold at 2am on Sunday, get out of the truck and go to the bathroom, wash my face and grab a bottle of water as I climb back into the bunk. The cab has now cold soaked the chilly Nullarbor clear night air and all the warmth of the day that heated up the earth the day before has radiated out to space.

So I put my work jacket back on, zip it right up, flip up the collar, unfold the extra sheet I had purchased back in Kalgoorlie the previous day, spread that out over the opened sleeping bag and place my towel over the top of that. I awake again reasonably warm at sunrise and sat up in the sleeper to just sit and watch the sunrise to what I knew would be a much better day.

I reboot the Telstra phone and do a manual network selection to try and get it to register as I knew Patricia 2 hours ahead back in Sydney would like to know I'm ok, but to no avail.
So I walk over to the modern 4 pay phones, but they don't take coins and the cafe doesn't sell Telstra cards. I'm somewhat stressed in the back of my mind that she'll be worried, but think, I'll get to somewhere with a coin operated phone today (Sunday) and decide to have a toasty for breaky and a cup of black tea, so as to not over aggravate my aging sensitive bladder.

The young English lady with many piercings serving behind the counter and I have a nice chat whilst waiting for my order, she's staying there for 3 months working to build up more money at the end of her Aussie adventure in the effort to return next year and do it all over again. I buy Patricia a Nullarbor fridge magnet and start chatting to the guy at the next table, who was west bound in a beautiful Kenworth hauling massive spare tyres for the mine dump trucks. Turns out he's also from SA, we're about the same age and both jumped in trucks to go north as young boys around the same time. We reminisced and he went on to tell me about how he used to drive a Flinstone Mack without power steering Adelaide-Melbourne when he first got his licence as a young man having to negotiate Melbourne traffic and tight streets delivering his load.

He said he saw me drive in last night and said I should've wandered over for a beer, I explained the day before, he nodded his head in understanding. We didn't exchange names, but as we stood to go our separate ways, we shook hands and wished each other well.

I checked fluids and dropped the tyres to 45psi cold on the rears, but I must say that the Eyre Highway in Western Australia is a beautiful smooth wide road and didn't think I'd need to drop the tyres down any further, apart from the odd jolt that would send the '70s retro fitted Mack air seat frame crashing into the rear bulk head between the sleeper and drivers area.

The compressor hose repair was holding well, but as I climbed back into the back and shut the door, all I could hear was a 48 year old truck rattling. It was then I remembered that Benny had kindly left a massive roll of pinch type bubble door seal under the passenger seat. So I took another hour or so to fit a full seal to the drivers door. That stopped quite a few rattles, but the noises from the passenger side were now even more obvious, so I just fitted some pinch fit seal to the top half of the door, to avoid metal to metal contact, it worked a treat!

There were naturally still some cabin rattles, but I was surprised at how much of it had settled and decided it was well and truly time to hit the road as it was fast approaching 10am.

The truck with the recently fitted short tipper body, two spare tyres and a extra parts was now riding quite well considering the short wheelbase. The kicks in the back with the associate bang of the seat frame hitting the back of the drivers area all now but gone, the late morning sun and heat soak warming up the cabin nicely, so on my next parking bay stop, I decided to try out my new Sennheiser noise blocking earphones on my trusty old iPhone with a mix of Dean Martin, Roy Orbison, classic, country and disco thrown in, life was good!

Maxidyne, you've got me hooked! I'm hoping for some more chapters soon as I have to start work in a few hours to drive a Mack from Auckland to Wellington overnight; it's a Granite not an F-model and the distance is only a small proportion of what you have done. A great story so far, that's for sure!

Vic

Part 4
I'm really enjoying the drive at this stage, sitting on about 1950rpm, old Mack speedo showing 55mph, but not Being able to make sense of the odometer, until I realised it's been recalibrate to KPH, which I thought is an odd.

Transiting a fast gradual left hander a bonneted Kenworth coming the other way flashes his lights at me and signals to his ear, so I figured he just wants to chat about my old truck, but in hindsight I do remember his gesturing was more urgent than that...
I grab my little Walky talky, turn off the music to call him, but notice the batteries have died as I left it on all night, check the mirrors throughly for flat tyres, smoke or a fluid trail, shrug my shoulders and continue on.

It's around this time I discover there is only so much Patsy Cline that I can tolerate and skip the remaining 40 odd tracks of hers onto the rest of my collection.

Along comes the sign for the 146 km straight which I've been looking forward to and I've been enjoying the waves to and from oncoming semi's and grey nomads alike, as well as the mine workers servicing remote sites in their 4wd Utes fitted up with toolboxes and equipment.

I did however begin to notice that mine workers driving rigids weren't as sociable, it must just be a job to those guys and not a lifestyle.

About half way across the long straight I see one of these 4wd Utes with tool boxes etc slowly gaining on me. Anyway, the time comes that he's ready to go past, so I check and give the courtesy two right indicator blinks to send him on his way safely, I notice he's really taking his time passing me and just assume he's set his cruise control to about 90-95, no rush as we can see to the horizon. As he drawers even with me, I look across to give him a wave, he waves, then casually picks up his white paper note pad with the words in large text "YOUR TOOL BOX IS OPEN" shit!!!

In that tool box that I couldn't see in the mirrors (no convex spotters fitted) was about $1,000 worth of tools, compressor, jack and spare bits and pieces. I pulled up immediately. Thankfully even though the box was wide open when I stopped, not a single thing had fallen out. I feel bad that I couldn't respond to the guy in the Kenworth trying to alert me to this. I cut some duct tape and after firmly closing the tool box, tape it shut as added insurance. Looking back at it, I now see the funny side of it...

Back on the road, I soon pull into Cocklebiddy, dip the single large fuel tank, as the smaller tank on the drivers side has been converted to hydraulic. Plenty of fuel remaining and I roughly figure the truck is using about 30L/100K as I had expected.

I marvelled at the over sized massive multi wheeled Escorted Toll unit heading west with a massive transformer onboard, said G'day to those guys as I walked past to a phone booth that thankfully accepted coins. Tried to call Patricia but it rang out twice, so I hoped she'd work out it was me trying to get through. Us city slickers become all too used to being in constant contact via Facebook, messenger, SMS and the like...

I have a couple pieces of fruit, some unsalted cashews and crack open a box of BBQ Shapes that I had purchased a treat.

Back on the road with the plan to refuel and take a much needed shower at Madura, I was slowly becoming more comfortable with the reversed shift pattern of the 9sp Over Drive box and not grating as many gears.

A little about me at this point, I had my learners permit back in the '90s in Adelaide and had done a few dodgy Nhill changeovers helping out a mate in a Ford Aeromax 13speed, but apart from finally getting my unrestricted HR back in 2012, I hadn't driven a crash box in 4 years, as I only drive our synchro boxed tilt tray on odd occasions at work where I'm employed as a Fitter Welder these days.

The 44,000lb rear end and very short wheelbase unloaded is very unforgiving to the inexperienced when moving off from a standstill and the resulting rear end hop is only amplified by ones foot pumping the throttle even more due to the truck axle hopping. I'm still getting my head around that...

With no engine brake, I knock the Ol girl back two gears approaching the pass entering Madura and pull in to fuel. Whilst refuelling a guy pulls up on the other side bobtail to fuel up. We have a chat about old trucks, he too is about to have lunch and hook up to the road train I saw sitting westbound in a bay a couple of K's back, as he does change overs. I'm learning that so many of these senior drivers have cut their teeth on Mack's.

Once refuelled and and paid up , I park up and found another coin operated phone and thankfully Patricia answered. I tell her in more detail of my adventure so far, which we nickname "my midlife crisis". We comment at how long the call credit is lasting for, so thank you Telstra.
I sit down, have a nice burger for lunch, grab a nice hot clean shower, fresh hi vis, give the truck a quick once over and get back on the road.

Swishy wrote: Gr8

Now lookn for round 2

Noice lookn lorry


pls continue

cya

Thanks Swishy,
I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Roland (Rocky)

VicHung wrote: Maxidyne, you've got me hooked! I'm hoping for some more chapters soon as I have to start work in a few hours to drive a Mack from Auckland to Wellington overnight; it's a Granite not an F-model and the distance is only a small proportion of what you have done. A great story so far, that's for sure!

Vic

G'day Vic,
Typing out this story is giving me the chance to relive one of my life long dreams, even though it was only two weeks ago.
Thanks for the encouragement, as I've never before shared any of my experiences in writing.
I'm sure the Granite is much more civilised than my Ol girl and I envy the job you have.

All the best
Roland (Rocky)

Great story, I'm finding myself following this on Google Maps.

Looking forward to the next installment.

Part 5

Back on the road I am realising more and more that I'm not covering the distance I have expected per day by a long shot and I had told my by understanding boss that I'd be back on the job by Thursday morning as I'm doing a ten year rebuild inspection on a JLG Boom Lift whilst doing servicing breakdowns on a couple of food processing customers automated machinery that I seem to specialise in these days. A long way from maintaining, rebuilding semi trailers, dollies and later B Double trailers for some leading companies back in the '80s and '90s in Adelaide, but that's a story for another time perhaps...

I've been hesitant to run the engine past 1950 as I've noticed a driveline rumble that's not the usual Maxitorque harmonic rumble, plus this thing's got a Road Ranger in it anyway. I begin to suspect either a worn Uni or jack shaft splines.

Coming down a long gentle slope I didn't notice the revs climbing to an indicated 2300, but what I did notice was a very smooth driveline. I immediately backed off to my usual 1950, but soon came to the realisation my speedo was exaggerating the truth, as even on the indicated over rev I didn't really gain on the two semi's in front of me even though my speed suggested I should've been...

As the afternoon was soon about to become evening, I was approaching Eucla Pass, which reminded me of a vivid memory of one of the burnt out wrecks I had purchased back in the mid '90s from one of my customers. Unfortunately there was road works there at the time and the driver of the wreck was over taking a road train, got into some trouble and couldn't avoid another oncoming road train. Apparently the fire burnt for 3 days before they could clear the wreckage, so I was quite cautious through there through to Border Village. It was well and truly dusk by the time I went into the road house for a break, the food smelt great and the atmosphere felt good, but I had set a revised goal for the day to reach Nullarbor Roadhouse for the night.

I thought to myself whilst looking at the souvenirs that I'd grab myself something, when I spotted an "I crossed the Nullarbor pin" I thought I'd reward myself early as I was pretty sure I was past the worst of it by now.

Walking back to my old Mack with the sun setting behind her I grabbed this pic that I really quite like.

Whilst taking the pic, I hear a gruff voice behind me saying "mate, is that your Ol Beauty?"



We introduce ourselves and he immediately starts calling me Rolly, which is what all the truckies used to call me when I was a kid growing up around them. He tells me all about his Flinstone Mack he has at home near Perth that he's doing up and asks if I'm going to keep the old tipper body on it. I reply most probably not as I reckon I'll most likely fit a beaver tail for my old race car. He replies F... Me! I wished I had met you sooner as I'd have bought the C... off you in Kalgoorle and put the Effing thing on my Flinstone. We had a look around her a little more and he told me how beautiful my old girl is and then shows me his escorted wide load that's he's parked up for the night.

He asks if I'm staying for the night and invites me to join him around his little portable fire and have a grilled steak with him. I was very tempted by his kind offer, but told him about my delays and tight schedule, so I gave him my card, shook hands and bid him farewell. Such a character...