Detroit Devil

Yep 8 71 with a quad box fantastic to watch Bill yankin' on them sticks

That green B model of Billy Gordon's was eventually painted blue and gold.

He used it as his normal prime mover shifting freight up and down the east coast.
Heading south towards Moree one day, just past the phone box out at Croppa Creek, when this strange apparition appeared out of the heat haze heading north. You could tell this "thingy" had a good head of speed up, by the way the trailer top was swaying left to right, whilst the prime mover was swaying right to left.

Did the wise thing and just pulled into the grass on the left, as Billy went past at about a hundred mile an hour, giving me a big cheery wave. My Road Boss even got sand-blasted and the wind rocked the stationary truck as well, $hit, was he was going for it.

I often wondered if he ever had any tyres blow out whilst doing that sort of speed, and how in the hell could he ever hold it, if one did disintegrate.

Saw that strange apparition once again, whilst heading for Adelaide when I was out near Nyngan, same thing again, just get of the tar and let him have it.

My opinion of the bloke

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he had to be a few tiles short on the roof, doing that sort of speed whilst fully loaded.

regards greenie [smiley=vrolijk_1.gif]

Graham
100 miles an hour with a 4.25 ( I think that's the highest single ratio ) and a .7 overdrive in the quad Yeh achievable. Don't think I'd like to be sittin' in it tho!!

I unloaded Billy Gordon's B model at Gunnedah Meat Works in 1979, I had to lift a cooker off him, about half a trailer load, and he was heading on to Adelaide with the rest.

I remember the job very well because I was quite impressed by the purple mack with a bright yellow chassis and 8v71 engine with chrome rocker covers and chromed or polished blower. Billy didn't have to lift the hood to show me because he was running without the side covers on (kept it cooler he said).

He told me he drag raced it but had to work it to cover costs and earn a living, he asked me for directions to head to Coonabarabran to get back on the Newell, but when he took off out the gate at a very rapid rate he turned the wrong way and headed west on a back road that diminished into a track into the Pilliga Scrub.

The sound of that jimmy going through what sounded like every gear in the quad box was sweet music indeed! Had to wait until I couldn't hear it any more before I thought I had better give a call on the old am CB and tell him of his error, but I got no reply, (probably couldn't hear it for some reason).

That was the first and last time I ever seen or heard of that old Mack until now and often wondered what ever happened to it and Billy.
Bruce

Bruce, As far as I know Billy is still about, sold his last truck a few years ago, was an Autocar with a VT903 in it and high rise Cummings bunk, white with a red stripe, went down to a collector in VIC. I think another forum member took it to Lancefield a few years ago.
No idea where the Mack would be though.

Re ASW120
That is a good story attached to that "Link".
The demise of a famous truck, from the pages of the
past. happens all too often but this on looks well and
now has a good home.
This show truck came to Tas and was to be the meal
ticket for a couple of "investors". Plans went a bit wrong and the vehicle was striped to avoid the repossession
people . Years went by and parts came to light but not
the jet engine.
Tothebestofmyknowledge .
Keep on Truckin-Des

Scrounged off the net jist 4 U

for ejactional purposes only n not for com mer shall use

LOL

cya

....i remember as a kid there was a servo on Kororoit Creek Rd near Williamstown where there was this queer looking big ''jet dragster'' (my words) always parked out the front....poor bugger

903Cam is no doubt correct about the one second handicap at Calder and this may or may not be true but I heard that if Mr Mcdonald beat Malone at Calder he would have to forefit the trailer gates and tarps that was the prize for the fastest Australian truck. He then challenged Malone for the Surfers Paradise meet and no handicap. The rest is history.
As for 'Satan's Son', this W model KW was custom built from the chassis rails up by Detroits in Adelaide for an Adelaide transport operator who is still in the business. It had a 12v71T fully tricked by the supertuners. I also heard the truck was destroyed by fire out by Cobar or someplace. Alledgedly 'Satan's Son' was loaded at the front of the trailer and a rear brake caught fire. Shame really- Detroits used to put it on the chassis dyno to give it a workout and I was told it used to stop traffic.

rs1325.pbsrc.com/albums/u621/z1overlande...zpsffc6f095.jpg~c200
THE WHEELCHOCK AND MYSELF HAVE HAD MORE GRIEF THAN THE EARLY SETTLERS TRYING TO WORK OUT THE PHOTOBUCKET, SO I HOPE THE PHOTOS COME THROUGH.
SATAN'S SON, 12V71T, N145 INJECTORS. THE AIR INTAKE ON THE REAR BLOWER CLAIMS 1200hp BUT THAT WAS'NT ENTIRELY TRUE- THE SUPERTUNERS TRIED BUT IN REALITY ON THE ENGINE DYNO IT GOT NEAR ENOUGH TO 1100@3000rpm. TO GET THE 3000 rpm THEY TOOK SOME WEIGHTS OFF OF THE HIGH SPEED GOVERNOR WEIGHTS. ON TESTING THE ENGINE NIPPED A COUPLE OF KITS SO ALL THE LINERS WERE HONED OUT ANOTHER 0.010" BY CORBETTS. I'VE ALSO BEEN TOLD THE BEST TIME IT DID WAS 12.3 SECONDS.
THIS IS ALL BACK IN THE EARLY EIGHTIES SO SOME MEMORIES MAY GET A BIT AFFECTED BY AGE. THE BLOKE THAT BUILT THE ENGINE IS STILL WORKING IN THE TRADE. THE BLOKE THAT BUILT THE TRUCK IS NOW RETIRED

Almost there with the photobucket, after you copy the link you click on the insert image icon (3rd from left) on the top row of the preview pane which you are typing into.
Paste the link where the flashing cursor is and it should be a goer, hope that helps and thanks for the pics.
Rags

Now that's the W model I remember! It was an immaculate bit of gear. Thanks for the foder Overlander and Raggsie!