Nostalgia & History > Scratched

We’re on the 170 (Hollywood Freeway North) at Riverside Drive in North Hollywood on an afternoon in January of 1977. On this particular day the underwriters for John Santa Fe’s Truck Rail Service got lucky. No so, the driver of the cab over Pete (seen through the windshield of the motor unit with the Byway Bobbie) who was “off and running” as the flames consumed his tractor.

Africansteam

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looks like what I witnessed (and got stuck in) on the I-5 two nights ago. Only the Big Rig was melted down to the pavement a little more...

espeeboy Wrote:
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> looks like what I witnessed (and got stuck in) on
> the I-5 two nights ago. Only the Big Rig was
> melted down to the pavement a little more...

The joys of aluminum cabs and cab-overs---just gives me such a great feeling, I used to drive cab-overs but International. Bet it had a CAT engine.

I had this very same thing happen to me back in 1977. I was driving a coe Freightliner with a 318 two cyclin' Detroit v-8. I was haulin a$$ up US77 while making a futile effort to get back to my terminal before nightfall because my alternator had alternated and was no bueno por caca. Then all of a sudden there was a loud bang, I lost all my air pressure and my spring brakes had all locked up before I could get this junk completely off the road. I knew that the engine was on fire, and as fast as I could I jumped out with the fire extinguisher that was standard equipment and mounted right beside the driver's seat, in my hand, and yep the fire extinguisher was itself extinguished. The fire was caused when the air compressor threw a rod and sprayed HOT motor oil out, this oil caught fire, and with no extinguisher, this burned everything completely down even with the top of the engine. This included all of my personal things, tools, cb radio and bird dog, and etc. My career involvement with cab overs, Detroit engines concluded shortly afterwards. From then on, I didn't want to drive anything that wasn't long nosed and with either a Cat or a Cummins, preferably a Cummins. This picture brings back some anxious and not too funny memories. I still hate Detroits!

Con

We had Ford CL9000 with a 6V92 Detroit---fill the oil and check the fuel. Piece of JUNK. Actually, at one point it started making its own oil. There was a leak in a small crossover pipe and when under pressure it leaked fuel which went into to oil.

xtra1188w Wrote:
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This picture brings back
> some anxious and not too funny memories. I still
> hate Detroits!

Con, I have another angle on the tractor if you and Drew want to guess at the powerplant.


Cheers,
Africansteam

drew1946 Wrote:
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There
> was a leak in a small crossover pipe and when
> under pressure it leaked fuel which went into to
> oil.

Eeewww. Sounds like a recipe for a crankcase explosion.

Africansteam

africansteam Wrote:
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> xtra1188w Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> This picture brings back
> > some anxious and not too funny memories. I
> still
> > hate Detroits!
>
> Con, I have another angle on the tractor if you
> and Drew want to guess at the powerplant.
>
>
> Cheers,
> Africansteam


Sure, bring it on. I can tolerate Detroits, aka "Screamin' Jimmy's" now, as long as I ain't the one that has to drive it. "Why, Ah'd rather have a sister workin' in a whore-house than a brother drivin' a Detroit"! Ever heard anything like that?

Con

Oh yea and I Absolutely love the Detroit series 50 4 cyl CNG engines they are putting in the modern busses. They are real dragsters (not), break down all the time, leak oil, cause fires too. Thank god they discontinued them, and there buying cummins again (4 cyl still, but an improvement).

xtra1188w Wrote:
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> Sure, bring it on. I can tolerate Detroits, aka
> "Screamin' Jimmy's" now, as long as I ain't the
> one that has to drive it. "Why, Ah'd rather have
> a sister workin' in a whore-house than a brother
> drivin' a Detroit"! Ever heard anything like
> that?

Con, I should have checked the other view I mentioned before opening my big mouth. As it turns out it was taken from to low an angle to see anything of the emgine. It's not really worth wasting Todd's bandwidth to post. I love your quote though!

Cheers,
Jack

In a bus? Yeah ok, but NOT in a truck whose engine actually has to do something.

Interesting comments on Detroit diesels. The Detroits seem to be very common and popular on firetrucks. I think all diesel powered fire apparatus I've operated have been Detroits. For me it's the Ford gassers I try to avoid.

Stephen