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Dually Hot Rod? 1950 Mack EH Truck

Big dually classic trucks are HOT right now! Look at any truck magazine or social media and you’ll see lifted and lowered dualies regularly. In fact, people are making them so popular that prices have gone up considerably recently. This 1950 Mack is waiting to have a second lease on life. It can be found here on Craigslist with an asking price of $3,500 or best offer. Located in Klamath Falls, OR, this one looks like a pretty nice project. Have a look and see what you think and thanks to Andria A. for the tip on this big boy!

The interior looks very original and the seller even says it has the original radio! The seller also claims “no rust” although “both doors have issues.” The floorboards are made from wood, so they can be easily replaced. Work trucks of this era lacked a lot of creature comforts, which makes them easy candidates for restoration. They are simple to take apart and put back together.

The ad says the truck runs and drives although they don’t mention how well the original straight-six runs. How cool would this truck be with a modern Duramax or Cummins swap?

If this was my truck, I’d probably shorten the frame by several feet. The current configuration would be great for a roll-back conversion though if someone wanted a cool hot rod hauler. You are sure to get attention wherever you go with a slammed dually!

Comments

  1. Avatar Howard A Member

    I have nothing to say about this,,,EXCEPT, nice find, EH? ( note the Yooper accent coupled to the model)
    RE: 1st sentence, they are? To whom or who are they “hot” to right now? For most, this is about as interesting as a baseball game in the rain with no beer. By “hot”, I can only imagine California, home of ba-kocked trends, slamming an old dog like this, FOR SHAME!
    Now, on to the neat old Bulldog,( one AH looking at another, was the saying) I read, 1950 was the last year for the E series, which carried us and Great Britain through the war. This has Macks own EN310 motor, about 100 hp, and certainly no need to change it, I bet parts are still around, a “brownie”, which is an auxiliary transmission behind the the standard one, probably a 5 speed and 3 speed brownie, making for a LOT of shifting, although, for just running around empty, probably not needed, air brakes, even though probably old “wedge” style, they were adequate. So many of these were either blown to smithereens in the war, or ended up in England, I read. ME? I’d restore it as best I could, and put some 3:55 rear axle and with that motor, lose the “widowmaker wheels”, and you’d have a 3 digit truck, if you dared to do such foolishness. Great find, please don’t ruin this old gal with some resto-mod baloney, it, as Americas best truck of all time, deserves better that that fate.

    Like 18
    • Avatar geomechs Member

      Hi Howard. Hey, is that a for-real “Stool Pigeon” on the dash there?

      Like 3
      • Avatar Howard A Member

        Oh, there were plenty of jokes, like, “Speed kills, drive a Mack, you’ll live forever”, or, this one could get me in trouble, what does a Mack and a test tube baby have in common? Neither one are Peterbilt”,,( rimshot) All kidding aside, the Mack, and on the east coast, the sister truck, Brockway, were the kings of off road and construction. I drove them all, and aside from maybe Autocar, Mack was simply the toughest you could get. In an amazing twist of fate, Mack is now owned by Volvo,,,

        Like 11
    • Avatar Michael Acocks

      Hey you guys, nice to see a fellow Yooper here.

      Like 0
  2. Avatar geomechs Member

    From back when trucks were REAL! It’s interesting how this model was about as common as the winning Powerball but advance just a couple of years and you’ve got the B-series coming out of the woodwork. I look at this and think: ‘If only I had the room.’ A great restoration candidate although a long wheelbase isn’t as desirable as a shorter one. But, looking on the bright side, you could haul a lot of goodies (Even railroad ties. We built a lot of corrals using railroad ties for posts and I’ve had lots of experience hauling them) wherever you needed to go and back again. You wouldn’t get there all that quickly but you would get there. Just a good freshening up and enjoy…

    Like 8
  3. Avatar Bob_in_TN Member

    After looking at the interior picture, this observation:

    I have a friend whose retirement job is transporting vehicles for a local dealer. Yesterday he had a long run, 200 miles one way to deliver a new Explorer and return with a F650 equipped with a dump bed. I asked him how the F650 drove. “It was a stripper inside, manual windows and locks, but other than being kind of bouncy on the rough interstate it drove fine: power steering, automatic transmission, even cruise control!” Contrast this with this old Mack. It had to have been *** hard work *** to drive one of these. Times sure have changed.

    Thanks Howard A and geomechs for your knowledge of this part of the hobby, an area (old trucks) for which I have little to no experience.

    Like 9
    • Avatar Howard A Member

      Hi Bob, anytime. You know, we look at this today and think what a chore it must have been, and it was, but in 1950, there was nothing to compare it to, this was the best they had. This truck probably didn’t see 200 miles in a week. Things sure have changed, in many ways, for the better.

      Like 5
  4. Avatar ruxvette

    Howard A, the front wheels appear to be split ring, not split rim hence not widow maker. The drive wheels (at least on the outside) are tubeless. More info probably nobody wants to hear is the “brownie” auxiliary trans is so named because the original manufacturer was the Brown-Lipe company (kinda like all facial tissue is “Kleenex”). And now you know the rest of the story.
    Cool old truck and could be a fun parade driver.

    Like 11
    • Avatar KKW

      That split ring will take your head off in a heartbeat, there’s been a few “widows” who will attest to it.

      Like 1
  5. Avatar Johnmloghry

    As a lad growing up in the 50’s outside Redding, California there was a steep hill leaving town on old highway 99. In the summer with temperatures reaching 110 degrees I’d see these old trucks crawling up the mile long grade in low gear. There was a stretch of the road just before the hill known as miracle mile with a speed limit of 45 mph. The drivers would build up a head of speed to hit the grade, but soon were down to low gear with their throttle pulled out and their door open trying to get a little air as the cabs would be too hot to be bearable. It took them at least half hour to make the one mile climb heading north to destinations unknown to me. As I watched them wiping the sweat from their brows I would think that’s a very hard way to make a living. Those were tough men that drove those trucks and had respect from the highway patrolmen who seldom stopped them for anything.
    God bless America

    Like 12
  6. Avatar Michael D. Rogers

    Think about having a diesel with a redline about 3500 MAX! and non syncro boxes, when when I was about 6 a relative took me out in his WHITE SUPER POWER with the 5 and 3 brownie, watching him drive was like watching a tap dancer his feet were a blur as he grabbed gears with both hands while pounding the clutch: 1/under,1 straight, 1 over, 2 under etc all that to get to 15 mph!

    Like 7
  7. Avatar Randal Van Horn

    No offense but it would be a shame to hot rod that! I’ve never actually seen a 50’s mack in that nice of original condition! They’re very hard to come by. They go for double that hear in the east.

    Like 4
  8. Avatar David Miraglia

    I would rather just restore it. Simple basic Mack that needs no modern non original components, but keep it original spec.

    Like 11
  9. Avatar luke arnott

    A few years ago I was passing through Fresno and there was one of these in the local paper – the ad said “If you like noisy,slow,uncomfortable trucks,this is for you”.I see it’s in Klamath Falls – boy does it get hot there in August!

    Like 3
  10. Avatar Car Nut Tacoma

    Sweet looking truck. For a truck like this, I’d install a diesel engine under the hood. I’d also upgrade everything mechanical. Anything that makes the truck function like it should needs to be upgraded.

    Like 3
  11. Avatar Phlathead Phil

    A cool old beast. Looks like an old hay hauler from back in the day.

    Old Mack trucks were the best.

    Like 2
  12. Avatar Cycle Salvage Kevin

    I like the looks of it. International DTA360 w/automatic or 7 speed. Update brakes and wheels, power steering, more comfortable interior with air ride seat. Add a tag axle and a grain/silage box and use it on the farm. Local Iowa farmers are always looking for harvest help and this truck would do it in style.

    Like 2
  13. Avatar R.Lee

    The only thing hot about 11/2 2 ton trucks is the exhaust if they run. Even one in superb condition will only fetch 1,000 to 1,500. They are orphan trucks. Although and kool trucks very little interest is around. So that makes them semi easy to purchase. This is a solid 800.00 dollar truck. If the tires are good maybe 300.00 more. More of them are going for scrap value.

    Good Luck

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Johnmloghry

    I just keep coming back to this truck. I have no practical use for it, but it just looks so cool. Bringing it from Oregon to Houston Texas would be more than I’m capable of at this time. It’s really got my attention though. I will dwell upon the idea until someone else buys it.
    God bless America

    Like 3
  15. Avatar Ryan

    That oil rag though :-)

    Like 1
  16. Avatar Brett Papenfuss

    Is it still available

    Like 0
  17. Avatar Rolls-Royce

    I know Mack, but I don’t know it that good, but I have a Peterbilt in my toycar collection.

    Like 0

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