A-C engine in a Semi

[Anonymous-0]

In 1976 when I started teaching in a local career center I stopped in at the local A-C industrial dealer. He was working on a semi with an A-C engine probably a 21000 or some version of it. Question: which truck manufacture offered the engine as an option?

 

[Jeff Z.]

I don't know if they were offered but have read about them being in some Macks and Kenworths.
I believe the engine was the new AC version of the Buda after Allis took over Buda.

 

[grs0820]

either way they were not a very good engine. The bottom end wasn't very strong. you were putting bearings in then every time you turned around.

 

[oliver fan]

When I started driving truck in early 1960 I remember some trucks with Buda engines in them. Although they did the job that the were intended to do, they weren't real popular. I remember a very few Allis's in later years, after they bought Buda.

What about the John Deere V-8's in trucks? How many did you see at the career center?

 

[Anonymous-0]

semi man next town over owned one--was the d21 engine--in a semi--dint have many problems with it--was fuel efficient--but said was short on hp--and the dealer wouldnt turn it up---he didnt buy another one because of that--

 

[Anonymous-0]

was it a twin turbo engine because they put the same engine in semi as the 4w305 engines but the drive train manufacture like dana spicer would not warrnty the drivetrains.

 

[John (C-IL)]

A trucking company I drove for had one in the late 70's. It was in a 1972 W900 Kenworth. The motor was rated at 400 HP but would pull with any 3406CAT on the road. It was guaranteed to pull a legal load anywhere in the US at the posted legal spped limit. There is some information available on the internet at one of the truck history pages.

I drove the truck a couple of times, it wasn't fast but pulled like a freight train. It's main shortcoming was a tendancy to shear off the front crank pulley.

Had Allis Chalmers been able to get a dealer network established that was capable of servicing the thing it could have been big in trucking circles.

 

[J. Wondergem]

A guy I worked with bought a Kenworth cab over in the 70s, with one in it. It had a lot of torque. He said Dana won't stand behind the transmission with it. It went through a lot of oil for some reason. It dripped oil all over my windshield when I was following him. The motor was painted a grape color. It didn't last too long, and he traded it off.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I believe that the nickname for that engine is the Purple People Eater. Bet it would be valuable today on the collector side.

 

[John (C-IL)]

Maybe this will help

 

[Anonymous-0]

a freind of mine had a MF perkins in his 1 ton dually, served very well for 400,000 miiles

 

[Anonymous-0]

The 354 Perkins was originally designed for trucks. When I went to Mexico for Dana back in the 80's there were a lot of 1 ton Dodge trucks there. Most had a 354 Perkins. They use a different CAV pump and governor.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I read somewhere that Ford offered the 354 Perkins in pick-up trucks in Australia into the 70's. You could buy the motor mounts over the counter at one point.