sometimes you get tossed a bone

Ok heres the story, the company I work for has Ground support vehicles "tugs" for moving equipment, or parking aircraft. These are basically car drivelines in heavy steel plate chassis, with crazy geared rear ends in them for pulling torque. In high gear wide open they probably do only 25 MPH. Everything we have uses Ford 300 carbureted inline sixes with adaptors and powerglides behind them.

We get an old "tug" a few years ago thats really used up needing a fair bit of work. Our GSE shop fixes this thing up, and I stop by, and notice its got a Chrysler industrial slant 6 in it. pretty cool im thinking.

Fast forward to 3 weeks ago. This tug breaks a front spindle, being this is a specialized piece of equipment thats about 30 years old a replacement spindle cant be found. The company who built it probably isnt in business anymore.

The GSE shop is told to strip this tug of all useable items, seats, lights, fire extinguisher, gages, hobbs meter, etc, etc. because it was going to be sent to the scrap yard. they left the industrial slanty in it, and drove it up onto the flatbed. what a shame, I'm sure somebody here would have loved to have it.

Well anyways they took out the radiator, and it happens to be a Chrysler factory radiator about the right width just eyeballing it for my 67 Cuda. Its got the inlet and outlet on the correct sides. The GSE shop foreman says the radiator wont fit the other tugs, and if I wanted it I could have it.

So I take it home, and bam all 4 mount holes line up, its the right height, and width. Sometimes you just get lucky and you get tossed a bone.

Heres pix of the engine in the tug just before its loaded onto the flatbed for a trip to the scrap yard,
Matt