Ford Louisville LTL 9000: Resto review

The Ford Louisville LTL 9000 was more than an affordable and stylish truck when it was released over three decades ago. It boasted all the options of the traditional prestige offerings from Kenworth and Mack and went on to become a legend. Today the Ford LTL 9000 still has many loyal fans, and this is the story of one of them…

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Highland Haulage's recently restored 1989 Ford LTL 9000 sat gleaming in the firm's yard in Deloraine, just west of Launceston. Its owner, Mick Linger, was leaning on a rear guard flicking through photos on his phone.

"Here it is!" He said, stopping at the photo he was searching for. It was a photo of an old LTL with a neatly tarped load parked on the side of the road.

"This photo was taken 30 years ago on the way to Perth in my first LTL," Mick recalled.

"That’s the same spot I took this photo last week when I drove this one across to Perth," he added, flicking to another image. But more on that inaugural journey later...

Highland Haulage is arguably one of Tasmania's leading general freight and logging transport companies, with a local depot located in Tasmania in Deloraine and mainland depots in Melbourne, with satellite depots in other mainland capitals. Mick and his wife Chris head up the operation, which runs a modern fleet of some to the best-looking and best-kept rigs on the road.

Mick's son Markus (below, left) operates one of the firm's heritage Western Stars in its logging operations and shares his father's passion for the industry – and for nice-looking gear.

Nevertheless, Mick is 'old school' and needless to say he has a passion for 'old school' trucks. He also has some clear ideas about encouraging young drivers to enter the industry and training them thoroughly in all aspects of the operation.

"These older trucks don't have the raw power of modern trucks, so they are more suited to a young driver because they have to learn to change gears and read the road," he said.

"They also learn how to look after the vehicle. We see them learn respect for the machine they operate and, in doing so, they gain the respect of their peers too."

The introduction of the Ford LTL 9000 in the mid-'70s provided owner-operators with a long-bonnet prestige truck to compete with Kenworth's legendary W-model and Mack's Superliner.

The LTL 9000 offered a wide selection of engine, transmission and rear axle options at an attractive price, and it was more affordable for owner-drivers than offerings from Kenworth and Mack at time. The longer bonnet and forward-set front axle allowed room for larger engines and was a mechanic's dream, as there was easy access for routine servicing under the bonnet.

Mick purchased the LTL just over four years ago to shuttle trailers from the ferry terminal at Port Melbourne to and from the depot. After 18 months in Mick's fleet the tired old engine was on its last legs.

"I made the decision to pull it down and do a full rebuild on the engine," Mick said.

It still had its original 365hp rating so this was the perfect opportunity to give it a little more punch. Subsequently I had it rebuilt to a 400 Big Cam III spec, which not only gave it more power but improved the reliability of the engine."

The 'Big Cam' referred to the large-diameter camshaft and top-stop injectors. It's a mechanical engine with no ECU to control power ouput – that was done via the PT fuel pump and turbo boost.

Cummins Big Cam III engines were introduced in 1983 and boasted a new, more durable pressed-steel oil pan, along with a new oil cooler and water pump. The top-stop injectors were modified to direct fuel feed (DFF), which had extra fuel flow for cooling and saw the introduction of the Holset HT3B turbo-charger.

According to the reference material of the time, an NTC Big Cam III engine develops approximately 17hp per pound of boost. Consequently, when the LTL is climbing one of the many steep mountains in Tasmania and 30psi was showing on the boost gauge, mathematically it would be developing 510hp – but a Big Cam needs more than turbo boost alone to make horsepower.

Fuel pressure in a Cummins engine was said to be approximately 2hp per pound of fuel. A stock 350hp engine has 157lb, and a 400hp engine 176lb. Meantime, a later-model triple-four Cummins has 196lb on an engine with the same block and displacement.

Consider then that, if the fuel pressure in a 400hp unit is increased by 20 per cent (to approximately the same setting as a later-model Cummins 444 at 475hp) then that Big Cam III 400 engine would be producing roughly the same power as the late-model 475hp, all the while delivering better performance and economy.

Transmission wise this LTL still retains the same 13-speed Roadranger overdrive, which has had a couple of rebuilds during its life.

Mick and his team did some serious work down the rear end. The old Hendrickson HFS400 4-Spring suspension was removed and replaced with a modern, road-friendly Hendrickson HAS461 air-back suspension. This enables the LTL to carry additional payload under a mass management program. The rear axles were updated to Meritor RT46-160 with a final drive ratio of 4.11:1.

"The bolt holes for the new HAS461 air-bag suspension on the chassis matched most of the old bolt holes," Mick said.

"Some days you're lucky."

During the restoration Mick and his team removed the bunk and set to work designing and fabricating an air-ride sub-frame to mount both the cabin and bunk. It took some engineering to get the fame to clear the exhaust and other plumbing items.

"There is no doubt the effort to build the sub-frame was more than a worthwhile exercise," Mick said.

"It has one of the smoothest rides in any of our trucks. There is no vibration and the bunk barely moves in relation to the cabin. If you've had anything to do with these older trucks you'll know that was issue that causes water leaks in the bunk and cabin."

While the cabin was in pieces, Mick installed a Dynamat Xtreme sound-deadening liner throughout the cabin and bunk to reduce noise and heat levels inside the cabin. Once the paint job had been finished the assembly of the cabin commenced in earnest.

"To ensure the reliability of the LTL, I had all the electrical and air hoses replaced all along the chassis too," Mick said.

"There were some extensive fibreglass repairs required around the bonnet to get it back up to showroom condition."

Over the years Mick has been a big fan of Centramate wheel balance weights, which he also fitted to the steer axle of the LTL.

"They really improve the handling and absorb any vibration from the front of the truck," Mick said.

"I never set out to restore it as a show pony," Mick said.

"It was always going back to work. We have a lot of jobs that require delicate care; ones that require a lot of time loading, with extra time and attention when it comes to securing the load. It's these sorts of jobs that suit an older truck like the LTL.

"It's a great mobile billboard for our company too. You'll find a lot of people admire and respect nice pieces of equipment and we've found this LTL is a real head-turner."

When asked about the expense of restoring versus making a new purchase, Mick was quick to answer.

"From a business point, you have to move with the times and keep abreast with technology," he said.

"All companies need to run the most fuel-efficient trucks with dependable reliability; we've just taken delivery of a new Kenworth T610SAR and most our logging fleet are less than two years old."

Despite the sentiment, Mick said there's still a place for the older trucks in the Highland Haulage fleet.

"One thing about restoring these older trucks is it keeps our staff and community motivated, because there is real buzz of excitement in the workshop when we are working on these projects.

"Our Facebook page gets lots of comments when we put up a few photos of the stages of the restoration and we've had a few requests to take this LTL to a few shows so people can see it."

The run west to Perth the previous week was a real trip down memory lane for Mick. Even though the LTL now has some modern concessions, it still retains many of the model's old-school charm and characteristics.

"The addition of the cabin/bunk air-ride sub-frame has really improved the ride quality; I'd have to say it is one of the best-riding trucks I've been in," said Mick.

"Having the quality Powerdown shockers also improves its handling and road manners.

"It's a real pleasure to drive, but don't take my word for it – grab your doona and work diary and take it for a trip yourself. You won't want to get out of it!"

Restoration images supplied by Highland Haulage

Ford Louisville LTL 9000 specifications:
Model year: 1989
Mileage: 4,000,000 kilometres
Engine: Cummins 400 Big Cam III (Cummins NTC 365)*
Power: 400hp (298kW) at 2100rpm (365hp at 1800rpm)
Torque: 1325lb-ft (1796Nm) at 1300rpm (1325lt-ft at 1300rpm)
Air cleaner: Donaldson (Donaldson)
Transmission: Eaton RTO-14613 13-speed (Eaton RTO-14613 13-speed)
Front axle: Spicer E-1462 (Spicer E-1462)
Front suspension: Multi-leaf (Multi-leaf)
Steering: Ross HF64 (Ross HF64)
Rear axles: Meritor RT46-160GP (Rockwell RT40-145)
Ratio: 4.11:1 (4.11:1)
Brakes: S-cam (S-cam)
Rear suspension: Hendrickson HAS461 (Hendrickson HFS400)
Turntable: Jost JSK37 (Jost JSK36)
Sleeper: Air-ride (rigid mount)
Extras: Polished stainless tank wrap, chrome Texas bumper, chrome bug deflector, chrome chassis bolt covers, Powerdown shockers, Suzi coil sock cover, polished stainless chassis deck plate, polished stainless bunk skirts, Dynamat Xtreme noise suppression, Centramate balance weights
*Information in parentheses denotes truck's original specifications