Last updated on November 11, 2026
Today’s truck is a 1956 Mack B63 owned by John Innocenti Jr., which I photographed at Manhattan Beach Cars & Coffee, held at The Point in El Segundo, CA. Finished in red with darker red fenders and a red and black interior, it is sitting on a stock 2004 Dodge Ram 3500 two-wheel-drive chassis with single rear wheels. Power comes from a 5.9-liter Cummins 24-valve common-rail turbo diesel engine producing 305 horsepower. The engine is paired with a Dodge 48RE four-speed automatic transmission and a 3.73:1 rear end. Four-wheel disc brakes with ABS provide stopping power, while the suspension consists of a solid front axle with coil springs and shock absorbers, and a live rear axle with leaf springs and shock absorbers.
Mack Trucks traces its origins to 1893, when brothers John M. “Jack” Mack and Augustus F. “Gus” Mack purchased a carriage and wagon business in Brooklyn, NY. Joined by their brother William, they began experimenting with motorized vehicles, producing their first successful vehicle, a 20-passenger sightseeing bus, in 1900. As the business expanded, the company moved its manufacturing operations to Allentown, PA, in 1905 and began producing commercial trucks. During World War I, British soldiers nicknamed the rugged Mack AC trucks “Bulldogs” because of their strength and durability, a name that became synonymous with Mack Trucks and its reputation for building dependable, heavy-duty vehicles.
Mack’s reputation was built on engineering trucks capable of handling demanding work. One of the company’s most influential engineers was Alfred Fellows Masury, who joined Mack in 1912 as chief engineer. In 1932, while recovering from surgery, Masury carved a Bulldog figure from a simple bar of soap that became the inspiration for Mack’s famous hood ornament. His design was patented in October 1932, and the Bulldog began appearing on Mack truck hoods by 1933. The company continued developing its own engines and drivetrains, introducing its first Mack-designed heavy-duty diesel engine in 1938. This approach, known as “balanced design,” emphasized engineering the engine, transmission, and drivetrain to work together for durability and reliability.
Introduced in 1953 as the successor to Mack’s L-Series, the B-Series featured a more streamlined appearance with a rounded cab, curved hood, split windshield, and sweeping front fenders. By 1956, the B-Series was available in a wide range of configurations, including highway tractors, straight trucks, dump trucks, and fire trucks, with gasoline and diesel engine options. Mack’s Thermodyne diesel engines, introduced alongside the B-Series in 1953, offered improved fuel efficiency through direct fuel injection. The B-Series became one of Mack’s most successful truck lines, with 127,786 produced before production ended in 1966.
The Mack B63 was a heavy-duty model built from 1954 through 1958, primarily for demanding construction and hauling applications. Offered in B63SX configurations, it featured a heavy-duty chassis, tandem rear axles, and rugged suspension designed to handle substantial loads. The B63 was produced in relatively small numbers, with just 2,028 trucks built during its five-year production run, compared with 47,459 examples of the more popular B61.
For John Innocenti Sr., John Jr.’s father, owning a Mack B-Model had been a dream since childhood. After retiring at age 70, he decided it was finally time to make that dream a reality. In 2004, he and John Jr. began a project that would take four years to complete. Rather than restore the truck to its original configuration, they planned to combine the classic Mack cab with the chassis and drivetrain from a 2004 Dodge Ram pickup, creating a truck with the appearance John Sr. had always admired and the driving characteristics of a modern vehicle.
The project began with finding a Mack B-Model cab and a 2004 Dodge donor truck, with trips to Arizona, Sacramento, and Texas to gather the vehicles and parts needed for the build. Working in their family shop, John Sr. and John Jr. mounted the Mack cab on the Dodge chassis, retaining its modern drivetrain. John Sr. fabricated a steel pickup bed, an aluminum storage compartment behind the cab for their travels, and custom running boards to complement the Mack’s original design. John’s uncle, Al Innocenti, handled the painting, helping bring the four-year project to completion in 2008. Much of the work was accomplished with simple tools in a modest family shop, something John Jr. believes could inspire others to pursue their own automotive dreams.
With the truck completed, John Sr. and John Jr. set out to enjoy the results of their four-year project. In June 2009, they traveled to Alabama for a national truck show, followed by another cross-country trip in September to Pennsylvania for an all-Mack show. While in Pennsylvania, they visited the Mack Museum and toured the Mack assembly plant, where they had the opportunity to walk the production line. Along the way, the truck attracted attention wherever they stopped, often leading to conversations with people who had their own Mack stories to share. But for John Jr., the most memorable part of those trips was the time spent with his father in the cab, listening to stories of his father’s childhood travels across the country and creating memories of their own.
The Mack also carries another piece of Innocenti family history. The Innocenti Brothers Flying A lettering on the doors reproduces an original calling card from the gas station operated by John’s grandfather, Amadeo Innocenti, his father, and uncles Al and Bob on San Fernando Road in Glendale, CA, from 1957 to 1960. After John Sr. passed away in 2015, John Jr. continued caring for the truck, adding air conditioning, seat belts, and other improvements to make it more comfortable to drive. He even brought the Mack to his father’s funeral, parking it outside as a tribute to the man who had dreamed of building it. Today, John Jr. takes the truck to car shows, Cars & Coffee events, and occasionally brings his mother along, keeping those family memories alive. Reflecting on the years they spent building and traveling together, John Jr. put it simply: “My dad was the best friend a son could ever have.”
Thank you for riding along with me and for being part of the Frank’s Cars in the Hood community.
Frank
Teaser
At Manhattan Beach Cars & Coffee, a bright red 1956 Mack B63 Custom caught my attention. At first glance, it looked like a vintage Mack truck, but there was much more to it than met the eye.
Owned by John Innocenti Jr., this unusual Mack is the result of a four-year project that began with his father’s vision and became something neither would ever forget.
Join me as we take a closer look at this custom-built Mack and the family story behind it.