1958 F.W.D.

Who "outlawed" it?

Heavyhauler has it- in the early days, open cabs were believed to enhance the driver and officer's abilities to be able to better spot the pumper or the turntable of the aerial ladders (at corners of buildings, around overhead wires and other obstructions, etc....) for maximum efficient operation on firegrounds. Eventually it became tradition, however in the end the open cabs fell victim to the desire fpr protection from the elements.

I'm comfortable enough with my masculinity to hug other men. But if you pinch my butt you had better be buying dinner, dammit.

I'll be at Macungie too, can we have a group hug?

First thing I drove was a Freightliner conventional- probably a mid-80's unit with the setback steer axle....425 kitty cat and a 13 speed roadranger. I was with my uncle who was driving for Jevic at the time (late 80's..both he and my father were part of the bunch of O/O's that started Jevic and in fact Dad retired from there with 28 years prior to them going down the toilet...) we had a hot load that had to be in San Fran "by monday morning." We were on 80 going through the lonliest parts of Utah and Nevada....Uncle Dennis needed some rack time, so he pulled over and said "git over here boy and drive..." It wasnt like I was a stranger to trucks or anything, I was 14, and had grown up in the right hand seat of two F-Models......So he stayed away in the passenger seat long enough to coach me through "basic shifting 101" and then started snoring in the passenger seat. I think I went about 40 miles or so when he snorted awake, and looked at the yardstick, looked at the speedometer, (I was chugging along doing about 65) when he said "get on that accelerator harder boy....we have miles to burn! When we get to yardstick....(I cant remember,,,) pull over and wake me up, we'll go to the truck stop in Puckerbrush......(anyone else ever have the t-shirt "WHERE IN THE HELL IS PUCKERBRUSH?" lol) So I brought her up to 80 and my bunghole puckered.....when he climbed into the rack I backed it down to about 70 and after a minute he yelled from the bunk "dammit boy, git on it!!!!" LOL those were the days......Next summer he got one of the early generation Aardvarks, 450 Cat and a 13 speed......Drove that one too, that was a 100mph truck.....Then the third or 4th summer after that when I was 16 or 17, he had a newer Aardvark with a 60-series DD....with a super 10......God I was pissed at that transmission, wanted to kick whoever invented that thing in the balls. ........

68 Dodge Polara with a 318/Automatic (forget which one....) You didnt park it, you tied it up at a dock. Was a hand-me-down from mom & dad- gave me the car and paid 1/2 of my first 6 months of insurance and said I was on my own after that. Got a job pumping gas and all the accessory sub-jobs that comes with that position in an old-school Sunoco Station in town. Ran that car for about a year. High School I went to was mostly upper middle-class kids- doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers, bankers kids and they all had Beemers and Mercedes's out in the parking lot. All the local cops knew me from being on the fire department and towing with my dad, so I was scared shitless to "be naughty" for fear of it getting back to my dad. But one day I couldnt take those asshole kids making fun of "das boat" anymore- there were a bunch of them in the parking lot after school one day laughing and mocking me, I gave them the one-finger salute and laid a patch about 40 feet long, and went out the back driveway at about 90......all while the asst principal was watching. The three days off I got were well worth it, especially when dad put his arms around me (while I was petrified and waiting for the belt.....) and said "well played. I'm not gonna ground you or anything even though your mother says I should kick your ass into next week, but if you (wink wink) get caught doing a stunt like this again, I WILL kick your ass into orbit....." Then there was mom's 76 Aspen Wagon with the 225 slant six, which was absolutely outstanding to have for dates.......and then just after high school, I discovered Mustangs, bought a 69 Grande Coupe. Had a 250 six with a three speed. Pulled that 6 and slid in a 302 that me and dad rebuilt. First engine I ever built with my dad, had a lot of fun doing it. Was a good car until I lost it one night and ate a ditch and spun it around and damn near wrapped a tree. That was the end of that one, except for the 302 which is still in my parents garage waiting for my three kids to do something with (ages 8 yrs, 7 yrs and 10 months.)

Like I said....loud.....obnoxious...........

In the summer I take a shower every 2 weeks whether I need it or not. In the winter, every 4 weeks.

Rob I'm sure you are aware but if not there is a camping area where you can pitch a tent. There are restroom facilities but unfortunately no showers- you'll have to do the old baby-wipe & deoderant shower....lol Lots of guys rack out in their sleepers or under their trucks too. Idling not allowed overnight and in the middle of June.......I prefer a nice comfy air conditioned 65 degree and no humidity hotel room......or in the case of Macungie, my house about 20 miles away.

When you arriving and where are you staying??

Kudos to the driver for helping, but for the driver of the 4-wheeler: "Here's your sign."

"Happiness is a belt-fed weapon."

Just curious- Will the high fuel prices effect anyone's attendance at shows this year? The F554G Waukesha in my firetruck slurps about 3MPG and the wife has this thing about paying the mortgage on time and being able to feed the kids (she's funny like that....) so obviously I will probably be cutting back on show attendance. One show I WILL go to (and the wife knows not to screw with me over) is Macungie as that is only about 10 miles from the house, and it is one of the weekends that I "live for" all year.... Interested to see what others are doing/not doing.

loud, obnoxious, oil-dripping, smoke-blowing, shaking 2-cycle mechanical assholes. POS overgrown lawn-boys.........

I think I'll go to the range tomorrow and practice my double-taps.

Had a professor tell ME once: "Those that can, DO. Those that can't, teach."

Driving a Volvo is like having sex with an ugly girl- it can be good, you just dont want to be seen doing it.....Or is that about KW's?? I can't remember......????

Why'd somone have to ruin a perfectly good Mack by putting a 2-cycle mechanical asshole in it????

How can someone get rid of your vehicle without the title?? Here in Pa. scrapyards will not touch a vehicle without the title.... -And the moral of the story is.....Get a storage contract in writing, even if they offer space for free, you offer to pay a buck a month or whatever- get the terms IN WRITING!!!!

That has to be one of the most perfect asses I have ever laid my eyes upon.

I have several aussie friends and they all say they wouldnt use Fosters to wash their cars.....

My wife's family is Hungarian....the first time she ever made me this, I called it "Hungarian Sloppy Joes." She never made it for me again, which is precisely what I wanted to happen. Now if I can just convince her that noodles and cabbage dont belong in the same pot.............

If you are on Facebook, join the "Friends of Autocar" page.

Is this an aluminum Hayward F-Model????? Brings back memories of my father's Hayward F-Model single screw tractor, had a 300/5 speed/2 speed rear, he hauled new Trailmobile Trailers out of the factory in Lansdale, Pa. for Charles E. Danbury for years before he switched to freight and got an Allentown F-Model with a 300+ and twin screws.