1958 F.W.D.

Been there, done that!

This was my third or fourth time. This year they did it backwards, you usually started at the back at the loading docks, and followed the bare frames all the way to the end, and ending up at the gift shop. The year of Mack's 100th, they really pulled out the stops- they had a festival for employees families AND people from the show. They had catered food, all kinds of activities for the kids, and of course, all kinds of Mack Trucks. I do have to say that this year I was very dissapointed in the Gift Shop Staff.....I know that they were overwhelmed, but it just seemed like they didnt know what they were doing- they had to enter numbers into the computers manually, and the lines didn't move at all. I finally gave up after 15 minutes and put my stuff back on the shelf because I wanted to get back to the park.

So is everyone dried out yet?

I have to apologize gents....I was walking around the show with Author Robert Gabrick (if you collect Iconografix Vehicle books, he has written about 8 of them on everything from Freightliner to FWD to Sterling to Autocar trucks) who had never attended Macungie before....The first bus to the Mack plant pulled up, and he wanted to jump on to go get the tour of the plant, so off we went, and didnt come back for three hours, and I had forgotten about the 12pm meet time. I dont know about anyone else, but I am so sick of all this &^%$^-ing rain we have had here in Pennsylvania as of late. Sure you want a nice day for Macungie, but with all the rain we have had here lately, it made for an extra disgusting of a day, especially since Macungie Weekend is one of my favorites of the year. I was so pissed that I finally said "screw it" and left at about 1:30pm when there was a break in the rain. Figured I may as well make the 22 mile drive home on I78 while it was not downpouring.

I live near Macungie, and have attended the last 5 years and no rain?????????????????????

Weather reports aint looking too good......

I'll be there and will try to make the photo shoot. I am very hard to miss, as I have the only F.W.D. truck in attendance (at least I have for the last 5 years, anyways.....) Look for me with the other firetrucks!

I think at this point I would have asked for the officer's supervisor, and demanded to know why exactly they would not pursue the case any further. If the supervisor had not provided good answers, I would have demanded that he provide his explanation IN WRITING, so that you could approach the District Attorney's office to inquire about the validity of the Police Department's actions. If he refused to provide the answer in writing, demand to speak to HIS supervisor. Keep working your way up the food chain until you get satisfaction. Advise the person on the other end of the phone that you are keeping careful records of conversations and ask for names and badge numbers. Don't get emotional or upset on the phone or in person (at least don't SHOW it.) Asking for names and badge numbers tells them "oh shit, this is going to go somewhere..." A This simply sounds to me like a case of "Big City PD Lazyness." They don't want anything to do with this as it may involve actually having to get off their fat, donut-laden asses and having to do something. I have had to deal with the City of Philadelphia Police Department several times, including once for a towing company which illegally towed my car. Believe me, when they ask "Why do you want my badge number", they HATE to hear the words "Because I am going to run you, your Sergent, and your Lieutenant's names all into the Commissioner's Office with accusations of fail to perform, even though I laid all of the evidence across your desks in black and white." Also I might suggest contacting the Police Chief's Office directly. Better yet, write an un-emotional letter to the Police Chief. Include detailed descriptions of all actions up to now. Include dates and times of telephone calls, including names if you have them. Also include a list of the serial numbers, and the factory build sheets. Facts only. No emotions. Now is not the time to get upset. Detail what you were told and by whom, if you have their names. Circulate copies of the letter to the Mayors Office as well as the District Attorney. SEND ALL OF THESE BY REGISTERED MAIL, RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED. Make sure you include at the bottom of the letter "CC: Mayor Joseph Blow, District Attorney John Q. Public. This will certainly catch the eye of the Police Chief. Hopefully, it goes without saying that you are keeping a detailed paper trail. Keep careful records of all phone calls: Who, what, when. Get all your notes and put them in a manilla folder. Keep it with you at all times, that way if you get a call on your cell phone, you can pull over and record the time and the topic of the discussion. **disclaimer: I dont think this way about ALL cops, just the "holier than thou" and LAZY ones.**

Sounds good. Rumor has it, that it may have been delivered new to the Hatfield (Montgomery County) Fire Company, and later sold to a department out in that direction. Also if it is the same truck, it has been re-furbished by the Swab (a builder/rebuilder of fire truck bodies.)

Can you provide more info?? Exact location? Specs of the truck (Engine/Trans/Pump/Tank???) Being sold by a dealer or by a fire company??? Anyone know who it was delivered to new?

I dont live too far from Perkasie, if you need phone numbers or anything I can probably get them for you. Also dont buy the manuals from Seagrave, you will pay an arm and both legs.

Do yourself a favor, spend the extra money and use a good quality 2-part epoxy paint suitable for use inside steel water tanks.

Flem- I have to wonder what it would gain you if you spent the kind of money and time it would take to properly patch and seal the tank. Having experience with firetrucks, I might be hesitant to use a rhino-liner or gas tank patching material. If this stuff does not properly adhere to the steel of the tank, it could potentially start flaking off in large chunks. These could then lodge in the volutes of the pump impeller, or inside the pump piping and/or valve assemblies. What are your intentions with the truck? Is it an antique you are using for show/parades/pleasure kind of purposes, or will you be using it for some kind of business? If this is the case, then I would invest the time and money into removing the top of the tank, properly sandblasting the entire interior, making any corrective welds/patches needed (by a professional welder- this is not something to be done by a shadetree welder) and then priming the surface, and paint using a 2-part epoxy paint. -OR- Have a new fiberglass or poly tank fabricated and installed. This is expensive, but most of them come with lifetime warranties against leaks. Two manufacturers that come to mind are Custom Fiberglass Products in Orwigsburg, Pa. and United Plastic Fabricators (dont know where their headquarters is located.) We had a CFP tank custom made and installed in our 1978 Hahn, and it was an excellent investment. If the truck is intended solely for parades/pleasure/etc, then why restore the tank at all? I own and operate a 1958 FWD pumper with a 500 gallon tank that was actually replaced with a new steel tank in 1998, however as I keep in in an un-heated garage, coupled with the fact that there really is no need for me to keep the tank full, I just keep it dry. It also helps save on fuel costs (water @8.3 pounds per gallon, X 500 = lotzza fuel!)

Didnt this happen a couple of months ago???

When I registered my '58 FWD, bringing it "back home" to Pa. from NJ was a pain in the ass....The NJ title was from 1978 (when it went to NJ.) The guy at the tag place was scratching his head.....The older NJ title and the words "fire truck" overloaded his brain I guess.....He kept telling me I needed "emergency vehicle" plates, and I kept telling him "No, I need antique vehicle plates." He swore up and down for a half an hour and just about beat me to death for being a liar before he finally said "let me call someone." So he called someone else who knew something or two, and came back to the counter with his tail between his legs. Finally completed the title paperwork, and an hour later had the tag papers complete. Ask around for info for a tag place that knows what they are talking about.

Bman, I am sending an email to a Mack expert. If anyone knows the location, he will. I will get back to you.

Give Supplee Brothers, in Oreland Pennsylvania a call. 126 Lorraine Ave, Oreland. (215) 884-1611 They are a Waterous factory repair/parts distributor. I am sure they might be able to do better than that. Also be sure to properly adjust the packing once it is installed. Remember, the idea is not to eliminate leaks alltogether- you want for SOME leakage, to ensure the seal stays cool.

I insure my 1958 F.W.D. through Condon & Skelly, Inc. which is an agent for Met Life. Really good coverage is $67.50 per year. They are located in Maple Shade, NJ. I have never heard a bad word about them or JC Taylor. Both of these agents specialize in antique/collectable vehicles, so they really know how to get you the right deal. When I first bought my rig, my own State Farm agent was like "Huh"?????? At a friend's urging I called Condon & Skelly.

Waterous is very much alive and well. Do you know the serial number of your pump? It should be on a small plate (with the UL Testing information) attached to the exterior pump panel. Get the serial number, and contact Waterous. Their archives/records are very well maintained. I gave them the Waterous serial number for the pump on my 1958 F.W.D. and they sent me an entire repair manual, model specific, and also sent me a copy of the build/pick sheet, all in a nice 3-ring binder. If you keep stumbling on the telephone number, send me an email at yardo@rcn.com and I will get you a good one. BTW, whats the history on your FDNY CF? Do you know what companies it was assigned to in it's career?

John: Whoa boy! Slow down there!!! You dont want to just show up at a Philly station right now, especially un-announced and just after having flown in. For several reasons: 1. The PFD is a "newer" department. Many, many of the old timers are gone. I would say that 90% of the Vietnam Vets (and older) are long gone and retired. As a result, many newer guys have been hired within the last 10 years. If you were to walk into ANY station in the City and started asking questions about a "B" model Mack tiller, with the exception of a given few in the "Far Northeast" (read: "retirement home) sections of the city, they would look at you like you were from Mars. 2. The neighborhood where L20 is currently quartered (with Engine Co. 36) on Frankford Ave isnt the greatest. Isnt the worst, but not the best either. 3. Lots of bad karma in Philly firehouses right now. Wont go into specifics of why, but un-announced visitors may not be very welcome. Thats all I have to say in the pubic forum about that. 4. Many times, more often than not, guys in Philly could care less about the rigs. For most of the rank and file, they are "just a truck." As long as they go in pump gear and pump water, or the aerial device raises, thats enough for them. Pride in the apparatus is not as prevailant as it is within other departments. So again if you were to start asking about a long lost rig, they would look at you like you were from Mars, and tell you to go back to the loony bin you escaped from. Bottom line is, I have lots of resources I can consult regarding your unit. Lets run them through the gauntlet. Do NOT just show up at L20's front door, you may get it slammed in your face. I am at work right now, so let me get home, and start researching.

I posted this blog on my myspace. Thought I would share it with everyone. This weekend was the 29th annual Father's Day Truck Show in Macungie, Pa. sponsored by the Antique Truck Club of America. This is the biggest annual gathering of antique trucks anywhere in America. When I say trucks, I mean TRUCKS. Not pickups.....HEAVY METAL. Antique tractor trailers, dump trucks, tow trucks, every kind of truck you can imagine, and yes, especially FIRE TRUCKS. Macungie is only 20 miles from my house, so needless to say, I take the 1958 FWD out to the show. Gas is expensive, yes, but Macungie is too close not to go; and besides, the last 4 years I have gone, I have been the ONLY FWD truck there!!!!!!! Many trucks, all makes, models and sizes park among the grassy knolls of Macungie Memorial Park. Last year, there were 550+/- trucks. This year, I think the number was probabably 450 to 500. Fuel prices being what they are, I am sure some stayed away, but in an antique truck forum that I frequent (free plug for www.bigmacktrucks.com) many owners stated that "Macungie is the one show that we definetly go to, come hell or high water." Among the trucks displayed this year were two "F" Model Mack Tractors- both amazing simular to the two "F" models my Dad owned when I was a child growing up. The first one, was a "Hayward" or "Western" F model (built at Mack's Hayward, California plant) 1974 F700 with a 237 Maxidyne engine, and a 5 speed Fuller transmission. This truck had a single rear axle, as Dad specialized in hauling brand new trailers out of the Trailmoblie trailer factory in Lansdale, Pa. The second tractor, another F700, (an Allentown Mack) this one with a 300 Maxidyne and a 10-speed Fuller trans, had dual rear axles, as by this time Dad had switched to hauling freight. Needed more horses, gears, and axles for freight instead of empty brand new trailers. The two tractors that I saw, were pretty simular in basic appearance and make-up (drivelines) to Dad's two rigs. What a flood of memories that came rushing back into my subconscious, especially with Dad standing there along side me enjoying the trucks. I am sure he was just as giddy as I was. I can't begin to tell you how many miles I logged in the right-hand seat of these two trucks, between the ages of 5 or so up to when I turned 11 or 12. Yes, I have said it before. Dad was an owner-operator trucker (a point of interest here- he participated in the nationwide trucker's strike of 1979, and even had a guest editorial published in the now-closed Philadelphia Bulletin, and he also appeared as a guest commentator on a sunday evening local news show.) Dad wasnt around much when I was a kid. There wasnt a plethora of money, either. Birthdays and holidays were a little thin on the presents. Many of my Aunts accused my parents, especially my father for "not being there." My mother was a nurse who worked third shift (11PM to 7AM) so she was always sleeping during the day. If I was not being babysat by my sister, I was with a babysitter. So my Aunts blamed my folks for what they perceived to be "social" problems at the time, and even later on in life. I dont. My mom and dad were out there doing it, especially my Father. He was out there hauling trailers back and forth in the beginning, and then later on he hauled freight. Lots of it. He kept a roof over our heads, food in our bellies, and clothing on our backs. In the summers, I was with him, sitting in the right seat of those two Macks (and some other trucks too, but it was mainly those two Bulldogs.) By the time I was 12 years old, I saw probably close to 30 of the 48 continental United States, and countless Cities. By the time I was 17 (with the help of my "Uncle" Dennis) I saw 46 of the 48 continental United States. The only 2 I have not seen are Oregon and Washington. (Plus Hawaii and Alaska, but who's counting!!!) Dad taught me almost everything I know about trucks and the trucking industry. He taught me how to hook up trailers, raise landing gear, plug in pigtails and brake lines.....How to manually pump the hydraulic pump to raise the cabs of those 2 "F" models.....He taught me about fueling up, how to put in the anti-ice additives when you buy fuel in the winter....He taught me how to smack tires to listen for flats......HE taught me how you can see girls legs and tits, down in cars, when you are high up in the air..... I spent the day with my Father today looking at hundreds of trucks, every shape, size and color, every concievable manufacturer.....We stood along side trucks looking at interiors, under hoods, at drivelines. We loved the 1937 Ford Pickup truck with the V8 flathead that the elderly gentleman started up for us. We loved looking at the 1978 CF Mack Firetruck from Wescoesville, Pa. We loved looking at the 1979 Kenworth tractor with the 12V71 Detroit Diesel (800+ horsepower!!!!) We loved the early 1920's Autocar coal trucks with the beautifully polished and stained wooden cabs......Or the 1924 Ahrens Fox R-K-4 Front mount piston pumper firetruck...But there were three trucks there today that I truly cherished looking at with him- those two "F" Model Macks, and of course the Yardumian Family Firetruck. Happy Father's Day, Dad. By the way, for everyone's amusement, since my Father's name is "Sam", my CB handle is "Son of Sam."

Just came in from the garage......Checked the oil....Checked the coolant.....Checked the tires.....Loaded up the lawn chairs and table......Filled the cooler with water & sodas........Tomorrow morning, about 9 or 10, I'll be getting on I-78, singing...."WESTBOUND AND DOWN, LOADED UP AND TRUCKIN........."

Who did you speak to at Fireman's Hall in Philadelphia? Was it Harry Magee or Jack Wright? Jack is the man you need to speak to, he is the "un-official" fire apparatus historian of the PFD. If you need his email address, let me know. Also, goes without saying, you could also contact Harvey Eckert, renowned MACK (especially fire apparatus) historian. Harvey is an old country gent, has no computer, if you need his phone number, let me know. I'm going to see what/if I can dig up for you.

Doug- What time can I show up on Friday? If I get there early enough I'll help out for a bit.

Woo Hoo! 2 weeks to Macungie! If anyone sees the 1958 FWD Firetruck, look for me and say hello! My name is Randy!