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Did they scan it?

Maxim seemed to favor the Waukesha 817 in the gas jobs; my guess that the pictured rigs probably have DD's in them; most likely 6-71's.

Generally the theory is that most fire apparatus will be a relatively low mileage application that will not trash an engine that is "reaching" for the HP they are tuning it to. In other words a fire truck will probably get less than 150K miles over it's lifetime and even a way over tuned diesel should last that long. We'll see. I still subscribe to the old theory of greater displacement equals greater power.

SOLD, SOLD, SOLD It will be at Macungie this weekend. 1972 International/Oren mini-pumper. International 1310 Four Wheel Drive one ton chassis,304 V8, 4 speed transmission with 10600 original miles; 300 gpm pto pump (works); 200 gallon tank.Truck came from Henryton State Hospital in Maryland. I have performed the following work on the truck to make it a reliable driver and to improve the appearance:new clutch, pressure plate and throw-out bearing; flywheel re-surfaced; rebuilt transmission; repaired rust in Oren body including new rear fenders; sand blasted and re-painted the undercarriage and all diamond decking; new exhaust system; new brake shoes, grease seals, brake lines, and master cylinder; new shocks; new cabinet latches; removed and detailed the engine and engine compartment as well as replacing all oil sealing gaskets on the engine; re-cored radiator; all new coolant hoses; re-plated tool mounts. The cab is very solid; the only rust I found was on the hood hinge mounts and one small spot on the floor; all have been repaired. The paint is mostly original and is in good condition; the gold leaf and bright work are original and are in excellent condition; the cab interior is excellent with no cracks in the dash pad. The tires are almost new and are radials; Parts and service manuals come with the truck as well as a full hose load. This truck is only 20 feet long, 80 inches wide, and under 8 feet tall. It would fit in a 7 foot garage door if the beacon ray were removed and put on a magnetic mount. Located in Fredericksburg, VA. Very nice truck and perfect for someone who needs to store a truck in a residential garage. Old enough to be interesting and new enough to be reliable to drive. Contact Carl Maurice or 540-785-0555 for further information or more pictures. Asking $12,000.00 or best offer

Works for me.

See you there Albert.

When are we doing it? I can bring some goodies as well.

Thanks Louie; lots of memories in those pictures. Where is your truck?

I had a nice surprise in the mail yesterday from ATHS and Gulfway Insurance in the form of a $100.00 gift card that I apparently won at the banquet. Sweet!

I had not planned on doing that, but I can. DCR (Denny), usually did that, but I'm not sure he is coming this year.

Yep, I had a horse shoe up my ass that day. Like most places things have changed over the years. In those days if you broke it you fixed it if it all possible. Even if we had broken the windshield I'm sure we would have tried to get it fixed, at my expense, before we reported it as an accident. I was on a call where a driver bent the back step up almost to the body by gong up a driveway that the angle of departure didn't allow. We traded a member to another company so they could send us a welder who had it fixed that night. Now that would be a firing offense on both counts. That was the first rig I drove regularly after getting on the job and it did some bizarre things to me. I was returning from the shop when the dual's passed me by just before it took a profound dip to the left. (We started putting yellow stripes on all lug nuts after that to make sure they were noticed if they came loose) I also had the cab come up on me when I stopped at an intersection while on the way to the shops. Yes, I know there is a positive safety latch, but it didn't stop it from coming forward. before it fell back into place. 67 Ford C-800, 534 V8, 2 speed rear, by Young with an extended cab.

Make sure you have an outlet for the welder near a door for those projects you cannot get inside. Use hanging outlets between the bays with a pulley arrangement that will allow you to pull the cord up and out of the way. At the least put outlets near the doors. Run steel or copper pipe for the air system with plenty of outlets and drains. Install a dryer if at all possible. I used OSB T-111 for the interior finish instead of drywall. It allows you to fasten shelves, cabinets, old Playboy calendars, etc.anywhere you want without looking for a stud. I screwed it up so it allows me to pull it down if I need to add a circuit, cable tv, etc. The sheets were pre-painted, so the cost was about the same as drywall. From a fire prevention view point a pit is dangerous since most flammable liquid vapors are heavier than air and will "pool" in a pit. I would also check with the insurance carrier to see how they feel about a pit. Install some type of fire detection system such as rate of rise detection and tie it to a panel that will automatically notify an alarm company. Way too many shops burn down before anybody notices with the loss of irreplaceable trucks and cars. Even if you are in a rural area without good fire service wouldn't you want to know about a problem in time to save a truck or maybe put the fire out yourself? Raise the concrete or block up at least 12" above the floor to prevent water damage to the walls.

Second that! I once put an SCBA through the windshield of a C model Ford when I forgot to remove it before tilting the cab for the morning check Fortunately the windshield just popped out of the rubber molding and we were able to put it back. No harm, no foul.

Hit the flea markets and keep your eye on SPAAMFAA and eBay. The ones I bought came to me because I bought a Mack extinguisher through eBay and the seller offered several other items he had to me. Your best source will probably be a member of your local SPAAMFAA chapter that has a couple squirreled away "just in case" he finds something that needs them. Go to the chapter meetings and let it be known what you need.

Mike, What light do you need? I just sold three nice Grethers for $150.00 total including one reproduction bracket.

That's great news! Whenever fire truck collectors get together you can count on them talking about two things: their trucks and the buildings they put them in. If you have the room to build on you can put up a pole building that is plenty large enough to hold the truck (and the next one you buy) for less than $10K. Having a concrete floor is nice, but not necessary to keep the truck up and it will lower the cost of the building quite a bit to stay with a gravel floor.

Neat picture. I wonder how he was able to steer it with the front tires barely touching the ground.

Not really familiar with the Mack engine brakes,but the number one problem we had with the DD brakes was a sticky activation switch located under the fuel pedal. The cure was to clean and lube it with a little WD-40 type of oil. The problem usually showed up as an intermittent failure like you described.

I don't mean to be harsh, but the bottom line is you cannot find indoor storage for the truck please consider selling it before it deteriorates to the point that only a scrap dealer wants it. Fire trucks live their entire lives indoors and quickly deteriorate if they are left outdoors. The bright work fails, paint fades, etc. and before long the owner loses interest in his/her pet because it looks like crap. Climate control is not at all important as long as you drain the pump and tank and keep the proper mix of anti-freeze in the coolant system. It is important to get it indoors, not just under a carport type structure. I'm having fits re-doing my 25 AB because a former owner put it under a carport and it rusted badly on one side where the carport failed to keep the weather off of it.

That light was made by either Grether or Carpenter Co. of Somerville, MA. Both were commonly used by a lot of apparatus builders of the era. The lights are not all that hard to find, but the brackets are quite difficult to locate. it should have four holes in the body where the bracket mounts. I think Cal Little has reproductions of the Carpenter brackets available. It is hard to decide from the picture, but I think it is a Grether. Here is a link to one for sale on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1918-Grether-Fire-Equipment-Co-Portable-Electric-Lantern-Model-6-/301632272318?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item463aaf37be

I have run across instructions on how to do that, but I think the hang up is the remote location of the booster. It seems to me the booster will only work on one side or the other, but not both. Installing new lines, new wheel cylinders, and a new master cylinder will probably be all you will need. Since you are already aware of the issue you will be conscientious about keeping an eye on the system so it should be safe. Did you see the discussion on here about removing the air from the tires before they are removed from the truck? A wheel blew up from rust and almost cost a member big time. Make sure you remove the valve cores before you take the wheels off of the truck.

Looks great. Do you have any fire flea markets in the area? If so, you will probably find the valve handles, etc. there. The gaskets can be found at any truck body parts supplier. Here is one link: http://www.mooreindhardware.com/index.html and another http://www.austinhardware.com/index.cfm Mack pump gauges show up on eBay all the time. Good luck and have fun.

Probably the best manual you can use is the one that came with your digital camera. Take pictures of everything as you disassemble them so you will have a reference to put them back correctly. One of the joys of working on the older stuff is that it so simple compared to today's trucks. Use common sense, take your time, and just keep plugging away at it. I would do all of the brakes given that you already have had a failure. Get all four wheels off of the ground, pull all of the wheels, and completely replace the brake system including new lines unless it is very obvious that they have already been done. I hope you have joined one of the local SPAAMFAA chapters. If not join and go to the meetings to find fellow ALF owners who can help you out if you need it. It will be the best investment in your new truck you ever made.

Much quicker; thanks for the upgrade and all you and Watts do to keep us in touch and informed about our favorite truck.

The old Detroits are pretty much bullet-proof. Just like all diesels they need clean fuel above all else. If it has been sitting I would change the fuel filter now and then again after a few hundred miles. Other than that buy yourself a lifetime supply of absorbent pads to keep soaking up the leaking oil and keep ear muffs in the cab to use when you start it up. Good luck; the ALF 700's are a neat truck.