The most expensive fenders I have ever purchased. To the point of being a fool's folly. Two plane tickets, Uhaul box truck, tools, five days drive, meals, fuel, hotels, and a fiat.

I found a 1955 f-750 fire truck with dayton wheels, for sale in Onancock Virginia. I have not been able to find the wider big job fenders, so, I bought a fire truck. Kinda wish I had not, but too late now! Insert laugh track here. I paid a friend of mine to fly out from Dallas to help me on this adventure. I had the harebrained idea that maybe I could drive the fire truck home.

I get to Norfolk, Virginia at about 2 pm, taxi ride to the U haul center in the heart of town, then to the motel on the beach of the Chesapeake bay. Along the way in the Uhaul, I buy a bottle jack two small sets of 3/8 drive SAE sockets, one set of 1/2" drive, extensions, pry bars, tarps - for layin on the ground-- this was just a short while after the east coast hurricane. Big jack stands, 2' by 2' squares of 1/2 ply wood for jack and jack stands. some cardboard boxes, two pair of gloves, and packing tape. I this point I figure if the fire truck is going to be driven I have to have some brakes, and an engine that will turn. This has been sitting for at least 20 years in the same spot, I think I dont have much of a chance.

I wanted some sort of seafood dinner for the night. I am right on the coast. How hard could it be to find seafood for dinner? I also decided to walk, more about that later. I ask at the desk of the motel and find there is a place about mile down the road. I can do that. I did not know that cacti and palm trees would be part of the landscape. Totally not part of the mental picture of the east coast of the United States, never really been east of the mississippi before. I notice the neighborhood is on the sketchy side as I walk. It is also getting darker. This walk is getting longer, and longer, and longer. Finally I am in the restaurant. Hot and a little sweaty from the walk in low 90 degree humid weather, There is no inside seating available at this time.. damn. They do not have much that is not fried seafood, double damn. So a cold cider, well two or three actually, and a seafood pasta dish in a spicy marinara sauce, an hour and half walk I am set. Sort of. During dinner I catch up to local police and ask about walking back at this hour. Both officers at the same time said "Uber" in response to me asking them " Is this safe for walking back or do I need to Uber?" Well, okay then, Uber wins. I have had a flip phone, 11 years old, prior to the "fire truck" tip. After swimming with the grand kids a couple of times this year, I killed it a week before the trip. I now struggle with loggin in to the apple store so that I can down load the Uber program to my telephone so that I can call for a ride in a part of town that does not seem like disneyland. Sheesh, if this were simple, I would not be doing it. Takes ol fart here an hour to do this, ride is five minutes, I walked for an hour and a half.

The first drive -- crossing the tunnel bridge thing north out of Norfolk is interesting. I found my self slowing down once inside the tunnel, and speeding up on the over water parts. One seagull per lamp post, like they had a predetermined number to part on. Well have to go for now, time to pick up kids, I 'll write more later.

Well Csaba, pronounced "chuba", my long time friend from Dallas, and I arrived at the fire truck with out any problems.
It is rustier than pictures show. Damn. Well I am in it anyways now, so forge on. I meet the gentleman selling the fire truck, Ed Barry. Super nice fellow, the word Gentleman, is an apt description in my opinion.

We set about unloading tools, spraying every thing we can find with PB Blaster. Engine is frozen, tight. Brake system is toast. Not going to drive this one out. damn.

Hood I wanted, too rusty to use. Fenders are going to be usable but a lot of work is needed, siren weighs about 40 lbs and is stuck. It has a certain cool factor so I took it too. I have fenders, bumper, grill, running lights below the headlights, some trim parts and firetruck lights, like the bubble on the cab roof. This took about 7 hours to unbolt. The worst bolt on the truck was inside the light housing, there are three rectangular captured nuts, the lower one was seized. We ended up cutting the panel behind it so the bolt is still there and needs to be cut off. My colorado bus is spotless compared to this truck. even with all the corrosion only a few bolts broke off. Still in disbelief how many unscrewed and looked so crappy.

The truck 1955 f 750 has, I think, a 317 or an engine that looks like a 317. some sort of odd shift pattern overdrive. dayton hubs on the axles It appears the drive line is part of the fire truck water pump, not a pto. so power goes through the transmission, then the water pump, then what looks like some sort of auxilary transmission. then to the rear axle, the rear axle has a left and right part of the housing. What is left of the truck is for sale, cheap. would rather see it reused for parts then scrapped completely.

william

 

These are pictures as I remove wires and parts. I am using all the 2005 f450 braking system, including ABS, The brakes will remain with the frame when the cab, engine, and transmission are removed.


This is the engine bay of the 2005 ford f450 that is going to be the donor chassis for the bus. I am keeping the braking system. In this picture I am undoing wires for the anti lock braking system.

 

The engine, trans, cab etc gone and out of the way. The transmission has already found a home in a f350 4wd that needed a working transmission.

cab mount in my way. The newer plasma cutters make quick work of this. wow.

marking the intended cut... after spending four hours marking, I stopped to check... damn things were not correct. Start over and redo, find where I went wrong. one and half days marking and measure.

 

one side cut, working second side

no going back now. The 1954 B500 has a wheel base of 154" donor 2005 f450 wheel base was 176" now to grind, fit, measure, and repeat.