Can't afford a Duesenberg? Try one of these.

[Rusty_OToole]

If you can't afford a $1,000,000 for a  Duesenberg  how about this Rugby fire truck for $12,000? Don't laugh they are about the same size and you can have more fun with the fire truck for a lot less money. Take it to parades and shows,  get some cheap fire helmets and take the kids for a ride, you can have a riot. In most areas you can drive a fire truck without license plates so there is another saving.

This one for sale right now in Canada but there are lots more around, you may be able to find one where you live. Don't overlook the fun fire truck.

 

Edited February 11, 2021 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[Xander Wildeisen]

I bought a 1944 American LaFrance. Just wanted the V12 Engine. Could not even give the fire truck away. Fire Department did not want it donated to them. Not a happy ending for most old fire trucks.

[60FlatTop]

Which Duesenberg has a trunk?

[George Cole]

9 hours ago, Xander Wildeisen said:

I bought a 1944 American LaFrance. Just wanted the V12 Engine. Could not even give the fire truck away. Fire Department did not want it donated to them. Not a happy ending for most old fire trucks.

Same thing with mine. I had to pay to have it towed away. 

[Captain Harley]

A buddy of mine back in the late 70's collected fire trucks.  Mostly from the late 40's and 50's.  He did borrow a nice restored mid 20's model once, I can't remember the make, from a friend of his.  He took me and my girlfriend for one wild ride in it.  It had a big open bench seat with a huge spotlight and a hand crank siren.  We got on Interstate 4 in downtown Orlando, Fla, and commenced to haul a$$ heading north to a car show.  Maybe it wasn't the safest thing to do, but is was one hell of a blast!🤪

 

Capt. Harley😉

 

 

 

[TAKerry]

I pass one regularly sitting in a scrap yard. Maybe a late 40's early 50's model. Has an open cab. One of our specialties was building firehouses. Only seen two that had antique equipment.  One (that we did not build) has a 1920's fire truck, restored in a museum like setting. I think that inspired one of the jobs I did do. It was a museum room at a larger fire company. The center  piece was an 1800's fire apparatus that was original to the company. Unless there may be a car guy in the company I would imagine they would have no desire to work on an old piece of iron in addition to keeping the new stuff ready to roll.

[AURktman]

Something like that I would turn into a massive 2 seat roadster.  Maybe I will look for one down here in Alabama.  

[60FlatTop]

JP Vandeblundt's Seagrave roadster.

 

[lump]

One of my favorite things about meetings and tours of the Southern Ohio Chapter of the AACA as a kid in the 1960's was riding in Robert "Skip" Ison's Chevrolet fire truck. I rode in it, climbed all over it, rang the bell, cranked the siren, and generally had a ball. GREAT fun memories in an antique fire truck! 

 

I'm at work now, but I'll add to this story later...

[JACK M]

There is an active fire truck bunch around here.

Somehow I got on their email list.

The prez live only a few miles from me and I have seen pictures of his place (never been there) all decked put to be a faux fire department.

They all gather at our local towns fun days (its called the "old Fashioned Festival") and squirt water at each other.

Looks like fun.

 

[J.H.Boland]

When I owned my '31 Chevy fire engine, I was a member of SPAAMFAA ( Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America). They had an awesome "muster" at Greenfield Village in Detroit with upwards of 200 trucks participating. Sure made for a colorful and noisy parade.

Photo taken at museum in Rotterdam, Holland, where it now resides.

[Ed Luddy]

This is a 29 Ford that a friend bought from Ronnie Hawkins.

[junkyardjeff]

A local antique store had a Seagrave open cab pumper that I was kind of interested in but wanted more then I was willing to pay for it,no engine and had been outside many years but I had visions of putting a straight 8 in it along with a truck 5 speed with overdrive and lighten it up some and make a big roadster p/u out of it.

[alsancle]

There are some really well done LaFrance built speedsters.   I've got a buddy with a few of them.    There are three keys to making it look right:

 

1.  Wheels - you need to have them made.   The originals are intended for and look like they belong on a truck, not a speedster.

 

2.  Cowl  - You need to chop as much out of the height as possible

 

3.  Steering column - the column needs to be angled down quite a bit - especially after you lower the cowl.

 

As for comparison to a Duesenberg,  the "wow" look under the hood is pretty cool like a J but the performance is not in the same universe.

[Guest]

23 hours ago, Captain Harley said:

A buddy of mine back in the late 70's collected fire trucks.  Mostly from the late 40's and 50's.  He did borrow a nice restored mid 20's model once, I can't remember the make, from a friend of his.  He took me and my girlfriend for one wild ride in it.  It had a big open bench seat with a huge spotlight and a hand crank siren.  We got on Interstate 4 in downtown Orlando, Fla, and commenced to haul a$$ heading north to a car show.  Maybe it wasn't the safest thing to do, but is was one hell of a blast!🤪

 

Capt. Harley😉

 

 

 

I am also the holder of a real story of a fire engine driven by an unnamed person who was stopped by a police man for doing something very wrong.

 When the policeman asked what was going on. the state supreme court judge sitting in the passenger seat told him that they were headed to a bar... so. the police man gave then an escorted ride to the bar.

We, strike that, he had a great time with that engine.

[Morgansdad]

On 2/12/2021 at 8:30 AM, Roger Walling said:

I am also the holder of a real story of a fire engine driven by an unnamed person who was stopped by a police man for doing something very wrong.

 When the policeman asked what was going on. the state supreme court judge sitting in the passenger seat told him that they were headed to a bar... so. the police man gave then an escorted ride to the bar.

We, strike that, he had a great time with that engine.

Plead the 5th !

[jeff_a]

Well, there's Carling's 9 Pints of the Law, you know.
.

Carling Brewing Co., Cleveland, O. A wholly owned subsidiary of the Peerless Corporation. 1934.

Edited February 13, 2021 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[Wheelboy]

What engine does this Rugby fire truck have?

 

[Rusty_OToole]

46 minutes ago, Wheelboy said:

What engine does this Rugby fire truck have?

 

I believe this model used a six cylinder Continental engine.

[30DodgePanel]

20 hours ago, Wheelboy said:

What engine does this Rugby fire truck have?

 

 

If it's a 1 ton 1930-32 model it should have a 22A Continental for Rugby - 3 1/4" x 4" according to catalog

 

Edited February 20, 2021 by 30DodgePanel (see edit history)

[8E45E]

On 2/11/2021 at 6:57 AM, 60FlatTop said:

Which Duesenberg has a trunk?

The 'Six Blind Men & The Elephant" parable about how each could not agree on what an elephant looked like.

 

In business, it's often used to show how the 'committee think' approach to a situation is almost always less than successful, and hardly ever a workable solution to anything.  Those six could have been GM executives.

 

Craig

[60FlatTop]

21 hours ago, Wheelboy said:

What engine does this Rugby fire truck have?

 

 

Restraint is one of my least recognized attributes.

[jan arnett (2)]

On 2/11/2021 at 1:14 PM, lump said:

One of my favorite things about meetings and tours of the Southern Ohio Chapter of the AACA as a kid in the 1960's was riding in Robert "Skip" Ison's Chevrolet fire truck. I rode in it, climbed all over it, rang the bell, cranked the siren, and generally had a ball. GREAT fun memories in an antique fire truck! 

 

I'm at work now, but I'll add to this story later...

Did you know Dick Schroder who also had a fire truck in the Southern Ohio Chapter.  A lot of fun but slow.

[lump]

6 hours ago, jan arnett (2) said:

Did you know Dick Schroder who also had a fire truck in the Southern Ohio Chapter.  A lot of fun but slow.

Why, YES, I sure did. He and his wife and (3?) daughters were active members of our little made-up Antique Fire Truck Club! We called ourselves "The Ding-a-Lings," and got together for picnics, impromptu parades, parties, and general good times. Other members included Tom & Betty Phuel, Bob "Skip" Ison and his wife Ruthie, Lynn Fledderjon (spelling?), and a few others. My parents were the only folks in the group who didn't own a fire truck, but that didn't matter to our group of fun-loving friends. They declared sometimes that my Dad was the "Keystone Kop" of the group, or that he and Mom were the Fire Chief, who naturally drove a passenger car (Hupp touring, in our case). Great times, and lots of fun to be a kid among that group!

 

I gotta get busy and find some old photos!  

[jan arnett (2)]

I knew them all and had forgotten about the ding-a-lings.  I froze my ass off riding with Schroder.    I may have some photos.  What were your parents name.

 

Edited March 1, 2021 by jan arnett (2) (see edit history)

[lump]

14 hours ago, jan arnett (2) said:

I knew them all and had forgotten about the ding-a-lings.  I froze my ass off riding with Schroder.    I may have some photos.  What were your parents name.

 

Bill and Pat Wirth, from Dayton.