The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts The Stovebolt Volunteer Fire Department 1954 GMC Pumper

I am new here. I thought some of you might enjoy some pictures of my engine. It is a 1954 GMC 630 with a General body and a Waterous 750GPM pump. It was a Baltimore City Civil Defense Truck when new, then a second line engine until 1974.

Picture circa ~1957 - as a CD engine. I'd like to find a deck gun like that!

http://s1061.photobucket.com/user/abhadurihauck/media/Engine23_zps9def5d21.jpeg.html?sort=3&o=2

Picture outside the Bel Air Road Station as SLE 23.

http://s1061.photobucket.com/user/a...E23_zps623a636e.jpeg.html?sort=3&o=1

When I got it in 2010:

http://s1061.photobucket.com/user/abhadurihauck/media/Scan2_zps847c8f3c.jpeg.html?sort=3&o=0

Uncovered "Baltimore Fire Department SLE 23" on the door:

http://s1061.photobucket.com/user/abhadurihauck/media/Scan3_zpsbe79c536.jpeg.html

As it looks now:

http://s1061.photobucket.com/user/abhadurihauck/media/IMG_0127_zpsbba7f0aa.jpg.html?sort=3&o=10

Still a lot of work to do, but it is a fun project.

Alex

Welcome to the Stovebolt VFD

Looks like you have have a neat project with "history" to go with it.

Are you restoring it back to CD red or Baltimore white?

Finding a deck gun as well as any other equipment you may need will not be hard.

My 57 Chevy Fire Engine was in service in Fredericksburg, PA for 38 years. Where in Pennsylvania are you located?

Mike B

Mike, Thanks for the welcome. I am located in SE PA between Delta and Fawn Grove. I think I will put it back to CD red maybe with a few changes to color scheme in some areas.

A lot of tools/nozzles/dry rotted hoses came with the truck (in various states of corrosion). It even had part of the wooden extension ladder hanging on the side still, but too far gone to do anything with.

Glad to hear that accessories can still be had. What is the best source for hose/suction line?

First thing on the list is brakes - needs a new master cylinder/hydroboost rebuild.

Your trucks look great! Fredericksburg, PA is about an hour and a half north of me.

Alex,

You're in a good place for lots of truck related events held every year.

There is a VERY large fire apparatus show, muster and flea market in Harrisburg every July put on by Pennsylvania Pump Primers. Hundreds of engines line up along the river and pump...fun for the entire family.

There is a Truck Show every Fathers Day Weekend (June 18-20, 2015) in Macungie, PA (just south of Allentown). Great show (600+ trucks) and a large flea market/swap meet. This is a must do show...

There's a large ALL fire related flea market every April in Allentown. This year it's April 18-19.

There's an all fire truck show/muster in Westminster, MD every June, this year it's June 6th.

The ATHS Annual Convention and Show will be in York, PA this year from May 25-30. There will be close to 1000 trucks there with a large flea market. A lot of us Stovebolt guys will be there, you should plan on being at this one.

As for parts, you'd be surprised what NAPA can get. The MC may have to be sent out for sleeving if it's pitted, but a rebuilt Hydrovac unit is still available. Wheel cylinders are also available for most trucks.

When doing the brakes make sure you replace ALL of the steel and rubber lines. They both fail from the inside out...be safe.

Keep your wooden ladder, they are getting hard to find and are expensive. I saw a 24' NOS one sell for $750.00. Worst case is you make a new ladder (for static display only) using your existing hardware.

Also, check out the Old Dominion section here on the Stovebolt page...we are an active group and you would be part of the northern group of guys that belong...

Hope to see you at one of these events.

Mike B

Mike,

You forgot the 2015 Winter SPAAMFAA Convention in Baltimore in March!!!

Alex, Mike is spot-on with his info. Allentown specifically has a great flea-market on Sunday. I've never been to Harrisburg, but I've sure seen the pictures. Awesome!

Deck gun? Forget the deck gun!!! Get that high-pressure manifold/hydrant on the running board! They're out there, but may be worth as much as the truck! ;-)

Hard Suctions are still widely available. Hold out on them until you find a set in good condition. You'll need to know the exact size you need, based on the inlets on the truck. (are you in the fire service? If so, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know - sorry).

Speaking of not knowing, us Midwest types can be a little slow: What does SLE stand for?!

And Generals made in Detroit are nice, but they're not as nice as the ones General made when they were still in St. Louis, until about 1933! Hah! The workers that stayed behind in St. Louis when General moved, eventually created Central Fire Apparatus, which survived into the 70s, and are well-appreciated locally.

Keep us posted on your progress, and post any questions - us firebolters need to stick together! ;-)

-Michael

Mike/Michael, thank you both for the good information! I'm putting these events on the 2015 calendar and plan on attending at least a few.

Mike, 10-4 on the brakes. I went through all that when reworking the brake system on my '63 F**d.

Michael, I am not in the fire service, so I am learning as I go...SLE stands for second line engine

I did not know that Generals were originally made in St. Louis. I do know that General stopped manufacturing truck bodies in '56, so mine is relatively late model haha.

One other question I do have, while I am feeling out this project, how do you guys go about repairing a midship pump? I assume you get parts from the manufacture?

Thanks again,

Alex

Don't try and pump your engine until you get to know some of the old time firemen in your area and get their help.

The first thing you want to connect up to a water source like another engine or pressurized hydrant and Back Flush any rust/gunk/mud out of the lines before you spin the pump. It might be a good idea to open the top of the tank before you get it wet and wet/dry vacuum any sepiment/rust out of it as well (mine had about 4" of mud in it). A little PM might keep you from breaking a hard to replace part. I think you can still get wear parts for waterous Pumps, don't know about pump housings or impellers...

I took my engine to a local Muster and got a real education on how to run my set-up...My truck has a 500 gpm mid-shaft pump and a 30 gpm PTO Pump that puts out close to 1000 psi of water through the booster reels.

The Westminster Muster is a great one for this as the pumps line up around a large farm pond and it's easy to move trucks around to support you, where Harrisburg all of the trucks are in single file.

Mike B

I think I'll hold off on testing the pump for now then. I have a small pond here at the house I was thinking of using, but a pressurized source sounds like a better idea. I know the tank has a bunch of rust and crud in the bottom so it will definitely need cleaning.

I am looking forward to going to some musters this year and see some trucks in operation.

Alex,

Pumping from a static water source, such as a pond, is the hardest thing a fire pump has to do, especially a mid-ship. Since centrifugal pumps, such as your Waterous, do not self-prime, they rely on a second, primer pump to generate vacuum in the pump to start water through. And, as you might imagine, to generate vacuum, every part of the water way has to be tight and leak free. It's more complicated than pumping from a pressure source, such as hydrants, which is, of course, why all city departments use hydrants, and many don't even carry hard-suctions to draft with any longer.

Mike is, again, spot on with his suggestion of back-flushing the pump. There will be lots of rust built up in the tank and pump. You will NOT likely EVER get the rust flakes to stop flowing from the booster tank - just the nature of the beast. Can make spraying through the booster reels and smaller nozzles frustrating, since they tend to plug up with rust. Not a problem when drafting or pumping from hydrant.

Waterous will actually still answer your call about your pump. You will want the model number, and serial number off it, so they can reference drawings about it. I think there's atag on the top side of the pump. Not saying they'll have parts, but just getting drawings can help if needed. The above musters will also have people selling, or even sharing, old pump manuals, if you need that. Typical pump maintenance would include repacking the pump, which, fair warning, is NOT for the faint of heart. Can be a real hassle. Good news is, if the truck drafts ok, it shouldn't need repacking - only if it's leaking like a monster when you pump.

I would strongly suggest checking the pump transmission for good oil, or better yet, just plan on changing it. Drain plug on the bottom, fill level plug on the side, maybe even a dipstick if you can get to it. Uses same oil as your tranny, usually. From sitting, they can tend to collect water in the transmissions over time, good to get fresh oil in there.

I"m a little envious - learning to pump your first truck is a blast! Have a good time, and don't be shy. Lots of help for you out there and here.

-Michael