The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Bad news for the fire truck

Finally got around to checking on the problem with the slipping clutch on my '45 Darley 500 GPM Champion pump that's on my '65 GMC -- the clutch is completely shot. Darley will be glad to send me a rebuild kit for ... $700.

We are checking with a place in Baltimore that relines brakes to see if they can make the parts we need cheaper than that. If not, I could be in big trouble with the editor....

Wish me luck!

John

John
What does that ol boy (clutch)look like? You know I talk to a few fellas that have fire trucks out this way and deal with a few Clutch & brake guys.
Mike

Proud of it, aint they. Yes, check around locally.

When I got the clutch/pressure plate rebuilt it was easily half the price of a new pair. Not that any one really seems to have the odd sized Gmc stuff to exchange anyways...

John, when you ask a rebuild place to rebuild your clutch just act like its a new model. OLD to there ears means $$$ in most cases. Also sounds like Ol Trucks may be able to help. Get some work out of him!!

Good Luck, John

John: Try any of the folks at the ODHFS. They all know firetrucks and parts. Mostly Tommy Herman. He is the best.

ODHFS Officers - 2007

President: Clyde Clark - (703)255-2016

Vice President: Richard Cohron - (540)337-0740

Secretary: Richard Moss - (804)748-2940

Treasurer: Mike Dubus - (804)748-4048
(804)748-5914 (Fax)

Historian/Archivist: Tom Herman - (804) 590-1239

And John ... (I don't get to talk to him much at home ), there's a new fire truck in the Gallery with a Darley pump.

Will you unchain me from this computer tonight, dear?



Your loving wife.

Maybe -- depends on what's for dinner .... in the meantime, aren't you supposed to be working on Gallery submissions or something instead of goofing off in here???

Love you, too. :P

J

Break it up you two! Its supposed to be about the trucks!

John I know where there's an old firetruck in a junkyard here, I'll try to get over there and check it out in the next day or so and see what kinda pump it has. Might be able to get it cheap, I'll get back with you on it.

Rob -- Cool -- Thanks! Just be advised -- if the pump is a mid-ship pump (mounted in the frame aft of the cab and run off a PTO, I can't use it -- mine is a front-mounted "Bumper Pumper." Also, if the truck has sat for awhile in the weather, the pump probably needs as much work as mine does.

If it has the dome-topped "Beacon Ray" light and/or a Federal Q siren, grab them, too!

Regards,
John

john i had a local company remake a clutch plate for me several years ago. they sandblasted the old plate and finally found a spring to replace a busted one, and riveted on new friction material (they had to guess at the thickness, but must have been right). new rivets, and the thing was ready to install.

it was on an antique as hell silver king tractor. it still works just fine.

oh yeah. the costs were staggering. $104.00

Thanks guys for the guidance. Apparently, this clutch is a little different than "normal" clutches in that is has something on the plates similar to "teeth." I haven't seen this for myself, only what I get over the phone from Bill the pump guy (he's a Model T and firetruck guy who's day profession is as a factory certified service rep for Darley, Hale, Waterous, etc). Anyway, all these teeth were ground off and loose in the housing (apparently), but he has enough left of the discs to try and get a regular brake/clutch place in Baltimore to at least give him an estimate of the repair. Haven't heard back yet -- which I am considering a good sign.

Kool -- that's what I'm thinking -- an old local company old guy hopefully would take one look at this, shrug and say "no prob."

If not, my "Plan B" is to just put the pump back on as an ornament and just use one of my portable trash pumps to actually pump with. I'd really like to get the pump functional (for less than $700...) if possible, though.

Plan C (Peggy will kill me if she reads this) is to pull all the fire equipment from the truck (including the tank), turn it into a flat bed and sell it. And then look for a mid to late '60's GMC COE fire engine with a mid ship pump and 1,500-gallon tank. Maybe a Detroit-powered one with Dayton rims instead of these scary widow makers... As long as I'm developing a wish list, I'll add a poly tank, hoses, ladders, axes, pikes, nozzles, deck gun, SCBAs, radio, Federal 2Q ... waa hoo!!!


John

J.M.V.F.D John Milliman Volunteer Fire Department I think I may be able to come up with some people to crew the rig for ya! HAHA

Crew??? You mean, like, to actually go running into burning buildings to put out fires and crazy stuff like that???

Hmmm, let's see... I think I know who you're thinking of.... And if you think I want to get into a truck with those crazies... well, you need to smoke better crank than that. Besides, they all have their own fire trucks that actually work.

I think we have enough antique apparatus in St. Mary's County for the St. Mary's Veteran Fire Battalion. I'll be "Tanker Co. 2" (Gary is Tanker 1). Henry and John V are the two Engine Companies. And that guy over on Steer Horn Neck has the ladder truck. Now all we need is for Pat and Mary to get an antique ambulance!

John

John: Real Firemen never mention getting involved with an ambulance... And Peggy has a right to kill you if she reads your above "wish list" for the firetruck (plan C).

Bill

We will leave the band aid chasin to the e.m.ts. I joined the fire department to fight fire.

Bill -- What's wrong with my wish list???? And why are you taking her side???? Thanks a BUNCH.

Mike ... You should hear what my Bro-in-law (the Sheriff) calls you guys ...

And this is all very close to being a moot point, anyway (where are them matches????) The dang truck is DEAD. Bill Marlow and I walked about 3 miles up to bring it back in (It is our "gate Guard" this time of year with the big "welcome to our Tree Farm" banner on it) this evening and it wouldn't turn over! The ungrateful hunk of junk. So it can just sit out there all week. Mike, if you drive by the farm, you will see the truck out by the road. It is D-E-D DEAD. I think it's about time we had us a Class D fire ...


John

Don't you dare light that darn thing off. If you need help getting it running, I am more than willing to help ya fix it this week, so it will move. I used to say that G.M.C meant Got Mike Crying but I guess we can call it Got Milliman Cussin! Hey, It's all cool, this is just a stumblin block in Stovebolt Land. My 52' is in the garage with most of the brake components off and a list is materializing for rebuild kits. I've been in you're shoes many times with my old G.M.C I am not laughing at you, but it is nice to see I am not the only one who experiences these complications.

i think maybe some of you guys might appreciate this. several years ago, the city of indianapolis ran a fleet of old maxim oasis open cab engines. the trucks had been refurbed with 238 detroits, and the gas engines junked. those things ran and pumped like crazy. at any rate, the time came for the old then antique maxim's to be put out to pasture to be replaced with a fleet of then new e-1's which were basically a c model ford, and as i remember, some la france engines.

indy was pretty proud of the new apparatus, and i was home visiting when the fire chief was on the news showing of the new toys. the next day i was downtown. i think it was on a saturday, because there was almost no traffic. i looked behind a building, and in the alley was a pretty big dumpster, and it was blazing. in the distance i hear the sound of a q siren, and, the unmistakeable sound of a detroit diesel rapped out to the max. i pulled over into a parking spot and got out to watch. i figured since i was on vacation, it would be fun to watch other people work for a change.
i'm standing there as an old maxim comes busting around the corner, siren screaming, the old beacon ray flashing, and 2 alternating lights mounted in front of the windshield flashing.

it was manned by 2 guys in the seat, 4 guys on the tailboard, and 2 guys up in the hosebed hanging on for dear life. as the engine turned into the alley, one of the guys on the tailboard fell off, and rolled to a stop at my feet. i looked at him and yelled "safe" and gave the umpire sign, then asked him if he was o.k.. the son of a b*tch was so drunk i don't think anything could have hurt him, and he went staggering towards the engine, with his equally drunk buddies, who were dragging out a booster line to fight the fire with. in a very short time, they got water going, and had the fire out. i think the old maxim only had a 500 gallon tank, maybe 750 tops, but these guys used nearly all if it. then they reeled everything up, and shook hands with each other like they just put out the chicago fire.

now in the distance i hear another q-2, and an electronic siren going, along with a set of grover emergency horns. a flashy new e-1 rounds the corner, turns into the alley, and confronts......an early 50's maxim, a dumpster that's leaking water from every seam, and 8 drunk shriners, and one of the shriners was hosing off a wall in the alley. (the used beer drain type hose). i stood there with a huge smile on my face and watched the officer on the engine as he confronted the unruly pack of "volunteers". in the end, the officer called for police as the shriners were definitely in the mood to whip the officers backside. the shriners left as they came, only without the siren, and as they rounded the corner they were yelling like high school kids at a football game.

i just laughed and shook my head and started to leave when a police car pulled up. the fire officer asked me if i had witnessed what happened and i laughed at him and told him i did, but i had to be on my way. the officer insisted i talk to the cop, and i said i didn't have time, but the officer insisted and called the cop over to where we were standing. the officer told the cop what happened, and pointed at me as a witness. the cop said "did you witness what happened?", and i told him i had. the cop asked what i saw and i told him, "a pack of drunks on an antique as hell fire engine beat a brand new high dollar piece of apparatus manned by so-called professional fire fighters to the scene of a working fire and had the fire extinguished, hose reeled up, and had taken time to [censored] on a wall before the first due engine could even make the scene, and i'll say exactly that on a witness stand. any more questions?". it was decided there would be no prosecutions, but the incident was reported the next day in the newspaper, and the story read, the shriners promise not to do that again.

oh yeah, the officer stopped me as i was leaving and said "you used the terms apparatus, and first due when you talked to the cop, what the hell do you do for a living?" i just laughed and said "guess", then walked away.

Interesting. Folks would never believe some of the things we see at emergencies scenes.

on a shift when i was working the bus, we ran on a med call to an address we had to run on alot. there was a dolly parton look alike who lived there, and honestly, was a hypochondriac. she had a pair of 38 "d" knockers, she stuffed into a much smaller bra. probably at least 2 sizes too small.

this time, at a family gathering, she laid on the living room floor, and said she couldn't breathe. the entire family was in the living room when we walked in, and we asked the men if they could take the children into another room. that left us in the room with about 4 women, and the woman's husband. now this gal is fighting for breath (hyperventilating) and is loud as hell with her moaning and whining. (it's a neat trick being able to yell when you can't breathe). as i set up the cardiac monitor, my partner unbuttoned the patient's blouse, and we both could easily see the thing was cutting into her flesh. my partner pulled out his scissors and cut the bra, which snapped like a high powered rubber band and a couple of glands burst forth about 4 inches into the air. for a moment, it was perfectly quiet. my partner and i were staring at quite an impressive set, and i think we realized this was far out of the ordinary. my partner, who later told me he didn't mean to say it, said out loud, well, hell-lo! i started laughing under my breath, and fighting not to laugh out loud. i lowered my head, and connected the leads to the monitor, but i was trying so hard not to laugh, i was blowing snot bubbles and drooling. my buddy was doing much the same. as per her usual, our patient started feeling much better and refused transport. as we were loadin our stuff, the woman's husband came outside, and man, he was mad.

he looks at me, ready to fight, and asks if i was laughing at his wife. i ask him "you got cats in there?", and he says, "well yeah, what that got to do with anything?". i told him i'm highly allergic to cats, and i was trying as hard as i could not to cough on your wife. i couldn't help the runny nose and slobber, but i apologize for that". the guy says "oh", and walks back to the house. on the way back, my partner says "man, you are quick thinking. for a minute i thought i was going to see you get your butt kicked". some partner.

sorry for stealing your thread john. i'm done.

Kool,
No prob -- the first story had me almost crying I'm still chuckling over it! The second one was pretty good. Got anymore?

John

Kool, great stories. Best laugh I've had today. The first one sort of reminds me of my volunteer days back in the late 70's. Man, the stuff we did back then....

It was too bad John's fire truck was dead last night because he was going to let me take it for a spin. I'm sure we would have let the whole neighborhood know that we were done selling Christmas tree for the day, lights and sirens blaring.
He was kind of bummed out but I couldn't give him a hard time as my 46 is sitting in my shop with a dead battery too. It also might be because he spent the day driving a two horse power wagon that performed great. What treat. How many tree places do you go to that you can get a nice cup of hot chocolat, a beautiful tree and take ride on a white wagon being pulled by to beautiful Clydesdales. Put me down (and your co-driver) for tree detail next year, every year!

Ive heard those horses are a b*tch to work on.

Koolkar we oughta have story tellin day for you, those are great!

Not so bad, actually. They're not Belgians by any stretch, but ole Doc and Silver did okay for a couple of rookies.

But speaking of seasoned vets, man oh man did I have a flashback to May of 2006.... We were pulling out with the horse trailer when all of a sudden, the Gator comes screaming up, Marlow leaps off, flies to the center of the road (placing himself in harm's way) to direct us out. It was a magnificent replay of the '06 ATHS national. If they gave out awards for traffic direction, the way he selflessly placed himself in front of danger to ennable our smooth exit with complete disregard for his own safety, he would surely get the Medal of Honor for such a cool, calm and forceful display of courage that far exceeded the call of duty, inspired all of those observing and reflected great credit upon himself, Friendship Forest and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the antique truck hobby.

For the President,
J.C. Milliman
Editor

So we respond to an airplane down, yup we had an airport in our jurisdiction. Get on the scene and there's a Beachcraft twin 50 yards from the shore with 5 folks standing on the wings in knee deep water in the middle of winter. We launch our boats, also had a reservoir in the district, package as best we can until we get to shore and finish the packaging. I get the pilot and get him into the ambulance, I says to the guy, that was an incredible landing being able to put the plane down with seemingly little damage as was done, absolutely incredible! He says yes, ran out of gas on the approach (airport was another 5 miles), and he continues, I have experience though, it’s the second time it’s happened to me. God be my judge…

Cam
Ex-Chief, Armonk VFD

Very funny! Thanks.

i feel your pain on your pump. i have a mid mount darley 500 gpm two stage pump on my 51 gmc 350 that has a mechanical seal instead of packing. i compete in pumping competitions and the seal was leaking which increased my draft time thus making it more difficult to quickly get primed. to be able to compete i needed to change the seal. i got the pump tore down and it is a simple cartridge seal with spring(so i thought) local seal suppliers couldnt match up the size of it SO i had to go OEM back to darley. the seal cost me $534. in the process they had all the prints and parts i.d. for the whole pump unit which included the shift box and primer assembly and supplied them to me electronically before i even had the seal. i had excellant customer service from the darley pump factory in wisconsin. i now have the seal make and # should i need to replace it somewhere down the road along with all the pump info.

the cost of the seal was $534.
the cost of the five stiches tearing down the pump was $800.
the cost to replace the bearing while i was in there $168.
the cost of taking two first places and one second place pumping awards while going up against not more than fifteen year old trucks with a 56 year old gmc PRICELESS

some people said i was :crazy: for what i wanted to do. i wanted to pump with mine and did what i had to do to get the results i desired.

my feelings are "what good is a firetruck if you can't pump with it"

if you decide to go back to darley chances are you'll get what you'll need and more which is all the info on the pump itself and in the end worth the price

Curious, did you get the pump fixed?

Curious, did you get the pump fixed?

Cannonball,

The patient is still in surgery and I haven't heard yet. Thanks for the reminder -- I'll call the pump doc tonight!

The other good news is that I sold the Crossfire so now I have some $$ to get the truck repainted, as well!

Regards,
John

That will be really nice! Love to have our truck repainted but it is presentable as it is. It does have a couple scratches and rubs. (Old battle scars) That does give it character as an original so we are going to leave it as it is for the time being.

Is the patient in the recovery room yet. How's he doing

Alvin, To be honest, I don't even know if the surgery is complete just yet. Hopefully, we'll know something before May...

John

Alvin,

Got word today that Gary (of the fire truck recovery mission fame) stopped by to check on the truck this week and he says it's looking great! I may slip out there tomorrow to see...

Checked on my wheels today and they are coming along nicely. They are the tubeless wheels I got from Grigg and sent off to be shot peened and powder coated for $35 ea. Should have them back by Friday.



John

Things are looking up.