Peering out of this garage is a classic piece of vintage firefighting equipment. This 1935 Ford Type 51 Pumper Truck is essentially complete and is in sound mechanical health. It looks like it would come up a treat if restored, but could also be a great vehicle to use in parades and at shows as it currently stands. The mighty Ford is located in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has now reached $9,100, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
The overall condition of this old beauty is actually pretty impressive. The panels look to be nice and straight. Generally speaking, the paint doesn’t look to be too bad. It has a bit of a matte look to it, but I suspect that it would respond well to some TLC with some polish. There are a few spots where the paint has come away, particularly in areas such as the seat cowl and the pump tank, but if a repaint is not on the agenda, then simply applying a satin clear-coat to those areas would protect them from further deterioration. Having said that, it would be very hard to resist restoring the vehicle to its former glory, because it would certainly attract plenty of attention at shows and in parades. What is nice is to see that all of the original sirens and lights are still present, and the owner says that these work as they should.
The “interior” of a vehicle such as this is focused a lot more on function than form, with everything designed to be robust, and as close to waterproof as is humanly possible. The most obvious sign of age in the vehicle is the state of the steering wheel, which sports some pretty impressive cracks. I suspect that the seat may have received a new cover at some point because I find the condition of the existing cover to be far better than I would expect from a firefighting appliance of this age. The rest of the interior is essentially painted surfaces, and once again, some time spent with polish and a cloth should produce some pretty rewarding results.
The owner doesn’t provide any engine photos, but we do know that the Type 51 is fitted with the 85hp version of the 221ci flathead V8 and that this is backed by a 4-speed manual transmission. The old Ford has been the recipient of a lot of recent mechanical work, including a full rewire, the fuel tank has been cleaned and sealed, the carburetor and brakes have both received a rebuild, and a new water pump has been fitted. The owner says that the vehicle runs and drives well, and while the tires are now pretty old, they show no signs of rot. From a firefighting perspective, the owner says that the actual pump for this pumper is present, although it doesn’t currently function. That will need some investigation. The other item that the next owner will need to source is the hose itself. The drafting hose is present, but the regular firefighting hose, which would almost certainly have been canvas, is missing.
Vintage firefighting appliances are always interesting vehicles, and there is no doubt that nicely preserved or restored examples will attract significant attention wherever they go. Of course, the one factor that governs their value is whether the right person or people can be found to bid on a vehicle such as this because they are quite a specialized piece of equipment. There are currently 60 people who are watching the listing, and for a vehicle such as this, that’s a pretty solid sort of response. Maybe this one is set to find itself a new home.
No Doubt It’s Smokin Kewl
Great looking parade vehicle!
There is a lot of interest lately in modern fire dept.’s restoring older fire trucks. This one is old enough and clean enough, that I bet that’s who is bidding on it. They are very impressive when finished. Our little town restored a 1911 Kissel engine, that I believe was the city’s 1st fire truck. ( I was the only one looking at it at the last car show) Newer engines don’t have the zing, but this old trucks life ain’t over yet.
https://www.alamy.com/antique-restored-1911-kissel-fire-truck-annual-fourth-of-july-parade-in-the-small-colorado-mountain-town-of-salida-image260053532.html
My hometown of Cavalier, North Dakota had one of these – big fight in the city over the purchase of it – many thought it was too expensive. Didn’t see its first fire until January of 1938. My buddy lived next door to the fire hall. Being a typical old Ford, the thing never wanted to start so many times the firemen had to pull it to start it before they could answer the call. It was sold sometime in the late 70’s – believe it went to Colorado. Wish I had grabbed some photos of it. Anybody know where it is????
Really cool vehicle, but it would take up half of my garage. Great for parades, but I am not sure what else it could be used for. Perhaps delivering Santa to events.
Nice truck for sure. I’m a little bit-picky here but the emblems on the hood tell me that this is a ‘35. Very little difference between the two other than that.
I don’t know what I would do with this as it is outfitted as a fire truck. I would hope to have something I could actually use. However, I would hope that the new owner preserves it to show what it was like 80+ years ago…
What did I miss geomechs? It’s listed as a ’35, so the hood emblems are correct. What is the “…two other..” to which you make reference?
The emblems on the ‘35 are in the lower center of the hood sides. The ones for the ‘36 are in the front, as these are.