by Rich Willard
Owner and founder, Vintage Motorcars
Nearly 80 years after the Montville (CT) Fire Company first put their 1931 American LaFrance fire truck into service, the old firefighter is returning home, practically brand new.
Montville’s first fire truck was tired, worn out, and in need of attention. In 2004, members of the all-volunteer fire department decided to have their pride and joy restored by a professional shop.
The timing for the restoration project was just about right for the department too, since it was celebrating its 75th anniversary. The membership researched who would be best qualified in Southern New England to make the necessary repairs and put the glitter back into the gold-leaf lettering.
After much discussion, the Montville Fire Company selected Vintage Motorcars LLC of Westbrook, Connecticut. Vintage’s track record of getting the job done right reflected the philosophy and thoroughness of the fire company’s philosophy, too. Both were committed to bring the “lady” back to life.
The good news in this restoration story, the 31’ LaFrance had always been safely housed inside the Montville fire house., and thus all the parts were on-hand. The bad news: many of the mechanical and electrical parts were so outdated that each had to be completely disassembled, restored, and reassembled. This takes time and patience.
In the spring of 2005, the craftsmen at Vintage Motorcars took on the large restoration like any other antique vehicle. Digital photos of various sections of the truck were taken: exterior, undercarriage, engine, pumper, storage, operator compartment, etc. These images would be critical during the final phase of the project–reassembly.
You can learn a lot about the history of a vehicle, especially a fire truck, when it’s being dismantled and its subassembly parts are cataloged for restoration. Through the years, the restoration experts at Vintage could see that the Old 31’ had not been given the best of care. Although previous caregivers may have thought along the way that they were preserving a piece of American firefighting history, unfortunately their attempts were exposed during the dismantling process.
The job of restoring “lady” was going to be exhaustive and extensive, requiring hundreds of hours of research, labor, and parts procurement. But the crew at Vintage was ready to take on this daunting project.
Fire trucks are exposed to a lot of water. Compound that use of water over decades and expose it to metal and you get rust.
First to get blasted, cleaned, and primed was the huge truck frame. After sandblasting, a lot of the rusty metal needed to be cut out from the large curved wheelwells and other areas near the cab and replaced.
The restoration process is much like any other vehicle except a fire truck of this vintage is four times the size of a car and twice as high. This fire apparatus was delivered to the Post Road restoration shop with dry rotted wood in the rear stowage area (which had to be replaced); dry leather seats that needed to be recovered and sharpened; hoses that needed to be renewed; and a variety of components including knobs, pipes, gauges, and bells that all had to be rechromed.
Montville’s 31’ LaFrance got a full makeover. After sand massaging the metal back to life and applying more than six gallons of primer and paint, the “lady” was starting to look like her original self.
The bright chrome-rimmed dials, handles, and knobs came back flawlessly. Even the heavy-duty running boards were topped with chrome diamond plating.
In the spring of 2010, Montville’s first lady of firefighting will proudly roar again through town. Parade goers will hear her siren wailing and bright polished bell clanging away, thanks to the craftsmen at Vintage Motorcars.
