MTFCA Forum

The Fire Museum of Greater Chicago has received the donation of a beautiful red 1913 T fire truck... IF we would remove it from a 13th floor office lobby! Our volunteers disassembled it, took it down the elevator, and reassembled it in our Museum. It is beautiful, with a 15? year old restoration and polished brass with gold trim. BUT... none of our volunteers know how to check over the engine, and how to start it. We very much need someone to show us how. Our Museum is at 5218 S. Western Avenue, Chicago, in a retired firehouse. This should be a fun project for a Model T engine person, and since it has no relation to the CFD, when it runs we will sell it to a good home. Thanks. Jim Van Drunen Let's talk... 954-290-6901 frostfree2@aol.com

With respect, since you have no interest in keeping it or displaying it, why not sell it now and save parts $$ and a whole ton of time and effort?

There is zero chance that the car will just "start right up" even if shown how, as my experience with display cars is that they almost always are pretty but have a great deal of issues/repairs which need to be done in order to start them much less make them roadworthy

Firetrucks have their own unique following and aficionados - it will sell either way, and the increase in sale price to you, between a display vehicle and a running display vehicle may not even exceed the price of the parts it takes to make it so

Was the truck donated by Fireman's Fund/Allianz?

Sent you an email. May be interested in buying

A couple poor quality closeup photos on the AACA forum.

Looks nice. But likely not a real 1913. A bunch of mixed year parts, many from the 1920s including the engine.

Link to AACA discussion;

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/400045-ch ... nt-2550381

I wish I was closer. It could be a fun way to spend a couple days. I did that for the Livermore Historical Guild about forty years ago for their Livermore's "first fire truck". It was a 1917 runabout with a chemical fire extinguisher mounted on the back in 1918. I got it running for the first time in decades and drove it in a couple parades for them. Other people did more work on it later.

Hi James,
Being a retired fire service mechanic & a Model T junkie for economy airfair & lodging I'm your huckleberry.
Craig.

I wish I were closer...