Fire Fighting History: 1949 American LaFrance Pumper
Diverse is certainly a word that best describes the offerings that we see here at Barn Finds. This 1949 American LaFrance Pumper is no exception. You will find it listed for sale here on eBay. It is located in Santa Barbara, California, and is offered with a clear title. Bidding on this old classic has reached $1,250 at the time of writing.
A bit of detective work has allowed me to confirm that this vehicle is a 700-Series Pumper. These were produced by American LaFrance between 1947 and 1959. The cab design for the 700 was revolutionary, as the cab-forward design allowed an increase in forward visibility over its predecessor of an astounding 250%. This 700 looks to be in quite good condition. The body appears to be straight, with only a few minor dings around the front of the cab. Certainly restoring the vehicle to its original glory shouldn’t present too many challenges.
The interior of any firefighting appliance is purely functional, with little consideration being given to creature comforts. Interior trim is always hard-wearing, allowing it to cope with the dirt, soot, and moisture that is such a major part of firefighting. The interior of this 700 is largely in good condition, but the cover on the driver’s seat is badly torn. Sourcing a replacement shouldn’t be a problem as there are a number of historic groups that specialize in maintenance and spares for the American LaFrance.
Unfortunately, we don’t get any engine shots, and this is a huge disappointment for me. The 700-Series could be fitted with any one of four different V12 engines, and a lack of photos makes it virtually impossible to determine which of these engines it could be. The engines were all a work of art, and all featured double-redundancy for the ignition system. This meant that each engine featured two distributors, four ignition coils, and two spark plugs per cylinder. That gave these 12-cylinder engines 24 spark plugs. The engine on this vehicle doesn’t currently run, but the seller seems to believe that the issue may be associated with the battery and the twin carburetors.
If you were to buy this American LaFrance, what would you do with it? There’s no doubt that you could dismantle the rear of the vehicle and transform it into a camper. It could also be used as a mobile pumping service to empty dams, ponds or swimming pools. Personally, I’d like to see someone restore it and either show it at truck shows or display it in a motoring museum for people to appreciate and enjoy.
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Comments
The interior picture is NOT of this rig.
Ha! Good eye. It appears to be another fire engine, but it’s an IH 1600 ( or 1800) Loadstar cabover. Same old thing, it’s an old fire engine. Pull the 12 banger, and put it in a rat rod. Just to be clear, it did have 24 plugs, but the dual ignition was for a backup, it didn’t fire 24 plugs at the same time.
And here I just thought the split window wasn’t visible from the inside.
I thought perhaps the “invisible split windshield” might have been a rare option ..
I looked at that interior and thought: ‘LaFrance didn’t use a Binder steering wheel; in fact the whole interior is 1/ too new, and 2/ too Binder. However, I do like the truck. For what it’s worth, it wouldn’t be the most practical machine to morph into a camper; that 12 cyl. motor will barely make it between gas stations. Our car club restored one about 15 years ago. The city had sold it to an individual who promptly pulled the engine and trans and sold it. We got it w/o a powertrain so we opted to install a (get ready for this) small block Chevy and a THM 350 (I was out-voted). The city has it again and uses it for parades and other promotional activities.
Looks like an International cab. I thought finally one close to me ( not that I’d buy it) then………Oh.
This brings back memories. Our fire dept had one like this in the fleet. My father was the foreman and that truck was his favorite. Being the foreman he was first on the calls and that truck was the one he would take even though it was the oldest one in the fleet at the time.
These were built in Elmira NY, about a couple hours drive from my town. When the factory was closing they took it down there for a rebuild, and I got to ride along on the way down. They removed the hose load out of the back and that made for a real rough ride. There were no seat belts and it was like a carnival ride as I bounced around the cab. A real adventure for a kid.
Unfortunately these things are really only good for their intended purpose or for show or display. A camper conversion with that crazy stiff suspension wouldn’t be comfortable at all. I suppose you could air-bag it instead of leaf springs.
I own a 1947 model, and would love to know more about who made the motor. I have the owners and service manual but can’t seem to find out much about the meat and potatoes of who made what. I live in West Michigan, and the original gold painted trim says Holland Township. I have since spoke with their fire chief who stated they had 3 trucks that were all of the 700 series many years ago. I spoke with a man with a 1954 model that was pumping with it for a demonstration on the other side of the state, and the only difference we could find was the size of the inlet, which lead us to realize that mine had a 750 GPM pump and his had a 1000 GPM pump. I was told there were as many as 4 sizes of the V-12 gasoline engine made for the 700 series, and mine was a “baby” one. I was told I was fortunate to have an engine that not only drove, but pumped and drafted in such good condition. However, I would certainly wish to know how I can get more information on my rig.
When I was growing up, our dept. had one of these. My father was the foreman and he was the first one on the calls. That would be the truck he would take even though it was the oldest one in the fleet at the time.
These were built in Elmira NY, about 2hrs from our town. When the factory was closing they sent it down for an engine rebuild and I got to ride along, a cool adventure for a kid. They took the hose load out of the back which made the ride really rough.
Really these are only good for their intended purpose or for show or display. The suspension is way too stiff for camper conversion. I suppose you could air-bag it instead of the leaf springs.
Sorry about the double comment, it acted like it bumped me and didn’t show my post at the time.
If all 24 plugs fired at the same time as someone mentioned, there would be a huge bang and that would be it.
Actually, I think it could run on all 24 plugs, like a top fuel dragster.( 2 magnetos firing both plugs at the same time) The timing was the same for both distributors. My old man’s business partner had an old Seagrave with a 12 cylinder, dual ignition, and when it was running, you could switch it back and forth, but not both, IIRC. It was meant as a backup system in case one failed. Got to get to the fire.
Awesome looking truck. I’ve always loved these old-school fire trucks. I hope someone purchases it and restores as much as possible. Some areas look immaculate, while others look like they desperately need restoration. :)
Would make a cool race or show car hauler. Saw Ford truck somewhat like this one on TV a few months ago, modified to haul a vintage Ferrari.
It’s a pretty neat of fire truck and I think the V12 would be cool to work on, it would be something different. I would restore it to as close to a new working vision of what it used to be. It’s not as cool as an old OshKosh but still a neat truck!!
I’ll bet that cab-way-forward design is a real hoot to drive. Neat truck.
Where is the radiator on these things? With no front grill how did they direct air to it ? Sorry for the dumb question
Not a dumb question. I believe the radiator was located ahead of the engine, it had a air scoop underneath to pick up the air.