Photo's of the big move!

Sorry it has been a week since we moved the fire truck and I have not posted the photo's yet. We have done some initial measuring and inventory on the truck. The boys at the Castle are going to help me remove some of the panels and start cutting up the water tank. After that we will be sandblasting the frame and all the diamond plate running boards. I'm looking for someone to donate some paint for the frame and running boards so the undercarriage is ready. We will be replacing the brake lines, and fuel lines right away, just like rolling off the showroom floor. If anyone has some automotive wiring or brake lines, extra please send them our way...

The Big Move!!

What a great day for Mehlville. I met Tim and the guys ant TIM CO around 12:15 this afternoon. It was a sunny 75 degree day that promised success. We shook hands and I gave them a few flyer's and thanked them for their support. Things went pretty smooth considering the tight turns and skinny roadways. It was amazing how the axles on the Low Boy trailer move back and forth. I have never seen such a cool towing vehicle. As we passed the Goldman Fire house (were Dave Starks Volunteered) the guys filmed us passing by. Traveling past the Antonio Fire House, the guys stood and pointed as a piece of history rolled by. Once we got to the castle things went almost to easy. The truck rolled of requiring just a little nudge. I have a bunch of pictures and plan to post them later.
The Pepsi Refresh Grant starts again tonight. I'm planning on submitting as soon as the window opens. I will need a lot of help on this so please vote everyday.... Details to follow.

The day before the big move.

Tuesday morning and I'm waiting for a call to go teach an ICF pour. What a great time to get the updates out. Yesterday I checked my PO mail box for any donations and was I ever surprised. It is humbling when family and friends understand how important and beneficial this project really is. I had several sizable donations from individuals and another SEEING Sponsor. We will be honored to add JUST FOR YOU INC. to the plaque on the side of the Fire Truck. JUST FOR YOU INC. provides professional services for small to medium companies, primarily payroll, office management and Quik Books entry.
Van City on Telegraph has also become a SEEING Sponsor. They are nationally known for their great service and support to the VAN chassis motor coaches.
Schlafly Brewery will be coming to assess our requirements for tappers and ??? sometime next week. My brother in law Rick is donating some 4" foam for around the beer cooler portion of the truck.
I have a few more but I will add them on another post.

It sometimes amazes me how positive people react to what we are going to do with this Fire Truck. I was having lunch with my cousin Bruce and told about the project, all he wanted to know is how he could be part of what we are doing and get his name on the truck. I'm going to hold him back until we need a piece of concrete to park it on. The great part is he introduced me to Jim at Jimco Towing. What a great guy, I got him on the phone yesterday and explained what we needed and all he could do is was everything he could to help us get this done. So the date is set, Wed. 31 we are bring our truck up to one of its new homes. First stop is being donated by my great friend Kevin Kulich. He has torches and welders at his job site and is donating a little time to do the removal of the old water tank and extra pieces we don't need. I will be posting pics of the move on Wed night. Until then let's keep the momentum going.

Getting the truck to its new home.

I have been searching for someone to donate a free transport for our truck. It is sitting in Jefferson County and I need it here in Mehlville. I'm going to call a couple more local large contractors and a couple of large tow truck companies. I have called on about 10 that can't even help because it is too big. If anyone knows a company with a large roll-off or big rig tow truck who might help please let me know. That is all for today.

Fixing the Blog

Ok! My brother Garrett helped me clean this up and then I spent two hours making even easier to use. I hope my fellow Lions enjoy our new Fire Truck Blog. Last week was a good one we had several donations, (even a Seeing Sponsor) and several serious considerations. We will achieve our goal of tricking out this old truck for our community. Have a Blessed Day.

Restore our truck 1 x 1

Ok, so my sister Kathy has been teaching me about blogging. Now you have to understand she hasn't done it yet either so my 4 fingered attempt to type is the foundation for this experiment.

I'm a member of the Mehlville Lions Club, and so was my son Garrett Dickerson. Last April Garrett left us to spend eternity in heaven. This is how the Fire Truck came to be. One of our club members lost her beloved husband several years ago. David was a member of our club, owned his own business and volunteered at a rural firehouse. This truck was to be set up for Davids final road trip but his angel date prohibited that completion. After Garrett passed Diana entrusted this Old truck to me for our club. I want to restore this truck to be more than a cool relic. It should promote out of the box thinking, multipurpose use, sustainability and support several generations of team work.

What is the truck you ask? It is a 1958 American LaFrance Pumper truck. Having served a long history in Wood River IL. it has been retired as a shell of a truck. The pumps are being used for Fire Training so preservation is not an option. With out the pump we don't need a 500 gallon tank, but a 100 gallon tank wood be nice. The huge void in the truck from these missing parts will become the home of a new BBQ grill and the hydraulics to extend the grill out the side when parked. These hydraulics will also raise a canopy protecting the pit seating in the rear where the tank is now. One the passenger side we are planning an area for beer and soda chillin. The stereo should satisfy even the younger generations with a couple of amps and subs. With a MP3 player hook up we can entertain everyone. This one is for my GREEN friends. How about dual solar panels to charge a bank of batteries providing plenty of power to keep this parade wagon off the electric grid.

This is where the fun comes in. We have to raise enough money to build this truck and get it out in the community. We are going to need help in many ways so I will be updating you on the different ways we will be achieveing that in upcoming posts.

I hope this is fun for all.