Restored fire truck set to go: Will Mother Nature go along?
The restored Mack fire engine dating to 1932 that has undergone a major restoration arrived back on Shelter Island Thursday morning ready to take its place among other historic vehicles that are to be displayed at parades and other major events.
It’s been a three-year, approximately $200,000 restoration by FireCraft in Blairstown, New Jersey, that drew some criticism for costs, but is likely to result in “ohs” and “ahs” at Saturday’s Shelter Island Historical Society Car Show.
The truck underwent a quick restoration in the mid 1970s, costing about $50,000, to get it ready for show time for the 1976 Bicentennial. But that work was done by what Commissioner Larry Lechmanski characterized as a shoddy job. But he said he didn’t know if those who handled that first restoration had simply authorized work to make the truck look good on the surface of if the company that handled the job then chose to cut corners.
This restoration — undertaken by the Fire District, bearing one-third of the cost from taxpayer funding, and the Fire Department, paying the balance with money raised at special events — was far more than cosmetic. Besides all the body work, there was work on the truck’s engine and exhaust system and some of the haphazard work that been done in the 1970s — such as using shower curtain rods in place of metal grab bars — was redone using appropriate materials.
Now organizers of the car show are holding their collective breath awaiting Mother Nature’s decision on whether the outdoor event will go on as planned or have to be delayed. Early reports call for Saturday to be the best of the weekend.
But Chief John D’Amato said the restored truck rolls to the Historical Society grounds only if skies are clear.
Weather permitting, the show that features muscle cars along with antique and classic vehicles, starts at 11 a.m. and runs to 3 p.m. Sunday is the rain date. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for Shelter Island Historical Association members and $5 for children.
