Fire Engines Photos

This is a bit of a conundrum. It looks like a Ford C series - probably late 1960s to 1970s - but it has had an aftermarket conversion to 6X6, as the factory cab has been raised about 30 CM. It has also been fitted with what looks like an International Harvester grille, to lower the headlights back down to a more sensible height from the ground (which does make it harder to identify!).

One major caveat: Mack did actually also build some units with the same cab as Ford - the "Budd" cab - so this could indeed be a Mack after all! The Ford C series were relatively inexpensive, and if it was a Ford this conversion was a cheapish way of creating an airport crash tender at the time.

The Ford C series was an immensely popular fire truck chassis in its day here, and one of the first to have a tilt cab, which made it very easy to maintain.

Whatever it is, it is certainly a bit of an oddball...

Added by Rob Johnson on 05 September 2021.

I just saw an FWD truck with this identical cab treatment, so that adds another dimension to the quest. FWD were the first American truck manufacturer to build a 4X4 truck for the US army in 1917, and continue to specialize with all wheel drive trucks including fire appliances up to this day. It appears that FWD did use the Budd cab on several products, with the same height increase and added-on radiator grille as this example.

So I think we have solved the mystery! It is an FWD and as such a pretty rare bird...

Added by Rob Johnson on 05 September 2021.

Please add your comments about this picture using the form below.

Comments

Your Name

Your email address - this will be shown on the page and will allow the system to notify you of further comments added to this picture.