I got a call on Tuesday from Jack Sutherland of Ashland.  He asked if he could come see the Fire Engine.  He explained that he was a fireman in Ashland from 1961-1964 and rode on the vehicle many times.   I was happy to give him a VIP tour.  He and his wife Sandy enjoyed seeing the truck again after so many years.

I received the first WWII Battle Lantern that was missing from the rear sides of our Fire Engine - I found it on eBay and purchased it from a contribution by Clair Thorne of Phoenix (another old car guy).  The lantern is in great shape but will need an “overhaul” to convert it from battleship gray to fire engine red.   We’ll also have to modify the mount on the back side to fit our Fire Engine instead of the walls of a battleship. I’m hoping that Lee Newton can help figure this out.

• We received the rest of the wiring harnesses - one to connect the dash harness to the headlights and horn and the other to connect the side and rear instrument and compartment lights to the battery.  Those were made by Bauer Electronics in Bend - the same people who manufactured the other harnesses we’ve already installed.
• “Steering Wheel Jim” has our steering wheel that Glenn Amsberry was kind enough to bead blast and Jim will begin working on it next week for us.  Jim drives for FedEx and comes by the workshop from time to time.
• Mike Stitt has our generator and is going to replace the brushes and “tune it up” for us.
• Rick is searching for a new top to our rebuilt carburetor, which has a crack in the top that has been repaired but should be replaced.
• Phil is working on a design for bench seating in the rear compartment to allow us to transport VIPs in comfort.  

Thanks to all of you who have volunteered to work on this project.  We’ve come a long way in just 7 months.  I hope that we’ll have this baby on the road in 2018 for some parade and promotion duty.

Next Tuesday is a “bye” week for us - enjoy an extended New Years weekend and we’ll reconvene at the Workshop on Tuesday January 9