Projects Look what I found: 1959 Chevy fire truck with a 348!!

Curious engine, looks like a W motor from the valve covers.

 

Nice truck, I never knew that they built those in Lansing MI that's not far from me. I've seen some pretty old fire trucks come in our shop that are still in service at volenteer fire departments. We work on a 65 GMC with a big 305 6 cylinder. It's got like 20k on it. It's a funky looking cab over with a water tank converted form an old Air Force fuel tanker. Kind of cool but no patina still looks new. It's always the last one to the fire lol.

 

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it is a W motor. the 348 was used as a heavy truck engine. Lots of torque down low in the rpm's. heard rumors of 409's used in the big trucks as well.

 

Now THAT`S a neat piece! Talk about a survivor! Hope You have the means to preserve it properly. Whatever You do, don´t listen to the ones wanting to dissect it into parts. That motor is not gonna build "right into a hot rod motor" like everyone thinks it will, anyway. It´s a "truck" 348, which means different deck-heights from the car-engines all the speedparts are made for, as well as different cylinder wall-and conn.rods to yield the truck-motor -spec lower compression -ratios. Cool-looking and -sounding piece in its own right, but there are easier avenues towards "hot rod" -motors.
If You wanna have some fun with it, pile in Your squad of little dudes up front, drive them around town on a summer Sunday afternoon, and read the definition of "proud" and "cool" from their faces, LOL.

 

Hhmmmmmmnn; I never heard of a tall deck W motor. I knew there were tall deck rats, as in the 366 and 427. More info, please.

 

Those boys look pretty stoked to be in al old fire truck too! Way cool.

 

That´s just not true for the 348 and 409 truck engine. None of it.
Same rods, same stroke. same deck height.
I have a 1961 409 crusader marine engine. it has the performance car block number but the notch in the bore like a truck engine and truck heads ´cause that´s what made them Blocks Truck blocks and lowered compression along with different pistons thats all! Helped breathing in lower rpms around the valve.
every other 348 and 409 head will fit, only to be careful with early 58 348 blocks, there is a change in design for water passages so if you use later heads you have to plug the hole in the head obove the spark plug....

www.348-409.com there´s tons of information!!!

 

have they let go of the lights and sirens?

 

Excellent find! Probably got it for next to nothing too.

This is the one my friend and I have.




It was originally like this.

View attachment fire truck (WinCE).bmp

It came with the same siren(very loud(especially in the house) and runs forever) and red beacon you have, however we have a 235 in ours. The previous owner had his father in law remove the original bed (which he buried on his farm) and build the flatbed. This thing has been a blast to have around, even though it cant stay at my house and we still need to figure out the rear brakes.

 

that is an amazing truckman!!! i hope i can find something halfway as coool as that!!!

 

There still on the truck if that is what your asking, and they work!

 

One GREAT purchase sir. Plenty of advice coming your way, for sure. Only original once. So very complete. Would be an excellent parade/ vintage drag strip (think Mokan) piece. Ramp rod-hauler one that is already a flat bed. It's a fine vintage Americana survivor, thank you for sharing your score w/ the board member's.

 

I am trying to start a home for waywar 348s and 409s. It will be loved and cared for if it needs a good home

 

Cool truck.

 

John Bean was on S. Cedar St. in Lansing just to the east of the REO plant. The building still stands. Not sure if the sign is still up but was for a long time. Don't know if your interested or not but the REOlds Museum might be interested in the John Bean part of that rig. Heck.. Dump a small block into the truck, take the 348 and run it where you want. The truck 348s had a low compression piston or the block/heads were notched some how. It will still motivate a hot rod in fine fashion.

 

That is interesting. I already talked to the fire chief from Linden and I have tried to find more info on the truck. If the museum was interested I would donate some of the stuff. If I keep the truck, it will become a ramp truck to haul my Topolino. I don't really like emergency vehicles, but I do have two firetrucks and a squad.

 

Here's the contact information for the Museum.
http://www.reoldsmuseum.org/pages/ContactUs.htm

 

Cool, Thanks, My 48 Ford is also Bean equipped.

 

id use it to go get grocerys in and stuff. park in fire lanes, cool of people on hot days, fill up jacuzzis, you know stupid stuff

 

That's what we do with the squad, except the water stuff. You would be amazed at how many people slow down when they see us coming!

 

That fire truck is useless and everyone will absolutely hate looking at it. It really has no practical use and there is not one item worth parting out.

I will help you out and save you and the boys a lot of embarrassment by taking it away for you.

PLEASE.........let me pick it up.....

 

DUDE ^^^^ it's called sarcasm.

Note the PLEASE let me take it off your hands

 

I did some research on these motors a while back, and this is what I recall I was informed of regarding the 348 at least. Among my several sources was the 348-409 -site that was mentioned, I do recall they made mention of at least the truck-motor´s lower comp-ratio due to the size of the notch in the cylinder wall, among other things. It´s been a while so I can´t say for sure if the deck-height -information also came from that site or not. I tried looking this up, for some reason that site hasn´t come up for me in months. I could be wrong, I honestly don´t recall where I read that, but if in fact You have an engine block like this in Your possession and fitted car-engine -specific parts on it successfully, I´m certainly not gonna argue this with You.

 

There were no differences in deck heights between the various 348 and 409 "W-engine" blocks. The big block (BBC) series of engines (396, 427, 454, etc) did use taller deck heights in truck applications; I suspect this is what you're getting confused with the 348/409 truck engines.

 

Cool piece!!!

 

i have to agree with the restoring senario too cool a pice of history not to

 

Effing cool! I have a '64 International 1 ton exfire truck with 8400 miles