If you have just recently purchased a surplus fire truck or had one but it’s out of commission for some time now, you might have been thinking of upgrading it or had some wad of cash to refurbish it but don’t know-how. Well, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s talk about how you can make that fire rescue equipment back on safety patrol again.
4 Fire Truck Restoration Ideas
Fire trucks are an expensive investment to the government and even so to individuals who want to put up their rescue team. The best way to bring life and usefulness to any equipment is to refurbish or upgrade its components. So how do you refurbish a fire truck, to begin with?
1. Chassis Refurb and Upgrades
For any equipment, the chassis is its heart and soul aside from its engine of course. If you got rust on it, sandblasting would be the most viable option for it together with an epoxy coating to ensure that it lasts longer than expected. Also, upgrading its suspension components including its airbags, brakes, drivetrains, steering, and springs would be a good idea since these are most of the parts that get the most wear and tear. Upgrading your PTO or generator integration, Bedliner bumper coating, front bumper extension, and the addition of InstaChains, hitches, receivers, and hydraulic reels would be nice upgrades for your fire truck chassis.
2. Body Refurb and Upgrades
If your equipment isn’t battered on its parts and components you might just want to give it a little bit of luster on the outside. A splash of new paint, more stylish fire truck decals and Aluminum Tread Brite polishing can give your equipment new life and style. You can also upgrade to a more functional body with pump replacements, upgrades for the compressors, cascade fill stations, piston-assisted hose bed covers, and custom tool mounting requests.
3. Interior Upgrades
When the outside look of your fire rescue equipment is none of your concern, you can make more sensible upgrades to its interior. Get your cushions reupholstered, replace seatbelts according to NFPA 14.3.13 standards, or just update your entire seating. A new floor meeting NFPA standards are also on the table. Replace your vinyl floormats with the NFPA approved treadplate flooring, new cab lights, electrical switches, intercom systems, and door hardware can make all the difference in using your newly refurbished monster rescue toy. Reorganization of your cab with custom consoles, lockboxes, cabinetry, and refrigerators is a good idea.
4. Update Lighting and Retrofit Towers
Replacing your warning and scene lights is an essential refurbishment idea when the equipment isn’t at its peak function anymore. Retrofitting your used tower from halogen quartz to LED fixtures would be a useful upgrade too.
Of course, there are other upgrades available out there for your fire rescue unit. Just keep in mind that whatever alterations and new additions you will come up with that it is in accordance with NFPA standards especially when you’re eyeing to get your equipment back in action of saving lives. Or else, you could always convert it into an RV.