John J

Hi all, So new to this forum and pretty excited - has always been my dream to own a tank pretty sure I am not the only one! (Will Settle For a APC) but have never found a forum that has Canadians on it... ANYWAYS enough about my dreams - I actually found a barn find - you know one of those things we all dream up, lift a trap in a barn and find a AC Cobra and they only want $50 for the "old wreck" in the barn. Well I went to check out a Willys from a friends friend that had deceased, spoke to the widow and arrange a time to go, went checked out the willys and was all good to go - 1946CJ2a, not near original but nice 33"Swampers, lift & original drivetrain - asked her how much she said $500 - sold. Then I asked about the old firetruck that was sitting in the field - she looked quite incredulously at me and asked you want THAT! (won't say what my wife said) I said yes, she said get it out of here...PLEASE/ It Is a Transport Canada ThornyCroft 1956 Nubian 6x6 base with a pyrene body in what appears to be excellent/decent/signs of recent maintenance/not bastardized too bad mechanical shape in the form of an Airport Crash Tender. So working on getting it fired up, is a 24/12 volt system and having some fun sorting out the level of bastardization that has happened to it. Going tonight to run 24 to the starter and 12 to the rest of the system as it appears that the "magic box" had been removed. Only wiring info I can find for the B81 Rolls straight 8 is from a ferret site, cables coming from starter are unmarked going to use meter to sort out ground, run 24 to the started and then 12 to the coil and see what happens If anyone has any manuals for this old beast that would be fantastic! Am a certified jeep freak so ok on the willys. According to the Thornycroft registry Chassis no. 60806, engine number B81 487W2, dispatched to The Pyrene Co. Ltd., type TFA/B81 chassis, dispatched on 10.11.1956 Chassis no. 60807 was dispatched to Pyrene at the same time. The Pyrene Co. Ltd., were manufacturers of fire fighting equipment, they were taken over by Chubb and Sons in 1967 and became Chubb Fire Security Limited in 1971. The fact that the chassis was despatched to Pyrene means that the body is probably theirs or by a coach builder they used. Some pics: