Not everyone is anxious to take on the restoration or re-creation of a commercial vehicle, whether as a hobby or for business purposes.
Lifelong Langford resident Dave Lequesne, who has deep roots in the community, has found in recent years that he really enjoys undertaking such projects. But thereB次元官网网址檚 an underlying reason why he continues to take them on: they all have allowed him to reach back into his family and communityB次元官网网址檚 past.
Lequesne got bitten by the bug when he acquired and then restored a 1981 GMC bush fire truck formerly in the fleet of the CityB次元官网网址檚 fire department. His father, Al Lequesne, was fire chief when the truck was purchased and he drove the versatile pumper from Florida back to Langford, where it served for many years until being sold off.
B次元官网网址淚 dove into that truck (project) and people told me IB次元官网网址檇 never get the money out of it B次元官网网址� we had it on the road within a year,B次元官网网址� Dave says, noting that after spending roughly $60,000 on the restoration it was recently appraised at $100,000. It is now a fully functioning fire truck that could complement a departmentB次元官网网址檚 bush fire attack, he says, but so far it hasnB次元官网网址檛 been pressed back into service.
HeB次元官网网址檚 taken the pumper to various shows, including an exhibition in Sequim, Wash. marking the 100th anniversary of fire protection in that area, where it won the PeopleB次元官网网址檚 Choice award.
A similar award came at a Duncan show.
B次元官网网址淭he place we used to fight fires, now you can drive up and have a hydrant,B次元官网网址� Al says, noting the pumper was often used in then-undeveloped areas such as Skirt Mountain and Finlayson Arm Road. B次元官网网址淚t served us well.B次元官网网址�
While the fire truck project inspired Dave, the idea of restoring vehicles wasnB次元官网网址檛 actually new for him. Around the same time as he acquired the pumper, he helped his father locate a 1923 Model T Ford pickup. They considered it suitable to create a replica of the original Cadillac tow truck used by AlB次元官网网址檚 father, Ernie, when he operated the old Langford Garage.
It seemed appropriate to build a vintage wrecker, not only for the family history but for the fact Dave owns and operates Westshore Towing.
The Ford, a former museum piece in Manitoba, was in good shape when they bought it in Sooke and needed only new paint, original lettering and the installation of the towing mechanism.
B次元官网网址淚 think the garage and towing side of things is what I cherish a fair amount, because of my father and my two brothers (who worked there), says Al, now 80.
The antique replica wrecker was in show condition when vandals torched it last month, burning the wooden bed and singeing the paint job. Rather than stew about it or abandon the project, the two got back to work on restoring it with the help of an insurance claim. Dave insists the finished truck will more closely match the old Langford Garage truck when itB次元官网网址檚 rehabilitated.
In the time since those first two projects began taking shape, two more have materialized, both very much joint undertakings by father and son.
Lequesne says he had been driving past a 1951 Ford F3 pick-up truck in the area for some time, when he finally decided to B次元官网网址減ull the triggerB次元官网网址� and negotiate a deal with the owner. To convert it into a tow truck, they bought an abandoned 1974 Holmes wrecker that had a good towing structure, but was otherwise rusted out.
B次元官网网址淭he (Ford) cab and chassis were in fairly good shape, but the wrecker body had to be completely disassembled,B次元官网网址� he recalls. Lequesne proudly says Langford firms, including Old School Metalwork, Island Powder Coating and Fix Auto were hired to do body work, powder coating and the final coats of Westshore Towing paint colours and vintage lettering on the truckB次元官网网址檚 doors.
Once in show condition, the converted tow truck attracted the attention of the people at Automotive Retailer magazine, which is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Holmes wrecker. It was in 1916 in Tennessee that Ernest Holmes converted his first vehicle into a tow truck, and his companyB次元官网网址檚 designs would go on to be the standard in the industry for decades, notes Lequesne.
A feature story on the B次元官网网址�51 wrecker is already online and will appear in the fall edition of the magazine.
The most recent family project, again spurred by AlB次元官网网址檚 love of local history and penchant for restoring vintage commercial vehicles, is a replica of the car used by first Langford fire chief Rod Bayles in the early 50B次元官网网址檚, a 1951 Pontiac Chieftain.
Dave sprang into action in July and began a search for that make and model of car. B次元官网网址淚 found the vehicle on UsedVictoria.com, got a deal done within a week and it was into the paint shop on the following Monday, and we got the lettering done shortly after that,B次元官网网址� he says.
While the car has been an instant hit, evidenced by the fact it won the PeopleB次元官网网址檚 Choice Award at the Langford Car Show last month, thereB次元官网网址檚 more that Dave and Al want to do to make it a true replica.
B次元官网网址淲hen my dad joined the department in 1952, the car was being used as a second ambulance. The plan is to put it back the way it was, with the stretcher in there and the back seat removed,B次元官网网址� Dave says.
These projects have one thing in common; they all have a link to Langford. And by showing them around a broader geographic area, it brings attention to the city, he adds. B次元官网网址淲hat weB次元官网网址檙e doing is weB次元官网网址檙e going after stuff thatB次元官网网址檚 relevant to the area. I have a lot of respect for Langford and want to keep the old Langford alive somehow.B次元官网网址�
Adds Al: B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a couple more out there that I would like to get. We are digging and finding out where some of the stuff went.B次元官网网址�
After he joined the fire department in 1952 some of the existing emergency vehicles, far simpler than the technological marvels that todayB次元官网网址檚 fire trucks are, wound up being traded for labour on building the fire hall.
Al points out that none of the vehicles in service during his 44 years with the department remain, which could give a clue as to where he and Dave might be looking for their next project.
Whatever it might be, itB次元官网网址檚 sure to have a strong connection to Langford.
editor@goldstreagazette.com
