Squad 51

[cargostar]

Heres one showing the mirror extension, and the front of the board. I also found pics of the back of a Squad, with a different license plate, and chrome rings aroung the tail lights, instead of painted!!

[SteveG]

Heres one showing the mirror extension, and the front of the board. I also found pics of the back of a Squad, with a different license plate, and chrome rings aroung the tail lights, instead of painted!!

The LA County Fire Museum says on their website that the Squad 51 they have is one of three used on the series. Assuming that's true I wouldn't be surprised if there were some minor differences between them. Dave, I suggest you just pick the one that you have the best references for and go with it.

=Steve

[SteveG]

Here's what Wikipedia says about Squad 51 ...

"The vehicle which portrayed Squad 51 was produced by Universal crews as an accurate replica of the units built in-house on stock truck chassis by LACoFD at the time. The LACoFD shops were unable to fulfill a request from Universal to build a unit for the show within the short deadline the studio asked, but did provide the blueprints to Universal crews so the studio could build its own unit on a 1972 Dodge D300 "dualie" (four rear tires, two per side on one axle) chassis (this conversion was subsequently completed on a 1973 and 1974 Dodge D300 chassis as well). The replica's accuracy is evident in that after the filming of the show, the studio donated the unit to LACoFD in 1978, which pressed it into occasional service as a reserve unit before it was eventually retired from service."

This would certainly account for minor differences in the Squads and backs the Museum's claim that three squads were used. Chrysler Corp probably provided the Studio with a brand new D300 Cab and Chassis every year as product placement. I wonder what happened to the first two?

To add the confusion if you closely watch the show you can see they reused a lot of stock footage over and over so in the later episodes you may see the '72 version pull out of the station or in route then later see the '73 or '74 version arrive at the scene.

-Steve

[Danno]

To my knowledge, the rig owned by LA County Fire Museum is a (the) 1972 truck. That's assuming it is the one and only one they have or have had.

Several years ago, Squad 51 and several of the Emergency! people including Mantooth and Tighe made a national fund-raising tour. After the tour was completed, that truck (the 1972 Squad 51) was sent to us at the National Hall of Flame Fire Museum and she resided here in Phoenix on loan for a year. I worked at the museum as one of the volunteer docents who took care of the apparatus and displays.

It was like having a celebrity in the house! I spent a lot of time with Squad 51, and although she was on static display only, I had the opportunity to drive her when we moved her in and out of the gallery where she was displayed. Talk about EXCITING! Something like that reduces a grown man, retired firefighter, to a very basic babbling kid!

The information that has been related here is consistent with what we knew about her. She was built by the studio's fabrication shop to LACoFD specifications; after the TV series ceased production, she was donated to LACoFD; they later pressed her into service for a time; she eventually was donated by LACoFD to the LACo Fire Museum; she was restocked with period-correct equipment and travelled on the fund-raising tour then returned to LACoFM; she came to Phoenix for an all-too short year; she returned to LACoFM.

I have no further information about her history (or what has happened to her since) beyond those basics, and I do not know the fate of the reputed other two rigs. I'm not enough of a Dodge truck scholar to even know for certain whether they were separate vehicles or whether the original 1972 was refitted with 1973- or later vintage grilles/hoods to appear to be current model year rigs.

From the photos that have been posted there are some subtle differences that clearly suggest there were different vehicles, which would not be surprising, and it appears there were two or three different rigs who played the role of "Squad 51" in the series.

I agree with Steve, the best course is to settle on one set of images and replicate that version of her. As I previously indicated, I am looking forward to seeing Dave's resin rendition!!

PS: I took a ton of photo images and measurements with the idea of eventually scratch-building a replica. I never got around to that, and I have no idea precisely where my resource material is at this time (other than being a couple of discs among a several boxes full of photo storage discs). As soon as I locate those images, I'll be happy to post them.

[Danno]

The LA County Fire Museum says on their website that the Squad 51 they have is one of three used on the series. Assuming that's true I wouldn't be surprised if there were some minor differences between them. Dave, I suggest you just pick the one that you have the best references for and go with it.

=Steve

The appearance of the running board in this image is consistent with how I recall the sweeping curve at the front.

[cargostar]

I posed the question to the LACFM, and got two responses. First, from a Joe who stated that yes, the boards on the Squad were made of treadplate. The second, from the President of the museum, stated that when the Squad became property of the museum, it did not have any boards on it, so, they had a local fab shop make a set based on some pictures. He also said they are not correct, and are planned on being replaced.

[chrismooney]

It might be the Squad body was moved from year to year Dodge to advertise the new body style... that would explain why 3 different trucks were used but only one complete truck remains.

[SteveG]

It might be the Squad body was moved from year to year Dodge to advertise the new body style... that would explain why 3 different trucks were used but only one complete truck remains.

That would be my best guess too. Probably the only one to know for sure would be the production crew at Universal Studios. Someone like the Transportation Captain would know if they were still around.

-Steve

[Edsel-Dan]

Sorry to hit this so long after it has ended, but, I only joined a few weeks ago.

I don't know about different Dodges used as Squad 51, but do remember seeing

as many a 2 Squads together once or twice. 51 & 110 (Gary Crosby) respond to an airplane crash

in the mountains up in a tree & are chopper lifted to the scene is one such incidient.

Also, remember, one was destroyed in the first Movie 'Charter 880'

I do remember seeing the OLDER Squad with the Twinsonic lightbar a few times.

In the added footage remembering the start of the program, they say Johnny worked at Station 8, when it was 10!!

Squad 10 was an Earlier Dodge, and had different tail lights than did Squad 51.

I too remember the Cross country tour of the Squad, but only remember4 Randy as part of that.

He was on the Baltimore news during it. I remember them showing him drive away Lights flashing & siren blowing too!

I Thought they were leaving the Squad in the Smithsonian.

That Was where the tour ended. I guess they only donated the equipment from the compartments,

or copies, and not the Squad itself.

[Plybeep68]

Does anyone know what size engines were used in the trucks? Did they use the bread and butter 318 or go all out and use the 440?

[Maindrian Pace]

The truck in the museum has a 440. It weighs over 7,000 lbs, so a 318 wouldn't be real happy in there. A bigger carburetor and dual snorkel air cleaner were fitted to it later.

-MJS

[bandit1]

cool i always loved the show and am a big supporter for the emt's, firefighters and service men and women everywhere! so i will be watching alot!