Ron and Orpha Eyres brave icy temperatures to show off their beautifully restored 1936 Chevrolet fire truck and 1937 Chevy Standard two-door sedan. Ron wasn't allowed to go near the fire truck as a kid. Several years later, the sedan became his first car.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A pair of Chevys from the 1930s hold a lot of meaning for Ron Eyres, who restored both vehicles. He once was banned from a fire station as a youngster for sounding the siren on that same fire truck and the Chevy two-door humpback sedan was the first car he ever owned.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Ron Eyres adjusts the hose rack on his 1936 Chevy fire truck. The truck remains fully functional and can pump water from the 150 holding tank at a rate of 200 gallons per minute when the 6-cylinder engine is set at a high idle.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The open-cab Chevy pumper was the first motorized fire truck in Eyres' hometown of Lawton, Iowa, and had only 2,264 miles on it when he began a complete frame-off restoration of it. Note the high-mounted spotlight and the twin flashing red lights on the bumper and cowl.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Eyres was able to replicate the elegant 24k gold leaf graphics and striping on the fire engine using specially made decals. The paint color was matched to the original hardware store paint still visible beneath the driver's seat.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A shiny hand-pumped fire extinguisher still rides on the cowl panel, where it can be reached at a moment's notice.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The original water pump and manifold assembly installed by the Luverne Fire Apparatus Co. have been refurbished, with a modern fire extinguisher installed nearby, just in case.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
If the instrument panel looks familiar, it's because it is basically a stock 1936 Chevy truck chassis setup. A bare chassis/cowl was ordered and then fitted with the hose body, pump and other firefighting essentials.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Power is supplied by this nicely detailed 206 cubic inch inline 6-cylinder engine, which drives not only the truck but the water pump through a power takeoff. And the blue firewall and underhood paint is correct, as delivered on the bare Chevy chassis.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Anybody who has ever watched "The Little Rascals" is familiar with the sound of the Federal emergency siren. This is the same siren that Ron Eyres activated as a kid, resulting in his ban from the fire department.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The rear crew platform is outfitted with stanchions that hold the brass hose nozzles used in firefighting.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
This 1937 Chevrolet Master two-door sedan was bought new by Ron Eyres' uncle and eventually became Eyres' first car as a high school student. He is planning the car's second frame-off restoration, with new paint and interior to freshen up the Chevy, with an estimated 200,000 miles on its odometer.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A slightly larger 216 cubic inch 6-cylinder engine powers the '37 sedan, which has been kept stock, save for a more reliable 6-volt alternator that replaced the original generator.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Pontoon-style fenders, rocket-like turn signals and smooth hood bulges and torpedo headlights give the Chevy sedan a smooth, flowing look.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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