“It’s a nice historic piece”: 1953 tow truck restoration nears completion

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“We took the truck all apart; we took other trucks apart for parts,” said Allan Currie, a member of the Battlefords Vintage Automobile Club since it was originally founded in the summer of 1973. “It doesn’t look like you’re doing much for a while until we assembled the chassis with the axles.” 

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The tow truck restoration has been ongoing for several years. (Image Credit: Daniel Blais)

Although the truck is original, Currie said many parts are not. It’s a reality that comes with restoring something that had been sitting for decades.

“There is not very much of the original truck in this truck because it was too far gone. But we did have the original truck, and we have tried to make it very similar.” 

(Image Credit: Daniel Blais)

Piece by piece, the truck has been reimagined as it once was, echoing the era it came from. The close-to-completed vehicle can be found during the warmer months in the Fred Light Museum’s replica service station, where visitors can watch history come back to life in real time.

“We can only assemble clean parts at the museum; we have to do all the dirtier work at our shops. The public can tour the Fred Light [Museum], so we don’t want to make a mess,” said Currie. 

(Image Credit: Daniel Blais)

Over the process of restoring the tow truck, raising funds for the project has been challenging. Little by little, the members have been able to raise the money needed through community events and donations.  

“What needs to be done yet is the front-end sheetmetal; it has been assembled, but it needs to be put on the truck and then the doors. There is some interior work to do yet; the door mats, the weather stripping.” 

Most recent photos of the tow truck. (Image Credit: Daniel Blais)

For Currie, watching the entire process has been rewarding.  

“I enjoy it, restoring things is what I like to do. Even when we do run into difficulties, it’s just something you’ve got to figure out. It’s a nice historic piece to honour the Light’s and the Fred Light contribution to Battleford in years gone by,” he said. 

This vintage tow truck isn’t the only vehicle that has been restored and displayed in the Fred Light Museum by the club.  

“Years ago, the Town of Battleford gave the car club the very first firetruck that the town had,” said Harold Johnson, another lifetime member. “It’s a 1928 GMC; it was the first motorized one.” 

Town of Battleford’s first firetruck, also restored by the club. (Image Credit: Fred Light Museum/ Facebook)

That truck sat idle for many years before the club began to restore it as part of a partnership with the museum.  

“They decided that if we let them display our firetruck, they would build a replica fire hall for it; that’s how the fire hall got built,” he explained.  

This restoration was especially difficult due to the lack of old parts that were accessible to the club at the time. However, the members, relying on ingenuity and dedication, were able to pull off the entire project.  

Today, both trucks sit in their customized replica buildings at the Fred Light Museum in Battleford where the public can take in their vintage beauty and the stories that helped shape the community.

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Alyssa.rudolph@pattisonmedia.com