1962 Seagrave 531KB1000
David LaGatta
1962 Seagrave
Dave became interested in fire apparatus as a child and was always fascinated by the low grumbling tones of a fire engine going down the road. Dave always wanted to have an antique rig of his own, but never had a place to store it. This past July Dave and his wife sold their home and purchased a new one, with of course a new heated garage.
Dave had found the '62 two years before purchasing the house and states, "I would be fooling you if I told you I didn't look for a new home with either a barn or a huge garage. Luckily my wife fell in love with the kitchen as hard as I did with the garage".
Impressive view
The engine ran with the City of Geneva, NY from 1962 until 1989. A gentleman purchased it from Geneva in 1990 and drove it home. The rig went to musters and shows in the NY area for 4 years winning many first place prizes for un-restored functioning rigs. In 1994 the motor had a major breakdown. 3 of the 12 pistons in the right cylinder bank had melted down on it's last trip. The rig was parked in a warehouse for 10 years until Dave picked it up this past October. Dave tore into the engine and replaced the bad pistons with the help from the gentleman he purchased it from. Dave comments," The old engine runs smoother than any V8 I have ever seen. As far as my plans, I hope to run her in some local parades and musters". Dave also notes that cosmetically the rig is in beautiful condition. The chrome is gorgeous and the compartments are clean as a whistle
