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00:02Across this country, five shops are breathing new life into classic American designs.
00:08From rusted out Mustangs, to broken down Harleys, and everything in between.
00:16Each job has a story.
00:18Love these things!
00:23This is American Restoration.
00:29Our name is Bodie Stroud, and I'm founder of Bodie Stroud Industries.
00:32We're well known for rebuilding American cars and hot rods.
00:36There she is, man.
00:38Holy .
00:39Today in America, everything is disposable.
00:42From the car you drive to the house you live in, nothing is built to last.
00:46But there was a time when craftsmanship mattered.
00:50When it comes to cars, there's nothing I love more than putting classic quality back on the road.
00:57I don't just make old cars new.
01:00I make them amazing.
01:09So I got a client come by today to discuss a project for the L.A. Fireman's Museum.
01:13He wants to restore something pretty big, he says.
01:16So I'm pretty excited.
01:17My dad's a fireman, and I've been around fire trucks and firemen my whole life.
01:23So I can't wait to see what he's bringing.
01:25This thing's insane!
01:27Wow!
01:29Hey Bodie, I'm Don.
01:30Don, how are you doing?
01:31Good to meet you.
01:31Yeah, good to meet you.
01:33Wow, look at this thing.
01:34It's huge!
01:35Yeah, it's not a lightweight.
01:36Wow.
01:371937.
01:38American La France fire engine.
01:39And when you go ahead, it's hard steel.
01:44Oh my God.
01:46Look at the Art Deco styling of this thing.
01:49It belongs in a museum.
01:51American La France was the best in the biz.
01:53They were around for more than a hundred years.
01:55This thing is just so gorgeous.
01:57It's a workhorse.
01:57I did 21 years of service with the city from 37 until 58.
02:03That thing's amazing.
02:04All at one fire station.
02:05I am the vice president, curator, and historian for the Los Angeles Fire Department's Historical Society.
02:11We document the history of the Los Angeles Fire Department, so we're really proud to be able to get this
02:17restored and put it on display and have it running where we can go ahead and take it out.
02:23It's going to be one of the diamonds on the floor of our museum.
02:26Yeah.
02:27Does it run good?
02:27Oh, yeah.
02:28It's loud enough to wake the dead.
02:30Is it?
02:30No mufflers.
02:31No mufflers.
02:32No mufflers.
02:32We'd like to go ahead and get it street worthy.
02:35Okay.
02:36We have no idea if the pump's working or not.
02:39That's what we're really hoping for.
02:41We want to have something that's going to squirt water.
02:43We want everything to work just right.
02:45Well, I'm anxious to play with it, that's for sure.
02:47So we'll see if we can get it going.
02:49I can't even describe to you how massive this thing is.
02:52Plus, they want everything to work.
02:53They want the siren to work, the lights to work, the pump to work.
02:57I always love the challenge, but the size of this thing is a little intimidating.
03:03What's your budget on this project?
03:04What do you think I could get done with 23?
03:08Oh, man.
03:10This is a big job.
03:11You've got to remember, we're not Rockefeller.
03:13We're just a poor little history group that's been fortunate enough to get a hold of this.
03:18My dad's a fireman.
03:20It's a true honor to do this for the Fireman's Museum.
03:23It's kind of my way of giving back.
03:2523, let's do it.
03:26You got it.
03:27All right.
03:27Thanks, Don.
03:28Let's get her unloaded.
03:30Being a fireman's son, I practically grew up in fire stations.
03:33I used to imagine going down the pole, driving a big old fire truck down the street.
03:39These guys were the real thing.
03:41You know, they were big, strong guys that went out and saved people's lives and put their lives on the
03:47line.
03:48So being able to build this one for them is a dream come true.
03:52We want to keep the nostalgia and put it back to its original state.
03:56Me and the boys, we're going to make this the baddest vehicle on the road.
04:02That thing's big.
04:05Start turning.
04:07Watch me over here.
04:08Keep coming.
04:09This 1937 American La France could possibly be the biggest job that we've ever done.
04:14It's time to open this thing up and see what we got ourselves into.
04:19Woo!
04:20All right.
04:21What an entrance.
04:22This 78-year-old truck is going to need sandblasting.
04:25We're going to have to go through the electrical.
04:27It's going to need new upholstery.
04:29It's going to need paint.
04:30It's going to need pinstriping.
04:31We got to get the pump working.
04:32We got to do engine work.
04:35That's a lot of work for a $23,000 budget, and that's only the stuff that we could see.
04:40So now I got Mitchell and Kirk working on this thing.
04:43They're taking apart everything that's not welded down just to see what we're missing and what's underneath this thing.
04:49You're almost ready for me to pull this out right here?
04:51I'm trying to get this throttle cable and this choke cable off.
04:55Definitely a lot going on underneath there.
04:57I'm pulling through the dash.
04:58Yeah, it's up under here.
04:59All right, let me...
05:05You all right?
05:06Oh, dude.
05:07Boating!
05:09Now we got a real problem because the whole floorboard just collapsed right here.
05:14I was pulling some cables through, took a step out, and there wasn't much, you know, running
05:20board on the edge there, and it just ripped away from the cab and just tossed me out.
05:24Definitely got to watch the rough edges on that thing.
05:28This whole thing, like, ripped now.
05:29Almost cut it.
05:30Ay, ay, ay.
05:32The whole bottom flange of this thing came apart.
05:34That's the whole bottom of the cab.
05:37Dang it, man.
05:49Let's give it a lift up right there.
05:50Okay, buddy.
05:51On the stand.
05:52There we go.
05:53Back a little bit.
05:54Beautiful.
05:55This is a 1912 Thor.
05:57It runs so good.
05:59These bikes would rock at 120 miles an hour, 30 seconds in a mile.
06:03Check out this beautiful 1,000cc engine.
06:06It's a twin cylinder, and the intake valves are on top.
06:09It's called a pocket valve.
06:10And if you look at the number plate right there, it says the model SR.
06:14SR stands for Short Coupled Racer.
06:16It's the only SR Thor known to man.
06:19It's a pedal start.
06:20Yeah.
06:21And the pedals are really pretty simple to go around.
06:24You just engage the clutch and the single.
06:35My name is Dale Waxler, and I'm a bike guy.
06:38I'm the owner and chief mechanic at Wheels Through Time,
06:41which hosts one of the greatest collections of American motorcycles in the world.
06:45I've always had the passion for collecting and preserving history.
06:48My first bike was an old Harley Panhead.
06:50I bought it for 250 bucks, drove it home, took it apart the same day,
06:53a few months later, it came out shining.
06:55What I primarily work on is rare American motorcycles that have a story.
07:00Nearly every bike in the museum is in operational condition.
07:03At Wheels Through Time, it all amounts to one thing, American history.
07:15Teresa.
07:15Hi, Dale.
07:16Nice to meet you.
07:17Nice to meet you.
07:18And you're Jim.
07:18What do you got here?
07:19I've got a very unique project here that I need your help with.
07:23Can I take a look at it?
07:24This is her dad's 46 knucklehead.
07:26Really?
07:27Oh, look at that.
07:31The knucklehead engine is the iconic Harley Davidson engine.
07:34In 1936, the knucklehead replaced the flathead as the top of the line machine.
07:40How long since it's been written?
07:42My dad rode it up until 2004 or 5 when he passed away.
07:47And it's been written a little bit since then, but he rode it right up until he died.
07:51What do you know about it?
07:52In 1951, he purchased it from a river man.
07:55We live close to the Mississippi River.
07:57Wow.
07:57So we've had it since the early 50s, and I'd like to hear it and see it run again.
08:01This motorcycle has a lot of emotional attachments.
08:05For all of my family, I'm the oldest of five children.
08:07All of us remember our daddy as an adventuresome, loving, fun kind of daredevil.
08:14And to have the opportunity to have this, which was his most prized possession, up and running,
08:18and us have a chance to actually hear it and see it again, it means everything to us.
08:25Well, I gotta tell you, the bike has a lot of personality, but it's not exactly stock.
08:29What does that mean, stock?
08:30We had some fun modifying it, we can imagine.
08:33Well, the first thing I notice is this, and that's rare.
08:36That's like off a 1936 Harley Davidson.
08:39It was an accessory item.
08:40And the headlight, this is more of a 50s sealed beam.
08:44It's bigger and it's chrome, so it was kind of a statement.
08:47It's got the original carburetor on it.
08:49It has the original footboards.
08:51This is stock.
08:52Uh, I think the bike has a lot of potential.
08:55What is it exactly you'd like to do to this machine?
08:57I'd like to have this bike back in running order.
09:00It doesn't have to be a showpiece, but I want to be able to hear it.
09:04I'd like to be able to see the Kickstarter kicked and it start.
09:07We can make this thing run.
09:09I think we can get it in fine tune.
09:10You'll be proud of it.
09:11It'll relive the layer of history.
09:13If you don't mind, let John take the bike around the back.
09:15Sure.
09:15Come on.
09:16All right, Jim.
09:18This bike has layers of history.
09:20Teresa's father was in love with this bike, and I'm in love with the idea of restoring
09:24it.
09:24Making an old bike run is exactly what I love to do.
09:27It's what I'm made of.
09:28I'm very excited about this project.
09:35What I have here is my grandpa's old barber chair.
09:42Are you serious?
09:52My name's Andy Bowman Jr.
09:54My shop is Monkey Business.
09:55What sets Monkey Business apart from everybody else is our passion and our honesty.
10:00I'd rather lose money on a job than turn out bad work.
10:03I don't want something that has nice paint.
10:06I want beautiful paint.
10:08I don't want something that is really close to the way it was.
10:10I want it to be exactly the way it was.
10:12I drive the guys I work with nuts because I insist on it.
10:16I was naturally mechanically inclined.
10:19I took apart my crib when I was one years old with no tools.
10:21My dad built race cars and dune buggies, and every year we built a car.
10:26If I didn't go play Little League Baseball, I went and built race cars.
10:29I love taking something that's rusty and making it shiny.
10:32I give my heart and soul to every project I do, and that's how we get our quality.
10:40Hey, what's happening, buddy?
10:41I'm doing good. How are you?
10:42Good seeing you.
10:43I brought you something really cool.
10:44I think you're going to like this.
10:45Jeff's a long-time customer of mine.
10:47He's got a real appreciation for antiques, so when he pulls into my shop,
10:50I know he's got something cool for me.
10:52What I have here is my grandpa's old barber chair.
10:57Ah, jeez.
10:58It's been in the family for a long time.
11:00It's been sitting for about 25 years.
11:02That's awesome.
11:03I know it's from the late 1800s.
11:05That thing's cool as could be, dude.
11:07I got my worst haircuts ever in that chair right there when I was a kid.
11:10Not that great of a barber.
11:12It was pretty much a bowl cut.
11:13Come out looking like Pete Rose.
11:16My grandfather was a barber in a small town.
11:18He was the only barber, and he cut everybody's hair in town.
11:20At least all the boys.
11:21This thing is cool, dude.
11:23I had a really hard time finding any information about it.
11:25I know the company is Kochs.
11:27Yeah.
11:27Other than that, I don't know much about it.
11:29Kochs were one of the premier barber chair builders around the turn of the century.
11:33They made everything from soap, razors, barber poles, everything they want with the barber industry.
11:38Barber shops were the social clubs of the day.
11:40Guys would hang out for hours and catch up on current events, talk sports, whatever they wanted to do.
11:45When you got your 20 minutes in the chair, you were the king.
11:48These chairs were lavish.
11:49They were comfortable.
11:50They were beautiful.
11:51They were your throne.
11:53What do you want to do with it, man?
11:54I'd like to restore it.
11:55I'd like to get it back to somewhat what it was like originally, and I'd like to have it in
11:59my living room.
11:59I'd really like to make this chair as original as possible.
12:02I'd like to bring it back to original leather, the type of metal that was on there, get the wood
12:07refinished.
12:08I'd really like to see what it would have looked like when it was in the 1890s when it was
12:11made.
12:11Do you know if the pump works?
12:13I have no idea.
12:14That could be a problem.
12:15The seals go bad sitting around and stuff.
12:17The parts are non-existent.
12:19Okay.
12:20You got a little bit of woodwork broke right there.
12:22So what do you think this is going to cost me?
12:25It's going to have to be stripped down to the metal and then replated.
12:28The leather is going to cost and the upholstery is going to cost.
12:30The rest is stripping some wood and standing.
12:33It's not too bad.
12:34Providing the pumps good.
12:35I'm thinking, you know, it could reach $4,500 or $5,000 even.
12:40Wow.
12:40It's more than I thought it was going to be.
12:42It probably will be more than what the chair is even worth.
12:45But, you know, it's a sentimental thing.
12:47We're fixing stuff for you to keep it alive, not for a reset.
12:51Well, it's important for me for it to go back original and be nice.
12:54And I want to keep it.
12:55I want to give it to my kids, you know, after I'm gone.
12:57So something I've always wanted to get refinished and I think now's the time.
13:01This chair could take up to three weeks to do.
13:03We have chrome work that has to be done.
13:05Very ornate woodwork.
13:06We have a hydraulic pump that I've never even seen or worked on before.
13:09It's 125 years old.
13:11If we need any kind of part, it could be impossible to get.
13:13Leave it today and I'll get it ripped apart.
13:16Sounds good. Let's do it.
13:17Cool, man. Thank you, sir.
13:18Thanks for coming by, brother.
13:19No problem. Good seeing you again.
13:19It's awesome seeing you.
13:31The L.A. Fireman's Museum has asked us to restore this 1937 American to France.
13:36First thing we're going to check, does it spray water?
13:39If it does spray water, we may have dodged a bullet.
13:41If it doesn't, it could cost us a ton of time and money.
13:46Go ahead and turn it on.
13:48Ready?
13:49Yeah.
13:56Okay. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
13:57You just sprung a leak.
14:06Oh, yeah.
14:07Oh, jeez.
14:09It's just an open valve.
14:11Oh, it's just a valve.
14:12Yeah.
14:13Well, that's good.
14:14I thought we had something major going on.
14:16So let me fire the truck up and turn on the pump.
14:22Go for it.
14:25I felt something go bang.
14:28Is it working?
14:30No, we got no water.
14:31What?
14:32Nothing?
14:33No pressure.
14:33No nothing.
14:35Can't fight fires without a pump, Mitchell.
14:37Let's see what's going on.
14:39If I have to start fabricating stuff for this pump, I have no idea what that's going to
14:43entail.
14:44I love the firemen and everything they do for us, but I don't want to eat it on this thing.
14:48And all I see is dollars going out the window.
14:51Yeah, you go ahead and move it.
14:52Let me look.
14:55Go ahead.
14:57Okay.
14:58There's like a rod or a shaft that's completely out.
15:02So that's why we're not getting anything.
15:05Let me adjust this side.
15:09It's on.
15:10See if it works.
15:14Yee-haw!
15:15It's perfect.
15:16Nice.
15:17It's going to be great.
15:18This thing actually pumps water.
15:19Yep.
15:20Now I only have about 5,354 more things to do.
15:38John's tuning up Jim and Teresa's 46 knucklehead.
15:41I'm going to drop in and see how he's doing.
15:43I know this bike hasn't run in a decade, but with a little luck, John will have it humming
15:48in no time.
15:49John's a do-it-all guy at Wheel Street Time.
15:52He can tune up an engine.
15:53He can fix an electric plug-in.
15:54He can build a display.
15:56He's kind of like MacGyver.
15:59Hey, John.
16:00Hey, buddy.
16:00How are you doing?
16:02What are you doing?
16:03The entire bike's torn out.
16:05This is a tune-up.
16:06Check that out, buddy.
16:08Read it.
16:09I found it under the transmission.
16:10Our boy Jim snuck it in on us.
16:12Dear Dale, I want a full job done right on her dad's 46 Harley.
16:17Like it come off the showroom floor.
16:19I'll pay you what it costs.
16:21Do not tell Teresa a thing.
16:24What do you think?
16:25I think you're ahead of the game.
16:26We got a job here, my friend.
16:28The ease of a couple day tune-up with no time pressure was something I was happy to do
16:32for Jim and Teresa.
16:34Now we have a whole new game plan.
16:35We got some work here, my friend.
16:37There's not much that we can save on this.
16:39It looked a lot better yesterday on the trailer.
16:41I wonder if this thing sat under the river for a while.
16:44Look at the mud in these springs.
16:46What about the motor?
16:47Well, it's up there.
16:49I just thought I'd take it out and let you have a look at it.
16:50I've not even got into it.
16:52I'll take the engine apart.
16:53Source the parts.
16:54Now the frame seems pretty straight.
16:56What about the sheet metal?
16:58Well, it's the wrong color, but we can work with it.
17:01Well, you know where we start.
17:02Let's get this thing stripped down entirely.
17:03Get the fork off it.
17:04Get the wiring off it.
17:05I'll get started on that transmission.
17:07A nut and bolt restoration on a 46 knuckle that is time-consuming and it's expensive.
17:12One of the great things about Wheels Through Time is I have most of the parts necessary
17:17for post-war Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
17:19If I don't, I know where to get them.
17:22Jim and Teresa, we got you covered.
17:27What's going on, boss?
17:28Look at this .
17:29This is the worst pinstriping job I have ever seen in my life.
17:33If I went to go ask for a check to do this job, I'd be embarrassed.
17:44Jim and Teresa dropped off their old knucklehead for me to do a complete engine overhaul.
17:48The knucklehead itself actually gets its name based on these two units.
17:52We're kind of shaped like a knuckle.
17:54The first step is to completely disassemble the engine.
17:57Every piece has to be inspected, repaired, cleaned, and reassembled.
18:02I'm having some difficulty in removing this cylinder.
18:05So I'm just going to literally hit your cylinder with a rawhide mallet.
18:10Not a copper mallet.
18:10Not a brass mallet.
18:11Not a steel mallet.
18:12Rawhide!
18:14And that loosened it right up.
18:17Pop!
18:19The next step is to look at the pistons.
18:22The pistons look pretty good, but they have entirely too much shake on the connecting rods.
18:26So this connecting rod needs to be replaced.
18:29Now it's time to take the other cylinder off, and we're probably not going to find much difference.
18:35That's number two.
18:39The cam cover, this unit right here, is what holds all the guts in the engine.
18:43And inside, there's 37 individual small parts.
18:56It never fails, the last screw doesn't want to come out.
18:59Sometimes when you have a screw or a bolt this tight, Dr. Heat will seem to do it.
19:03Heat it up, the metal expands, the screw ought to come loose.
19:22Son of a .
19:23The last thing I want to do is go caveman on this thing.
19:33I'm going caveman.
19:38Come on!
19:39I'm losing patience with this engine.
19:41This is where things can go really wrong.
19:44If this cam cover breaks, it'll be several hundred dollars.
19:47If the crankcase breaks, it'll be several thousand dollars.
19:50When one breaks, usually the other one breaks.
19:53This could be a problem.
19:56Well, it seems like I've met my match.
19:59This is like hand-to-hand combat.
20:10Yes!
20:12Oh, man.
20:13That's the last one.
20:16Okay, next step.
20:21Oh, that's hot!
20:25No damage.
20:27Well, the good news is all the parts are here.
20:32Oh, that's not good.
20:35It's got a broken oil pump.
20:37It has a broken ear.
20:38It makes this piece of the pump worthless.
20:40And if you look at the little piece right here, you can see it's cracked as well.
20:45Watch this.
20:50Spaghetti.
20:51I gotta go find some parts.
21:07So, we're making pretty good headway on the American LaFrance.
21:10Kirk's almost done welding up all the body rot, especially the area he stepped in.
21:14After he's done, I think we're pretty much ready to send it to paint.
21:23And I just cut a straight rectangle, and now I'm gonna go back and trim it to fit the hole.
21:30Which will just be a matter of just nipping the sides off.
21:33Cut that off, and it should just drop right into place right here.
21:38Plasma cutter.
21:40Cut that off.
21:40Cut that off.
21:47Cut that off.
21:50Cut that off.
21:51Cut that off.
21:51Mm-hmm.
21:56T prec.
22:03What every day?
22:04Cut that off.
22:07Oh.
22:08You would think there's something else that means that you'll be mental.
22:08See you later.
22:08That's not what you want.
22:08I don't want you.
22:08I'm going to put a look at the entire list of the parts.
22:09Well, I don't want you to do too much.
22:10oh look at you very cool new project my man nice customer came in it was his grandfather's it's
22:18gonna go in his living room wants to keep it almost completely original basically strip the
22:23wood get rid of all that brown paint I'm gonna have the nickel replay to get rid of all that
22:27copper paint and what you doing I want to check the wood be careful Craig's my wood guy he's an
22:35odd duck he goes with the flow he's like a surfer with a you know sandpaper in his hand this
22:40chair
22:40has a lot of ornate woodwork to it a lot of hand carvings a lot of stuff missing and broke
22:45Craig's
22:45the only person I can trust to take it back to the way it looked originally that's Tiger Oak brother
22:50when this thing's cleaned up in the woods done it's gonna just be gorgeous we're gonna have to
22:54be a little careful on the carvings here because they're applied you see we got a broken piece over
22:58yeah I figured you could whittle something up for that the wild card here is the pump the customer
23:05has some concerns about the cost of this chair one of the big problems is the pump doesn't work if
23:10I
23:10have to replace the pump it can be well over $500 or more even if I can fix this thing
23:15it'll save him
23:16some money and make for good business jump up in there and let's see what's going on
23:26no maybe you're too heavy why don't you get up it sounds like it's blowing through the seals
23:35got a hold of it yep oh boy they're a little old they don't necessarily want to come out
23:41we'll persuade them easy easy
23:53look at these they're all scrolled in there both sides it's beautiful
23:58oh dude that's a pile of hair oh really oh that's disgusting thanks a lot
24:07oh come on you big sissy it's only hair you know what I ain't touching that God knows what
24:12they had in the 1800s you should know easy easy hold that thing back for me just a little bit
24:24let me
24:25whack on these a little more we're working on this 1890s barber chair for a good client Jeff
24:30Craig's uncovered some beautiful tiger oak wood underneath this old decrepit paint we're
24:35going to strip it down and refinish it the way it should have been but first we got to get
24:38all
24:38this old hardware off easy Andy are you serious oh I think it's the glue and the varnish and the
24:50paint over the years stuck the two pieces of wood together it's not broken we'll do it your way when
24:55Andy's real enthusiastic about a project he can get a little ahead of himself and some things will get
24:59broke or lost but we can fix that good thing with Andy is he knows when to lead he knows
25:04when to
25:04delegate work and when it comes to carpentry and woodworking that's my gig just get it on
25:08the end of the stripper tank and be done with it this stuff is fairly hot I'm gonna double layer
25:16with
25:17the rubber gloves years ago I had one drop of it go right into my eye grab the hose and
25:22just squirt it
25:22into my eye and I've never done it again safety goggles and the proper equipment learned my lesson
25:27the first time while Craig gets going exposed in the wood I'm gonna get working on the ornate metal
25:32it'll work like the foot rise now for something really disgusting what I thought was mud and dirt
25:38is all hair looks like somebody shaped a guinea pig on this thing that is freaking disgusting I'm being
25:49very careful around these plied pieces sometimes I'll take them off makes it easier for me to clean
25:53around everything they're very very fragile and if I break it as somebody already has I'm gonna have to
25:59make another one so we got the first layer loose and I'm already seeing the tiger oak the beauty of
26:04it I'm gonna take this piece of steel wool dunk it a little bit that's a couple layers of paint
26:09just
26:09coming right off with this and there's the tiger oak and that is one beautiful piece of wood this is
26:17a pile
26:17of nastiness there and I'm gonna have to weld this crack up right here how's that wood going man real
26:30good Andy I've already got the paint off of it I don't think I'm gonna have to remove the applied
26:34pieces I think we're in good shape it's awesome hey John look out there I got it I got it
26:54I got it
26:54all right that is a 46 knucklehead engine rebuilt with tender loving care let's get this thing put
27:01in here what a beauty you ready I am one two are we in we're in a little bit more
27:07a little my way
27:09oh there you go there we go keep coming right there beautiful it's in that's it like a hand in
27:16a glove
27:16wow this is looking good the 46 knuckleheads coming along great I cleaned and rebuilt every
27:21piece of that engine now John has got the chassis in great shape we just got to put all the
27:26parts
27:26on it you made some good progress you got the fork and handlebars on it where's the headlight I got
27:31a list right here of things we need to finish this project check it out we got a ways to
27:36go drive
27:37chassis primary clutch tires correct wheels dampener exhaust exhaust got the exhaust over here when that
27:45old knucklehead arrived here it was in rough rough shape but Dale's been around he's old Harley's a
27:51long long time it'll be a rolling piece of art when he's finished with I think we're looking
27:56pretty good I think the biggest problem is no oil tank once I get the oil tank you can get
28:01the rear
28:01fender bolted up I'll bring the wheels in tires are ready we'll have it done by the time they get
28:05here have no fear the clock is ticking the American the France fire truck is almost finished and ready
28:25for delivery to our friends at the LA fireman's museum we finished all the metalwork the red paint matches
28:31the original color all the brass is polished and it looks awesome as a final touch I've decided to hire
28:47out a professional pin striper to really bring out the lines on this art deco piece of machinery
29:09what's up oh dude did you see this this is the worst pin striping job I have ever seen in
29:17my life
29:18just looks horrific it looks horrific what's going on boss look at this it's terrible huh I mean my
29:27eight-year-old daughter could have done a better job than this what happened here with this guy man
29:32I don't know it's all crooked he used the wrong kind of tape it bled through he got gold paint
29:38on our
29:38gauges on our chrome everything I mean this guy just didn't even care if I went to go ask for
29:43a check to
29:43do this job I'd be embarrassed I'd be completely embarrassed and now I have to fix it in a very
29:53short amount of time this painter really screwed me over I can't even I cannot deliver this truck like
30:00this I'm so pissed off at this thing when I see this I just cannot believe what a terrible job
30:05he did
30:10your bike is ready I think I hear Dale coming right now in fact that's not that's not it that's
30:16not it
30:22this is the palm once again filled with hair we've made a lot of headwind in Jeff's 1890s barber chair
30:28it's like a pelt this barber chair had hair everywhere 100 year old plus hair some of the
30:34seals have deteriorated they're old leather seals all we have to do is get cleaned up maybe a little
30:38bit of sanding and they work fine it was built right the first time simple not complicated and
30:43built to last and it did Jeff wants to use this chair to watch football games and sporting events
30:50just lounge around in so we're gonna build some cup holders for them they'll be able to be removed
30:55you'll never know they were there but while they're there they'll look like they belong there we're
30:59dealing with inch thick wood so we're gonna have to make a Z bracket to hold this thing in place
31:04and it's gonna be about six and a half inches long let's mark up some metal and get it cut
31:14this is our amount that will sit under the bracket just like so I'm gonna make some marks as to
31:20where
31:20poles go all right we're just gonna give it a little bit of shape and these are completely
31:27removable at the option of the owner I didn't want to destroy the chair and neither did he
31:34come on in Jeff it is so cool that Jeff had us do this barber chair instead of letting it
31:39collect dust
31:39in the garage any longer he had us converted into something he can watch the big game in and enjoy
31:44for a lifetime what's happening buddy not much how you doing good how's the chair it's a lot better
31:50than it was last time you've seen it I'm so excited to see it man I can't wait after a
31:55hundred and some
31:55plus years it's back to where she needs to be want to see it yeah absolutely damn oh smokes yeah
32:06that is
32:07incredible Andy pulls the cover off it and it's unbelievable and beautiful ain't it that looks
32:12awesome I see the shiny metal this great leather this beautiful woodwork and I'm just astounded at
32:18it everybody had a lot of fun working on it I had your foot plates re-nickled my pin striper
32:23I had him
32:24go through and hand paint all this underneath so that it would really pop for you and look the way
32:30it
32:30should Craig did some phenomenal woodwork for you right here if you remember Jeff the whole top of
32:35this crown was missing okay so it was cut it by hand hand sand it hand carve it to make
32:40it fit and if
32:41you look to this one compared to the one that was there originally close as it gets you can't even
32:47tell
32:49when I pulled it all apart it was stuffed with cotton batting and hey hey hey it looked like a
32:54chicken
32:55coop in there so this is good high-density foam that same stuff they use on high-grade furniture
33:00I love the cup holders I love how you incorporated the leather in here the wood looks great it looks
33:04like it belongs out there they're screwed on from the bottom right where the armrests are four screws
33:09will take this whole assembly off okay we use the original bolt holes for the armrests so nothing's
33:14been disturbed if you take them off it'll be just the way it was the day it was made we've
33:20got
33:20your pump working again even it works I didn't think you'd get that to work it had so
33:24much hair in it there was almost like mud give it like a half a pump they'll go up all
33:29the way
33:29down and it falls just like brand new I can't believe it works what do you think your grandfather
33:34I thought of this I'm sure that he would be pretty amazed with it right now a lot of people
33:39got their
33:39haircut in that chair I bet they did I can make a chihuahua out of the hair we got out
33:42of this thing
33:43this chair will never see another haircut it's too nice to ever let that happen to it again and we're
33:48gonna keep it as pristine as possible once you hop up in there I feel like I'm ready for a
33:55bad haircut
33:55get the shears Andy lean on back we'll get you a cold one relax man this is awesome guys I
34:04can't
34:04wait to watch some football on this thing good news is we got where you wanted to be on your
34:09budget I hit
34:10your target and might have a little extra money to fill them cup holders now sounds good man this is
34:15great since we didn't have to replace any expensive parts like the pump I got to save Jeff a lot
34:20of
34:21money on this chair at $3,700 Jeff's gonna save $800 and put it right in his pocket thank you
34:27Andy
34:27this is awesome thanks for bringing it to us I've ran out of words to describe it it's so nice
34:31it's
34:32it's incredible I'm gonna go get a couple guys Andy we'll get this thing packed and wrapped
34:35thanks John and you can take care of the paperwork sounds good come on over here
34:53hi John hi Jim several weeks ago Jim and Teresa showed up with her dad's 1946 knucklehead Jim had a
35:00clever plan have us fully restored the motorcycle in honor of Teresa's father the bike's ready to
35:06show welcome back your bike is ready the tune-up went very smoothly thank you I think I hear Dale
35:13coming right now in fact that's not that's not it that's not it that's not it is this is your
35:27motorcycle beautiful it's not what I expected it you didn't know about the note no what no we did
35:35the whole thing he said do it right and do it completely this is a rebirth and it starts and
35:42runs perfectly I heard it did a full-blown restoration in the original 1946 color it's a
35:48lot better than that spray paint red the red seat gone oh big chrome headlight replaced with a proper
35:54headlight and we've re-chromed all these pieces we've re-polished all of these parts the engine
36:00is rebuilt to perfection it'll run for a long time so this is what my dad got on took it
36:05from the
36:05Mississippi River man yeah amazing amazing my dad would be so thrilled my daddy was the most amazing
36:13man that we'd ever seen he was strong and beautiful and powerful and loving and generous and this brings
36:21that man back to me it's beautiful it is just beautiful it is it is leaning on this like it's
36:28mine but it's actually yours you're gonna have to let it go at some point bro but I think you
36:32ought to
36:32have a seat on it please you of course there's a whole new oh yeah look at that huh perfect
36:38fit
36:39perfect it is just about my size isn't it I think you should try to start it for me and
36:43I'm gonna teach
36:43you how to do it let me come around right over here put your foot right up on there and
36:47then I want you to
36:48stand up and straighten your leg at the same time oh look at that oh that sounds exactly right though
37:00that sounds so cool we've recaptured the life of this motorcycle and it has a life in the future
37:06and my father would be thrilled with that thank you Jim there's a timelessness about these bikes and
37:13love you too yeah there is there really go on forever and ever and now this one's starting all
37:20over again Teresa working on your dad's bike was something I'll never forget and it was a privilege
37:24and an honor thank you forget either I'll always always think of this moment I'll go bring it over
37:28to the trailer for you we can't deliver this thing like this we'd be a laughing stock we have to
37:43get
37:43this thing finished all right we can't deliver this thing like this we'd be a laughing stock I hire out
37:52a
37:52pinstriper on this 1937 American to France and he just proceeds to up and take my money you have no
37:59idea how pissed off I am right now we got to have it done by tomorrow that's when it's scheduled
38:04to be
38:04delivered I can't call him up and push this off another week I can't I mean the lines on this
38:09thing look horrific it just goes to show you if you want something done right you better do it
38:13yourself here's what we're gonna do remove all this and all the bad areas I see some looks acceptable sure
38:20let me take it out let me try to take it out and yeah what is that painting oh yes
38:28oh perfect you're
38:30lucky look how easy comes up oh thank God man all right cool well this is good news Alex and
38:38it's
38:38not hurting the paint whatsoever everything's good yeah we have to get this thing finished all right
38:51okay okay it's coming the 37 American to France is finished and we're on our way to deliver it to
38:57our friends at the LA fireman's museum the pinstriping's fixed and it's finally museum quality Don and the
39:03guys are gonna love this thing and I can't wait to see the expression on their face oh my god
39:10oh
39:32this is remarkable it's unbelievable it's what I really
39:36wanted to see including the color last time I saw this fire truck it was bare metal an awful lot
39:43of stuff stripped off it and then to turn around and see this beautiful hunk of metal is remarkable
39:51the striping look beautiful I mean that sets the whole fire truck it really does as soon as the gold
39:57went on it was a completely different truck guys check out the interior made it look brand new wow
40:04look at how beautiful the dashes inside clean the dash original gauges we polished the brass it was
40:10all covered in paint polished water tank up top did all new wood in the bed all new chrome oh
40:17yeah
40:17Mitchell rebuilt the carbs he handmade all the gaskets because there's no carb kit for this thing he
40:23cleaned everything out and it's running really good well that must have been pretty exciting that cranked
40:28out oh yeah it was really exciting it's got a brand new stainless steel exhaust system that's
40:33remarkable that's a thing of beauty underneath well I come look at the pump station yeah yeah oh man
40:39we've cleaned up everything we left the inside of the gauges real vintage so well we gotta try it give
40:57me a hand
40:59okay here's your nozzle all right all right man so this line in behind this a little bit okay and
41:07then I'm gonna be
41:07here on this side backing you up all right you're good with your feet that
41:11shoulder-width apart you want to lean into it a little bit okay you're gonna
41:14get about 75 pounds of nozzle reaction so I'll be back here on this side of
41:18hose line back and yet all right ready ready yeah go for it low the line
41:33oh pops would be proud of me now making this restoration happen for the guys at the museum
41:38is truly an honor it's my small way of giving back to the firefighters like my dad that sacrifice and
41:44put their lives on the line every day for us it's also my way of reliving the childhood dream of
41:50being a firefighter if only for a minute I'm really happy with the way this thing turned out
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