The Suicide Squad

In the 1950’s, the volunteer fire departments of the upper East coast participated in tournaments meant to judge the skill and creativity of the fire departments of the area. From what I can tell, the competition was pretty simple – haul ass from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ and then once ya get there, perform some typical fireman activity as quickly as humanly possible. The fastest team wins.

Most of these teams used trucks in competition, but the fellas of the Bohemia, Long Island Volunteer Fire Department took performance a little more seriously. They took a stock ’56 Chevrolet sedan to Forean Kustom and had them convert it into a hot rod fire truck the likes no one had ever seen before… or maybe since. Corvette motor, HD brakes, special wheels, etc… Of course, the most obvious modification was to the back half. The crew needed a bed to satisfy any duties that had to be performed after they hauled ass from point ‘A’ to ‘B.’ The custom fabricated truck bed gave them room to haul fire hoses, ladders, or any other fire quenching gear. The awkward and sports car inspired door reliefs aided a quick entry and exit.

Weird, right? The November, 1956 issue of Rodding & Restyling has the coverage:

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