Former fi refi ghter blazes through truck restoration
for son’s department
NANCY DASHWOOD
Staff Writer
You can take a guy away from a fi re truck, but you
can’t take a fi re truck away from a guy. At least not
for long.
Jerry Klein, who now lives between Winsted and
Lester Prairie, served on the Cologne Fire Depart-
ment for 27 years. He spent his career working for
Mid-County Coop, and also worked at Glen’s Tire in
Glencoe for fi ve years.
Perhaps more importantly, Klein has always en-
joyed tinkering on vehicles, and restoring classics to
their original best.
When Klein’s son Daniel, the Fire Marshal for the
City of Monticello Fire Department, asked his father
if he would consider restoring the department’s 1929
Chevrolet fi re truck, his dad just couldn’t say no.
At fi rst, father and son thought the truck would
need some relatively minor repairs.
As Klein dug further underneath the hood, how-
ever, he discovered a mechanic’s dream of antiquated
and broken systems, as well as a potentially endless
number of restoration projects.
Daniel eventually gave his father a budget for the
project, and advised him to use it up. The biggest goal
was to get the truck to the point where it was road-
safe, so the fi re department could use it for parades
and funerals.
Among other things, Klein discovered the old
truck’s head gasket leaked; the electrical system
needed to be completely rewired; the fuel pump was
out of order; and the front wheel bearings needed to
be repacked. He discovered the truck’s last oil change
took place in 1989.
Additionally, much of the truck’s fi re-related equip-
ment was either missing or in disrepair. Klein discov-
ered one problem, which would lead to another issue,
and then on to another. He said he often thought to
himself, “Where do I quit?”
But, with help from his spouse, Gloria, he system-
atically repaired and replaced pieces of the truck for
nearly a year.
No part of the truck was too small for inspection,
or refl ection. “A lot of nights I lay there, thinking,”
Klein said.
Because many truck parts and accessories are no
longer manufactured, Klein found himself spending
time on the internet, looking for replacements. “I
spent hours and hours on the computer, searching,”
he said.
Not only was Klein successful at fi nding next-to-
impossible parts, he was also creative about it. For
example, to replicate leather straps on one side of the
truck, Klein substituted leather bulldog collars.
Over time, Klein fi xed all of the mechanical prob-
lems, and inspected every inch of the truck to deter-
mine what could be accurately restored.
He revamped the fi re truck’s electrical system, cut-
12
Senior
Jerry Klein, who has lived in the Winsted-Lester Prairie area for the past 13 years, spent a good portion of this year
repairing and restoring a 1929 Chevrolet fi re truck for the Monticello Fire Department. He has developed the know-
how over decades of similar work on other projects: Klein has restored several tractors, and still owns the ‘60s-era
PHOTOS BY NANCY DASHWOOD
Chevrolet convertible he purchased during his high school days.
More RESTORATION on Pg 13
Connections Jan/Feb 2020
Senior Connections HJ.COM