We were poking around for information about rebuilding fire truck engines when fire truck restorer Ken Soderbeck told us about a business based in Garland, Texas, called The V-12 Shop (www.Thev12shop.com). It seems that the V-12 Shop is a family-owned restoration business headed by Doug Kindred and Katrina Falk, It provides affordable parts, sales, service, and restoration of antique fire apparatus. Doug and Katrina have nearly a half century's worth of combined industry knowledge and expertise.
The V-12 Shop's signature American LaFrance engine services was the genesis of the business. Its goal is to assist owners of American LaFrance apparatus equipped with the Model "E," "F," "G," and "J" V-12 engines. The shop is also able to aid those searching for these particular engines by offering known-good engine cores and custom-built engines for a variety of applications.
Each engine received for building and/or service is handled with care and, upon completion, will meet and exceed all original manufacturer specifications. All custom machine work is performed in-house in a 2,800-square-foot machine shop. Only the highest-quality after-market parts are used. The V-12 Shop does not sub-contract or outsource work to other machine shops.
In addition to engine building services, The V-12 Shop is one of the only "one stop shops" in the country able to supply rare and sought-after parts that are no longer available over-the-counter.
The V-12 Shop's primary focus began with American LaFrance V-12 engines and American LaFrance 700 and 800 Series fire apparatus, but it now offers complete restoration services for all makes and models of internal combustion engines and apparatus. The shop's restoration capabilities are vast and include partial cosmetic restoration, complete "frame-off" restoration, parade and funeral coach conversions, paint and body work, gold leaf decorations and pin striping, welding and metal fabrication, electrical re-wiring/upgrading, specialty engine overhaul, and brake, clutch, and transfer case repair.
