From Steve in NJ


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Posted by Joe Cimoch on Sunday, April 08, 2007 at 07:01:25 :

Military vehicle restoration buffs unite
Collectors to hold their first show at Suss@x fairgrounds.

BY JOE MOSZCZYNSKI
Star-Ledger Staff

As a child, Fred Schlesinger al ways had an interest in old Army vehicles.

But it wasn't until he became an adult that he started collecting them.

"I'm just a big, noisy, stinky truck guy," said Schlesinger, an attorney by day who lives in North Caldwell with his wife, Susan, who herself owns a firetruck that the couple recently bought from the Newton Fire Department in Suss@x County.

"I like to drive around and make a lot of noise," he said, laughing.

Schlesinger's two vehicles -- an M38-A1 Kaiser Jeep and a 2 1/2-ton transport truck (known as a "deuce-and-a-half" in Army par lance) -- will be among about 100 restored military vehicles on display next month during a show and swap meet sponsored by the Military Transportation Association of North Jersey.

The show, featuring vehicles from World War II, the Korean, Vietnam and Gulf wars, will be held for the first time on April 14 and 15 at the Suss@x County fairgrounds on Plains Road in Augusta, just off Route 206.

The show will be open Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $3 and parking is free.

As president of the nonprofit MTA, Schlesinger oversees a group of about 120 active members who are dedicated to the preservation of historic military vehicles.

Club members are mostly military veterans, but have varying opinions on how to restore the old vehicles. Some members restore their vehicles to original manufacturer specifications, while others restore them to what Schlesinger described as "motor-pool used," using various workable parts.

Because of the diversity in restoration interests, he said, the association rarely restores vehicles as a group.





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