my C60L has come home...finally

Darrin Wright · #1 22-11-12, 22:47

Over the last month or some I have had to move my Chev from Darwin to home in Vic.
It had been in the Aviation Museum in Darwin on public display sine 1999 or 2000, and the museum recently aquired a new larger obsolete aircraft from the RAAF. So they needed the room in their hanger around the B-52, so the other items of interest that were not aviation related had to go. My Chev was one of the items.
So through a friend I utilised the services of a truck driver that does a lot of NT work and backloads items quite often. I managed to get this arranged and in place in about 2 weeks as he was running trailers into a remote part of the NT and potentially coming home empty.
So the time and place was arranged, using the same good friend, we organised a tilt tray to collect the Chev and cross loaded it onto the step-deck trailer at the truck stop for its return trip.
The pics are in the museum and the loading/cross loading in Darwin.

Darrin Wright · #2 22-11-12, 23:07

The Chev arived in Vic about a week ago, and due to loads going to the NT it was put in secure storage for about a week until the truck was free to deliver.
Yesterday it arrived in Wodonga, I had it arranged that it would go directly to Grealy's Towing in Wodonga to be cross loaded and delivered out to my house, all this will working in Melbourne.
Pic are of the Chev being delivered by Grealy's Tilt trays.

Darrin Wright · #3 22-11-12, 23:10

more pics of the unload.

Darrin Wright · #4 22-11-12, 23:20

My wife said to our 2 boys that there would be a surprise in the yard when they got home that night.
We wondered how long it would take them to find it or if they would walk right past it looking for something for themselves.
But they found it and soon got themselves into it and over it, checking it out.
As you can see in the pics they both got into the drivers seat to test it out.
Just have to see if my eldest will ask to drive it around.

But before that can happen I will have to:
re-kit all the brake components as there is no pressure in the brake system
there are a couple of leaking wheel cylinders and leaking hub seals
have to fix the leak from the gear box mounted air compressor
inspect all the fluids for contamination from humidity
check and rebuild the water pump as I think it was leaking a couple of years ago when it came out for a car show
there is a small leak in the front of the radiator core
LH head light bulb requires replacing
pull the plugs out and spray lubricant into the cylinders so that I can slowly turn it over by hand to make sure the rings and bearings are not siezed or grab
rub it back and respray

If anybody else can recommend/advise me on what else I should do prior to starting the engine, or maybe I have missed something?
Please advise.
Yes, this may take time away from the BGC....

Col Tigwell · #5 23-11-12, 01:04

A couple of fine looking boys a credit to you and your lady.

The truck looks great I presume that you restored it up there

Regards

Col

Darrin Wright · #6 23-11-12, 08:33

I bought it in 1991 and got it driving where I had some fun with it while at Bandiana, then stripped it down that year and had the chassis blasted and undercoated.
I was then moved to Ingleburn Sydney in Jan 1992, where I got the bulk of the restoration completed. Towards the end I had to move it to East Hills in Sydney (now a migrant facility) as I was posted to Holsworthy.
I managed to finish the truck in either 1997 or 98 and had it on the road in the military vehicle club there.
Its 1st real test drive was down the Hume Hwy to Mittagong for a picnic, and then back.
In early 1999 we moved to Darwin and the truck was transported on a float as part of my move.
Yes I did all the work, my Dad assisted with a few items such as rebuild of T-case, making the overflow tank.

Darrin Wright · #7 23-11-12, 01:01

many years ago on MLU and Keith's site I had a bit of history and some pics of this truck that I posted up for all to read, but since then I have learnt more about it and to shed more light on it now.

This truck was given ARN 89134, recieved throught NSW as a C60L Unbinned (whatever that means). It has an Army cargo tray on it, that does not allow the sides to fold down- they are bolted in place.

During its time in the Army it had an engine rebuild, when I stripped the engine down it had the milage painted on the LH side of the block.

It was declared for disposal on 24 Apr 1964, it was sold at MGO/3 BOD/ GPI/ T21. What I know of this is 3 BOD is Seymour military area in Vic.

I purchased the truck from North eastern Truck Wreckers in Wodonga in early 1991, fairly complete. It had been a fire truck in the Urana shire (north of Albury/Wodonga) and had been well looked after. Although someone had stolen the dash data plate from it.
The truck only had 14500 miles on it from new, unfortunatly could not claim any new car/truck warranty on it.

being young with lots of money, I conducted a ground up restoration that took until about 1998 when it was put back on the road with a permit in Sydney. I was then moved to Darwin in 1999 and I took it with me. It sat in my car port for awhile, I went to East Timor for a working holiday for 3 months, then it went into the Darwin Aviation Museum on public display.

Now it is home for a bit of TLC.
The AIF markings on the nose cone are not correct, that was my doing to give the truck some identity & character as my Dad's C15A has all those markings on it. But the ARN is in the correct place as to when the Army applied it.

Enjoy