GMC AFKX 354 (french Contract)

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

This is from my notes:

The first letter indicates roughly Model Year, so “A” was 1939-40, “C” 1941, “D” 1942; the next “D” indicated Diesel engine, the following “C” indicates that the truck was Normal or Conventional Control, or “U” for “Unconventional Cab” or “F” Forward Control/Cab-over-Engine. “K” indicates “front-wheel drive”, “W” “6-wheels [or 2 x rear axle drive]”; “X” SPECIAL WHEELBASE LENGTH, the “X” being dropped February 1941.

G.M.C. Trucks ordered by the French Government and then diverted to the Ministry of Supply, all l.h.d. were Models:
AC-504 and ACX-504 4 x 2 with GMC 278 cu. in. engine.

All with GMC 248 cu. in. engines: ACK-252; ACKX-252; AFKX-352; ACK-353; ACKX-353; ACKWX-353; ACKWX-353; AFWX-354. The ACK-252 and ACKX-252, and ACK-353 were a 4 x 4 version of the standard AC-252 or -353; the ACKW-353 was a 6 x 6 normal control version with Thornton conversion, and AFWX-354 the Thornton 6 x 4 Forward Control chassis with extra “crew-cab”, and ACKX- was 4 x 4 with twin rear wheels, and ACKWX- was 6 x 6 with twin wheels on rear axles.

British orders for G.M.C. were for the Model AFKX-352 4 x 4 with the 248 cu. in. engine, all l.h.d. it is believed. Later U.S. supplies of G.M.C. military trucks were of the 1941 Models CCW-353 5-Ton 6 x 4; CCKW-352 50 cwt./2½ Ton 6 x 6 145 in. wheelbase, and CCKW-353 same capacity 6 x 6 157 in. wheelbase. In addition there were supplies of the amphibious “Duck”, 1942 Model DUKW-353 2½ Ton truck, based on the CCKW-353 chassis. These all used the GMC 270 cu. in. engine. Engine #s: 270-xxxxxx e.g. 270-637537.

Our new book on Pearsons' of Liverpool has photos of ex-French GMCs post-war, virtually as received and rebuilt.

[Noel Burgess]

There are some Official (?) drawings of various GMC models on William Marshall's Webshots Album here http://news.webshots.com/album/181012271UcuRkt when viewing 12 to a page they are on pages 17 & 18. These have helped me get a clearer understanding of the various models discussed here.
Thanks to Hanno who originally posted the link elswhere [in the Armour section], some interesting stuff in there.

Noel

[Hanno Spoelstra]

An AFWX-354 has surfaced in France:

6F5E793A-B48C-48F0-950F-23EC9168CFB3.jpeg 05CC436A-B2BA-4285-9B64-4C7D1313618F.jpeg

D993265F-8D0A-4729-A8B0-68EB259D74AA.jpeg D6CE5527-3470-40E1-BD8A-ED609D35E3CB.jpeg

F56771AC-6C6B-4025-994D-56AE417A1B63.jpeg

Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4990...6408450144924/

[Grant Bowker]

Interesting - yet another truck that seems to have mis-matched data plate (serial 505) and frame (serial 513). There's probably no way to tell whether it was the result of an in-service overhaul or a much later event (though the rivets/screws holding the plate in place don't look recent and the green paint on the surround also covers part of the data plate...)