Battery Holdens-Chev MCP 216 engine

[Mike K]

I will take a few pics for you. But You have a larger 30 cwt ? truck and it may have had different battery mounts ? The floor in the utes here is a pressed steel panel .

One of my cabs had a hit on the rear quarter and its pretty well stuffed it . The prang also bent the chassis and somebody has done a backyard fix that looks horrific .

The other ute has chronic rust problems , the cab is paper thin all over, even the chassis has rusted away in places . This one has the remains of the wooden ute frame and the steel side panels and rear guards .

My plan was . Make a AIF Midde East vehicle as the 6th Div. used quite a lot of 1940 models overseas . But it all takes time .

[Lionelgee]

Hello Mike,

Thanks for the photographs of your ute.

Do you have any hints where to look for the chassis number.

I am still trying to work out the weight capacity of my truck.

Kind Regards
Lionel

[motto]

Lionel, the repro battery holder appears to have more in common with the one in Mike's ute than the one used on the trucks. The forward end of the holder in the ute appears to be braced off the cross member.
The truck ones are mounted entirely off the chassis with an additional strut at the front similar to the rear for vertical loads and another diagonal strut to stop flexing in the fore and aft direction.
The pinch bolt is also much longer on the repro holder, similar to the one in Mike's ute.
The little corrugated cross piece at the front is common to both and can only be there as a stone guard.
The basic construction is similar with the battery sitting on a pressed and folded sheet metal support riveted to the brackets at each end.
The floor cover for the battery is what the L/L trucks had and it was only large enough for servicing access, not for battery removal.

David

[Lionelgee]

Originally Posted by motto

Lionel, the repro battery holder appears to have more in common with the one in Mike's ute than the one used on the trucks. The forward end of the holder in the ute appears to be braced off the cross member.
The truck ones are mounted entirely off the chassis with an additional strut at the front similar to the rear for vertical loads and another diagonal strut to stop flexing in the fore and aft direction.
The pinch bolt is also much longer on the repro holder, similar to the one in Mike's ute.
The little corrugated cross piece at the front is common to both and can only be there as a stone guard.
The basic construction is similar with the battery sitting on a pressed and folded sheet metal support riveted to the brackets at each end.
The floor cover for the battery is what the L/L trucks had and it was only large enough for servicing access, not for battery removal.

David

Hello David,

Thanks for pointing out the differences. There is another 1940 Chev truck here in Bundaberg - a full civilian version. However, the owner changed his unit from 6 to 12 volts and completely removed the whole 6 volt system; including battery cage, decades ago. I might ask if he keep the parts - cross fingers.

Kind Regards
Lionel

[motto]

Lionel, I think that your battery rack should be able to be recovered as it has not so much been butchered as added to. So long as the frame is in reasonable condition the only part that needs replacement is the folded sheet metal which is 16 gauge x 4 inches wide, folded up at each end and riveted to the frame.
The most difficult part is the fact that there are rivets involved both in its construction and attachment to the chassis.
I threw my rack away 30 odd years ago as I considered it a silly place to put a battery and I came up with a better one to put on the outside of the chassis.

David