Not softskin as such: a 1940 Chev sedan question

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Matt Austin

Just out of curiosity, folks, how common are these cars today? I've seen Rick's example, another in all-over khaki, and a handful in civilian trim. I haven had a great deal of luck in finding out much about them generally, although I have managed to pick up a couples of manuals.

A couple of friends own '39 examples, so I imagine the same positives and negatives apply. Are engines and parts available? Do people have any advice that you may like to share? It's a learning experience for me. I have access to comprehensive vintage aviation restoration facilities, so the tin work is under control.

There are some great pics on the Australian War Memorial site, and these have given me a few ideas.

Cheers,
Matt

Matt

The treasurer of the MV club down here (VMVC) has had one for sale for many years , he did some restoration work on it and he's trying to get his money back .

They are reasonably common. I've seen a few around but how many of them are military ?

Being a Chev , parts are no problem .

[Matt Austin]

Thanks Mike. Is the one you've mentioned a green one, based in Seaford?

All indicators point to it being a fairly straightforward process. But, as we all know, the indicators are often way off the mark! Time will tell...

Cheers,
Matt

[Mike Cecil]

Have you got it home yet, and have you had a chance to locate the chassis number? We look forward to some more images.

The AWM also has an example. It is restored and stored at the Annex.

Mike C

[Matt Austin]

Hi Mike,

Not home yet, it's in South Australia, and transport is being arranged. He's a retired gentleman, so I haven't pressed for the chassis number. Would it be on the LHS chassis rail towards the front of the vehicle?

More pics to follow.

Cheers,
Matt

[lynx42]

Hi Matt,

The chassis number is behind the front wheel on the vertical face of the left chassis rail. It should start with 40****. Mine is 40 308. There is a small gap between the 40 and the 308. The numbers are lightly stamped and about 5/8 inch high.

Regards Rick.

[Mike Cecil]

My answer to your q, Matt was going to be 'dunno .... Rick or Mike K will know'.... and Rick did!

Mike C

[Mike K]

Matt

The Holden production numbers at Woodville .

1940 Standard sedan 1599

1940 Master sedan 2129

I think the Master has the independant knee front suspension .

Interesting , they don't list any specific military sedans for 1940 but they do for 1942 . Maybe the military issued 1940 cars are included in those 1940 figures ?

1942 has 620 AMF deluxe sedan bodies listed . I suspect these are actually 1941 style bodies . 1942 also has a few refugee bodies assembled at Woodville , these were Chev , Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and divimpro cabs whatever that is, all under 30 units each .

The Fishermens Bend factory was mostly manufacturing 'special' bodies with Woodville doing the bulk of the actual mass produced bodies

Mike

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

Matt

The treasurer of the MV club down here (VMVC) has had one for sale for many years , he did some restoration work on it and he's trying to get his money back .

They are reasonably common. I've seen a few around but how many of them are military ?

Being a Chev , parts are no problem .

The car is still for sale 7.5 K $

[Matt Austin]

I've been doing an inventory and have almost everything, although there'll be some parts I'll need to replace. At this stage, the only obvious things I'm missing are the worst motors and wipers, the upper left hand front passenger door hinge assembly and the boot hinges.

I haven't been able to scrub the area of the chassis to find the chassis number, but for to find something soon. I've cleaned the appropriate part of the engine and the attached pic shows the engine number, R2777077, which the books tell me is a 1940 engine, so possibly the original. Mike, I don't know if that's any help without the chassis number, but I'll keep looking.

The fun continues! Tony, thanks for the colour clarification, I'll get some clear pics.

Cheers,
Matt

[Matt Austin]

Tony, were cars delivered in a number of colours, then painted DBG for military use? If so, that'd explain the layers as you've described; Sandrift, then DBG, then a later coat of blue-grey. Interesting.

The engine bay shows no sign of any colour other than Sandrift, which'd make sense as there's no point in repainting the engine bay, given that a military repaint is a matter of expediency.

Cheers,
Matt

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Matt Austin

Tony, were cars delivered in a number of colours, then painted DBG for military use?

Yes that's my assumption Matt....until proven otherwise! I find it unlikely that DBG ever made it into vehicle production, owing to relatively small numbers involved, and general state of haste and disorganization at the time. More likely these vehicles received a superficial Army repaint as you say. Rick's photo titled "1940 Moorebank Anzac Rifle Range Camp" appears to show 1940 Chev sedans and 1940 Ford trucks freshly painted DBG at 5 Base Ordnance Depot Moorebank.

1940 Moorebank Anzac Rifle Range Camp.jpg


As we know DBG soon became obsolete: Military Board Instruction MBI 94 15th August, 1940. Adoption of “Paint, Khaki Green, No. 3”

"All Military vehicles, artillery equipment and general stores, previously painted in service colour will be painted in Khaki Green, No. 3."

Evidently your staff car fell through the cracks Matt! Of course, in 1941 we see large numbers of vehicles delivered in factory KG3, including your K5 Inter.

1941 from Laurie Wright webpage.jpg

Green.jpg

[Mike Cecil]

Matt,

The paint sequence suggests RAAF to me: production vehicle in S/drift - possibly then taken under impressment - painted DBG, then transferred from 'stocks' to the RAAF, or the RAN where it served initially in DBG, then toward the end of the war, repainted in Blue-grey. Just a theory, of course, but it does fit the paint sequence. Impressment was not only from the public, but from dealers and manufacturers in the first instance, so may have been a new vehicle at a dealership when it was 'impressed'. The RAAF and especially the RAN registrations are pretty hopeless: not a lot of chance locating it if its one of those, I'm afraid!

Chassis number would help, but I'll have a look and see if I can find the engine number or at least something close.

Postscript: had a look at engine numbers, and R2777077 is comparatively early as far as the Army are concerned. Most are in the R28XXXXX range, but there are several in the R277XXXX range - mostly odd ones here and there amongst other vehicle types. The closest was R2777172 on a Chev sedan assembled in Perth, chassis number P-40-69.

Mike

[Mike K]

Matt

I suggest you get hold of THE HISTORY OF HOLDEN by Norm Darwin. Your local library will help

http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/2146067...ionId=25704039

Although the book is horribly written in my opinion, it does have lots of relevant info.

There is a pic in the book, of 1940 Chev sedans with girls standing in front , all are painted in civilian livery ( the cars not the girls ! )