Chev 6 Seater Utility

[Mike K]

Pics of the ford version


I saw a chev like yours in QLD in 1979 at the Hughes museum at Caloundra .

Lucky you, its a rarity

[David Dunlop]

WOW! What a great looking vehicle! Any idea how many were built?

David

[aj.lec]

Nice find

[Wayne Henderson]

Not sure on production numbers and have only seen two others in WA, both with the rear sections long gone.

From studying photos I have found the war time crew doors were "suicide" and post war fitted the other way around.
also the Bren gun mounts in the rear section are fitted outside post war.

The mount is the same as fitted to Bren Gun Carriers.

Washed the truck and photographed everything.

[Wayne Henderson]

Decided to build the rear section first before I did anything else.
This would be the hardest job so why not get it out of the way first.

Done a couple of 13 cab Chevs before but i wanted to do this one as accurate as possible to the original as it was not the usual Chev.

Took an original timber sample to a wood expert who said is was Vic Ash,
never heard of it so he/we settled on Tassy Oak (Plantation Tasmanian Oak).

Had the main runners and supports cut to size from local Wandoo.
Wandoo is cut green and is bloody heavy and very hard.

Copied the original timbers exactly and was paranoid about getting everything square. Learnt alot about carpentry along the way, actually enjoyed working with wood for once.

[Wayne Henderson]

The fuel tanks are odd and took a bit of head scratching to sort out.

These are standard Chev 15cwt tanks but the cap and neck hole has been plated over with a soldered patch. The tanks are filled from the top where a screw cap has been added. To fill the tanks you need to open the rear door, open up a flap in the floor and insert a funnel.

All the original timbers on the tray were examined and compared with photos I got from Keith to nut out what went where.

The floor boards were cut and grooved as per the originals. Finding out that Tassy Oak is expensive so the old "measure twice cut once" mentality kicked in.

[Lionelgee]

Originally Posted by Wayne Henderson

Decided to build the rear section first before I did anything else.
This would be the hardest job so why not get it out of the way first.

Done a couple of 13 cab Chevs before but i wanted to do this one as accurate as possible to the original as it was not the usual Chev.

Took an original timber sample to a wood expert who said is was Vic Ash,
never heard of it so he/we settled on Tassy Oak (Plantation Tasmanian Oak).

Had the main runners and supports cut to size from local Wandoo.
Wandoo is cut green and is bloody heavy and very hard.

Copied the original timbers exactly and was paranoid about getting everything square. Learnt alot about carpentry along the way, actually enjoyed working with wood for once.

Hello Wayne,

I have a 1935 truck that is coach built and the timbers need replacing. They are good for templates and not much else. I would like to have the timbers in the cabin identified so I could replace them with the original species. The hardwood tray also needs replacing too!

The cabin was made in Australia and the truck came from America as a rolling chassis and firewall only.

I was thinking of visiting the latest guise of Queensland Forestry Department with some samples so they could identify it. Not that I am sure where in Australia the final truck was assembled as they might not be Queensland timbers.

I also have a 1940 Australian built Holden - Chevrolet ex-Army truck that needs its tray and sides replaced. It was made for the Army because its colour plate says "Khaki". Thankfully the cabin is all steel and in good condition. I will be getting the Chevrolet's timber for the tray identified as well.

Kind Regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello Wayne,

I have just been doing some digging and I found an article written by John Merton for the Morgan Owner's Club of Australia about Australian coachwood timbers. It mentions the following: "The preferred timber was spotted gum, closely followed by blue gum then some other Eucalypt species and coachwood (Ceropetalum apetalum)". These findings were backed up by mechanical tests carried out courtesy of Boral Timbers Inc.

The Morgan Owner's Club of Australia's (April, 2002) journal is called the Morgan Ear. The three page version that I cited from is Merton, John (2005) Coachbuilding Timber Selection. Accessed 28th November from http://www.morganownersclub.com.au/C...0Selection.pdf

The Morgan Owner's Club also have a Technical Section with more information about framework. Accessed 28th November from, https://sites.google.com/site/morgan...sis/body-frame

I figure if it is good enough for the body of a Morgan it should do well for a body of a Chevy.

P.S. I went to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries - the Forestry is under their umbrella in Queensland and I found a Fact Sheet on Spotted Gum. Accessed 28th of November 2015 from, https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/forestry/...es/spotted-gum

Corymbia maculata formerly Eucalyptus maculata uses are as follows:

Engineering. As sawn or round timber in wharf and bridge construction, railway sleepers, cross-arms, poles, piles and mining timbers.

Construction. As unseasoned timber in general house framing and as seasoned dressed timber in cladding, internal and external flooring, linings and joinery. Also in fencing, landscaping, retaining walls and as structural plywood and hardboard.

Decorative. Internal fine furniture, outdoor furniture, turnery, joinery, parquetry.

Others. Tool handles, boat building (keel and framing components, planking, decking), coach, vehicle and carriage building, agricultural machinery, sporting goods (baseball bats, croquet mallets, spring and diving boards, parallel bars) and bent work. It has been used for butcher´s blocks, meat skewers, mallet heads, ladder rungs, wheel spokes, wine casks and broom handles. Spotted gum is the main Australian species for tool handles which are subjected to high impact forces, such as axe handles.

Kind Regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Originally Posted by Wayne Henderson

Took an original timber sample to a wood expert who said is was Vic Ash, never heard of it so he/we settled on Tassy Oak (Plantation Tasmanian Oak).

Hello Wayne,

There is nothing to watch on TV so I did some Internet surfing and I found a couple of Fact Sheets on Victorian Ash Accessed 28th November 2015 from, http://www.woodsolutions.com.au/Wood...Victorian-Ash/ the other one from Fenning Bairnsdale.

Victorian ash is the trade name of two large Australian hardwoods Eucalyptus delegatensis & Eucalyptus regnans .

Victorian Ash's Other Names: Alpine Ash, Tasmanian Oak, Mountain Ash, Gum-topped Stringybark, White-top, Blue-leaf

Scientific Name Eucalyptus delegatensis Its properties are described as "Alpine Ash has excellent dimensional stability and is ideal for interiors ranging from sophisticated retail spaces to elegant home interiors". "Low to moderate durability means it is best suited for interior applications such as flooring, panelling, high value joinery and furniture".

Scientific Name Eucalyptus regnans Its properties are described as: "Eucalyptus regnans Mountain Ash is one of the most important hardwoods of Australia, being widely use for interior and building construction." Accessed 28th November 2015 from, http://www.fenning.com.au/species

I had a look at your "local Wandoo" that you wrote about and it is a very interesting timber. Eucalyptus wandoo Accessed 28th November 2015 from, http://www.florabank.org.au/lucid/ke...tus_wandoo.htm.

Kind Regards
Lionel

[Wayne Henderson]

Thanks Lionel.
One thing to keep in mind when you build your wood body is the weight.
My trucks original body was built in the East of Australia using locally sourced timber.

The choice of Tassy Oak by me was made for several reasons, availability, suitability, durability and weight.

Tassy Oak can be cut veneer thin and then tied in a knot without breaking. It is light but very strong and springy (is that a word?) and available in all good timber yards and isle 5 at Bunnings.

Only downside is the cost and NEVER get it wet, use a wood sealer and paint it straight away.

The finished timber frame would be 1/2 the weight of any of the other local timbers like Jarrah, Blackbut, Wandoo, Marri or Karri. The difference in the crew door weight between the original and the new frame in Tassy Oak is staggering, but still retaining structural strength.

Wandoo was once used to produce Tannin, visited the factory as a School boy back in the 1800's and I can still remember the stink.