Chev 6 Seater Utility

[Wayne Henderson]

During a lull in my life span I thought I might share some photos/info on a vehicle I have been restoring for a while.

It is the lesser known Australia made Chev 6 Seater Utility, similar to the Canadian HUP only better.

Vehicle use is described as "Transport of Unit Personnel and Reconnaissance". There is some theory as to Staff Car duties.

Both Ford and Chev produced this model but unsure of the final production numbers.

There are differences in the Ford and Chev models, parts like wheel arches and interior finishes and of course the drive train.

Features include front and rear bench seats that fold down to make a large bed, fitted with a radio, rolled canvas annex, interior blind for light discipline, 2 small seats in the rear for gunner and radio ops and rear roof hatch fitted with more mountings for the Bren Gun.

The vehicle I am restoring is a 2 wheel drive Chevrolet, body no. 25

I saw the vehicle in a farm shed but the rear body was missing so was not that keen until the owner said the rest of is was in another shed.

[Wayne Henderson]

The owner bought it from a car dealer, Olly Strang in Victoria Park, for 200 quid (no idea) in 1963. The car yard bought it from an army auction around 1960 and used it to ferry customers around.

Farmer took the back off and used it to string wire fencing.

The vehicle top coat of paint is deep bronze green (Post war) and the hand painted camo is clear under this layer.
The paint is the standard green but the other colour is not the usual yellow. It is a muddy light brown with a pink tinge.

Pulled the vehicle out of the shed and then changed a couple of tyres.
Found all of the rear body panels and crew doors, chucked them in the trailer and went home. Only part not found was the roof sheet metal.

[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.

[cliff]

Originally Posted by Wayne Henderson

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.

are you that old Wayne?

[Wayne Henderson]

Hi Cliff, bits of me feel like...

[Mike K]

The timber sold as Tasmanian Oak is a Eucalypt species , it is just a marketing ploy thought up by some advertising guru . It sounds like some exotic highly expensive timber . But it's a common tree , or it was at one time .

[Wayne Henderson]

Hi Mike,
Too true, I think it is a plantation timber now but it is still expensive.
Must cost so much as they need to remove the Koala teeth marks and pee stains

[Mike K]

Wayne

Remember to park your truck where termites cannot get at it

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Great project Wayne, looking forward to see the rest of your restoration!

[Wayne Henderson]

Rod D told me of a 6 seater he had recovered up his way, he was restoring it as a GS. The rear section had been chucked on a farm rubbish pile and burnt. He and I went and had a look, as one does. It was peak snake season so Rod handed out the snake poles which made me feel so much better...

We picked up (with one hand on the pole) all the missing curved roof sections, 4 radio frame mountings, more brackets and best of all the roof tinware and hatches.

I now had every bit of rear section tin apart from one inner wheel arch.

All the tin was put together to get correct measurements for the timber frame. The inside of the tinware was marks to show the width of the boards, rust marks were the screws were and using there dimensions worked out the final timber sizes.

[David Dunlop]

Lucky Day in Wayneland on many levels I'm sure!

David

[cliff]

looking good mate

[Wayne Henderson]

The original body design is a timber frame covered in sheet steel. The timber is screwed together in some places and coach bolts used in others. The sheet steel is nailed to the timber. I followed the original parts down to the amount of nail holes in the tinware. I wanted to be as faithful to the original as possible. Oh dear.

The timber work went together well once the original construction was worked out. There were some unusual joints (to me not being a carpenters ring piece) to master. I started to find out how roughly/quick these bodies were put together originally. One side of the body was 25mm longer than the other and the curved roof sections were a different profile each side.
I decided to use a tape measure and a square, something which must have been rationed when this body was originally made.

I did have problems finding enough slotted wood screws and also square nuts for the coach bolts. My new hobby developed, hunting thru glass jars in old blokes sheds.

[Keith Webb]

Great job Wayne, such a worthwhile and interesting vehicle to save, very impressed with your faithful treatment of the construction too.

Interesting to hear how rough the measurements were when it was built - an inch out on one side??!!

[Wayne Henderson]

Hi Keith,
Some of the tin sheeting was also out of square so this leads to the fact they were hand built to suit each body. Noticed this on the front and rear body top sections.

The paint job was an eye opener, vehicle undercoat was sprayed gloss grey straight on to the metal then topped off with war time green sprayed over that. The disruptive cam was hand painted. The tin under the door skin is bare metal in the middle and sprayed only on the edges. They saved heaps of paint doing this.

The vehicle had a quick refurbish Post War with a new coat of green over everything. A new nose section was fitted (yellow primer and Holden ID badge) and I think this may have been where the crew doors where swapped around.

The ARN number was re painted, 67651 and so was the bridging plate. The vehicle must have towed a trailer at some point.

I am doing this truck up to represent a Field Staff Car.

Don't know the history of this vehicle but going by the Black Duck I'd say Western Command. I don't know when this Unit sign was introduced but it was used by many Regiments over this way from the 1950s on.

The Forgotten Army (sorry, forgot who wrote it) mentions Western Command (Western Australia) and some of the higher ranking officers who may have had access to this vehicle.

Wartime Western Command unit sign was an exciting looking white W on a black field, this hung around into the 1960's.

Vehicle has matching chassis and engine numbers (the Canadian bits )

[Keith Webb]

Or is the last digit 1? Great you have these details.

The one I found in the 1970s (gone now) was also WO3, chassis 2842100317M.

[Wayne Henderson]

Right Keith, 67654
Basic rear section timber frame. All square and not too heavy yet.

[David Dunlop]

You are doing a wonderful job. Will you be reverting to the originally oriented doors with the build?

As for the lack of measuring tools available when first built, maybe they made up for that shortage with an increased availability of cold pints???


David

[Mike Cecil]

Doing a great job there, Wayne. One of the more unusual Australian vehicles and because of the construction, very, very few survive.

Your vehicle is, indeed, ARN 67654 and is a lone entry amongst other types. The engine number was listed as SR3836204, and curiously, the chassis was listed as 2842130071, whereas the plate clearly shows 2842100071 - which only goes to prove the Army clerks transcribing the information didn't always get it right.

It was taken on charge in Western Australia, and probably remained there for its entire military career, being declared for disposal at 5BOD on 3 December 1953.

The Formation sign of the flying black swan on a gold background was the post-war insignia of Western Command introduced in the late 1940s or early 1950s: the earliest date I have for its use is October 1952.

Western Command in the Second World War originally had no formation sign as such, but in 1944 the Magpie on a Boomerang sign was introduced. The 'W' sign you mention was part of the Unit sign, rather than the formation sign. Its earliest use was as the area designator for Lines of Communication units, where it appeared in the middle of the 2 inch wide white line across the bottom edge of the Unit sign.

Later the 'W' was used in place of the numerator for units with a territorial affiliation, eg W over 707 was the WA Echelon and Records Section. The territorial letter system was introduced in 1945. Units without a territorial affiliation or 'non-standard' units continued to use the numerator/denominator system of numbers.

You mention that the nose section is a replacement, and I'm curious as to how you came to that conclusion. The body and the nose section were most likely manufactured in different plants (nose at Woodville, SA, and body in the Special Body Plant at Fishermans Bend, Victoria), which would account for the differences in paint.

Again, nice truck, and being nicely restored: a real credit to you.

Mike

[Mike K]

I had a pic somewhere of the Chevy at the Caloundra museum circa 1979, it was a faded matt red/pink colour and it was in good shape, from the outside anyway .It was parked outside in the weather when I saw it . I will have a look and see if I still have the negative .

I wonder what became of it? Ken Hughes may have sold it on to somebody , in his later years he was selling some stuff but he was reluctant to part with the good items . I ended up with his Morris CS8 . Mike

[Wayne Henderson]

Thanks David, yes I will be fitting the doors as they were originally.

Hi Mike, Thanks for the information. The nose section was the only part that had been messed with. The rest of the body had cam paint finish under the top coat of Post war green, the nose section did not.
The radiator shroud had been replaced at one stage. The welding job is terrible, looks like I did it.

I would like to see any photos of other Chevs that existed Mike. They would not last long if stored outside.