C15: Truck, 15-cwt, 4x2, AA, Mk II

[Keith Orpin]

Guys,
Spent a few days sanding down a couple of areas on the Chevy, and have found the following:
On the NS locker, the remains of an Allied star, with the words DRIVE SLOW painted on sideways. On the NS door the original Cencus No of Z5195155, applied on No 2 Brown, over what was Light Stone ?, both cracking colours, no intention of covering any of this up , as it's taken over 70 years to show this.
Back to the garage to see if I can find anymore....
Regards
Keith

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Keith Orpin

On the NS door the original Cencus No of Z5195155, applied on No 2 Brown, over what was Light Stone ?, both cracking colours, no intention of covering any of this up , as it's taken over 70 years to show this.

Keith, great find!

It could well be (parts of) your C15 was painted Light Stone, and by the time it was finished it was designated to the shipped to the UK rather than the Middle East, and thus painted SCC 2.

Some parts of my Jan. '43 F15A also have a Light Stone base paint, and then consecutive layers of green.

[Keith Orpin]

Hi Hanno,
The cencus number on the drivers door is almost unreadable, which may explain why the last owner partially guessed at it's true census number, the last four digits coming from the chassis number.
Just had the master cylinder returned from being sleeved with a st/st liner, so that will be reassembled and re fitted soon. Rear lights and axle light now working (corroded / dirty contacts on chassis switch). Next job is to have a look at the rear brakes.
Regards
Keith

[Keith Orpin]

Guys,
Just had a reply back from Surrey History Centre, thanks to Richard for the heads up. From the Dennis Brothers Ltd Chassis Book, Nov 1927 to Jan 1944, it would appear that my Chevy arrived at the Dennis factory on 12/01/44, and departed on 03/02/44. Body and chassis numbers all tying in !The customer was COO Chilwell, order No 711, WO No was 10668. Sadly no other records have survived.
The hunt is still on for drawings of the body, I may try Vauxhall Motors next.
Keith

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Keith Orpin

Guys,
Just had a reply back from Surrey History Centre, thanks to Richard for the heads up. From the Dennis Brothers Ltd Chassis Book, Nov 1927 to Jan 1944, it would appear that my Chevy arrived at the Dennis factory on 12/01/44, and departed on 03/02/44. Body and chassis numbers all tying in !The customer was COO Chilwell, order No 711, WO No was 10668. Sadly no other records have survived.

Sadly no other records? You are lucky to have any records on her at all! Combined with the Census number on the door and original data plates, it makes for a good deal of history known on this CMP - at least much more than on others

Keep up the good work, cheers,

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Keith Orpin

Guys,
Just had a reply back from Surrey History Centre, thanks to Richard for the heads up. From the Dennis Brothers Ltd Chassis Book, Nov 1927 to Jan 1944, it would appear that my Chevy arrived at the Dennis factory on 12/01/44, and departed on 03/02/44. Body and chassis numbers all tying in !The customer was COO Chilwell, order No 711, WO No was 10668. Sadly no other records have survived.
The hunt is still on for drawings of the body, I may try Vauxhall Motors next.
Keith

Hi Keith,
Glad to hear you had some success there.

regards, Richard

[Keith Orpin]

Hi Hanno and Richard,
Don't get me wrong, I'm well pleased that historical evidence is still available after 70 odd years, from an independent source . What is interesting is that she was manufactured in Nov 42 and was not converted to a 20mm polsten platform until early 44. I can only assume this was for the build up of vehicles for D.Day and beyond. It may also explain where the 15 cwt bodies were used after they were removed from their original mounts (see in the background Q&A's).
In the meantime, I'll keep digging !
Vehicle wise, both rear brakes have now been stripped and rebuilt, just need to bleed the system and I should have a working brake system. Next on the to do list is replace the diaphragm in the fuel pump to cope with unleaded fuel.
Regards
Keith

[Keith Orpin]

Today, the C15 was shown for the first time in ages at a local Airshow, here in Oxfordshire. Everyone I spoke to could not believe the condition of her, all credit due to her last owner. Driving wise, she is a joy to drive, light on the steering, a decent set of brakes, and pulls with no hesitation, quite happy to cruise along at 40 MPH. Attached are a few pictures of her earlier today, enjoy.
Keith