My Truck

[Mike Cecil]

Rod,

Your truck was originally configured as a 'Lorry, 30cwt, GS' (tray body with fixed sides and front, with tailgate). Registration number C-23442. It still has the original engine.

Taken on charge in 2nd Military District (ie NSW) which figures as it was built in GMH's Sydney plant (the 'S' in the chassis number).

Disposal to GMH.

Regards

Mike

[Lang]

Would the strange engine number indicate the engine was either built for or replaced in Africa?

Lang

[Mike Cecil]

What do you find strange about the number, Lang?

There are many Aust military Chevs listed with the AFR prefixed number as the original engine number.

Mike

[Ken Smith]

Good day Mike,
What do you think the stamp, 2520 UNIT US ORDER on the opposite page to the ARN means. I see at the top of the page on some of the listings it has a hand written notation U/S 2520 UNIT. Do they mean a Canadian order for 2520 chassis?
I noticed some of the preceding ARN,s are for cab 12 DND Fords that are shown as US vehicles on English order No 886 War Dept. I am guessing that in the mind of the people entering the information that Canada was another U.S. State.

Cheers Ken

[Mike Cecil]

Hi Ken,

I take the reference to 'US' order to mean an order through/on the British Purchasing Commission based in New York, which body was controlling the 'bids' for items by Commonwealth countries, and the allocation of items to Commonwealth countries from each months actual production. The BPC looked at what was available, who wanted what, the urgency of the requirement, and allocated accordingly. This certainly applies to the Cab 12 order, but I'm not sure of the date when Australia ceased ordering direct from US suppliers and when the BPC took over all allocations from North American production, so the '2520 US Order' is possibly one of the direct to US supplier orders common in 1940-41.

Mike

[Lang]

Mike

I was just wondering if it indicated African delivery or was one of the hundreds (thousands?) of replacement engines sent to Africa and subsequently brought back to be progressively fitted as required to many vehicles? Maybe African spec engines were included in direct Australian CKD type deliveries at this time?

Looking at web sites the prefix "A" indicates a "normal" 216 motor built in Flint Michigan and the prefix "F" indicates a 235 engine built in Flint Michigan. Obviously not used together as in Rod's truck.

Lang

[Mike Cecil]

Lang

I am not aware that the prefix indicated a country of destination, or anything along those lines. From my notes, Chev vehicles in Aust service include engine number prefixes include AFR, TBR, BFR, TR, WR, WP, AVB, CR, etc, but what this myriad of prefixes indicate is a mystery to me! The Ford ones I've managed to work out, but not the Chev ones. Maybe a Chev enthusiast (Motto where are you?) can get us all up to speed on that aspect.

In this case, the engine was that supplied in the vehicle when built in Sydney and first taken on charge by Army - the AWM126 entry does not indicate it as a replacement engine. It is, of course, a 'series 15' so a Canadian-sourced chassis/running gear.

Mike

[Lang]

Mike

Just thought I would give you something to keep your mind active while waiting up trying to catch Santa.

Lang

[Mike Cecil]

Mate, not in this household! The Xmas decor is minamalist and if some bearded twirp lands his 'Sleigh Mk2' on the roof and tries climbing down our chimney in the middle of the night, he's likely to get a blast of AA Buck!

Still, we will enjoy lunch tomorrow (25 Dec - it's only 14:15 on 24th here now) with some friends, overlooking the white-blanketed countryside and the ice shelves along the river banks. Ain't winter wonderful!?

Best to you for the season... must be blisteringly hot in Qld??

Mike

[lynx42]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

Rod,

Your truck was originally configured as a 'Lorry, 30cwt, GS' (tray body with fixed sides and front, with tailgate). Registration number C-23442. It still has the original engine.

Taken on charge in 2nd Military District (ie NSW) which figures as it was built in GMH's Sydney plant (the 'S' in the chassis number).

Disposal to GMH.

Regards

Mike

Mike, where do I find the "C" prefix ARN's. I have sleuthed through the AWM 126 books but have not found any "C" prefixed numbers. I have seen plenty of "C" numbers in photos but don't know where to look them up.

Thanks Rick.

[Mike Cecil]

Rod,

Go to the bottom of this page:

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2143574?image=104


Rick: re 'C' prefix: see my latest post under 'NT Pics'. For a more detailed explanation of the AMF and AIF registration schemes and prefixes, see pages 6 & 7 of my AMEP Volume 2: LP Carriers.

Mike

[Rod Salter]

Thanks again Mike,

Then for fun, I looked for consecutive engine numbers to mine, Can't find any.
I guess engines could have ended up anywhere in the world.


And Mike you have better eyesight than me!

w 41.jpg

It is not a upside down W but as you said a 41.

.................................................. ................................

"Anyone" ? What are these holders for ?

holders.jpg

The vertical unit has this bottle in it, I suspect it should have a cork in the neck.

bot.jpg

Old age equivalent to "Start you bastard" ?

.................................................. ...................

And then I have found the reason for the leak in the water pump

leak.jpg

The mice have eaten the cork out of the hole !!! (or maybe it just rotted away) Lucky I have managed to find a spare pump with an impeller and a fan no less.

.................................................. ...............................

And finally, What are these tanks for ?

tanks.jpg

They are different. Both have a pipe fitting on opposite sides.
These pipes are at differing heights. There is no other way of getting any substance (air/water/petrol) inside.

Cheers rod

[Mike Cecil]

(1) the holder on the left is for the small oil can. The 'holder' on the right is an overflow tank with the end cut out and apparently fits a bottle - not a standard fitting.

(2) the tank on the right is a CMP overflow tank. Don't recognise the one on the left.

Mike

[lynx42]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

(1) the holder on the left is for the small oil can. The 'holder' on the right is an overflow tank with the end cut out and apparently fits a bottle - not a standard fitting.

(2) the tank on the right is a CMP overflow tank. Don't recognise the one on the left.

Mike

The one on the left looks like the bracket and overflow tank for a Ford Lynx. The bracket is made to suit the angles on the right side of the engine bay. The tank is actually an identical size to the other although in the photo of the two tanks, the left one looks smaller.

This is mine.

American Day Flemington 053.JPG

Regards Rick.

[Mike Cecil]

Thanks Rick, not owning a Lynx, I'd not seen one of the tanks close up.

Mike

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Rod Salter

And then I have found the reason for the leak in the water pump



rod

Your water pump appears to be the two hole type .Your engine block has the two holes in it ? Up to 1940 the engine blocks had a single hole for the water pump.

[Rod Salter]

Yes Mike 2 hole pump.

This afternoon I cleared the deck.

About 30 or 35 years ago I fitted Grampa's (mum's side) home made crane, I also fitted the Military wheels for better stability as it had only one civilian each side and that was fitted on the inside.

crane.jpg

Where I was out west nothing ever rusted away, logs did not rot.

But here, metal vanishes in front of my eyes,
The rims were standing upright on the back tray but grass and leaves had gotten between them.
They have been there about only 15 years and ruined already !

rim 1.jpg

front

rim 2.jpg

rear

Oh well, it's done and I wasn't going to use those rims anyway, although I have 5 left.

I must have a dig around out bush for the other 2 chev rims but I suspect they got covered in silt during a flood, if memory serves me well.

Incidentally aluminium left on the ground here vanishes like it was dipped in acid

Rhetorically, I often wonder what chassis were cut up for the crane.

cheers rod

[Rod Salter]

I have been asked what the other truck lurking in the corner of my first photo is.

desoto.jpg

It is a Desoto. (Was my uncles)

Originally it had the Hannaford seed grader on it, Too much enthusiasm when loading saw the grader come adrift.

The grader is now dumped on the Big Austin. (Was Dad's main truck, seems like forever, I drove it a bit too. Has a big lever up through floor to help vacuum 2 speed diff to change. With a load of grain on if it got off the road it was a challenge to hold it and get it back on )

The little Austin is hiding in the grass nearby (Always was mine, put up some miles in it, rebuilt the motor and then could not afford the rego, they never caught me!)

What am I going to do with them? you ask

Well, beside talk to them regularly, I have ideas of tidying them up

Maybe the Chrysler powered flat head Desoto to become my old machinery rally truck.

The motors were all still running, although I haven't started them for about 4 years.

Sorry, The above have nothing to do with military, but maybe interesting.

Incidentally, heard from a seller he let a Chevrolet 4x4 V8 with a strange 2 speed diff (maybe have been international) in it, go for $400 over Christmas.

Lucky someone

cheers rod

[lynx42]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

Rod,

Go to the bottom of this page:

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2143574?image=104


Rick: re 'C' prefix: see my latest post under 'NT Pics'. For a more detailed explanation of the AMF and AIF registration schemes and prefixes, see pages 6 & 7 of my AMEP Volume 2: LP Carriers.

Mike

Thanks Mike C. I have finally located the correct AWM126 books . Seems I had looked at the AIF not AMF books and did not realize that the "C" prefix was dropped in the books.

I also pulled AMEP Vol.2, out to refresh my memory after your advice.

Interestingly at the top of the page on which my Staff Car ARN M-15 Chev 5 passenger is shown, is M-1, the Rolls Royce "Wraith" (Chassis No WRB40, Engine No. K4WV.) with a body built by Kellow-Falkiner which was on loan for the duration of the war from Mr George J. Coles of Melbourne. It was returned to Mr. Coles in 1946. During the war it was used by Gen.Sir Thomas Blamey. After returning to Mr. Coles, it was registered with Vic Rego. HN-000. It is still around. There were only 5 "Wraith" model Rolls Royce cars which came to Australia before WWII. All are still around although not necessarily all still in Australia.

Christmas 091.JPG

Regards Rick.

[Mike Cecil]

Interesting, Rick. The Roller 'AIF-M1' wasn't taken overseas, of course, but spent its army life based at Vic Barracks in Melbourne (AHQ, later Land Headquarters - LHQ). (M is the AIF and pre-war AMF type-code for a passenger car).

Blamey's 'AIF-M1' overseas was firstly, a Chev 5 passenger car from Australia, then a left hand drive Buick, one of several acquired in the Middle East. So for the first 2-odd years of the war, Blamey would have seen little of the Roller - I assume other senior officers based at AHQ got to ride around in it in Blamey's absence. Much more comfortable than a Chev, I've no doubt.

We are wandering a long way from Rod's new lorry! All interesting, though.

Mike

[Mike Cecil]

Rod,

Forgot to mention: the '41' etc under the bonnet/on the firewall is part of the underbonnet nomenclature required by the Army for all vehicles from around August 42. Vehicles already in service were supposed to have it applied by units (but were not always), so we see a wide variety of methods of application on older in-service vehicles - rough or well hand painted depending on the skill of the 'artist' and the ease of access. Stenciled like yours is less common on vehicles already in service, making the marking's preservation something you might consider as you progress with the restoration.

Mike

[Rod Salter]

Thanks Mike,

I was thinking to maybe leave the firewall as is un-restored
You have convinced me now,

Thanks also fellers for identifying the little tanks

The discussions you-all are having is interesting

Cheers rod