How To: Ford CMP "Blitz" miscellany

[Jacques Reed]

Hi Bruce,

Looking at the LWD website I saw a couple early C8, C15 brass shift plates.

I also see the black print on steel shift plates for the later Chev's so I guess most were of this type.

My understanding is that all Ford Australia assembled CMP's came to Australia as bare cab chassis with just the cowl, controls, and instrument panels. Doors, roof, and cabin parts were stamped here and added. I think even the floorboards were locally sourced. Perhaps to keep the shipping weight down?

I had two sets of brass switch plates from Australian assembled cab 13 trucks so I assume they came in with the cab chassis and not added later.

Cheers,

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Jacques Reed

My understanding is that all Ford Australia assembled CMP's came to Australia as bare cab chassis with just the cowl, controls, and instrument panels. Doors, roof, and cabin parts were stamped here and added. I think even the floorboards were locally sourced. Perhaps to keep the shipping weight down?

I had two sets of brass switch plates from Australian assembled cab 13 trucks so I assume they came in with the cab chassis and not added later.

Jacques, the Ford and Chevrolet CMP truck were shipped CKD - see this link and the description quoted below.

It means that the trucks were not assembled before being crated and shipped, but that crates with parts were shipped over, to be assembled in Australia with locally sourced parts - this may well have included switch plates.

Mike Cecil listed the difference in CKD content from Ford and Chevrolet on the old forum:

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

This is endorsed by the differences in CKD content (what was shipped from Canada) between Chevrolet and Ford, as listed by Mike Cecil in the thread "Antipodean Ford CMPs" on the Old MLU Forum:

• Chevrolet: all chassis and mechanicals, wheels. Rest manufactured locally: complete cabs, complete bodies, spare tyre rack and tool box.
  
• Ford: all chassis, mechanicals, cab floor/lower cab frame, upper (windscreen) cab frame, doors, windscreen frames, front shell, wheels. Rest manufactured locally in Aust: cab floor, engine cover, cab back, roof, guards, spare wheel carrier & tool box, body.

CKD:

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

To be more precise, may I quote from an earlier posting:

Usually large trucks like the Mack were not shipped CKD, only partly knocked down. Read the articles on this subject in Wheels & Tracks magazine.