1942 Australian 12 cwt Chevrolet Ute - Help!

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Noce one! Thnaks for the data. These were the '1945' Models available from Holden's:

1945

45-4201B MAPLE LEAF 1670 Series

45-4201B MAPLE LEAF 1680 Series

45-4526 CHEVROLET Coupe Utility 1311 Series

[Mike K]

Talking of utes:

These are the two Holden body tags from my two 1940 chev utes. They are the light commercial utes on 113" w.b. , with the truck cab .

One was found down past Geelong, the other near Maryborough . The body/job numbers are very close . Both were originally painted in the factory in "port red" colour . They are both Jan. 40 production, very early .

They are very sick however, I need a good cab to begin with .
Not many of these would have been allowed to go into civilian use. Some were fitted with a GMH built all wooden tray type body and one of these has survived with a army rebuild palte on the motor, others like mine had a seperate ute tub fitted. The army used both types.

Both of my wrecks have the CFA logo on the doors ... But what were they doing before the CFA was formed in 1944 ?

Mike

[Mike K]

This is the colour tag from one of the utes : it is Bright Red.

AO would be Jan 1940 I would think.

One of them was actually running , but on 4 cylinders . It appears to be a very good motor .. needs a little TLC . The second one has chronic rust in everything , the cab is totally beyond help. No evidence of army paint on them .

Early 1940 would have been when the govt. was confiscating trucks from the populace .. they forcefully 'aquired' vehicles from civilian owners.. I believe it was 39 and 40 models they grabbed .. anything earlier wasn't so attractive.

Mike

[Ian McCallum]

Originally Posted by Lang

Just to confuse the issue, I had a look at the numbers on my Chev ute.

Some are earlier than Ian McCallum's English one (saw it at Beltring and it looks a picture) and some are later.

Body plate is Number 540, Serial 4526, Month 2 This makes it a few hundred older than the other one.

Then the big ID plate says Model 5-1311-91567B (indicating Brisbane I presume)

This plate also has the Serial number which is the same as the engine number CR4058375 which makes it thousands newer than the other one???? I suspect engine numbers are a poor indicator of age as there would be thousands of engines in the store and all it would take is for the forklift driver to go to the left of the pile instead of the right to jump a few thousand numbers. I think the body number is more accurate as that would be stamped coming along the line.

There is a second large plate from GM-H which says Maximum load 1300lbs GVM 5210lbs

This is the one I am bringing to Normandy next year.

Lang,

Been off line for a short while and just seen your Chev! I will also be taking mine to Normandy next year so we must exchange 'who's staying where' info as it would be great to get them both together.

I take it from your earlier e-mail yours has the standard civilian type instrument cluster.

Would certainly appreciate seeing some further photos. Mine is missing the second GM-H load plate so would appreciate a good photo and some dimensions, unless anyone has one on a real scrapper?



Ian

[Lang]

Ian,

Our ANZAC Convoy will be staying with the MVT Poms at Utah, Falaise and Etreham.

My vehicle has the military type gauges (I think many of these coupe utes and the trucks had those up to probably 1947 regardless of whether they were military or civilian - GM had lots of stocks to get rid of!)

Lang

[Ian McCallum]

Hi Lang,

Thanks for the reply. I was not sure if some of the earlier builds were still on the civilian dash layout.

re Normandy I am Secretary of the Norfolk Military Vehicle Group, also the Norfolk Area of the MVT, and will be taking some 56 members in 20 vehicles across between the 3-10 June. We will be staying on a site at Litteau, which is on the Bayeux-St Lo road, but most certainly must make sure our paths run the same at some stage.

Thats a hell of a journey to attend a rally, are the vehicles all making the return trip?

Ian

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Ian posted his 1944 Maple Leaf Australian Chevrolet Utility for sale on MilWeb.

I think it has turned out really smart!

1944 Maple Leaf Australian Chevrolet Utility

This prize winning vehicle was built at the GM plant in Oshawa Canada as a model 1311 chassis with flat face cowl, serial number 1734. This model consisted chassis, transmission and axles, with wheels, engine, bulkhead and front sheet metal removed for ease of shipment to Commonwealth countries. Being delivered to Australia it was assembled at GM-Holden's plant in Perth Western Australia and is fitted with a Holdens one piece coupe cab and all steel utility body showing number 822 of less than 100 produced.

Affectionately known as the Ute, with official military designation of Chevrolet 15 cwt. General Service van, this vehicle has undergone a full chassis up restoration to the highest standard and original specification. It retains its original rebuilt engine and transmission with brakes and suspension totally replaced, full stainless steel exhaust system, and retro tread radial tyres. The interior has been fully retrimmed with original hide specification bench seat and finished overall in unmarked Forest Green being the home service colour of late 1944.

Matilda is finished in the markings of 9th.(Western Australian) Division, 2/7 Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery and will cruise comfortably at 45-50 mph while returning more than 20 mpg.

A totally unique opportunity to own a rare and practical vehicle in drive away show condition which will include a quantity of spares. If interested please contact the seller for more information.

Ian McCallum: 01502 711785

c.jpg f.jpg

[Mike Cecil]

Hanno,

It is a nice looking and well finished vehicle, but with due respect to the efforts of the restorer, I have to question the claims made in the advert, and hope prospective buyers do their own investigations into the authenticity of this vehicle.

At a glance, there are a number of problems with the vehicle and the claims made for it, particularly the finish and markings:

'Forest green being the home service colour of 1944' is not correct for an Australian vehicle, and neither is a gloss finish for the purported period (1944). The Australian Army did not commence to finish vehicles in Deep Bronze Green gloss finish until 1945, and then only for rear areas and where a vehicle actually needed to be repainted.'Forest Green' has never, to my knowledge, been an Australian Military colour.

The Army registration number '78342' was not issued until 1952, being part of a block of numbers unused until that date, and was never issued to a wartime Chevrolet ute. It was issued to an International 3/4 ton CL cargo vehicle, 4x2, of 1952 manufacture, which was written off by Tasmania Central Ordnance Depot in 1959.

The Formation marking is indeed the 9th Australian Infantry Division, which was initially raised in the Middle East from a nucleus of AIF troops from the UK. I've never seen the 9th referred to as the 'Western Australian' division, nor any of the other 4 AIF Divisions raised during the Second World War (6th, 7th, 8th and 1st Armd). By 1944, 9th Aust Inf Div was equipped as a Jungle Division, with everything that entails for transport and equipment.

The Unit sign is that of the 2/7th Australian Field Artillery Regiment, the design of the sign dating from mid-1944 (unit designation as the numerator over unit type as the denominator). By that stage, the Unit was equipped with Trucks, 1/4 ton and trailers, Tractors Artillery - both full tracked and Tractors, Artillery Aust No.8 & 9, and for logistics support, Trucks, 2 1/2 ton GMC. The unit was not equipped with modified conventional 4x2 utilities, nor had it been since converting to Jungle War Equipment Tables (WET(J)) around the beginning of 1943. Indeed, even in the latter stages of service in the Middle East, the unit had been re-equipped with CMP tractors and support vehicles, and had returned their earlier Modified Conventional vehicles to Ordnance Vehicle Parks.

By 1944 when it is purported that this vehicle was taken on charge by the Australian Army, the Army were disposing of 4x2 vehicles, having in stock more modified conventional vehicles than they wanted or needed. Many languished in Ordnance Vehicle Parks, unissued. The Army's shortage was in tactical all wheel drive trucks of all sizes, and that was what was being purchased - not modified conventional 15 cwt Chev utes (correctly and officially, 'Van, 15 cwt, GS, (Aust)').

In fact, the 1944 Army vehicle list shows only three production years of 15cwt Chevrolets in service: the Model 13/39 (1939), 13/40 (1940) and 13/41 (1941), any other Chevrolet models in that size class having been declared obsolete. The '13' of course indicates a Canadian manufactured vehicle of 115 inch wheel base.

I think I may have seen this ute featured in CMV magazine, and wondered at the claims made for it then.

Mike C

[Euan McDonald]

Another for sale,
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/belai...ute/1019143411

no connection.

[jack neville]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

'Forest green being the home service colour of 1944' is not correct for an Australian vehicle, and neither is a gloss finish for the purported period (1944). The Australian Army did not commence to finish vehicles in Deep Bronze Green gloss finish until 1945, and then only for rear areas and where a vehicle actually needed to be repainted.'Forest Green' has never, to my knowledge, been an Australian Military colour.

I'm interested in the dark green color Mike. The 39 Ford 1 ton ute I am restoring had several layers of various green and red paint on it but the original factory color was the dark green. I wondered about re sprays but under the firewall insulation was the best example of original paint and it surprised me that it was a dark green and actually looked like it had possibly been a gloss finish. I wondered what the civvy factory colors were coming off the Ford assembly line at the time. It is a roadster cab so not an impressed vehicle.