What makes a truck a Maple Leaf?

[zemsi]

... here's the link to the pic so not everybody has to do it manually

[cliff]

My understanding is that 'Maple Leaf' Chevrolet trucks were the export model made in Canada in the 1930's. The cab you discribe is a cab built by GMHolden onto the imported chassis. Rear body of the truck in the AWM photo would have been locally built as well.

My opinion is that if the body plate does not say 'Maple Leaf' and it has not got the 'Maple Leaf' name badges either side of the bonnet it is not a 'Maple Leaf' Chevrolet. You cannot take the AWM photo captions as Gospel in every case as they can often be misleading or plain wrong.

Below are two photos from the AWM showing in Photo 1 the "Maple Leaf" Chev 3 ton and in Photo 2 the 'Ordinary' Chev 3 ton. Both are Holden assembled and the only difference I can see is the Maple Leaf is fitted with the 18inch Military split rim wheel and the Ordinary is fitted with Civilian type rims and tyres, plus the Maple Leaf has the cut out guards to take the larger wheel/tyre combo. A lot of the later (1941) Chevs had the guards cut out right from new.

A nice and rare find as most Chev's around the place are 1941 and newer.

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

GM of Canada introduced the Walkerville-built Chevrolet Heavy Duty or Extra Fort in French, as of 1st Juy 1930. They were based on the equivalent GMC and used Chevy engines but GMC trans. This continued until 1833 when Maple Leafs replaced Chevrolet HD, but again were GMC-based. Basically a Chevrolet equivalent of GMC for Chevy dealers. It then gets complicated from around 1938 with COE being introsuced, and GMC adopting Chevy or Chevy-based engines shared with MLs, and MLs using Chev and 224 cu in Chev-based engines. I think ML was dropped for 1952 in favour of GMCs, and Chevrolet-badged heavier trucks.

Into the pot we must add firstly from 1935-39 Oldsmobile trucks for export only including for Holden assembly, and secondly 1937-9 export Chevrolets, GMCs and Olds trucks all being US-built 'clones' [component-sharing and in effect badge engineering], with COE available before Canada in 1938 and in the US in 1939. GMC and Olds trucks used the Olds 224 cu in '224' engine, Chevrolet the 216, and all were available with Hercules diesel engines!

[Mike K]

Pics of Lionels truck

Looks ex army to me with the GMH brass framed opening windscreen..this was normally seen on 41 models , so it may be a late production 40

Mike

[cletrac (RIP)]

The Maple Leaf trucks were basically a Chev with minor trim differences and a Maple Leaf sign on the hood. The 42 to 46 trucks still had the Chev sign on the front of the hood and the Maple Leaf signs on the back corners of the hood. Maple Leafs were sold by the dealers that sold Pontiac cars. The 41 to 45 models had painted grilles etc since chrome was needed for more important wartime stuff.

[Mike K]

The data I've seen on Maple Leafs suggests they differed from standard Chevs in various ways . Wheelbase and so on. I've a GMH sheet here somewhere that gives the differences . .. stand by for a scan .

Yes , as Cliff said, the AWM photo descriptions are often way off the mark . They are improving the captions to some degree.
Mike

[Mike K]

the wheelbase is slightly longer on the Maple Leaf ..why ? Maybe heavier springs