C8AX Tac Sign

[Ausmick]

OK Tony, I am starting to learn already that everything to do with history restoration of this little truck is as clear as Mud! I have now looked at some RN Trucks and noticed the markings on them and the RN is after the number. So the one I was looking at the other night must have been RN not Aust at all.
This truck was purchased about 1950 from Sydney and used as a light farm truck until the 70’s and the old guy set it up as a bush fire fighter till it was pensioned off by the brigade. I can’t see a ‘restorer’ getting to it in that period. While it would be good to track the meaning of RN68022 down, and I’ll keep looking, I think I better concentrate on the Kiwi history, which is a bit clearer, sort of.
If the Kiwi numbers were located on the doors, what were the numbers selected by i.e. did they match a chassis number or something. All I know about them is they started with NZ......, and so far does this sound right for the truck, 3rd NZ Division, 2 NZEF-IP, 102 formation with a unit from the list you provided above? Do the Kiwi’s have some sort of ARN/Truck register similar to the records kept by the AWM?

[Rob Beale]

The NZ numbers were set up about 1942. The early ones went on pre war vehicles and impressed vehicles taken from civilians. Once the orders for new vehicles started arriving, the tally of numbers leapt so that the earliest C8AX numbers are around 22,000 and up. One source says the C8AX were assembled in batches of 200 each month, and all have a date of the 5th!
We believe there were 1200 of them, sent from Canada in 1943 as cab and chassis in CKD form (completely knocked down) and assembled in the GM plant in Petone, near Wellington: hence the XH on the chassis number, 8448 is the model number and the next 3 digits are the chassis serial.

I have a copy of the NZ numbers in existence at the end of the war, so the early stuff has gone, and there are many gaps for vehicles written off or sold. There is no correlation to engine or chassis numbers, and the whole numbering system is quite random with sequential numbers jumping between vehicle types.

Your vehicle won't be on the list as it will have been sold off and not returned to NZ. As well as the doors, the number was also painted on the rear of the body, sometimes on or below the tailgate, or one one side of the back panel.
(On post war vehicles it might be on the glove box, or below the windscreen).

As Tony said, it seems Aussie got a lot of our war service vehicles, while we have the ones that stayed at home!
It is likely that some have served in K Force in post war Japan, and K Force in Korea. I guess the forces in the Malayan Emergency may have had a few too.

I've got the 'set' of C8AX: GS, Ambulance and Radio shack. The first two have original decks and I have found original canopies in NZ to copy.
PM me for photos if you want.

cheers
Rob

[Ausmick]

Thanks Rob,
I sent you a message. Here is a picture of its plate if its of any use to finding more out.

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Ausmick

I think I better concentrate on the Kiwi history, which is a bit clearer, sort of.
If the Kiwi numbers were located on the doors, what were the numbers selected by i.e. did they match a chassis number or something. All I know about them is they started with NZ...... Do the Kiwi’s have some sort of ARN/Truck register similar to the records kept by the AWM?

As Rob has said, there is no complete record of NZ vehicle registrations. We have to do it the hard way and record the survivors! As the production of C8AX vehicles was quite low, we have started a list to collect as much info as possible in one place. We have already "captured" your vehicle from the E-bay listing, but if you do find any NZ number let us all know and it will be added to the list.