Chevrolet 1533X2 30-cwt trucks

[Andrew H.]

G'Day Tommy, I should make it clear that I am not an expert in LRDG matters and sincerely hope someone with much more knowledge will be able to give a more definitive answer on your truck. Your truck could have been intended for use by the NZ forces in North Africa without necessarily being an "an LRDG truck" or one intended for LRDG use. I have always understood that the LRDG Chevs were shipped directly from Canada to Egypt rather than from New Zealand, but I could be wrong. There does not seem much sense in shipping LRDG trucks from Canada to NZ and then to Egypt, especially considering that the LRDG was not specifically a NZ unit.

From the photo your truck appears to have the 4-inch wider front mudguards and wider front axle, which were features of the LRDG trucks. Does it have a creeper gear? I understand that was another factory-installed feature. However, the truck in the photo does not have the Godtfreidson rear ammo body (could have been removed) or the "star" pattern front hubs that are trademark features of the "art-deco" LRDG trucks. These features should be visible in your truck if it was intended for LRDG use. I think it also has the petrol tank and filler cap in the "wrong" place for a LRDG truck.

I understand that the other special modifications were made in the LRDG workshops in Cairo and would therefore not be present in your truck, including the cut-away grille slats, cut-away hip panels, the pto compressor, aero screens and the brackets for sand mats and sand channels etc. I am not sure whether the checker-plate flooring panels were installed in Canada or later in Egypt.