My Truck

[Mike Cecil]

1941 Chevrolet Series 15.

The chassis number should be 'findable' in AWM126:

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/AWM126/

Good luck. There are only 120,000 vehicles listed, but yours should be in the earlier AMF registers (probably a five digit registration).

Mike

[Mike K]

If is is a 30 cwt chassis the original tyre size would be 900-18 . The firewall stencil looks like 41 = 1941 not M or W .

Good luck finding 18" tyres . Back in 1998 I was offered one of these trucks for next to nothing , located on a farm near Kilmore.

[jack neville]

11.00 x18” tyres are available now from Coker Tyres in the States.
I have 5 en route by sea now for my Ford/ Marmon Herrington.
They are not cheap but I found bringing them in myself was cheaper than buying them through Antique Tyres in Melbourne.

[Mike Cecil]

Rod,

Your truck was originally configured as a 'Lorry, 30cwt, GS' (tray body with fixed sides and front, with tailgate). Registration number C-23442. It still has the original engine.

Taken on charge in 2nd Military District (ie NSW) which figures as it was built in GMH's Sydney plant (the 'S' in the chassis number).

Disposal to GMH.

Regards

Mike

[Lang]

Would the strange engine number indicate the engine was either built for or replaced in Africa?

Lang

[Mike Cecil]

What do you find strange about the number, Lang?

There are many Aust military Chevs listed with the AFR prefixed number as the original engine number.

Mike

[Ken Smith]

Good day Mike,
What do you think the stamp, 2520 UNIT US ORDER on the opposite page to the ARN means. I see at the top of the page on some of the listings it has a hand written notation U/S 2520 UNIT. Do they mean a Canadian order for 2520 chassis?
I noticed some of the preceding ARN,s are for cab 12 DND Fords that are shown as US vehicles on English order No 886 War Dept. I am guessing that in the mind of the people entering the information that Canada was another U.S. State.

Cheers Ken

[Mike Cecil]

Hi Ken,

I take the reference to 'US' order to mean an order through/on the British Purchasing Commission based in New York, which body was controlling the 'bids' for items by Commonwealth countries, and the allocation of items to Commonwealth countries from each months actual production. The BPC looked at what was available, who wanted what, the urgency of the requirement, and allocated accordingly. This certainly applies to the Cab 12 order, but I'm not sure of the date when Australia ceased ordering direct from US suppliers and when the BPC took over all allocations from North American production, so the '2520 US Order' is possibly one of the direct to US supplier orders common in 1940-41.

Mike

[Lang]

Mike

I was just wondering if it indicated African delivery or was one of the hundreds (thousands?) of replacement engines sent to Africa and subsequently brought back to be progressively fitted as required to many vehicles? Maybe African spec engines were included in direct Australian CKD type deliveries at this time?

Looking at web sites the prefix "A" indicates a "normal" 216 motor built in Flint Michigan and the prefix "F" indicates a 235 engine built in Flint Michigan. Obviously not used together as in Rod's truck.

Lang

[lynx42]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

Rod,

Your truck was originally configured as a 'Lorry, 30cwt, GS' (tray body with fixed sides and front, with tailgate). Registration number C-23442. It still has the original engine.

Taken on charge in 2nd Military District (ie NSW) which figures as it was built in GMH's Sydney plant (the 'S' in the chassis number).

Disposal to GMH.

Regards

Mike

Mike, where do I find the "C" prefix ARN's. I have sleuthed through the AWM 126 books but have not found any "C" prefixed numbers. I have seen plenty of "C" numbers in photos but don't know where to look them up.

Thanks Rick.

[Mike Cecil]

Rod,

Go to the bottom of this page:

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2143574?image=104


Rick: re 'C' prefix: see my latest post under 'NT Pics'. For a more detailed explanation of the AMF and AIF registration schemes and prefixes, see pages 6 & 7 of my AMEP Volume 2: LP Carriers.

Mike

[Rod Salter]

Thanks again Mike,

Then for fun, I looked for consecutive engine numbers to mine, Can't find any.
I guess engines could have ended up anywhere in the world.


And Mike you have better eyesight than me!

w 41.jpg

It is not a upside down W but as you said a 41.

.................................................. ................................

"Anyone" ? What are these holders for ?

holders.jpg

The vertical unit has this bottle in it, I suspect it should have a cork in the neck.

bot.jpg

Old age equivalent to "Start you bastard" ?

.................................................. ...................

And then I have found the reason for the leak in the water pump

leak.jpg

The mice have eaten the cork out of the hole !!! (or maybe it just rotted away) Lucky I have managed to find a spare pump with an impeller and a fan no less.

.................................................. ...............................

And finally, What are these tanks for ?

tanks.jpg

They are different. Both have a pipe fitting on opposite sides.
These pipes are at differing heights. There is no other way of getting any substance (air/water/petrol) inside.

Cheers rod

[lynx42]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

Rod,

Go to the bottom of this page:

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2143574?image=104


Rick: re 'C' prefix: see my latest post under 'NT Pics'. For a more detailed explanation of the AMF and AIF registration schemes and prefixes, see pages 6 & 7 of my AMEP Volume 2: LP Carriers.

Mike

Thanks Mike C. I have finally located the correct AWM126 books . Seems I had looked at the AIF not AMF books and did not realize that the "C" prefix was dropped in the books.

I also pulled AMEP Vol.2, out to refresh my memory after your advice.

Interestingly at the top of the page on which my Staff Car ARN M-15 Chev 5 passenger is shown, is M-1, the Rolls Royce "Wraith" (Chassis No WRB40, Engine No. K4WV.) with a body built by Kellow-Falkiner which was on loan for the duration of the war from Mr George J. Coles of Melbourne. It was returned to Mr. Coles in 1946. During the war it was used by Gen.Sir Thomas Blamey. After returning to Mr. Coles, it was registered with Vic Rego. HN-000. It is still around. There were only 5 "Wraith" model Rolls Royce cars which came to Australia before WWII. All are still around although not necessarily all still in Australia.

Christmas 091.JPG

Regards Rick.