Our LRDG Chev

[Andrew H.]

That type of 30cwt India Pattern truck with the flat-faced cowl was used by the LRDG from 1942 after considerable modification by the Chev company in Canada as a special order for the LRDG. The new designation of that model was 1533X2. Changes included a pto-driven air compressor, heavy duty springs, stronger and wider front axle, wider mudguards, low ratio creeper gear, condenser for the radiator, doors and roof removed, Godfreidson rear ammo body installed and special 10.5 X 16 sand-pattern tyres fitted. Also, some of the front grille slats were removed for better cooling. After those modifications it was significantly different from the standard India pattern truck shown in your photo.

[Andrew H.]

Just a brief progress report for anyone interested. Despite not having posted here for a while, that does not indicate a lack of enthusiasm for our project. There has been nothing much to report, as we are still bogged down fabricating and painting our rear ammo body. This has taken much longer than we thought, for reasons I won't bore you with. We work on the truck nearly every weekend so there is no lack of commitment, but its coming together very slowly at present. Issues we have dealt with during winter include high winds (we are in an open-sided shed) and once we even found ourselves working in an inch of water!

Lately we have been deciding whether to glue the deck down with Sikaflex adhesive, which we understand is now widely used in truck-bed assembly, or to weld it in the normal way. In the end we decided not to use adhesive in case it created difficulties with the NZTA certification requirements. I will post again when there are some pictures to show our progress - maybe in two or three weeks.

[Kuno]

Good to read that the project continues - even in wind and water!

[Kuno]

...and how does the truck look today?

[jack neville]

Originally Posted by serge

Hello

Among the huge quantity of WWII military trucks that I saw in NORMANDY last week, I have shoted this INDIAN CHEVROLET replica. Were such truck used by LRDG group or only by INDIAN troops?

Regards Serge

Were any of these desert type vehicles equiped with canvas as in this vehicle?

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by Kuno

...and how does the truck look today?

Hi Kuno,
Thanks for your interest. Progress on the truck has slowed down due to other commitments, but we keep plodding along, doing something almost every weekend (we can only work in the weekend). The attached photo shows recent progress on the rear ammo body, which still has one side and the front panel to attach. We will make a start on the brakes shortly and we expect the motor back from the engine re-conditioner early in the new year.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by jack neville

Were any of these desert type vehicles equiped with canvas as in this vehicle?

Not as far as I know, but I may be wrong.

[Andrew H.]

Today we continued working on the ammo body. We are amateurs and cannot do good vertical welds, so to attach the front panel we had to take the body out of the shed and prop it up on its end so we could weld downwards. This involved one of us being lifted up on the tractor FEL with the welding plant and gas bottle roped on securely. It was a very hot day so we propped the ammo body up under a tree for shade. It was pleasant working there and the job was quite quickly done. However with all the panels now welded on, there are no longer any convenient attaching points for ropes and chains. This resulted in us dropping the whole body with a huge crash, when we put it back in the shed. Fortunately, no damage was done. The next step is to fabricate and attach the wheel arches, and also start working on the brakes.

[Andrew H.]

Today we called in to see how the engine re-conditioner is getting on. He is re-grinding the crankshaft, honing the bore, putting in new bearings and new pistons etc. It has only taken him three years.

[Kuno]

Hi Andrew - sorry for late reply... but in the recent months I have looked into vintage aircraft rather than vehicles... good to see that your Chevrolet is still making progres.

A pity it is not yet in driving condition - else it could have joined our little old Ford a bit to the desert later on this year...

[motto]

Nine pistons? You must have one of the very rare 9 cylinder Chevys. No wonder the reconditioning is taking time.

David

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by motto

Nine pistons? You must have one of the very rare 9 cylinder Chevys. No wonder the reconditioning is taking time.

David

We thought she could do with more power when we are out climbing those 300ft sand dunes with the Stukas lining us up in their cross-hairs.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

... so to attach the front panel we had to take the body out of the shed and prop it up on its end so we could weld downwards. This involved one of us being lifted up on the tractor FEL with the welding plant and gas bottle roped on securely. It was a very hot day so we propped the ammo body up under a tree for shade. It was pleasant working there and the job was quite quickly done. ...

Was this picture copied off one of those Facebook pages entitled, 'why men have shorter lifespans'?

[Andrew H.]

We thought it was safe enough at the time. Job done now anyway .

[Andrew H.]

Today we finished welding in the wheel arches, grinding off the welds and sharp edges and priming them. We admit to using a small amount of bog to fill the odd gap. We would have to be much better at welding to avoid using any bog at all, but we do try to keep it to a minimum.

The long marathon of fabricating the ammo body is now almost at an end. We cannot believe it has taken so long but we only work on the truck in the weekends. We are now finally in the home stretch and all that remains to be done is to install the small "gussets" under the wheel arches, and to fabricate the tail-board.

[Andrew H.]

We are still plodding along with our LRDG project. Yesterday we finished fabricating the tailgate and swung it on its hinges for the first time. It was quite difficult getting everything true and straight. As with all of these jobs, there is more to it than meets the eye, but we got there in the end. For the first time in four years we are at last daring to predict a finish time for the truck. We think we might (just might!) be driving it in the next Anzac parade!

[Andrew H.]

We have now made a start on the brakes. All of the old brake lines and some of the cast-iron brackets holding them to the chassis are either unusable or missing. Also some of the brass brake-line junctions are missing. So we had to scout around and find the necessary bits and pieces from a derelict truck we know about (we are lucky to have access to it). We also took photos of a restored LRDG truck to find out how the braking system fits together. Attached pics show an old original bracket that holds the armoured hand-brake cable to the chassis and how that goes on a restored truck. Another pic shows the "Y" shaped brass fitting that goes on the brake master-cylinder. I imagine these brake fittings are similar to those on the CMP trucks?

[motto]

The parts shown are in common with the Lend/Lease Chev.

David

[Andrew H.]

Thanks David,
Its surprising that brake parts were not standardised between L/L and CMP Chevs, as they were all made in Canada at the same time by the same company for the same purpose. And probably in the same factory?

[Andrew H.]

On Sunday we did a mock-up assembly of the truck to see what she looks like. None of the bodywork is permanently attached yet, but we were pleased to see that everything fits properly and looks right. Its a morale booster, as we are hoping to display her (unfinished) at the Armistice Day commemorations in November. We have nearly finished installing the brakes and have also started working on the gearbox, universal joints and driveshaft.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Andrew

Yes, it is a boost to the process to see what it is really going to look like. You have done a lot of hard work. It will be a very sharp rig when it is finished.

Cheers Phil

[Andrew H.]

Yesterday we tried to remove the 70-year-old tyres from the split rims and what a job that was! I cannot believe those wheels are so heavy - they must weigh 100 kg each!! After unscrewing (with great difficulty) the frozen nuts that hold the two rims together we tried several different methods, including laying the wheel down flat and pressing down on the tyre with a crowd-action FEL, riding up onto the tyre with a vehicle, pumping it full of air to separate the halves, and tying one rim to a well-anchored post and pulling the other one with a winch! We even considered burning the tyres off the rims!

In the end there was no substitute for the tried-and-proven 1942 method, using an impact hammer (a heavy crow-bar with a sliding weight) and a large drift-pin hit with maximum force by a (younger) assistant wielding a 20 pound sledge hammer! Even with that method it still took about an hour to remove each tyre and separate the rims. The rims will now be sand-blasted and painted after replacing some of the studs, which were badly eaten away with rust.
Recently we made the stencils for the identification numbers and the kiwi emblem and spray-painted them onto the bonnet (see pic) exactly as shown in the WWII archive photos. Onwards and upwards !

[Lynn Eades]

Andrew, I assume those are the Kaimai ranges in the second to last picture?
I am on the other side and see the Te Aroha repeater mast from home.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by Lynn Eades

Andrew, I assume those are the Kaimai ranges in the second to last picture?
I am on the other side and see the Te Aroha repeater mast from home.

G'Day Lynn,
Yes those are the Kaimais. The farm where we are doing the truck is situated about 10 miles south of Te Aroha town.
Cheers,
Andrew

[cliff]

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

G'Day Lynn,
Yes those are the Kaimais. The farm where we are doing the truck is situated about 10 miles south of Te Aroha town.
Cheers,
Andrew

Ah an old haunt of mine 40 years ago LOL!

[Andrew H.]

A quick update: We are still having big trouble removing our 70-year-old tyres from the 16-inch split rims. Yesterday we spent a whole day trying unsuccessfully to remove another one. First we pumped the tyre up and separated the two split rims, then we tried to detach the bead with a crow-bar and sliding weight, but no luck. Then we anchored one rim to an RSJ shed pole and pulled the other rim with a tractor, but all that did was to dig two holes in the ground and break the chain. Then we repeated that process using the tractor and a ten-tonne hydraulic digger, but with exactly the same result –two fresh wheel holes and another broken chain! With the digger, the pull was so strong that it actually bent the rim where the shackle was attached through the stud hole (will have to be hammered out later). Then we cut out a section of the tyre with a 150mm angle grinder, but could not get close enough to the bead. Then in desperation we used a blow-torch and made a small fire concentrated at the bead, with bursts of oxygen from the torch to cut through the wire in the bead. But amazingly the bead still did not break, and the super-hot oxy-acetylene gas accidentally ricocheted off the rubber and cut two small holes right through the rim (will have to be welded up later). Strangely the rubber did not want to burn and went out as soon as the torch was removed! So after a whole days work we still had the tyre stubbornly attached to the rim. Any of you guys got any ideas?

[hrpearce]

Andrew I had one old heavy tyre that my bead breaker couldn't handle. I cut two lines from bead to bead using the back blade of a mattock then cut as close to the rim as possible to remove a section of tyre. I was then able to use the 4" angle grinder to cut most of the wire. I cut at an angle to the rim to get in as close as possible, I finished the cut with a cold chisel and 12 Lb. hammer.

[motto]

I have found that old hardened tyres are relatively easy to cut through with a bow saw, it's like sawing wood.
One of the problem tyres I encountered was a run-flat with sidewalls about 1-1/2" thick. It was on a Dodge Weapons Carrier and would not hold air. I travelled a thousand miles on it before replacing it.
The only way to remove it was to cut it off. First off I cut a wedge shaped piece out of it with two cuts starting about 3" apart and coming together near the bead.
Opposite that I removed another wedge but didn't bring the cuts together, I chewed the fabric and rubber out between them with an electric drill. This left a gap that I used to chisel through the wires.
Lastly I hooked chains on either side of the cut out and pulled the tyre open which I could do because of the wedge section removed earlier.
The whole operation didn't take long and wasn't very strenuous.
One of the wedge sections removed was laying around for years as a curiosity. It's probably still around somewhere.

David

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by motto

I have found that old hardened tyres are relatively easy to cut through with a bow saw, it's like sawing wood.
...
The only way to remove it was to cut it off. First off I cut a wedge shaped piece out of it with two cuts starting about 3" apart and coming together near the bead.
...
Lastly I hooked chains on either side of the cut out and pulled the tyre open which I could do because of the wedge section removed earlier.
...

David

This is what I was about to suggest. Great minds think alike, but fools seldom differ.

[Andrew H.]

Thanks for that. So cutting the bead is absolutely essential - we will focus on that next time. Incidentally, our tyres are about 1.5 inches thick, but I don't think they are "run flat" because there is no "RF" written on the tyre.