A few more
 

Finally something Ive been meaning to do for a while..........post the ID plate.

Engine number is 2G40647F

At last
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkZRt2cw9UE

Here she is fellahs................ on the road & honking!!!!

Some stills
 

Some photos as well.......

Looking good Tony ! Hope you get it down to Corowa for the show.

Wow!
 

That is truly stupendous Tony - it looks really good, wonderful. Even Belinda commented it looks cute. :thup2: :D

It will without doubt be one of the stars of the show (THE star of the show in my book).

I think you'll need to find a good chiropractor by the time you get to Corowa though!

Yoga
 

Thanks Richard & Keith,

The yoga manouvere I have to do to get my foot on the clutch will fix the back Keith - no worries!!!

Was going to go to the Lockhart truck show on the way to Corowa today but it is raining piss & pickhandles here at the moment.

Hope it clears for tomorrow.

Change your signature
 

G'day Tony,

Great stuff. Now you really have to change the sighnature line....F60L GS Ex 2 pounder anti tank portee. (Not finished though......yet!)

To F60L GS Ex 2 pounder anti tank portee. (Finished - looking and sounding bloody superb!)

Kind Regards
Lionel

Hi Tony, see you at Corowa the video clips are great even though I have to provide my own sound efects:wacko: Posting late as I have only had glimses at the internet lately when there has been gaps in the clouds. The rain has been worth the interuptions. Looking forward to seeing your blitz in the flesh :thup2:

Polished gears
 

Looking at some of the other vids I see (or rather hear) the gears have been nicely polished! :eek:

Link

Excellent Tony, well done!

Hanno

I supose thats the advantage of having a crashed sound card. In my head I only heard the rousing rumble of the V8 and smooth as silk gear changes :D

Sfx
 

You can now make the appropriate sound effects as you watch it. :)

Getting into the good stuff
 

Hope this motivates you guys with unfinished projects.

This truck is paying me back with interest. It is that good to drive.

They are a beast in the mud, they love it!!!

For the Cab 12 owners - you get used to the cramped cockpit. It s actually starting to feel a bit roomy now.

Gear changes improving out of sight!!! Even got the heel/toe thing going on downshifts.

Keefy was having a ball when he took the wheel & may I say is a very very good operator. (I even saw a rise in visually revealed enthusiasm - honest).
Got a great demonstration of high/low transfer case shifts on the fly and excellent gear shifting.

Max had a turn as well - with some sparkling driving - great to witness & learn.

Sacrebleu......
 

Ett iz a sacrilege to drive such a niece truk in zee mud!!!!

You guys have an advantage since you already are familiar with driving on the wrong side of the road and shifting with your left paw.

Boob

Enthusiasm?
 

Of course it was fun! But I think the best driver for something like that would be a 5'6" female in ballerina shoes. Perhaps the pink ribbon on your windscreen post is an indication. :D

Size 12 Rossi boots do not make it easy, but who cares?

I can imagine the design discussions with Sid Swallow and his team: "Well the average guy won't be able to get both his feet in there, but it's what the Brits asked for!"

Rewarding day
 

Howard & I drove the truck out to see his great uncle, Les Holgate.

It was a thrill to meet him, he's a bit shakey on his feet these days but his memory is still very sharp.

Les was the original owner of this truck after the war. He paid 250 pounds for it.

The truck was used as the family car and was taken down to Tathra on the south coast of NSW for the annual holiday. 2 in the front & 8 in the back.

Les said it was a great truck & never gave him any trouble........ but you wouldnt expect anything less from a Ford.

He did however, have problems with the single tyres on the back. They kept blowing for some strange reason, so he fitted it with duals.
May have had something to do with the fact that Les said she'd EASILY carry more than 5/6 tonne on the back. No wonder the shackle pins and bushes need replacing!!!!

Les was in the 14th Anti Aircraft and was at 42 of the Japanese Darwin Raids. He told us the story of going from Sydney to Albury to Adelaide to Alice Springs to Darwin with the Army.

Between 'The Alice' and Darwin he did three days in the back of a Cab 12 F60L on the 'North South' road.

He told us of one night in Darwin witnessing a Spitfire blow a single engine Japanese plane out of the sky. He could see the tracer from the Spit, the Jap plane burst into flames, then the engine fell off the front.

Incidentally Les is still on his small farm helped by his daughters and son-in laws. He's planted 7,000 trees around the place and it looks magnificent. The shed & house are well kept and the garden is beautiful.

A bloke to be remembered.

Wonderful
 

I can feel an interview coming on... is Les far from Ganmain?

Not Far
 

No Mate - 15 minutes.

Got one for you two doors up from me - a 21st light horseman - Ron Billingham as well.

Ron's a bit shakey on dates but can relate some funny stories on what happened with the blokes and their horses.

Even got a couple of photos of him driving a carrier near Wagga.

Great news Tony
 

Let's arrange something around the next flying weekend just after Easter. :thup2:

Uncle Les Interview
 

He has politely declined requests for interviews to date...

Interviews?
 

Really? From whom? Surely GT can turn on the charm...

Maybe, Keith... Maybe

Beer...
 

Keith ..
maybe if you just showed up with a couple of flats of beer ..the old lad would be more responsive..
Nice old lad ..good to to see him still out and around..
:thup2: :drunk::remember :support

Actually, he is an old Methodist & has not & does not drink. He has told me of when he was in Darwin on a quiet night, he and a fellow teetotaler tried two of their rationed beers. (Normally swapped/traded for chocolate or socks). They had their (warm) beers & were having head-spins when the raid sirens sounded... It was a long night for him!! And, therefore, his last ever grog!

Finally got the new computer and re-watched the video clips, the V8 still sounds as good as my imagination but I hear what you mean about the gears but I'm shore Tony has mastered it by now. :thup2:
The new computer has a bigger screen and makes looking at the pictures better too, also having the type larger helps my eyesigh. :cheers:

Another Digger Resting
 

To update this thread, Les Holgate (above) passed away yesterday. His funeral will be held Monday at Ganmain.
I will prepare some info on his service record after the funeral.
Lest We Forget.:remember
HH

RIP Mr Holgate :remember

condolenses from me as well to the Holgate family.

Our condolenses to you and all your family H

Thank you Boys for your thoughts.
And thank you Ganmain Tony for allowing me to drive his/Les' blitz to the funeral on Monday!:remember :cheers: