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Found this fully operational. All owner knows is it is a Dodge. What is it? What period? Any military connection? looks like a Bedford to me but did Dodge use same design?

I think it is the same as these Danish Army trucks but doors and windscreens are different.

Hi Lang
It looks like a Bedford O type with a GM Holden cab. Most Bedford’s imported to Australia at the time were fitted with the local built cab.

Thanks Richard

Lang

I have found pic of this kind of truck here in India maybe its a chevy or GM truck .Will soon post some info on this thank you

Davistine

Looks like the same Bedford but with a British cab - different doors and screen.

Lang

Yes, export model Bedford (LHD), looks like a K or M type as they had a slightly longer bonnet, cab set back a few inches from the O types.

Any idea why the cab was moved back Richard ? Possibly for better cooling or accessability ? I wonder if the engine enclosure in the cab was different and if the gear lever was modified by bending it backwards.

David

Here are some comparisons between short and long bonnet.

The longer bonnet has 3 long side vents while the short has them in 4 groups.

Below right is a photo of a Bedford 0 long wheelbase tipper that sold in UK a month ago for 3,400 pounds

Note how they used the same cab on the long nose with the guard shape still in it for the short nose. International did the same thing with their K1 - K5 shorter bonnet cab being used by the longer K6 - K11 long nose and the shape sticks out just like the Bedford.

Lang,
Good comparison between the short and long bonnets. Also your photo of the red truck showing the GM Holden cab / long bonnet combination shows just how far they moved the cab from the front mudguards (compare with the first photo in this thread).

I think also that the front is rather more rounded on the short nose trucks and flatter on the long nose ones making the nose look even longer - was all this just styling ?

David

I would say almost certainly for access. The original design is hopeless from a maintenance point of view (seems to be an art form for British vehicles).

The long nose was a vast improvement.

Here are some military versions of the short nose Bedford. I have searched all over but can find no photos of the later long nose in military service.

Here is a good look at a short nose bedford (with a long nose cab on the tray).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=jLTjs4kLXgg

And look how much more roomy and comfortable the long nose cab is.

David,
It was only the lighter weight Bedfords that had the longer bonnet (engine forward of cab), the K type which was about 1 ton payload and the M type which was about 2 ton payload. The cab would have been more forward on the O types in order to increase the body length I guess. The British Army used K types and RAF had M type cargo trucks and of course there was the early WW2 ML army ambulance with the same Mann Egerton body as the Austin K2.

I think the photo that Lang initially posted is a K type because the body looks to be narrower than a M type. A picture of the wheels would confirm.

regards Richard

Thank you Lang and Richard.
When I responded to Richard's second post I had wrongly read it as the long nose was an export feature, not a 'K' or 'M' feature which is what he wrote. I must have seen K or M Bedfords at shows in the UK but never looked properly, I always assumed that they were a completely different cab and front end, actually quite an ingenious adaptation giving vastly more room and access.

David

These where manufactured under General Motors.Even this truck is having a GM engine 216 or 235 ..:)

Restored truck

The Bedford in your photos appears to be heavily modified, the back wall of the cab has been extended rearwards. The original engine was known as a Bedford 28hp and it was a much improved version of the GM/Chevrolet 216 with full pressure lubrication to the big end bearings.

Davistine

I think you may be confused by the fact General Motors is an American company. As the largest vehicle company in the world for a period of 50 years they owned (and still own) many subsidiary companies in many countries eg Opel in Germany, Holden's in Australia and Vauxhall/Bedford in UK. Each of these subsidiary companies went through periods of being the largest car/truck company in their own country in their own right.

Each of those subsidiary companies was so large they had their own complete design and production operations almost totally unrelated to the American design and production operations.

Of course there were a lot of parts interchanged between these companies as there is today with all car companies using engines, gearboxes and complete platforms between seemingly direct competitors, not just their own sudsidiaries.

The Bedfords we are looking at here were designed and built by Vauxhall/Bedford UK and the main connection they had with GM USA was a large percentage of profit flowed back to the parent company.

Lang

Thank you Lang

Though i know that General motors has many subsidiaries companies.But i never know bedford ever manufactured under GM brand.Its a very good info for me.Once again thank you lang

Regards

Davis

Davis,

Bedford did not manufacture GM branded vehicles. Bedford was a British company owned by GM but independently building and selling its own products. For export to Australia and associated markets they just exported the chassis and Holden added their own design and built cabs. This vastly reduced the shipping space required. I believe that the Indian and African markets were supplied directly from the UK so standard Bedford cabs were fitted as in the UK market but sometimes with left hand drive (presumably built for sale to a country that drives on the right).

David

Richard

You mentioned only lightweight Bedfords had long bonnet. This looks heavier than that to me.

Second photo is a short bonnet currently every day driver for sale in Australia $9,500 which seems optimistic

Lang

We had 3 three toners in long nose and a five toner in short nose, it also had a two speed diff.
I got my licence in a three toner by driving left around the block to save me having to use the turn arm on the door.

Hi Lang,
On your original photo I could not see the wheels and thought it was the K type 30cwt model but can now confirm it is a ML 2/3 ton model. The next size up was the O types which had the cab further forward.
Here is a photo of an ML with Holden cab belonging to Lismore council in NSW.

regards, Richard

Thanks Richard

Lang

Here we go. One long nose and one short nose for sale $2,000 - negotiable - for the pair.

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/park...nt=120777_9299