Next project
 

I recently bought another blitz, hope to get it home soon. :bang:

Project
 

Ah, the Coolamon one!
I thought that sold some time ago. Well done that man!
:cheers:

You knew it was there and didn't buy it, could have saved me a lot of work.
Saw it on face book buy swap and sell two days later I owned it.

I have bought myself a lot of work with this one. Finally brought it home today.
Unusual tray not blitz. Tin beside drivers seat to add more reservoir for the brake fluid.

Methinks
 

Tray body appears to be from an early model 2-1/2 ton GMC 6x6 CCKW 352 Short Wheelbase truck.
In one of the photos it seems to bolt together. If I am correct and there is a body joint allowing it to be separated into almost equal forward and aft sections it has come from a truck that had been modified to airborne configuration. i.e. For carriage aboard a C47 aircraft. GMH so modified a quantity of these trucks.

David

Well spotted Dave!

If it is confirmed that it is an airborne tray conversion, it will be a rare survivor.

The GMH conversions were done using hard cab GMCs. The conversion is briefly covered, along with several images, on pages 41 & 42 of 'War Record GMH Ltd Australia'.

I think from memory, GMH converted 140 trucks, but I'd have to check to be sure.

Mike

Yes the split is close to 50/50. Kevin the tilt tray owner has two of these trays, one identified and the other sandblasted before it could be identified.
I need to find the time to empty the tray and see what I have.

There were 144 airborne GMCs registered with the AMF (ARNs 89331 to 89485), and an unknown number of conversions done for US Forces, all by GMH.

The inclusion of a unit sign holder on the tailgate would tend to indicate a tray from one of the Australian-registered trucks, so one of the 144.

Mike

Diversion complete?
 

There is a fine example of one of the GMH modified trucks in the Lake Salvage yard in Mildura, Victoria. It has had the tray body replaced with a turn table (fifth wheel) and was used by the shire to haul a low loader for some years before being retired. It is in the original paint job with the word AIRBORNE stencilled on both doors. IIRC it is identified as No 27.
Two further examples are in the hands of collector/restorers in Queensland.

David

I dropped the pile of wheels off the tray today, there were 4 16" and 2 20" rims and old tyres. also found evidence that this blitz was used as a super spreader so corrosion in joints may be a problem.