GMC AFKX 354 (french Contract)

[Anthony Main]

Does anyone have any pictures of the inside cab ?

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I think the NMM Library at Beaulieu may still have driver's handbooks..they sent me years ago a copy of a 1940 COE cab layout drawing from a book that must have been one supplied to GM Ltd or Vauxhalls when new as part of the dollar purchase for books and parts for the ex-French diverted contracts.

Or post a note on this forum as the cabs should be the same as the civvy version:

http://oldgmctrucks.infopop.cc/eve

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Is this "G628 GMC, 2 1/2 ton, 6X4 Truck, Searchlight, AFKX-354 (5 seat cab)"?

Army truck carrying power plant for AA searchlight.
Location: US
Date taken: 1942

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

It should be! Or a clone! I have a photo taken in December 1941 of a semi-derelict one at GM Limited in Bamber Bridge, awaiting rebuild, minus front end! They were of course obsolete and I gather rebuilt as G/S lorries or sold off to essential civilian users.

[Anthony Main]

Hanno,
Yes that's the type of truck, I'm looking for photo's!
Have you any of the right hand side?

[cliff]

The only view of the RHS I have is a scan from Barts Book.

[serge]

Hello

I just found the pic you are looking for.
If you want more explaination about the life of these kind of truck and if you are able to read french so you can buy "VEHICULE MILITAIRE MAGAZINE" Number 21. It contents 6 pages with pics of the vehicle and only one pic of the dash board.

Regards

[serge]

Hello ANTHONY

I send you two other pics of the truck. One showing the right side and the other the left side. Nevertheless in the paper there are no pic of the rear of the inner cab except the dash board.
I think it sould have a seat for the crew

Regards

[serge]

Hello

I thing that Mister HANNO SPOELSTRA and me have done a confusion about these truck.
I believe that ANTHONY was looking for pic of GMC AFKX witch is a 4X4 truck with generally two configurations : either with an enclosed body (cab and body making a panel) or with and enclosed cab and a separate body ofen with an air compressor. The front end of two are the same.

GMC AFWX like the one displayed by HANNO and me are 6X4 trucks delivered to french army with a searchlight (Some of them have stayed in ENGLAND and the few which arrived in FRANCE were used by german as "FARHSHULE" ; (I own a pic in german hand).

In the twice cases (AFKX and AFWX) the dashboard is the same and from civilian origin.
I know that a GMC AFKX panel has been restored in ENGLAND. I own a pic in NORMANDY 1994 but not the inside.

regards

[cliff]

One of these but a GS body rather then the radio box body that is required?

This is the long wheel base version (353 or 354) but there is a short wheel base version as well (352)

[Alex van de Wetering]

Hello ANTHONY

I send you two other pics of the truck. One showing the right side and the other the left side. Nevertheless in the paper there are no pic of the rear of the inner cab except the dash board.
I think it sould have a seat for the crew

Regards

Serge, good to see you already pointed towards the issue of Vehicules Militaires....I was trying to find time to scan the (great!) article, but no need for it anymore
The article also includes some rare pictures of two of them in US service in Normandie......even one embarking on one of the Mulberry harbours.

Alex

[serge]

Hello ALEX

It's a good thing that you can read "VEHICULES MILITAIRES MAGAZINE" in NETHER LAND.
About these kind of trucks builded at the begin of world war two , there denomination using letters helps to a have a good identification of them.

So :letter A mean the year of conception
F : means that the truck own a cab over engine
K : means that the front axle may be driven (after pushing a level)
W : means that the truck owns two rear axles
X : I suppose that there were experimental but I am not sure

I join the pic of an AFWX landing in NORMANDY and an other used as FARHSHULE. In the text it is say that there were used by german army to learn the driving of american truck.

Regards

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

This is from my notes:

The first letter indicates roughly Model Year, so “A” was 1939-40, “C” 1941, “D” 1942; the next “D” indicated Diesel engine, the following “C” indicates that the truck was Normal or Conventional Control, or “U” for “Unconventional Cab” or “F” Forward Control/Cab-over-Engine. “K” indicates “front-wheel drive”, “W” “6-wheels [or 2 x rear axle drive]”; “X” SPECIAL WHEELBASE LENGTH, the “X” being dropped February 1941.

G.M.C. Trucks ordered by the French Government and then diverted to the Ministry of Supply, all l.h.d. were Models:
AC-504 and ACX-504 4 x 2 with GMC 278 cu. in. engine.

All with GMC 248 cu. in. engines: ACK-252; ACKX-252; AFKX-352; ACK-353; ACKX-353; ACKWX-353; ACKWX-353; AFWX-354. The ACK-252 and ACKX-252, and ACK-353 were a 4 x 4 version of the standard AC-252 or -353; the ACKW-353 was a 6 x 6 normal control version with Thornton conversion, and AFWX-354 the Thornton 6 x 4 Forward Control chassis with extra “crew-cab”, and ACKX- was 4 x 4 with twin rear wheels, and ACKWX- was 6 x 6 with twin wheels on rear axles.

British orders for G.M.C. were for the Model AFKX-352 4 x 4 with the 248 cu. in. engine, all l.h.d. it is believed. Later U.S. supplies of G.M.C. military trucks were of the 1941 Models CCW-353 5-Ton 6 x 4; CCKW-352 50 cwt./2½ Ton 6 x 6 145 in. wheelbase, and CCKW-353 same capacity 6 x 6 157 in. wheelbase. In addition there were supplies of the amphibious “Duck”, 1942 Model DUKW-353 2½ Ton truck, based on the CCKW-353 chassis. These all used the GMC 270 cu. in. engine. Engine #s: 270-xxxxxx e.g. 270-637537.

Our new book on Pearsons' of Liverpool has photos of ex-French GMCs post-war, virtually as received and rebuilt.

[Noel Burgess]

There are some Official (?) drawings of various GMC models on William Marshall's Webshots Album here http://news.webshots.com/album/181012271UcuRkt when viewing 12 to a page they are on pages 17 & 18. These have helped me get a clearer understanding of the various models discussed here.
Thanks to Hanno who originally posted the link elswhere [in the Armour section], some interesting stuff in there.

Noel

[Hanno Spoelstra]

An AFWX-354 has surfaced in France:







Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4990...6408450144924/

[Grant Bowker]

Interesting - yet another truck that seems to have mis-matched data plate (serial 505) and frame (serial 513). There's probably no way to tell whether it was the result of an in-service overhaul or a much later event (though the rivets/screws holding the plate in place don't look recent and the green paint on the surround also covers part of the data plate...)