The Rover Armoured Car

[Keith Webb]

I've been working on a page dedicated to the Australian Rover Armoured Car. Several have survived, bit I need some more pictures and info to complete the story. Can anyone help?

Rover page

[Rod Diery]

Hi Keith, I have been slowly working on my Rover for about six years now. Here is it's ID plate. More pics soon.

Cheers
Rod

[Rod Diery]

This is what I started with after the home made cab had been cut off

[Rod Diery]

I acquired this hull from the Nungarin Army Museum in WA in mid 1998

[Rod Diery]

This is the Army Tank Museum's Rover at Puckapunyal, VIC in july 2004. This is a John Belfield restoration swapped to the Museum in part exchange for the M24 Chaffee tank now at the Melbourne Tank Museum.

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Hi Keefy
Eight images coming up. I'll Email them to you as well so you don't need to download from here. This one is the ex. Col Anderson one that our member Doug has restored and has running. It is housed in the Museum.
Enjoy
Bob




On its way to a field trip.



Interior through rear flap



Interior looking towards rear

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Interior looking into driver's compartment.



Another view of the driver's compartment.



The dash when I got hold of it.



The dash after I finished with it.

[Rod Diery]

Couldn't help yourself I see, Bob?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Rod Diery
Couldn't help yourself I see, Bob?

Rod, no problem, our advertisers are donating heavily towards Keeping Maple Leaf Up! - hint, hint

Keep up the good work on that Rover!

H.

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Hanno
If you read my posts to Keeping Maple Leaf Up I have offered to assist through the sorts of things I do. If the offer is not taken up, Well??
Salesman Bob

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Bob Moseley
If the offer is not taken up, Well??

Relax, Salesman Bob - who says the hint was intended for you?!?

H.

[Rod Diery]

Originally posted by Hanno Spoelstra
Relax, Salesman Bob - who says the hint was intended for you?!?

H.

Was it intended for me, Hanno?

Bob, do you mind if I download some of your pics here and use them on my site? Naturally I will credit them to you.

Rod

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Rod
Feel free to use any images I post on the forum, especially the instrument one as that is the standard you must strive to achieve. Don't forget its Doug's Rover though.
Bob

[Rod Diery]

I will remember who owns it. I am currently looking closely at the piggy bank to see if I can afford to fly to Adelaide to have a close look at the Rover.

After my recent trip to the east and seeing Bandiana, Puckapunyal and going for a tour of John Belfield's with Keith and Euan, the bug has bitten me badly again. Not to mention being chauffered around in Eaun's No 9 gun tractor.

Aaaah the tyrany of distance!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers
Rod

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Hi Rod
Get yourself a cheap flight. Accommodation and carting around will be taken care of.
Bob

[Ian Fawbert]

This is a John Belfield restoration swapped to the Museum in part exchange for the M24 Chaffee tank now at the Melbourne Tank Museum.

Sorry to kinda hijack the post! But Rod, or anyone else, Is the M24 Chaffee that John now has one of the 2 which came to oz for trials, or is it a different one?

Just curious!

Cheers,
Ian.

[Rod Diery]

Originally posted by Ian Fawbert
Sorry to kinda hijack the post! But Rod, or anyone else, Is the M24 Chaffee that John now has one of the 2 which came to oz for trials, or is it a different one?

Yes Ian I believe that it is.

This is it's mate at the Army Tank Museum, Puckapunyal.

Cheers
Rod

[Ian Fawbert]

Thanks rod!

I`ll have to get down there and have a look!

Ian

[Rod Diery]

I have just been admiring Bob's pics of Doug's lovely restored Rover in South Australia again. However, I do wonder whether the colour scheme of it's interior is entirely correct for the Rover as it was originally built.

The pics of the interior show that almost all surfaces have been painted in a flat white as per most AFVs of the period. When I acquired my Rover ARN 77641, I noticed that the dash and all of the engine covers had been very roughly brush painted white over the factory Ford applied green paint. I also have an original Rover fuel tank which has no traces of white paint on it at all.

It is my theory that when originally built, the interiors of the hulls were indeed painted white but that the Ford F60 parts used in standard form were left in their original factory colour. Further, during the Rover's service life, the crew wielded a tin of white paint and a paint brush to lighten the interior a bit more. maybe to make it a little less claustrophobic.

Having said all that, it must be remembered that the Rover hulls were manufactured by both Ruskin Motor Bodies Pty Ltd and the Victorian Railways Workshops. Perhaps they painted their particular vehicles differently.

I shall post some pics to support my theory. Any comments would be appreciated.

Cheers
Rod

Yes Bob, you will get to work your magic on this some day soon



Note the brush marks



No traces of ever having been painted white

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

Originally posted by Keith Webb
I've been working on a page dedicated to the Australian Rover Armoured Car. Several have survived, bit I need some more pictures and info to complete the story. Can anyone help?

OK. It is not much, but I enclose a Rover pic.

[Keith Webb]

Where did the pic come from?

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

Here it is:

Forty, George: Av photo history of armoured cars in two world wars. Dorset 1984. ISBN 0-7137-1215-5.

Chiao.

Stellan