What makes a truck a Maple Leaf?

Lionelgee · #1 08-07-09, 14:46

Hello MLU members,

As you can tell by this message I am new to this forum. I was just visiting the Australian War Memorial (http://www.awm.gov.au) site after one of your members in Australia suggested I look for pictures of my truck when I came across this photo. The Australian War Memorial describes the photograph as ID Number: 127768 Physical description: Black & white Summary: AUSTRALIA. LORRIES, 3-TON G.S. (AUSTRALIAN). "MAPLE LEAF" CHEVROLET. THREE-QUARTER FRONT VIEW, RIGHT SIDE. I had thought that Maple Leaf trucks were manufactured in Canada and assembled in Australia or other Commonwealth Countries. If go the War Memorial site and copy the numbers 127768 into the top right-hand "search" box it will take you to the link with the truck's photo.

On the firewall of my truck it has a Holden emblem and says it was built in Australia in 1940. It has quarter-vent windows in the doors and vents in the side wall of the cab located roughly between the seat and the firewall. Is this truck which is a modified version of the Chevrolet Truck that was built in Australia still classed as a "Maple Leaf" truck.

Kind Regards
Lionel

zemsi · #2 08-07-09, 15:56

... here's the link to the pic so not everybody has to do it manually

cliff · #3 08-07-09, 23:27

My understanding is that 'Maple Leaf' Chevrolet trucks were the export model made in Canada in the 1930's. The cab you discribe is a cab built by GMHolden onto the imported chassis. Rear body of the truck in the AWM photo would have been locally built as well.

My opinion is that if the body plate does not say 'Maple Leaf' and it has not got the 'Maple Leaf' name badges either side of the bonnet it is not a 'Maple Leaf' Chevrolet. You cannot take the AWM photo captions as Gospel in every case as they can often be misleading or plain wrong.

Below are two photos from the AWM showing in Photo 1 the "Maple Leaf" Chev 3 ton and in Photo 2 the 'Ordinary' Chev 3 ton. Both are Holden assembled and the only difference I can see is the Maple Leaf is fitted with the 18inch Military split rim wheel and the Ordinary is fitted with Civilian type rims and tyres, plus the Maple Leaf has the cut out guards to take the larger wheel/tyre combo. A lot of the later (1941) Chevs had the guards cut out right from new.

A nice and rare find as most Chev's around the place are 1941 and newer.

David_Hayward (RIP) · #4 08-07-09, 23:43

GM of Canada introduced the Walkerville-built Chevrolet Heavy Duty or Extra Fort in French, as of 1st Juy 1930. They were based on the equivalent GMC and used Chevy engines but GMC trans. This continued until 1833 when Maple Leafs replaced Chevrolet HD, but again were GMC-based. Basically a Chevrolet equivalent of GMC for Chevy dealers. It then gets complicated from around 1938 with COE being introsuced, and GMC adopting Chevy or Chevy-based engines shared with MLs, and MLs using Chev and 224 cu in Chev-based engines. I think ML was dropped for 1952 in favour of GMCs, and Chevrolet-badged heavier trucks.

Into the pot we must add firstly from 1935-39 Oldsmobile trucks for export only including for Holden assembly, and secondly 1937-9 export Chevrolets, GMCs and Olds trucks all being US-built 'clones' [component-sharing and in effect badge engineering], with COE available before Canada in 1938 and in the US in 1939. GMC and Olds trucks used the Olds 224 cu in '224' engine, Chevrolet the 216, and all were available with Hercules diesel engines!

Mike K · #5 09-07-09, 02:25

Pics of Lionels truck

Looks ex army to me with the GMH brass framed opening windscreen..this was normally seen on 41 models , so it may be a late production 40

Mike

cletrac (RIP) · #6 09-07-09, 04:06

The Maple Leaf trucks were basically a Chev with minor trim differences and a Maple Leaf sign on the hood. The 42 to 46 trucks still had the Chev sign on the front of the hood and the Maple Leaf signs on the back corners of the hood. Maple Leafs were sold by the dealers that sold Pontiac cars. The 41 to 45 models had painted grilles etc since chrome was needed for more important wartime stuff.

Mike K · #7 09-07-09, 06:00

The data I've seen on Maple Leafs suggests they differed from standard Chevs in various ways . Wheelbase and so on. I've a GMH sheet here somewhere that gives the differences . .. stand by for a scan .

Yes , as Cliff said, the AWM photo descriptions are often way off the mark

. They are improving the captions to some degree.
Mike

Mike K · #8 09-07-09, 06:09

the wheelbase is slightly longer on the Maple Leaf ..why ? Maybe heavier springs

Mike K · #9 09-07-09, 06:15

easier to read ......

I just noticed the Maple Leaf was supplied in 170" odd wheelbase , the Chevy wasn't .

cliff · #10 09-07-09, 07:10

Mike thanks for the added info. It seems that Lionel needs to measure the wheelbase on his truck to see exactly which one it is but was he surmising that the truck was a Maple Leaf because of the AWM photo caption?

I suspect it is a plain Chev as the photos you have put up of the truck show that the mudguards are not cut out and it has civilian type wheels. These were probably changed when it entered civilian life after the war due to a lack of 18inch tyres but with the guards not cut out it may never have been fitted with the 18inch wheels. Still quite a rare beast and well worth having regardless though.

Mike K · #11 09-07-09, 07:41

This a 1940 Holden assembled GMC .. these had a GMC motor ..not the 216 .

Its a 1 tonner I think. it is in QLD . it has GENERAL MOTORS TRUCK along the bonnet .

Mike

Mike K · #12 09-07-09, 07:46

AWM piccy .......the chap in foreground liked army food
053643

jim sewell · #13 09-07-09, 13:45

My understanding of Maple Leaf trucks is that they are h/duty chevs and to be able to quickly tell the difference other than the name and numbers (16 or 1600)
1. They have a different diff centre , with a ratio of 7.16 ( same as 3 ton blitz ) as apposed to 6.17 of a chev.
2. The m/ leaf has 5 wheel studs front and rear , with studs being of approx 5/8 or 3/4 diam ,where as the chev has 10 studs rear and 5 or 10 studs on the front and a smaller stud .

From about 1947 onwards they went away from the 216 engine and used the 235 splash feed one.
Regards
Jim S.
Picture of rolled over truck , coutesty of " Outback Corridor "by Allan Smith
The chap in the rolled over truck is wearing a gas mask as he was being towed on a very dusty road.

cletrac (RIP) · #14 09-07-09, 23:04

The blue truck is a Maple Leaf and the other is a Chev model 1533. The Chev is approx 120" wheelbase and the M-L is approx 150". The M-L had the same 6.17? rear end as my C15 (it's now in the C15) and the Chev has a 2-speed.The M-L has a factory reinforced frame. Both trucks have 5 bolt wheels on the front and 10 bolt on the rear. You can see the Maple Leaf grille has a different centre section to what the Chevs used.

David_Hayward (RIP) · #15 09-07-09, 23:34

Maple Leafs had 'MAPLE LEAF TRUCK. with a Maple Leaf in the middle and a different badge on the rad, plus slightly different rad grilles in some cases.

Bob McNeill · #16 10-07-09, 10:16

It seems the rolled over truck is the same water rear tanker as previously posted as a ford and chev in the middle east. some pics of local finds.

cliff · #17 10-07-09, 11:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob McNeill

It seems the rolled over truck is the same water rear tanker as previously posted as a ford and chev in the middle east. some pics of local finds.

If you are talking about this truck it is not a roll over just a truck shaken to bits on what was then the North/South Military Highway (now the Stuart Highway) although this one does look as if it ended up on it's side and being recovered. Trucks in the early days could start off from Alice Springs as brand new and arrive in Darwin looking the same as that in the photo as the road was that bad.

This truck is a GMC by the way and not a Chev. If people want a good read about the early convoys on the North/South Military Highway then the book to get is "Convoys Up The Track" by Alan Smith who was with 148 General Transport Company.

Tony Smith · #18 10-07-09, 14:30

Some pics of another Maple Leaf truck with North/South road history to be found in This Thread.

cletrac (RIP) · #19 11-07-09, 15:13

Here's a Maple Leaf hood. That's the only kind of emblem I've seen on them. It was GMC that had General Motors Truck on the hood.

David_Hayward (RIP) · #20 13-07-09, 09:20

GMCs had 'GENERAL MOTORS TRUCK' on the engine cover/hood/bonnet sides and MLs had 'MAPLE LEAF [Maple Leaf symbol] TRUCK' as they were essentially Chevrolet powertrain GMCs, all the way through, with slight differences such as grilles. However, I can bet that so many lacked the badging when exported.

Paul Singleton · #21 17-07-09, 02:58

I have a 1940 manual and it treats the Maple Leaf as it's own make. It was only available in a 2 1/2 or three ton model in 1940. My manual shows a 216 Chevrolet engine in the 2 1/2 ton (model 1600) and a GMC 248 in the three ton (model 1600H).

Lionelgee · #22 19-07-09, 05:41

Hello MLU,

I just got back from spending a day with my truck and getting it ready for its ride home. I have now wired down the loose boards in the timber bed. I put a rubber strap and with a plastic coated hook to each front mudguard and connected this to a wire running over the hood which was within plastic tubing. I also used nylon ropes to provide some extra security to make sure the hood does not spring open during the 400 kilometre trip home. I just found what is supposed to be a proper 1940 Maple Leaf which was modified for desert duty for a lot cheaper than what I paid for my truck.

Would anyone out there have a decent original 1940 Chevrolet hood ornament? I am watching one on eBay and know two places in America which sell new reproductions. I would prefer to get an original hood ornament if one is available.

I will be checking out the "Maple Leaf" either sometime next week or in the second week of August.

Thanks for all the replies about my question about the Maple Leaf - I really appreciate it.

Kind Regards
Lionel

hrpearce · #23 23-10-09, 23:06

A friend has seen a 4X4 with a Maple Leaf badge on the bonnet (sorry no pictures) and he asked me to try and find out if this is genuion or just a farm built bitzer.

David_Hayward (RIP) · #24 24-10-09, 00:07

From memory there were some pre-war 4x4 Maple Leafs, on a limited-production basis, similar to that of US-built GMCs that GM were exporting to governments around the world. Otherwise I think it may be a conversion?

cliff · #25 24-10-09, 00:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrpearce

A friend has seen a 4X4 with a Maple Leaf badge on the bonnet (sorry no pictures) and he asked me to try and find out if this is genuion or just a farm built bitzer.

without photos it is impossible to tell but it is probably a farm conversion using blitz axles & running gear.

Bob McNeill · #26 24-10-09, 11:47

something like this ???

Lionelgee · #27 25-10-09, 05:51

Quote:

If people want a good read about the early convoys on the North/South Military Highway then the book to get is "Convoys Up The Track" by Alan Smith who was with 148 General Transport Company.

G'day Cliff,

Is this book still for sale and if so who would you get it from + what would it cost?

Regards
Lionel

cliff · #28 25-10-09, 06:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lionelgee

G'day Cliff,

Is this book still for sale and if so who would you get it from + what would it cost?

Regards
Lionel

email sent Lionel

mlombard · #29 23-11-16, 11:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim sewell

My understanding of Maple Leaf trucks is that they are h/duty chevs and to be able to quickly tell the difference other than the name and numbers (16 or 1600)
1. They have a different diff centre , with a ratio of 7.16 ( same as 3 ton blitz ) as apposed to 6.17 of a chev.
2. The m/ leaf has 5 wheel studs front and rear , with studs being of approx 5/8 or 3/4 diam ,where as the chev has 10 studs rear and 5 or 10 studs on the front and a smaller stud .

From about 1947 onwards they went away from the 216 engine and used the 235 splash feed one.
Regards
Jim S.
Picture of rolled over truck , coutesty of " Outback Corridor "by Allan Smith
The chap in the rolled over truck is wearing a gas mask as he was being towed on a very dusty road.

The rolled over truck appears to be a GMC model not a Maple Leaf model, as the grill looks to be GMC

Mike K · #30 23-11-16, 13:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlombard

The rolled over truck appears to be a GMC model not a Maple Leaf model, as the grill looks to be GMC

Yes I agree . A club member had one in the mid 1970's , I think it was ex Brunswick council. It was used in the Sullivans TV series ( what happened to John Sullivan and Tom) .Ah yes, John ended up in Playschool .

We seem to be going round in circles with this Chev - Maple Leaf - GMC thing