Our LRDG Chev

[Andrew H.]

That type of 30cwt India Pattern truck with the flat-faced cowl was used by the LRDG from 1942 after considerable modification by the Chev company in Canada as a special order for the LRDG. The new designation of that model was 1533X2. Changes included a pto-driven air compressor, heavy duty springs, stronger and wider front axle, wider mudguards, low ratio creeper gear, condenser for the radiator, doors and roof removed, Godfreidson rear ammo body installed and special 10.5 X 16 sand-pattern tyres fitted. Also, some of the front grille slats were removed for better cooling. After those modifications it was significantly different from the standard India pattern truck shown in your photo.

[Andrew H.]

Just a brief progress report for anyone interested. Despite not having posted here for a while, that does not indicate a lack of enthusiasm for our project. There has been nothing much to report, as we are still bogged down fabricating and painting our rear ammo body. This has taken much longer than we thought, for reasons I won't bore you with. We work on the truck nearly every weekend so there is no lack of commitment, but its coming together very slowly at present. Issues we have dealt with during winter include high winds (we are in an open-sided shed) and once we even found ourselves working in an inch of water!

Lately we have been deciding whether to glue the deck down with Sikaflex adhesive, which we understand is now widely used in truck-bed assembly, or to weld it in the normal way. In the end we decided not to use adhesive in case it created difficulties with the NZTA certification requirements. I will post again when there are some pictures to show our progress - maybe in two or three weeks.

[Kuno]

Good to read that the project continues - even in wind and water!

[Kuno]

...and how does the truck look today?

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by Kuno

...and how does the truck look today?

Hi Kuno,
Thanks for your interest. Progress on the truck has slowed down due to other commitments, but we keep plodding along, doing something almost every weekend (we can only work in the weekend). The attached photo shows recent progress on the rear ammo body, which still has one side and the front panel to attach. We will make a start on the brakes shortly and we expect the motor back from the engine re-conditioner early in the new year.