Chev 6 Seater Utility

[cliff]

looking good mate

[Wayne Henderson]

The original body design is a timber frame covered in sheet steel. The timber is screwed together in some places and coach bolts used in others. The sheet steel is nailed to the timber. I followed the original parts down to the amount of nail holes in the tinware. I wanted to be as faithful to the original as possible. Oh dear.

The timber work went together well once the original construction was worked out. There were some unusual joints (to me not being a carpenters ring piece) to master. I started to find out how roughly/quick these bodies were put together originally. One side of the body was 25mm longer than the other and the curved roof sections were a different profile each side.
I decided to use a tape measure and a square, something which must have been rationed when this body was originally made.

I did have problems finding enough slotted wood screws and also square nuts for the coach bolts. My new hobby developed, hunting thru glass jars in old blokes sheds.

[Keith Webb]

Great job Wayne, such a worthwhile and interesting vehicle to save, very impressed with your faithful treatment of the construction too.

Interesting to hear how rough the measurements were when it was built - an inch out on one side??!!

[Wayne Henderson]

Hi Keith,
Some of the tin sheeting was also out of square so this leads to the fact they were hand built to suit each body. Noticed this on the front and rear body top sections.

The paint job was an eye opener, vehicle undercoat was sprayed gloss grey straight on to the metal then topped off with war time green sprayed over that. The disruptive cam was hand painted. The tin under the door skin is bare metal in the middle and sprayed only on the edges. They saved heaps of paint doing this.

The vehicle had a quick refurbish Post War with a new coat of green over everything. A new nose section was fitted (yellow primer and Holden ID badge) and I think this may have been where the crew doors where swapped around.

The ARN number was re painted, 67651 and so was the bridging plate. The vehicle must have towed a trailer at some point.

I am doing this truck up to represent a Field Staff Car.

Don't know the history of this vehicle but going by the Black Duck I'd say Western Command. I don't know when this Unit sign was introduced but it was used by many Regiments over this way from the 1950s on.

The Forgotten Army (sorry, forgot who wrote it) mentions Western Command (Western Australia) and some of the higher ranking officers who may have had access to this vehicle.

Wartime Western Command unit sign was an exciting looking white W on a black field, this hung around into the 1960's.

Vehicle has matching chassis and engine numbers (the Canadian bits )

[Keith Webb]

Or is the last digit 1? Great you have these details.

The one I found in the 1970s (gone now) was also WO3, chassis 2842100317M.

[Wayne Henderson]

Right Keith, 67654
Basic rear section timber frame. All square and not too heavy yet.

[David Dunlop]

You are doing a wonderful job. Will you be reverting to the originally oriented doors with the build?

As for the lack of measuring tools available when first built, maybe they made up for that shortage with an increased availability of cold pints???


David