another Aussie humber fv1601

[David Herbert]

The corrosion problems around the water jacket are caused by operating without corrosion inhibiter / anti-freeze. If it had a good strong solution in it all its life those covers would be perfect.

From a UK perspective, your truck is in amazing condition. Ours rotted to nothing years ago, cabs first. Great to drive when they are right.

David

[john piercey]

Hi David,colder clime folk probably treat their engines with more due respect re anti freeze/inhibitor,Aussies tend to forget how extreme temps can be elsewhere in the world and more care is needed,we treat aluminium parts commonly now with corrosion inhibitor as more components are alloy than previously where only a thermostat housing or water pump was aluminium and the rest was cast iron,we just simply replaced these after after a couple of years as they used to be fairly cheap.
modern all alloy engines and radiators are not my favourites along with modern electronic fuel and ignition systems,and dont get me started on the ticking time bomb cam belts,they may put out more HP and give good economy etc,etc but drag me out of the bush a mid 20th century cast iron head/block and points/carby engine that still turns and i pretty much guarantee i can get it running(maybe not well) but running all the same,B60 RR point in question.
i always wanted a Humber but thought i had missed the boat especially seeing so few came here,but when i saw the condition of this one and the fact the guy wanted to sell (stumbled on all this by accident)i leapt at the chance.
Seeing what you UK boys tackle,and even some Aussie stuff,i have the utmost respect for your patience and skills and determination.
cheers
John

[David Herbert]

Hi John,
I regret that there are very few preserved Humber 1ton in the UK as they rotted away faster than people got interested in them.

At the risk of upsetting people in the UK I must say that you don't have to go far for inspiration. The Humber that Dave Mills has restored is a superb job and must be one of the best in the world and the Tilly project being done now by Jack Neville and Chris Collins is a masterclass in bringing a soft skin vehicle back from the dead. The are both written up in the 'Restorations' section of this forum.

David

[john piercey]

Hi David,i hadnt had time to check in the restorations section yet,but you are right some outstanding work going on now with the tilly and yes with Daves humber which i have followed with interest.
Having tackled some old car restos in the past i know the process can be long and drawn out/painful/costly but ultimately rewarding,but there is a point where i have had to decide that some projects are just going to be "too much" EG work/time/money/skun knuckles/oxy acetylene burns/impossible to find parts/or just plain above my skill levels prone,but it is good to see others who can and do tackle such tasks especially when it is well photographed and documented, more so when the vehicle is indeed rare and or on the endangered list.

John

[john piercey]

Richard ,where you found auction disposal dates etc is there any mention of where auctions took place,i am wondering if they took place over east and new buyers transported them elsewhere like to WA,or did WA units just dispose of them at local level hence these few here are maybe ex 10th light horse vehicles or poss other Western Aust regiments.
I may be wrong(correct me otherwise)but i assume they transported vehicles back to a central holding yard in Vic or NSW or QLD back then, nowadays i think they spread auctions around the states thru Grays,or is it all online?
You said other vehicles had same disposal info / numbers etc on them same as 105-691 any ides how many?,1969 must have been the last batch to go surely, as 64-67 seems to be the stated main period for getting rid of them or did they just sit around for years?.
John

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

The little information available is handwritten, by several different clerks, with various acronyms used, depending on who did the writing.
I can tell you that yours was one of 15 sold off with the notation 5B/VSD/B27, all written by the same hand, and among the last to be demobbed.
I'm reasonably confident that the notation 3BOD/SEY/ is 3 Base Ordinance Depot at Seymour (Puckapunyal), this could mean the 5B/VSD is 5 Base Ordinance Depot at VSD?
I believe that your batch would have been sold in WA. In those days I'm pretty sure the disposal was done through a specific army base in each State, not subbed out like today. So it would not have made sense (even for the army...) to bring them back East.
A few went in '66, the bulk was sold mid '67 to late '69. There were a few with no date, and the odd anomaly, but it appears none of them made it to the 70's.
I hope this is of some help.
Rich.

[john piercey]

Richard,thats interesting info,i may never ever know its full story but if theres a chance it was last used in WA i could probably take artistic licence and mark it out as at least some WA regt with some glimmer of truth behind it.
Midland was a transport depot and another was alongside Canning hwy in Sth Perth area from memory all long gone now,just trying to decipher the VSD bit?.
Removed tub to get at everything eventually, but concentrating on roof rust at moment so dont want grinding grit every where it doesnt have to be.
rubbed back doors yesterday but not a hint of markings left,i presume it was rubbed down prior to red fire unit paint which may have been the cause of said marks to have disappeared,also may have been when tool brackets etc went walkabout.
John

[Robert Sexton]

Richard, my research for WW1 and WW2 personnel all refer to the 5th Military District when dealing with WA. You are most likely correct to assume that "5B" means 5th Base and when we get to Nasho's all the regimental numbers for personnel WA start with 5.if the.Hopefully when I am in the big city again I will see some people at the Fremantle Army Museum as they have a collection of records (and vehicles).
I still am thinking that the crow bar on the Humber shown be Dave has been pinched from a railway gang.
regards, Robert