Information needed: data plate

[Mike Cecil]

Rod,

The GMH plate you mention in post 1 has nothing to do with the Army registration number: it is the production plate for the WO (War Office) Front End - the sheet metal structure forward of the main cabin frame.

The way to find and identify the vehicle in AWM126 is with the chassis number, as the painted-on registration appears to be long gone.

Looks like the sad remains of an Australian signals van.

Mike

[motto (RIP)]

The situation with CMPs in Australia is that there has always been (in my lifetime) plenty of them around. You could easily fill your yard with them and the reality is that there have always been more trucks available than people to care for them.. Over the years the scrappies have been a real opposition but now the price of scrap is so low the cost of aquiring an unrestored truck is usually easily within reach. It just remains to see how many people are interested in doing so. The current generation doesn't seem much interested as the previous generation drops away. Us older folk grew up surround by the people who had lived through and had fought the war so there was a connection with equipment from that era.
All things must pass.

David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by motto

The situation with CMPs in Australia is that there has always been (in my lifetime) plenty of them around. You could easily fill your yard with them and the reality is that there have always been more trucks available than people to care for them.. Over the years the scrappies have been a real opposition but now the price of scrap is so low the cost of aquiring an unrestored truck is usually easily within reach. It just remains to see how many people are interested in doing so. The current generation doesn't seem much interested as the previous generation drops away. Us older folk grew up surround by the people who had lived through and had fought the war so there was a connection with equipment from that era.
All things must pass.

David

I completely agree, and would add that there are other factors slowing the number of CMP restorations as well. Farm finds are mostly picked over and being out in the weather for 70 years means you might have a lot of extra restoring to do. Then there's the cost of everything you buy from the auto parts store. Nothing is cheap, if you can even still find it. Last is the gold-like prices for original parts. Worth every penny if it's the last bit of treasure you need but to pay those prices for every part will bankrupt you and make the finished product cost way more than its market value.

If you're heart is set on restoring one (as it should be) the next hunting ground is that garage find owned by some well meaning but now elderly gent who has stockpiled every last bit for the beast but never got to it.