Rare Plymouth

[Keith Webb]

Just spotted this pic



Hope the link works - here's the page it came from.

It doesn't offer any information although it looks like outback Queensland.

[Plushy]

Keith the photos look like they are from all over the place there are a couple of photos there which look like there from up towards the horsham area but others definately look like there from queensland .

[cliff]

This one is of a type similar to the GMC's used in the early war years by the Darwin Overland Maintenance Force.

[Mike K]

keith

I owned two of these utes in the early 1980's . There were three variants , all based on the 1941 Plymouth chassis . Your pic depicts a Dodge version , there was also a De Soto version . Bsically all three were the same except for different grills badges and trim .

I had a De Soto and a Plymouth . The Plymouth was seen around Preston for many years , it was usually parked in CIG in Bell St where the owner worked . He bought it in 1956 and drove it everyday . I bought it from him in 1982 , it was still registered and I drove it around a bit , it was very tired and worn out . reg was GNY .

The De Soto I got from Colin Anderson , it was very original . It all became too much and I sold them to a guy in the Chrysler club .
Ron Sutton in QLD restored one and he drove it to Corowa , year of the Dodge . Nice and comfortable to drive with coil front end .
A very unique aussie military vehicle .

Mike

[Mike K]

The windscreen frames were made from a brass section . The passengers seat was weird , you could remove a cushion and stand on a wooden base in order to use the Bren mount through the roof hatch ! .

The AWAS drivers would sometimes remove the drab paint on the grilles and shine up the chrome beneath . Not many left now , we think less than 1000 were made going by the body numbers on the cowls . TJ Richards body of course . The front guards and grills and bonnets were fully imported , not made here . The real U.S. based Dodges and De sotos are totally different in appearance . The utes are actually all Plymouths jazzed up a bit .

The contemporary 41 Ford and Chev car based military utes are even rarer . A Browne has a 41 Ford car ute , he was thinking of selling it but its a major project . He has bits from 3 of them .

[Mike K]

looks like an American serviceman with an aussie Plymouth

[Mike K]

dont be distracted by the legs !

From memory , this is a Line up in St Kilda Road , Melbourne.

Ford , Prefect , Chev and a 41 Dodge ute .

Mike

[Mike K]

Ron Sutton's ute at Corowa 2004 . He drove it all the way from QLD . There is another restored one in Sydney I think. An article on them appeared in ARMY MOTORS some years back .

[Mike K]

the stencilling on firewall is original, Ron left it in place .

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Take a bow Plushy regarding the location. That photograph was taken in the Wimmera area and although not there now, the vehicle has been relocated to another site in the Wimmera. Can't say more other than that photograph is a lot better that the actual condition of the vehicle.
Super Sleuth Bob

[Plushy]

Hehe Thanks Bob , my Family have a large Farm up at Laharum /wonwondah East so its hard not to know that soil colour . Bob can you pm me the location as my wife is keen to get a FJ or early model ute to restore ,are there any vehicles left at the location ?

Cheers Plushy

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Hi Plushy
All the vehicle in the first picture have gone, nothing left, nix. Sorry. However Salesman Bob will keep a lookout.
Bob

[Plushy]

Thanks for the Info Bob , its rare to see collections of vehicles in paddocks anymore seems the scrapmen move a lot faster now .