Not softskin as such: a 1940 Chev sedan question

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Matt Austin

The paint code, SNDRFT, is Sandrift, a 1940-only colour, and not military. I was hoping for khaki, but I can't complain.

Matt, Army service colour in 1940 was DBG not Khaki Green. Looks like DBG in those rubbed through areas. Sandrift will be underneath DBG.

[Matt Austin]

I've been doing an inventory and have almost everything, although there'll be some parts I'll need to replace. At this stage, the only obvious things I'm missing are the worst motors and wipers, the upper left hand front passenger door hinge assembly and the boot hinges.

I haven't been able to scrub the area of the chassis to find the chassis number, but for to find something soon. I've cleaned the appropriate part of the engine and the attached pic shows the engine number, R2777077, which the books tell me is a 1940 engine, so possibly the original. Mike, I don't know if that's any help without the chassis number, but I'll keep looking.

The fun continues! Tony, thanks for the colour clarification, I'll get some clear pics.

Cheers,
Matt

[Matt Austin]

Tony, were cars delivered in a number of colours, then painted DBG for military use? If so, that'd explain the layers as you've described; Sandrift, then DBG, then a later coat of blue-grey. Interesting.

The engine bay shows no sign of any colour other than Sandrift, which'd make sense as there's no point in repainting the engine bay, given that a military repaint is a matter of expediency.

Cheers,
Matt

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Matt Austin

Tony, were cars delivered in a number of colours, then painted DBG for military use?

Yes that's my assumption Matt....until proven otherwise! I find it unlikely that DBG ever made it into vehicle production, owing to relatively small numbers involved, and general state of haste and disorganization at the time. More likely these vehicles received a superficial Army repaint as you say. Rick's photo titled "1940 Moorebank Anzac Rifle Range Camp" appears to show 1940 Chev sedans and 1940 Ford trucks freshly painted DBG at 5 Base Ordnance Depot Moorebank.




As we know DBG soon became obsolete: Military Board Instruction MBI 94 15th August, 1940. Adoption of “Paint, Khaki Green, No. 3”

"All Military vehicles, artillery equipment and general stores, previously painted in service colour will be painted in Khaki Green, No. 3."

Evidently your staff car fell through the cracks Matt! Of course, in 1941 we see large numbers of vehicles delivered in factory KG3, including your K5 Inter.

[Mike Cecil]

Matt,

The paint sequence suggests RAAF to me: production vehicle in S/drift - possibly then taken under impressment - painted DBG, then transferred from 'stocks' to the RAAF, or the RAN where it served initially in DBG, then toward the end of the war, repainted in Blue-grey. Just a theory, of course, but it does fit the paint sequence. Impressment was not only from the public, but from dealers and manufacturers in the first instance, so may have been a new vehicle at a dealership when it was 'impressed'. The RAAF and especially the RAN registrations are pretty hopeless: not a lot of chance locating it if its one of those, I'm afraid!

Chassis number would help, but I'll have a look and see if I can find the engine number or at least something close.

Postscript: had a look at engine numbers, and R2777077 is comparatively early as far as the Army are concerned. Most are in the R28XXXXX range, but there are several in the R277XXXX range - mostly odd ones here and there amongst other vehicle types. The closest was R2777172 on a Chev sedan assembled in Perth, chassis number P-40-69.

Mike

[Mike Kelly]

Matt

I suggest you get hold of THE HISTORY OF HOLDEN by Norm Darwin. Your local library will help

http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/2146067...ionId=25704039

Although the book is horribly written in my opinion, it does have lots of relevant info.

There is a pic in the book, of 1940 Chev sedans with girls standing in front , all are painted in civilian livery ( the cars not the girls ! )

[Tony Wheeler]

Here's one I photographed in Vic about two years ago. Not much paint left but DBG evident on the boot.

[Matt Austin]

Gentlemen, thank you very much for your feedback and information. It all makes a great deal of sense now. Now there are three possibilities as far as colour to choose, and I'll leave that for a bit.

Mike, thanks very much for your sequence of events, and for looking through the books for me. The mystery continues, but you've given me plenty to go on. The whole story of vehicular impressments is fascinating, and there is much to learn.

Tony, thanks for your helpful information, which clarifies it as well. I like the car in your pics. Whenever I see pics like those, I think "ooh, spare parts car!" Given that mine started as a spare parts car for a mate's 1939 sedan, I'm glad they don't all get reduced to that.

Mike, funny you mention the Dawin book; I picked up a copy which only recently arrived. You're spot-on, there's plenty of good info therein.

I've attached a closer pic of the green poking through the blue-grey. It was taken in cloudy light, so it doesn't look so green.

Cheers,
Matt