Ford blitz ambo project

[Tony Wheeler]

Hi all,

As a newbie to MLU forum I'm not sure of the protocol, but I guess I should introduce myself properly.....starting from the beginning. I confess to being a certified CMP tragic, having first caught the “blitz bug” in my early teens. The roots of my affliction can be traced back to a particular sawmill in Warburton (Victoria) where my folks had a holiday house at the time. Exploring the area by pushbike one day with my childhood friend and neighbour Keith Webb, we stumbled upon a number of strange looking truck wrecks, which in their varying stages of decrepitude we found not only highly photogenic, but also strangely captivating in some way. Returning to the site often to photograph and clamber over these unusual vehicles, we soon became thoroughly hooked.

In the years to follow, driven by a strange irresistible urge completely unfathomable to our parents, we spent every available weekend and school holiday ranging far and wide on our pushbikes, through the countryside around Warburton and to the furthermost suburbs of Melbourne, seeking out more examples of what we now knew were WW2 “blitzbuggies”. Initially satisfied with simply photographing them liberally and spending hours in the darkroom processing B&W blitz prints (our other hobby) we soon came to covet the real thing. Eventually the inevitable happened and I bought one – to my parents even greater astonishment! Shortly thereafter Keith's parents found he'd brought a blitz home too!

My first blitz was an F60L, which interestingly enough turned out to be Canadian built, having a circular roof aperture and the distinctive dot/dash chequer plate floor. It set me back $60 in 1973 money – which amounted to several weeks pay pumping petrol at the local servo after school and on weekends. It was followed soon after by a second F60L purchase, this time for an outrageous $100, which I bought primarily for the chassis.

The plan was to build a Ford blitz ambo, to which end I shortened the chassis to medium wheelbase. My dream at the time was to quit school and drive around Australia, picking up work as I went, and camping in my blitz ambo! Unfortunately real life intervened – I'd just gotten it restored to cab & chassis stage when I had to leave home, and having nowhere to store it I had to sell it. Moving interstate I lost touch with Keith and all things blitz-related, and for the next 35 years became distracted by such trivialities as career, girls, cars, motorbikes, beer, football, overseas travel, and even marriage!

Having assumed after all these years I'd been cured of my adolescent blitz obsession, I've been shocked to find recently that the “blitzbug” has merely lain dormant in me all this time, and at the ripe old age of 55 has broken out once more to produce adult blitz fever – a far more serious condition, the unmistakeable symptoms being a compulsion to purchase every available blitz and make ever more ambitious plans for their restoration! Sitting in my backyard now are four running blitzes plus an additional three wrecks, with further remains purchased yet to be recovered. These projects alone threaten to occupy me for many years to come – in fact I suspect my case of blitzbug may be terminal this time!

I take comfort however in the knowledge that my syndrome is not unfamiliar to others in this forum! Since joining your community recently I've been enjoying several past threads detailing various CMP projects, which I hope to reciprocate in due course. I shall post some pics shortly of my current collection for your interest.

Having failed as usual to be brief I shall now endeavour to conclude, but first I'd like to thank all contributors here for many hours of enjoyable reading, and the wealth of information contained in these threads. I've been amazed to discover the level of CMP interest these days, compared to when Keith and I first caught the bug. Our preoccupation with the humble blitz back in those days was most unfashionable, even amongst MV collectors who generally viewed them with some disdain, dismissing them as little more than commercial workhorses. And yet was there any vehicle type, softskin or armoured, which could be said to have contributed more to Allied victory in WW2? That should start some interesting arguments on MLU! Anyway it's very pleasing after decades of ignominy and abuse in sawmills etc. to find CMP military heritage widely recognized nowadays, and exemplified in so many wonderfully restored variants in museums and private ownership around the world. Hopefully I can add to the total in the not too distant future by completing my long interrupted blitz ambo project!

Cheers,
Tony

[Richard Farrant]

Hi Tony,

Good introduction At least we now know who led Keith astray in those days far gone, or was it the other way around?

regards,
Richard

[Tony Wheeler]

Thanks Richard, and I'll try to keep future posts a little more brief!

On the question of who led who astray - as I recall neither of us needed any encouragement, we were both fanatical from the outset! However I have no doubt that Keith has led many people astray since then!

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Tony Wheeler

Thanks Richard, and I'll try to keep future posts a little more brief!

On the question of who led who astray - as I recall neither of us needed any encouragement, we were both fanatical from the outset! However I have no doubt that Keith has led many people astray since then!

Tony, no problem, write as much as you like, we all like a good read, thats why we are here. Keith's video's and dvd's have inspire more people to get into this hobby, I have no doubt

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Richard Farrant

Keith's video's and dvd's have inspire more people to get into this hobby, I have no doubt

Yes I'm sure there'd be many who would thank Keith for inspiration and support in the hobby, both through his work and on a personal level. He has certainly helped me enormously in getting back into it after all these years.

[Tony Wheeler]

Following our blitz epiphany at Warburton sawmill, Keith and I discovered dozens of CMPs scattered throughout the suburbs of Melbourne, and within two years of that fateful day I found myself the proud owner of this F60L - spotted in a construction yard in Bayswater, a mere 20 km pushbike ride from our doorstep!

It was none too pretty but it was very sound mechanically, having lately been in road service, and best of all it had a newly reconditioned motor. We subsequently realized it was a Canadian built F60L (note circular hatchway) which is quite a rarity in Australia.

The photos here come from an excellent album compiled by Keith at the time, which chronicles the entire restoration process, from day of purchase to "test drives" on logging tracks in the mountains behind Warburton. This particular sequence depicts delivery day - an event which I was unable to attend myself, having to work at the servo all day instead!

[Tony Wheeler]

At the risk of self indulgence - on Keith's excellent website here http://www.oldcmp.net/warby.html can be found a pictorial record of our first blitz encounter more than 40 years ago, at the sawmill in Warburton just across the river from my folks holiday house. Many enjoyable hours spent here photographing these strange vehicular relics from every conceivable angle - Keith has climbed high up in a tree for this one!

[Tony Wheeler]

Also of interest on this site was the old Warburton train turntable, just visible beyond this line of CMPs. Located at the end of the railway line a few hundred metres past Warby station, this was where steam locos were spun around for the return journey to Melbourne. Keith may recall the circular brick-walled pit across which lay the rotatable steel girder onto which locos were driven.

The site has long since been cleared of blitz remains and securely fenced off, although I confess to trespassing a few years ago to walk the sacred ground one more time! I assumed the turntable had been removed too, but I've since learned they simply backfilled the pit, as can be seen from these recent photos and accompanying text:

"To ease congestion in the yard due to the number of tramways from outlying mills & the loading of timber, the Warburton line was extended a short distance to La La siding, where this turntable was installed. In recent years a saw mill occupied the site. When the mill closed the turntable pit was partly filled during the clean up. A recent attempt to remove the fill & remove nearby trees, by the developer of the site, resulted in some damage to the brick wall of the pit."

This caused some outrage amongst train buffs which led to numerous articles in the local rag a few months back. It seems this site is sacred in more ways than one!

[hrpearce]

Welcome Tony, I too was interested in blitz's working at a sawmill my Farther sold logs to when grazing income was limited. I eventually purchased a blitz as a workhorse for the farm and was happy. A couple of years later I attended Howards "shed full of shit" sale, found out about Corowa, was introduced to Keith and I have been terminal eversince.

[Tony Wheeler]

Thanks Robert, I guess we "terminals" just have to accept our fate and enjoy it!