Australian International K5

[Matt Austin]

G'day folks,

I'm new to this forum, although I've been a lurker for quite some time. Thanks for letting me join. I notice that there are many Aussies on this forum, and that's a good thing for those of us who are hoping to learn. I'm an Aussie, living in Junee, in the NSW Riverina.

For years, the truck in the first attached pic has sat by a road leading into Junee. A mobile advertising billboard for a local law firm, it had captured my attention as looking to be ex-military. I tracked the owner down, and he very graciously allowed me to acquire it, for which I'm very grateful.

I've tried to research the Australian use of the K5, with a level of success. This one is interesting in that it is different from the usual steel-cab K-series Inter trucks seen out here. I've tracked down a couple of shots of the canvas-roofed ones, but have found nothing about them; how many were built, what they were used for, and whether many survive.

This truck was owned by a local family for years, and spent much of its time under cover, so there is very little structural corrosion. It was going to be disposed of, before it was saved by the gentleman who owned it before me. It has a wheat bag kicker fitted, but very few other mods. It is missing its seat and a few other small components, but I've managed to track down a replacement instrument cluster, side step and some engine parts.

I'd like to return it to its military condition, although I'm not in a hurry to think about painting, as the original paint is still not bad. I've used a light grade oil (as seen in Pic 2 and Pic 3) to see whether I could make out any numbers on the bonnet/hood, without success. The tray is pretty-well stuffed, but I imagine that it previously had timber sides. There's a plate stating from GMH's Special Body Division, but I don't know whether this refers to the tray or whether GMH assembled this truck.

The pics show the truck as it sat by the road, followed by some close-up pics. I'll upload more shots in subsequent posts.

I'd be very keen to hear what people might have to say, either about the use of the type in Australia, or suggestions as to the work to be undertaken. All suggestions, thoughts, and comments are appreciated. I'm new to this, having an aviation background, but I want to do it right.

Cheers,
Matt

[Keith Webb]

Welcome to MLU Matt, and thanks for sharing the pics of the truck. For some reason the Inters and Dodges (other than the WC series) aren't as well represented in collections as they perhaps should be.

There are plenty here who will be very interested and hopefully you will uncover more about this vehicle.

Good call to leave the original patina!

[Matt Austin]

G'day folks,

Some more pics. I note that the original military paint has been painted over in a lighter colour. I wonder if the later coat has faded more, due to a different chemical makeup, or whether it just was painted in a lighter colour sometime in its military career.

I note the military six-stud split rims, and imagine that I'm going to have challenges finding replacement 10.50-18 tyres for the front and 7.50-20s for the rear.

The last two pics are after I pumped up the tyres (which are still holding air after six weeks) and moved it to a quieter location, away from interested eyes! The sign had been moved to a replacement vehicle, and all is good!

Cheers,
Matt

[Matt Austin]

Thanks for your response, Keith, I figure there have to be more of them out there. I put out a call for parts, and received a call from a bloke who has a similar vehicle, that he recently rescued from being scrapped. It's apparently complete, and I'm going out to have a look in the next week or so. Best part is, it's only 50km from home!

A pic showing the different colours is attached.

Cheers,
Matt

[Keith Webb]

The top colour is actually just a weathered version of the bottom one.

[Matt Austin]

Fascinating, thanks Keith.

I guess seventy Australian summers will do that.

One thing that struck me when we were towing the truck to where it is now, was the good view I had as I was steering it. I've never been behind the wheel of a vehicle with that type of bonnet and guards, so I was surprised with the ease of steering, given the the 'prow' of the bonnet clearly shows the direction in which one is headed.

Cheers,
Matt

[Mike Kelly]

There was a well known collector at Marrar near you ... he died recently and his collection of vehicles was split up, he had lots of MV's , mostly Fords .

Mike