Four Wheel Drive Kitchener model B in Cdn Service?

[rob love]

I am about to undertake some restoration to the FWD model B that Bill Gregg donated to Shilo as part of the Gregg Collection. The hope was to use it in a WW1 display in 2016, which theoretically was when this truck turns 100. I am going to manufacture a cargo box for it, but at this point I have no information as to whether the Canadian used trucks would have used British pattern cargo boxes, American pattern cargo boxes, or else some form of Canadian pattern.

Dr Gregg had the frame extended at the original factory sometime in the 70s. The current frame length would support a 12 foot box, while the original frame length would have supported a 10 foot box. The rear suspension has been altered to a conventional leaf spring configuration, rather than the rear transverse setup of the original.

On researching the internet, it turns out that the Kitchener factory did not take on the FWD name until 1919, so this truck may very likely be post war.

Does anyone have any photos of these pattern trucks in WW1 service, as well as service between the war periods?

Bill Gregg gives certain timelines about this vehicle which now appear to be unlikely, such as it going surplus and into a dairy farm in 1920/21. I found what may be a serial number on the frame which would seem to indicate that the serial is 2500, so this truck may not even have been built by then, besides surplussed. In one piece of correspondence, Dr Gregg mentions that there was khaki paint on the truck, so I am holding hope that the truck was in fact military and not a commercial truck.

I am attaching some photos of the truck in it's present configuration. But before I start heading in a wrong direction, what information is out there on Cdn use of these trucks? The info on the net is saturated with US and British trucks....I can't find anything about Cdn ones.

Thanks in advance.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Rob,

I don't have any conclusive answer on your questions, but there are a few very knowledgable WW1 vehicle restorers on the HMVF forum.
http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/forumdispl...e-WW2-vehicles

Tim Gosling (Great war truck on HMVF) published an excellent book on WW1 trucks a few months ago (Tankograd publishing), that might hold some info for you.
http://www.tankograd.com/cms/website...d-War-One.htm#


Also, this is worth reading:
http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread...ck-Restoration

Alex

[cliff]

that looks like a good book. I'll add it to my wish list.