Chevrolet photos wanted

[Larry Hayward]

Dear All,

I want to mention to Hanno, that the gloss black fenders on RAF vehicles was actually used pre-war by the RAF so the RCAF panel van posted above is quite possible to be blue and black in the pre-war period.

The colour scheme may be seen on the RAF Museum Fordson Sussex balloon winch and on a few other vehicles. Its a subject I'm studying and at a guess the two colour scheme may have been considered for use by the AM but delayed until post war.

See attached from the 'Stilltime' collection

[Matthew P]

Here's a picture of a Canadian War Services Salvation Army Suburban/Carryall I do not have any additional information. Picture was found online, uncredited.

Matt

[Lang]

Thanks for those photos.

Mike O'Sullivan is going to paint his Dodge (same model as in Mathews photo) Air Force colors. Whether they be Canadian, British or Australian remains to be seen. Mike has found a Canadian Squadron badge which features a ram - right in keeping with a Dodge truck. He is very grateful for the info everyone has provided for these colour schemes.

As an ex-Army pilot I feel a natural antipathy to painting anything Air Force so I am still looking for any scheme other than blue for my Chevrolet. I doubt my pastoral fervor would go as far as Salvation Army markings but the vehicles sure look neat.

Lang

[Matthew P]

Well don't I feel awkward... I'm not terribly good at identifying these trucks and I thought it was a GM product I had posted. Nevertheless I feel the best course of action now is to plow ahead with a photo of a Ford Panel. Also Salvation Army but is interestingly equipped for service with the Canadian forces. BTW the welfare efforts during WW2 for Canadian forces comprised The Salvation Army, The Canadian Legion, YMCA and Knights of Columbus. So there are a few other options for equipping a "mobile" in a welfare role.

Matt

[Grant Bowker]

The photo above is interesting.
Both blackout headlight and markers similar/same style as CMP (with no option for more light as the late CMPs had) but the buildings look more Canada than Europe to me. How blacked out were the coasts? I don't recall my parents describing Victoria and Vancouver as blacked out but that could be either my memory or they not thinking it was a thing worth mentioning.
No license plate but no military or other markings to suggest the vehicle was exempt (even the military used plates in Canada pre and post war (at least in Ontario)).

[David Dunlop]

The vehicle appears to be RHD and parked to the left of the roadway. Also scuffed up a bit along the right fender.

Just a thought. What rules of the road were in effect in Newfoundland during the war?

David

[Grant Bowker]

It appears Newfoundland switched to driving on the right side of the road 0000 January 2, 1947. Presumably the 2nd to reduce the chances of New Year's party-goers making mistakes.
I wouldn't read too much into the RHD configuration of the car, it could have been part of a large order all built RHD but a few kept in Canada. After all, I'm not aware of any LHD CMP being made for use in Canada.

[David Herbert]

Certainly it doesn't look like the UK

David

[Lang]

Mathew

If you look at post No 2 in this thread you will see an Australian Salvation Army van on a train bound for Darwin.

There are many photos of Australian Salvation Army vehicles of many types in Australia and overseas.

Maybe you would like to start a new thread on Welfare vehicles of all types - Salvation Army, YMCA, American Red Cross etc. It would certainly throw up a wide variety of vehicles not normally seen on this thread.

Lang

[David Dunlop]

The NAAFI also ran a fleet of Canteen Trucks throughout the UK and wherever the British Forces were established.

David

[Alex van de Wetering]

Lang,

Sorry to bother you with another "close but no sigar" Chevrolet, but I found these pics today and I thought this thread would be best to post them.

It seems a Chevrolet Ambulance was donated to the Dutch Queen in 1941.

Alex

source: www.gahetna.nl

http://www.gahetna.nl/collectie/afbe...efwoord/Londen

http://www.gahetna.nl/collectie/afbe...efwoord/Londen

[Lang]

Alex

Pictures of old vehicles are never a bother!

Thanks for that interesting set.

Lang

[Mike Cecil]

Lang,

"As an ex-Army pilot I feel a natural antipathy to painting anything Air Force so I am still looking for any scheme other than blue for my Chevrolet. "

You can still have an RAAF vehicle from WW2 painted in Army pattern cammo rather than blue - many/most RAAF vehicles were painted camouflage colours, many in Army workshops in the period late 1941-early 1942.

The only difference will be the registration number (AF followed by 1XXXX or RAAF followed by 2XXXXX).

What make/model are you considering? I might be able to provide you with a few appropriate registration number examples.

Mike

[Lang]

Mike

It is a 1941 3/4 ton Chevrolet Panel Van (civilan style)

Lang

[Mike Cecil]

Lang,

The available information is sketchy and difficult to correlate as the terms used are often generic, with all manner of body styles simply called 'utility', rather than 'Van' or 'Panel'.

Do you know what series the vehicle is, ie Series 13, or series 15? I have entries for both series being supplied as 'Van' and 'Panel' to the RAAF and RAN, but without a weight reference. Most are series 15. The RAN had at least one series 13, chassis number 4113M77, engine CR3684184, registration number RAN 51978.

The USASOS were also supplied with Chev Panel vans, most listed as 1/2 ton, but there are a few listed as 15 cwt, ie 3/4 ton, for example:

Registration number USN-U-1, described as a 'Van, GS, 15cwt, Series 13, Chassis number 4113S251, so a Sydney-assembled vehicle operated by the US Navy in Australia. It was returned to the Commonwealth in 1945 to 5AOVP in West Aust.

Mike

[Lang]

Thanks Mike

My vehicle is the later style (commonly called 1941 model in USA but 1942 in Australia)

The Australian built bodies were a little different to the American bodies, which mine has, but close enough to do a representation. There are several photos on this thread of the two types to compare, as well as a good film clip shot in the Middle East of an Australian body.

The rear doors are the most eye-catching difference.

I do not know what rating the Australian vans were but the USA vans were split between 1/2 ton and 3/4. Mine is 3/4 ton with heavy axle and open drive shaft being the only major differences.

As mentioned above very few were built for the US military ie no 1/2ton in 1941 and only 4 of the 3/4 ton of which mine is one. In 1942 they built 65 and 44 respectively. There were about a thousand Suburban (vans with windows) and 2,500 pick-up military versions.

I strongly suspect the Australian built military panel vans outnumbered the American military production considerably. Of course the Americans produced several thousand vans for civilian use in 1941/42.

Lang

Lang

[Mike Cecil]

Lang,

I only went looking for 1941 chassis numbers, but there are plenty of 1942 Series 15 Chev's described as 'Van, Panel' with the RAAF and a smaller number with the USASOS, (described as 15 cwt in the CDC returns).

Mike

[Lang]

Thanks Mike.

I may go down that road as I am yet to find a Chevrolet 1/2 or 3/4 Panel Van in Europe. There are several Suburbans and even Pick-ups in photos.

Just as a reference here is the rear of mine. A lot more style in the doors and rear panel than the Australian body.


Lang

[Mike Kelly]

I think the series 13 is the earlier 113" wb models ,1940. The series 15 are 1941 models ( with the waterfall grill ) 115" wb . Both were known as Vans 15cwt in the Aust. army . GMH kept up with the US year models, everybody here refers to the waterfall grill as 42 but that isn't correct , GMH and the army used 41.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

It seems a Chevrolet Ambulance was donated to the Dutch Queen in 1941.

Could it be this one....

Chevy 1 1/2 ton panel truck ambulance, used to be owned by a Mr Joe Smith in the UK:



Plus a random pic of a 6x4 chassis/cab being assembled by the GWR workshops in Caerphilly from boxed kits:

[Lang]

Just got home today from 5 weeks in Clyde Texas working on the 3/4 ton panel van.

As usual, a lot more work involved than first imagined and of course the last 10% takes 90% of the time.

Engine rebuilt, body ready for painting, complete brake system renewal etc etc.

The only modification is the fitting of a Borg Warner T5 .72 overdrive 5 speed gearbox. This is a bolt in modification with an online spacer plate. Of course the drive shaft had to be altered ($250). This will drop the RPM from 2,850 at 60mph to about 2,100.

In the hands of a painter.

The intention is to go back to USA in March, drive it by a circuitous route to the east coast before shipping roll-on, roll-off to Europe for D-Day 75th in Normandy.

I will probably sell it there.

Lang

[motto]

Looking good Lang.
You shouldn't have much trouble selling it. It will be a very practical runabout MV.

Dave

[Lang]

Thanks Dave

I forgot to mention the other mod of 3 point seatbelts. The cook is very unhappy traveling in a vehicle without them after seeing the girl who was thrown through the windscreen of a jeep and badly smashed up in a very low-speed accident about 10 years ago on the way home from Corowa.

Even my jeep has lap belts but all the others have a full retractable harness.

Lang

[Tim Lovelock]

Hi, not sure what this is, but was just posted on the HCVC (Historic Commercial Vehicle Club) Aust. Sitting somewhere in NSW.

[Lang]

Tim

Good find.

Interesting that the American body has a solid roof while the Australian body has the insert style. I never knew that before.

Even in USA Chevrolet was the only one to have the solid roof. The Dodge and Ford equivalent had fabric inserts like that Australian body in the photo.

I read somewhere that General Motors were blowing their trumpet in the mid-thirties because they were the only ones who had presses capable of stamping out an entire one-piece steel roof for cars.

Lang

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Found this RCAF "Truck - panel Chevrolet" while looking for something else.

Dated 23 Sept. 1939

Source

[Les Freathy]

Not sure from where these came from but interesting RAF adaption

[Alastair Thomas]

They are pictures of my Father, Hank Thomas, taking delivery of an outside broadcast truck in Egypt.
In addition to his responsibilities for all radars from Sfax to Basra, and from Istanbul to Mombasa, once war ended he was also responsible for some (all?) Forces Broadcasting in Egypt.
Prior to receiving this Chevrolet, he had been using a Humber and other vehicles. In one of these he covered the anniversary of the relief of Tobruk and on the way back to Cairo his driver muffed a gear change and snapped the pinion in the back axle. Thinking that it was no big deal, they changed to 4-wheel drive intending to continue by using the front axle. However they discovered that the front propshaft had been removed. Although they were surrounded by smashed up vehicles they could not pinch a propshaft as they had no tools. It was 3 days before they were rescued.
Below is a picture of his faithful Humber in Sinai and some of his trip to Tobruk. The tank is a Fiat-Ansaldo L6-40, the plane is a wrecked Heinkle HE111 and the shell is a 14" naval one.
I wrote all this up including all his journeys into the Egyptian and Libyan deserts in a private publication for my family so can enlarge on this if anyone is interested.
Alastair
F60S
LynxI MkIII*

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Alastair Thomas

I wrote all this up including all his journeys into the Egyptian and Libyan deserts in a private publication for my family so can enlarge on this if anyone is interested.

Fascinating - yes, please!

[Les Freathy]

Indeed i am with Hanno on that more info would be a great help