HCVC takes off in South Australia

In the great scheme of things the Historic Commercial Vehicle Club (South Australia) hasn't been around for very long with 2009 being their first year for club events. Their recent Hills of Adelaide run was an outstanding success. How to keep such a high standard of event? A display at Port Adelaide will help. Throw in a bus trip and dinner the night before and you've got all the trappings of a good HCVC event.

With a club membership of about 50 already, the dinner was a marked success with roughly 30 people attending for the trip on the Obhan bus. On the Sunday, September 20, only 10 trucks were displayed but this was to be expected with hay season well underway. Having said that, the attending trucks, as you can see, were excellent.

Above: some superb restorations are coming out of SA these days. Good to see older restos, like Dave Kent's well-travelled Commer and the Austin's Morris Commercial, waving the flag too.

Murray Langford, who sent these great pics in, also drove in the 'Classic' Bay to Birdwood Run. This event attracted "50 or so" commercials ranging from ute to heavy bangers. Here's just a small selection. Driving my own truck in a Bay to Birdwood is one of my goals. I think I need to add an HCVC SA run or three to that list. Well done those men and women!

Top: the most stunning Inter AA ever? I think so! Above: tidy G88. Good to see older Volvos attracting as much attention as their English and American cousins.

Above: nice Dodge. Looks like she's just been retired or still works with an appreciative owner. Below: Commer CB prime mover. Phwoar.

Old Thunder Guts retires

In September I received another welcome email from Mike Houghton. He said he'd just been with his wife to check out an AEC Marshall that was still working on a farm a couple of hours away. Peter Vincent, of yellow Octopus fame (see below), had bought the truck and asked Mike to go over her. As you can see from the photos, Mike found her very scruffy and well named - "Old Thunder Guts". How did she get this name? "Well, the muffler is very small and right behind the driver's ear and she does thunder", said Mike.

Above: note the muffler and exhaust. Mmm, noisy...

Mike reported the good news to Peter and they arranged to collect the AEC on Thursday, October 1 before checking her over on the Friday prior to an early start on Saturday morning for a 9am arrival in Gore for the start of the Southern Classic Commercials tour of Southland.

At the time, Mike said, "None of the other guys know that Vic is coming or that the Marshall will be there." It stands to reason that you can imagine their immense surprise at seeing the Marshall turn up. More on this and other wonderful Kiwi trucks on the run shortly.

What a magic, magic machine. She looks rough but if she can do the Southland run after a day's TLC...

On the road to Auckland - with Peter and Vic

First of all, thanks to Mike Houghton for initially sending this email through waaaaaay back in May. Thanks also to Peter Vincent for permission to use his photos here.

Peter had bought a 20-foot box in Auckland and needed to pick it up. Taking along fellow Leyland nut Vic Draper (he of Hypo Hippo fame - loves LADs, must be a good bloke), they hit the road in what must be the best-travelled Octopus in the world (the yellow Ergo cab in the photos). On the way they stopped off at a number of interesting places. Perhaps the most interesting of all was Alf Williamson's yard which was found to be full of Crusaders and Ergo-cabbed AECs among others.

Top: Octopus, Alf, Vic and Crusader. Above: it's all there...and in good company.

Mike adds: "Alf's father, Stan, is a legend over here. He ran a fleet of 50-plus Crusaders on logs and drove a restored one on the Long Lap. Not bad for an 82 year old!!"

"Alf just loves GMs", said Peter.

Alf is doing a ground-up rebuild of an Ergomatic Mammoth Major 6. Peter continues: "It will have a GM 6-71 which it had been re-powered with before Alf purchased it."

Above: very early days in the rebuild of the GM-powered Mammoth Major 6.

Regardless of the engine (I know some of you will be most excited!), this sounds like it will be an impressive bit of gear once she's on the road.

I'll take this opportunity to also thank Mike, Peter and Vic for their efforts in getting/keeping a significant number of LAD and Ergo-cabbed trucks active. You all know my link to these 'style' of trucks, so to see them on the road in this part of the world really warms the heart.

You can tell Vic and Peter are good mates!

As Found - 1938 Inter D-series

Jim Hawkes reports that this 1938 International D-series truck is quietly resting on a farm near Bathurst and is still does an occasional day’s work carrying firewood and performing other farm duties.

It has a strong local history. As can be seen from the sign-writing she used to belong to Bourke’s Transport of Bathurst (still operating) and is surviving well in the dry climate. One day she will be available for restoration but for the moment she continues to be a necessary part of the farm’s working equipment.

Pat Morris gets the Cummins going ... now for the Detroit

AEC Monarch comes 'home'

Andrew Blacklock and Paul Campbell, Scammell Routeman Mk II and Leyland Leopard owners respectively, bought this Monarch at auction in early May. Not seen for more than a decade, the AEC was previously owned by Smith's Transport - well-known beer haulers in the Newcastle area and former owners of AB's Scammell. Many of you may remember AB's coverage of the Scammell's last working day a couple of years ago.

The guys got the Monarch home the following week with Jeffrey Smith doing the honours of returning the truck to her rightful place alongside AB's Scammell in Smith's yard. The trip was not without a couple of minor headaches though. When they first tried to start it they discovered someone had snapped off the fuel return line at the auction viewing. Paul got that fixed and fitted a new set of batteries while AB bled it up. She fired up and ran well with most of the lights working and all electrics looking happy.

Once on the road the Monarch was singing along until just short of the shed when the fuel filter and lift pump gauze blocked. A clean, a nbew filter and a temporary fuel tank got her back 'home'. Over the next week, Paul and AB gave her a general tidy up in time for her to take her place in the Smith's line-up (with the Scammell, Albion and Leyland Reiver) at the Hunter Valley Truck Muster.

Above: Smith's for Service. The AEC among friends.

Since then the guys, both Hunter Valley Classic Commercial Vehicle Club members, have been chipping away at the AEC as time permits. Earlier this month they managed a good clean-up of the chassis and underbody and are over the moon with Hamilton Chrome's re-chroming efforts on the truck's front wheel dress rings (the photo says it all - stunning).

As mentioned above, the Smith's fleet is well known in the Newcastle area. Soon after the truck returned to its former home, Darrell Smith, now in his eighties, arrived home holiday and was asked to open the roller door while the family watched. He was very surprised and pleased to see the AEC on the other side of the door and could not believe that it had all been kept a secret for over a month!

Dubbo Truck and Vintage Tractor Show 2010

Just in case you haven't heard, after a year off, the Golden Oldies are back with a show for 2010. Set-up (and other events) is Friday, August 6 with the show running over the weekend at the excellent Dubbo Showgrounds. If you have any questions, give Ed Eminson a ring - 0419 632 853.

If you are headed to the Alice Springs Reunion as well, secure yards with ramps will be available to store your truck/s between shows. This might save you a bit of time - pre-positioning if you will!

See you there.

We're back ... sort of!

Hi all

Well, the move to West Wyalong has been interesting so far. West Wyalong? Jodi has got a job up here on the local mine and since she felt it was time to get her boots dirty again, we thought "why not". We're currently in the company transit house waiting for our house to have new carpets laid. It's dragging on a bit as we were supposed to be in last Wednesday (our stuff is currently in a container in Wagga and I'm working on three pairs of undies...) and now it's starting to look like we won't be in till this coming Wednesday. Jodi had been hoping to be settled before starting work but it looks like I'll be doing the unpacking.

On the job front for me, I'm hoping to get back on to driving trucks on the mine or anything else I can find. Apparently, the local sampling lab is looking for people so that'll be something different.

WW is a great little town. We're a bit hamstrung exploring at the moment as we can't leave the dogs anywhere but there's plenty of road trips ahead of us. Have already caught up with Pat Morris and seen the progress he's making with his projects. Look out Dubbo Golden Oldies 2010! With Pat's permission I'll hopefully feature some of his projects on here.

My trucks are back in Melbourne with the project Bedford ML hopefully sold (but not moving for a while). I'll be on the look out for something up here but we'll see. Got a few things to sort out first and lots of gas-bagging to do with Pat.

Found an awesome Inter AA120 three-axle tipper next to the Bridgestone here in town (shop also happens to be the locksmith as we discovered yesterday after locking ourselves out). Have pics on the phone so will get those up eventually.

Today is just a test in the new house to see if the net is connected etc. I probably won't be hooked up permanently till next week.

Until then,

Andy

On the move...

Hi all

We're currently moving to New South Wales so I'll be offline for a while. We should be back on deck by mid-August.

Hope this finds you all well.

Cheers

Andy

A bit quiet on my side

Hi all

Sorry for being a bit quiet of late especially in the form of blog posts. I've got at least three shows/runs and a heap of little features to put up but we've been pre-occupied of late.

Thanks to those who have kept in touch and kept sending in some great material. In the past few weeks I was lucky enough to finally meet Howard Pettigrew of Kiwi (and worldwide) Commer fame (http://www.commer.org.nz/) and catch up with Pat Morris. Great to finally put a face to a name in Howard's case and finally see Pat's collection - mmm.

Andy

Bridgetown Old Machinery Show - 2009

I'm afraid the name of this show escapes me at the moment but this is the third instalment of something that started in 2004 if I remember correctly. From the photos below this is one of the best truck attendances I've seen in the West ...and just check out the Ridolfo Pete!

The line up below consists of, from right to left, Peter Johnston's 1953 Chev, a Ford A, Rob Hyde's V8 Inter, Brian Brooke's 110 (I think) van, a Dodge, Barry Kitto's R190 and Ted Pickston's equally stunning Foden (and a few others I can't ID).

Above: Daniel Ridolfo's stunning Peterbilt, 1960 or 1961 I think, was the first truck his family's business bought. I last saw her in 2004 sitting in a Kewdale workshop as a very well-restored rolling chassis and engine and I believe she was recovered from a sugar cane farm in Queensland. If Barry Kitto's R190 was the leading restoration from last year, this surely must be 2009's selection. Below: the attention to detail is superb.

Above: this Inter with the Kalgoorlie plates was restored 20 years ago by Bourkie who Victorians might remember came over with Barry to last year's Sandown. Below: Ted Pickston's magic Foden S20 is a former east-west prime-mover. You don't see many of these on the road down here!

Above: this B61 was originally restored by a haulier bloke in Geraldton before being sold to its current 'edge-of-Donnybrook' owner who has at least another 15 trucks in his collection (his name escapes me ... I'm doing well tonight!). She's a bit different in having her glove box lid signed by Slim Dusty.

Successful shows over the weekend

Three major classic commercial shows were held over the weekend - one relatively new and the others well-established. The Hunter Valley Classic Commercial Club's Truck Muster - I think the last one was five years ago - was a great success and based on the text messages I was getting from Andrew Blacklock over the weekend, the organisers were beside themselves.

Similarly, the Heritage Truck Association held their regular Beenleigh weekend and pulled off a great show as always. Fine weather prevailed and the photos show this to great effect! Cam McFadyen will be writing a report on Beenleigh for ACC.

Over in Western Australia, the town of Bridgetown put on its bi-annual 'old time' show (I forget the official title) and there's a couple of nice surprises to feature there including what must surely be this year's best restoration. In the meantime, here's some pics to keep you excited.

Above: one of the highlights of the HVCCVC's Truck Muster was the line-up of Smith's Transport trucks - all now retired. From left to right: Andrew Blacklock's Scammell Routeman Mk II, Smith's Leyland Reiver, Andrew Blacklock and Paul Campbell's AEC Monarch and Keiran Jefferies' Albion. A lot of local history there. Below: Paul Harrison's rather impressive Volvo F717. Andrew Blacklock photos.

Above: Beenleigh is renowned for its large numbers of Macks in attendance but the range of smaller gear has to be seen to be believed. Here's a Dodge Power Wagon, Commer Superpoise and what looks like an Austin Loadstar fire truck. Perfect weather too. Cam McFadyen photo. Below: this Mack B85 is now owned by Des Hockley and is seen at the Bridgetown show. Mack only built just over 70 of this particular model of B85 and, IIRC, two came down here and she arrived in Australia substantially longer. As can be seen from the V in the roobar, she is a former Ridolfo truck (V for Vince Ridolfo). I first met her when previous owner Malcolm Macwatt bought her (I bought my old B61T off Mal). At the time she was pulling a float down in Esperance, Western Australia. She's Cummins-powered and sits on 24-inch rims. She certainly made my B look small! Barry Kitto photo.

How to pull your weight in PNG

Completing a quick swing around the South Pacific today is the story of a well-travelled White. Lou Cowan’s brother, Dave, owns Complete Auto Services Ltd in Lae, Papua New Guinea. He deals in all things big, heavy and mechanical. The truck is actually a White Road Boss with a Western Star bonnet - White of course being the predecessor of Western Star out of Canada (that’s why the bonnet fits). Dave found it's easier to tell people she’s a Western Star rather than go through all the talk about the bonnet, the White and the Western Star relationship etc. The engine is a 330hp Cummins, the transmission a 13-speed Roadranger (but geared very well), the crane rated at 10 tonne and the winch weighs in at 15 tonne.

Dave found the White in a Deals on Wheels magazine a couple of years ago when he was in Cairns. From his previous experience in the New Zealand Army he knew the capability of the salvage gear as it was similar (although bigger) to the army unit he had used previously. The 15 tonne rear winch was larger than the army unit as well. Dave has since done a recovery with the winch reduced down to a 4:1 ratio – all up a 60 tonne pull.

Dave thinks the White was operating out of Sydney in the Blue Mountains but he bought it through a dealer in Sydney. The dealer emailed him a series of photos and Dave rang the previous owner (the name still being on the door). Based on this conversation, the truck was bought sight unseen, loaded onto a ship and freighted to Lae. She was tidied up a bit - the name "Hercules" was retained - and has been putting in honest and reliable work ever since.

Nothing midrange about this

Now for some 100% Australian content. This is Warwick Bryce's Leader Midranger looking like she's progressing nicely. I saw her in June last year as a rolling chassis and engine. Peter Lynch caught her in March looking decidely more advanced. Apparently, all she was waiting for at the time was a tray. Well done, Warwick!

Adventures with Kiwi Mike

Here's another trip from Mike Houghton in New Zealand. This time he went to Wellington for a show as a guest of Peter Vincent in late 2008. Peter owns the yellow Ergo Octopus - perhaps one of the hardest working, show-attending classic trucks in the southern hemisphere. Peter, a Leyland nut, owns Vincent Aviation operating out of Wellington and Darwin. Last year, Peter sold his AEC Mammoth Major 6 to a restorer in Napier and naturally had to deliver it!

In his travels Mike also visited Vic Draper's - Leyland nuts in New Zealand understandably tend to congregate. Vic is well known for his excellent Leyland restorations particularly his LAD-cabbed 'Hypo Hippo' which is perhaps the most impressively restored LAD ever. He's now working on a short-wheelbase Octopus which, given these photos were taken last year, would be well underway now.

Mike says:

You can see the new chassis rails on top of the 20ft box in the background. The cab is now finished and came from an Albion Riever that I picked up in Southland with my Beaver and carried to Picton for the start of the Long Lap in October 2007.

While at Vic's Mike snapped a couple of other vehicles in the Draper collection. Despite what the mudflaps say, the Loadstar has a GM 6V53 in it. The tractor, however, is not what you'd expect. She is powered by a Ford Cargo turbo motor and, according to Mike, is very smart off the line!

Finally for this Houghton instalment are a couple of photos of Mike and his yard in action. The Nissan (model anyone?) is still working for a local tree-lopping contractor and was parked in the Houghton yard overnight while the Merc on the back of Mike's Beaver (captured by Alex Vincent) is a mobile wardrobe as there isn't enough room in a Beaver for two people's clothes for a weekend! It's always great to see couples enjoying their old vehicles.