....Jack Errit and his Jackbilts....

Bullbar is different Dave but the rego number is the same, as is the unique air intake snorkel.

Photos are about 3 years apart!

Yep your right about the number plate I had blow up to 425%. Dave

Me too

G'day Newto

JC, Tex Coleman, John Huntley Coleman, Texas John Huntley are all RIP. Tex died 4/8/2004 in Townsville. He was living at Bowen at the time and visiting a mate in Townsville. Lit a smoke said Gee I feel crook, fell off the box he was sitting on and died. I knew him for over 40 years. Lovely bloke, only had one enemy in the world........himself.

Jack Ehret's Mackworth

John Victor Ehret taught me to drive a truck. He taught me on Jackbilt No.2 an L model 190 with a silly wheel pusher, Clark 5 speed and 2 reverse gearbox and powered by a 6/71 GM and put on the ground by a No.4 Eaton diff. At various times it had had various motors but the current one in 1963 was the 6/71. It had big shoulders that truck, but skinny legs, and axle changing was part of the job description.
Previous Jackbilts had included a KB6 which went through various transformations and finished up with only the cab and chassis being original.
After the 90 came the Mercedes, bought one night on his way home from the pub. He had paused to urinate and leaned on the mudguard to steady himself and noticed the huge hole where the engine had been. He reckoned a 671 would fit nicely and he happened to know where there was one doing nothing so bought the Mercedes on the spot from the owner who was asleep on the seat.
Ehret had a thing about 2 strokes and superchargers. This came from his motorcycle racing days. He had built a supercharged 2 stroke racing bike that nothing could get near and I think he caught the GM disease from that.
The engine that he had in mind for this lorry had probably worn out a couple of tanks, a saw mill or two, and the pump to which it was now attached but it would have fitted the No.1 Ehret criteria nicely. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CHEAP.
Well over e period of 2 or 3 years he would work on it when home or when he had a driver on the 90 and it gradually took shape. Mercedes cab chassis, NR Mack steering axle, B43 Mack drive axle, BPW dual wheel pusher, Lea France radiator that had cooled a V16 flathead Lincoln engine, a strange 5 speed full synchromesh gearbox that came with it and for which he had a spare, purchased brand new from Tutt Bryant for 5 pounds because they didn

Jack Ehret's Mackworth Cont.

One thing The Good Fairy could not supply was a windscreen surround because they were either perfect or destroyed, so Jack made one out of aluminium. When it was finished he went to KW St Peters to buy the windscreens, they told him to get O

Thanks Hi Beam, that is a great story.

Thanks Hi Beam, that is a great story.

I'm with Cam. Bloody fascinating.........

Don't stop, keep 'em coming........

...gee hi-beam .. you certainly were johnny on the spot when it came to all of his automotive custom building shenanigans

...if you have any more pics i'll somehow get them posted up for you .....cheers mate

hey phil,you got any chassis identification on these things?im pretty sure ive got a kw cab tag off one of these things,it was painted red white and blue,laying derilict in a back street of enfeild(sydney).would have to be the mid 80's.i remember the thing wasnt on a kw chassis.i plainly remember the centre peice of the dash was missing or modified to be flat like a pete dash.then i beleive it went to the scrappers.had some photos of it,but dont know where they went to.