Early Plastic Cab Atkinsons

G'day all .. I've recently had reason to become interested in the earliest plastic (Mk 1) Aussie cabbed Atkinsons...

....there appears to be models within models of the Mk 1 and here is what's been uncovered to date...leaving aside the sleeper/non sleeper aspect, the fixed cabs sat quite a bit lower as compared to the tilt versions, which were also able to be noted by a lower valance under the headlights...some bolted and others appearing part of the main cab. At the same time the radiator/grille surround appears to have more depth... to cater to the raised cab i guess?...

...another tilt cab (factory?) mod later on has the wheel arches filled and the hoop step becoming integrated with the mudguard sides.

...the radiator grilles weren't left out when these differences were occurring, whereby most have the grille with the big ''A'' badge and subsidiary badges, but a very few it seems received a shutter front...no badges whatsoever, complete with a somewhat ''bulged'' fibreglass surround to help cove in the big shutters... these units housed the NHK235 B 14 litre Cummins that were rated at 240 BHP in both fixed and tilt versions, and didn't have a radiator filler... instead used a header tank mounted on or at the rear of the cab....

...my interest stems from taking ownership of one of each version of the shutter front models, with the tilt cab having the sleeper ledge...they are interesting old things and the non tilt slim cab has a history going right back to Dyers of Bairnsdale.... and are C 1970 and 1967 respectively...

....as mentioned, these shutter fronted Mk 1's with 14 litre Cummins' appear to be very thin on the ground...i'm hopeless at posting pictures, but would anyone have any more info to add to the topic?....cheers fellas

Det. I sent you a PM. Interesting that you refer to Mk1 Atkinsons... I always thought that meant one of these...

with the single headlights.... and the twin headlights being Mk 11

I assume you call a Mk 1 this one, which is shorter than the tilt cab.

Or have got it all wrong>> again!!!!!!
/me

Hi Sarge i got your PM and thanks for the pics to kick start it off ..

... i'm hearing you about the Pommie Mk 1's and 2's, but i think we referred to ''our'' ones as Mk 1,2 and 3 as well ..

.... basically speaking of our earliest Mk 1's and your third pic is a Mk 1 tilt cab version, while the fourth pic is a Mk 3?...or were they just calling them a 3800 series by that stage in the early 'eighties ??

Det. I know not, I just have the pictures of what I fancy owning one day... my experience other than the first one has been only to admire or drool... apart from peddaling for a few miles in someone else's truck odd times.

The only other fragment of info lurking in my dark recesses was that I thought Seddon-Atkinson in Clayton produced one cab and another mob produced an almost identical cab.
Which resulted in the Seddon-Atkinson cab being branded Akinson as well as something else (was it just Seddon or ERF or Foden) for a little while.

I will be very interested to hear from the people what know.

/me

...Sarge, that third pic has a set of shutters but is not a shutter front...jeeez this is getting complicated already!

...there were shutters on the standard radiator but tucked in behind the grille...the give away to this set up is the nice aluminium surround and radiator filler...

Defective out of the closet forget the KW and Peters trucks you are a lover of the big A :-* :-*

Infective
Gudday M8

Me dun think U gunna B happy wiff the big 'A'
cos they aint got no rivets to count
LOL
me thinx u jokers have missed a big 'A' V:


Frenchy will nevr evr 4 give U LOL










Rumor has it
the vents in cab above windscreen were engine air intake to aircleaner

L8R discontinued as they use 2 drum in sound

cya

I thought he had it all but sounds like Atki Pete might have to write a new edition of his book
.... where are you mate?

SMore






Now th@z wot eye call a Big 'A '

LOL
cya

....i thought this may have accidentally opened up a can of worms ...

...Robbies old girl is a Mk 1 tilt cab with the headlight valances and heavier radiator shroud...

...the Heatane banger is also a later modified Mk 1 tilt cab with the headlight valances and deeper shroud but this time also with the deeper mudguards ! ...

...the yellow and white 4x2 is also a Mk 1 but this time a slightly later version and she has the wipers set low under the front 'screens...different to the very early ones and a tilt cab again.....jeeez where does this stop?


.....and lastly the old Lou Arthur banger is still very much alive and kicking, and still with the V8 Cat engine in place ...this time a 1968 non tilt version at that !!....