Early Plastic Cab Atkinsons

I know stuff all but I have some pics!

Hi V8 .. thanks for the great pics ...later Mk 1 with full mudguards and low wipers (smaller windscreens) ...

... the RP serial 1388 can tell a fair bit, as the slim fixed cab just purchased has the cab serial 536....cheers mate

.....also : : .. i have a fair feeling the tilt cabs with the bolted lower headlight valance, which seems to co-incide with the high mudguards, is more than likely a retro fit from an original earlier fixed cab ??.....

...this may help explain why the tilt cab shutter front just purchased has an NHK235 B engine number around 4000 lower than an afterfit NHK235 B that resides in one of the Peterbilts ...with that data tag stating 11/70 on it.....

Det. Would it also be a reasonable guess that the Mk 11 has the in roof air intake and the Mk 1 has the flange thingo's up the ourside front corners...

where is Atki Pete when we need him...


/me

Well in MY foggy memory, these were a bastard of a truck..

I did a lot of miles in one, it was a 1970 slimline ex Nestles truck, was a Gardner 6 cyl 180hp, with a 10sp OD Roadranger, single drive Kirkstall diff, with an airbag lazy axle. It did have the RP Clayton cab on it, non tilt mongrel of a thing.
Dad bought it as a prime mover, and stretched it to make a 20 ft tray. We then made a pig trailer for it, and a car frame, and hey presto! An 8 car carrier, ready for interstate, no bunk and all!
The rotten bastard of a thing was the slowest, most gutless truck you could ever imagine. (and this was in the eighties, when trucks were getting fast). I spent so many nights with a huge line of trucks behind me, on the Hume, feeling stupid.. And by geez, wasn't THAT long night, trying to get home overnight on the Hume, trying to not get run off the road. But I didn't know any better, I just kept driving it.
Dad put a joey box in it when he stretched it, which meant it wouldn't pull top gear, and when it did, it vibrated like a bastard. Never did manage to fix that vibration, I spent lots of time on the side of the road "rebuilding" secondhand uni joints, tightening the diff flange, and so on. The joey box finally shat itself about four in the morning near Narrandera ( I reckon the oil stain is still there on the hill) so me and my brother crawled under the car on the tray, pulled the top off the joey box, and put an exhaust clamp around the shaft to lock the joey into direct, and continued our trip to Brisbane. On the way back to Geelong we loaded a Flintstone Mack on the tray, at Wauchope, and the joey box finally spat itself on the ground in the washbay at home...never like Joey boxes much since then either!
So a new tailshaft was made, and the truck was back at 48 mph flat out... neutral down EVERY hill, so it wouldn't over rev. Until that tailshaft flew out on the way into Warwick next trip. So, a week at Leo Ryans, who was good enough to let us use his gear to pull the tray off, and make new crossmemembers and so on...And off we went again..
The coldest in winter ...ccCOLD!!!!! I drove most nights wrapped in a doona, hanging grimly onto the stupid aluminium steering wheel, trying to create a warm "spot" on the freezing bloody thing. On a cold night it was like holding a block of ice.. Yep, Swishy is correct, the air intake was "through" the roof of the cab, meaning the cab was always bloody freezing in winter..
And, hottest in summer (HOT!!!!) No ventilation anywhere below your head. And the engine roaring away beside you. The only vents were the silly round ball things up near the roof, that I used to have a sock jammed in most of the time.
And man, did it leak oil!!! It used to leave a big square sump shaped mark, wherever it was parked...
The trailer was a mongrel thing with air over hydraulic brakes- (read - bugger all brakes) and gee, it rocked and rolled.. I thought it was going A over T many a time, it was scary looking in the mirror...
And you know what? Apart from having to hit the starter with a hammer on a few cold nights, the stupid bloody truck NEVER broke down.. it used to run, and run, and run. I gave it an oil change ONCE- (no filters, just oil!) the old man told me that it probably wasnt worth changing the oil, as we put that much oil in it anyway!!! And when we sold it the new owner asked me where the filters were, and I had to say truthfully, I didn't know...
So the silly, cold, hot, slow, mongrel truck just made money... and kept going, and going. I've loved those Gardner engines ever since- I used to pull up, after flogging its guts out constantly, and it would just sit there idling so beautifully, it amazed me.
Best time it ever did was 18 hours, pretty much non stop, from Geelong to Coonabarabran, same to Sydney. Oh yeah, noisy too. Took a mate with me once to Sydney, he reckoned I'd get industrial deafness! (eh? )
And because I've got this stupid ridiculous nostalgia for the rotten pommy bloody things, I've taken pics of them whenever I've seen em..
So I'll dig them up and post them. Not many, mind you, they are getting scarce.
Grab one, if you can, Deteckta, I reckon they are ace. Damn, I've admitted it!!!! Damn!

Great story Richard didn't think you where that old now I know you are

These are the only two pics I have of my old bucket of bolts. Pity, wish I had more.. That's just the way it was, eh? I learnt to drive a roadranger in it, out in front of the shed where Dad and Neville built they tray and trailer. The moment I turned 18, I got my license and was off to sunny QLD with 8 brand new Nissan's on board with me!

Yeah I am Browny, I am, dammit!

This is one I bought and sold a few years ago. Wish i'd kept it.. Had a home made bunk on it, the old bloke used to sleep at the sale yards..

Just look at all that interior comfort, eh?

And Sarge this is up your nexk of the woods, I had to sneak in a while ago, just to make sure it wasn't my old girl! This is an old Shell cab I reckon..

And this was for sale a while ago, nice looking old truck i reckon.

And this old thing is over near Yarram- Old mate reckons it will pull christ off the cross! About 38 MPH top speed I think, ex SEC or something like that? Cummins powered, from memory..

And these were at a clearing sale at Manangatang a few years back....first one is a Mk1 I think, then a Mk2? differences are obvious..

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that my old Atkinstein used to leak that much water when it rained, that I drilled holes in the cabin below the 1/4 windows, so it would run out again! It just never occurred to me to get the windscreen re sealed or replaced... to just add to the ambiance, it used to have a fair sized bulls eye EXACTLY where you used to look through it, it couldn't have been better placed if you'd tried..I used to drive always looking through and around that stupid bulls eye.. gee, the things you do, eh?
Cheers!
Richard