Diamond T

Great find. How was the journey home, how far?
Guys was it common practice to paint the doors and roof only a different colour, this truck painted the same as mine?

Linz 1607 Never worked out distance but about 3000kms and took 5 days. We spent time calling into stations visiting people we know.
Brocky45 Chassis is straight....there was a steel platform welded onto chassis as it was used as a winch truck or similar as there was a full width roller across the back of this frame. The Chev belongs to a mate of mine so will get more photos next time I see him. The body is a Chev Viking 60 on a Dodge 600 chassis with Rockwell 2 speed diff and Isuzu deisel motor and overdrive gearbox and will do 130kph. He has made a bogie dolly on 16 inch wheels onto which he hooks his caravan and puts a restored car on the truck and travels to shows.
The history of the Chev is interesting. It was bought new in 1959 by a German immigrant named Simon who owned the Beetoota Pub [the only building in Beetoota] which is about halfway between Birdsville and Windorah. Simon used the truck once or twice a year to go to Adelaide down the Birdsville Track [which was only a track in those days] to get supplies for his pub. Over the last 15 years or so Simon got too old to do the trip so the truck just stood by the pub. My mate Ross several times tried to buy the truck but Simon would not sell it. Eventually Simon died and Ross bought it at the clearing sale to wind up the estate so he is only the second owner of the truck.
My only contact with Simon was when I was working in the area. I had 3 blokes with me travelling that way in mid summer and we were looking forward to a drink and something to eat when we got to Beetoota. When I pulled up in front of the pub I saw Simon look out the window at us but he would not open up as it was about half an hour after closing time. In those days there would be plenty of days when he saw no one all day and I would have thought 4 people would have been rush hour compared to the rest of the week but he refused to open up. Consequently I made it a point to never stop there even when he was open.

Hi Cliffo
if you need any help with parts i will let you know what i have found out in the last few months (which is not much), i am waiting on some wheel cylinders that are a direct replacment of the originlas, i will then have those parts numbers. Whats you plans , keep it as a bogie drive with a turntable or Tray?

Lindsay

Thanks for the advice Lindsay.........Took the brake cylinders in today to see how bad they are so would appreciate part numbers and price once you have found out to compare, it may well be cheaper to buy new if available. Mine has wedge brakes on the front axle...was this standard for this model? Will probably put a tray with ramps to cart other trucks I have around to any shows or club outings, but that is a long way off yet. I can be contacted on 0438816569 if need be

I also have wedge brakes, 7/8 bore cylinders and 14 degree wedges, currently trying to get some parts sorted, front axel. Rear axels have a mix? Of 1 1/2" and 1 5/8 "wheel cylinders, I think the smaller ones are standard, expecting some new ones next week, will let you know if they are a direct replacement. Still have to sort out linings...

Linz 1607 Mine also has 2 different bore wheel cylinders inch and a half and inch and three eights on drive axles. The larger ones are fairly common and 35 dollars new whereas the smaller ones are about 130 dollars so I am fitting all $35 ones. Brake people have no idea why there are different size cylinders

Hi Cliffo
In my limited experience and it is fairly limited they use different sizes to get
brake bias between axles smaller cylinders less braking on back axle larger
cylinder more braking on front
Found this out when fitting booster to HD Holden had to drop the back ones
down to nine sixteenth so Asend wouldn't lock up and try to pass the front

Cheers Bluey

Bluey60 I also thought that this may be the case but the brake people did not think this was the so and also said that nearly all other trucks have wheel cylinders of equal size and work ok.

Talking to an old time mechanic about this only this morning, his opinion was that before brake proportioning valves came about, was quite common to have different size slave cylinders on each axle, idea was so that the lead drive axle came on that little bit before to stop rear locking up. Should have asked him if same principal applied to lazy and pusher axles, imagine so. Dave

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That diamond Reo Fleet No 28....The white door bit reminds me of HY-MIX days ..........could that have been an agitator ............
About the different size wheel cylinders.....I remember stepped cylinders that had two different size rubbers and pistons
in the same cylinder, but carnt figure out where I have seen them.........
.........................Billy..............................