ATKINSON

G'day Bruce. That article on starting Gardners would be great. I was gonna ask for help on that soon. From what the owner told me the motor ran beautifully before she parked it so hopefully its still ok. I think i'll pass on the diff centre though, ill give it to Bayswater Diff's. It should be ok. Just a clean up. Also if you look at the interior pic you will notice the dash has Acco gauges/switches and warning lights. Are the factory 1's just old school that where used on all old trucks of the era or specificly Atkinson???

G'day - I'll scan the Gardner article and I've got an in cab pic of a MK1 Atki cab which looks like its got original gauges - it's on my USB at work so will post it and the Gardner stuff tomorrow.

Cheers
Bruce

Bruce, would also like to see your article (stuck injector pump plungers seem to be common with stood leyland 350 motors) - is it too big to post?

Jnr
GuddayM8

Nice find n rescue
I can remember CathRon drag n all the rd gear round with th@ beast

With it loaded on the hook bin/tray looks to B very hi, specially round Melb to snag wires n branches

But U got er dun

WellDun

LOL

Cya
[ch9787]

G'day Swish, you hit the nail on the head there mate, it was a nightmare getting it home. I was going to call you to get it home with your tilt tray but my mate with the truck ensured me he could do it.
The truck has no brakes, they been backed of so it can be moved. So it is held on by chains only, i lost 5 years of my life when he was hoisting it on, it was on such an angle being lifted i @$% myself when the chain slipped a notch and the whole rig moved 3 inches.
Then the drive from Eltham to Dingley began, we didn't think it would so high but we caught about a 3 optus wires until i attacked the exhaust with a hammer.
And being so top heavy it was rocking on the whole Eastlink, my friend laughed the whole thing of but me in my hungover state didn't find it funny.

Hello, This looks a good restorer, Injector pump plungers can be checked by taking covers off and working pump levers, prise them down if stuck, then make sure rack moves. David.

Jnr, Bob Addison has one of similar vintage at Beaufort and I am sure it does not have the inter gauges... some one has done a swap/changeover... Bob was not happy with the kirkstall diff either as was very slow, our earlier model had an Eaton diff with an ok top speed (downhill tail wind etc) of I think 55 mph, just a wisker slower than a 1418 benz, it was a good day if we rounded one up....
you have done extremely well getting this one.



/me

Lovely find Jnr Mack, looks a neat compact little truck thgat looks a lot easier to restore than some (except for that rare diff). Good luck with the Kirkstall diff. My ERF Bogie Kirkstall's are T48 with diff locks, 5.65:1, & deep reduction on the front of the first one. My back Kirkstall is also busted & I may have suitable spares in about 6 weeks for it if you are committed to fix yours as my axles are good. Even if you decided to swap it out, maybe your centre suits mine, what ratio is yours & what does the plate say at the back?
There is a swith on your dash (which all looks very organised), up top just to right of Centre. Is it a diff lock I assume?
Good find, Stephen

G'day - I'll scan the Gardner article and I've got an in cab pic of a MK1 Atki cab which looks like its got original gauges - it's on my USB at work so will post it and the Gardner stuff tomorrow.

Cheers
Bruce

I've got some here that may help too:

The first is a Mk.1 RP that was owned by a guy called Graham Anderson, and featured in the Atkinosn magazine in 1969. It looks pretty much like the Smiths U.K. gauges, except the speedo, and it has the Bluemels red sprung wheel of that time.



This next photo is one of Atki Pete's, I think - it must be later because it has the steering wheel fitted to the U.K. Mk.2 cab from 1972 onwards, and again shows pretty much the same set of dials that you'd expect in a U.K. Atki, apart from the rev counter



And finally, here's an interior shot of the RP cab that made it to the U.K. - definitely all U.K. spec, but it may well have been fitted out over here, as the cab came out of the crate without any of the lights fittings and so on, and so might have had all the electrics installed in Preston

G'day Jnrmack,

Starting a Gardner article for you and anyone else interested.
Someone sent this to me years ago and I thought it would be handy one day, finally that day has arrived


PART ONE


PART TWO

Sorry 'bout the file size, not sure who authored this but seems to know his Gardners

Enjoy