Mercedes Trucks and pics

Humehiway Gidday
Mate you might be able to answer this for me.
Back in the early 80s in NZ I drove a LPS 2232 benz. That was a pretty rare beast over there. Just wondered were they available over here?
Great old lorry and were just a pleasure to drive.

I fairly sure they were here too thats a v10 truck we sold two v10s I think they were 2632s and you could also buy a 2626 they were v8s all had the heavy duty hub reduction diffs then they started with lighter diffs as the 2224s

sorry lps benzes were the old cab we never had the old cab with the newer v engines they started around 1969 in germany while we still had inline engines till 1975 when the new generation trucks started selling

here you go fellas. this what you are talking about?
I'm pretty sure this was a LPS2233, it is left hand drive. This was an import, I have no idea why... For some reason my father bough and sold it, I think it was something to do with Cyril Anderson (not the Mack / leader man, this Cyril Anderson ran car carriers out of Melbourne, and was a Benz guru)
My father sold it on, somehow or where, and I spotted it in Bernie Quirk's wrecking yard near Ballarat. I have his number if anyone want it, he has quite a bit of 1418 stuff still, and is worth looking up if you need stuff.









Now- the bullbar- As Humey says, they were pretty optional and variable. The ones that Scrubby's mates are thinking about were the classic "Benz" bars, (and I'm not sure if yours is one of them)
I reckon they were made by an italian boke in Shepparton, matter of fact it may have even been something to do with D'agostino engineering- they still have a couple of Benz's at their yard. Nice guys too.

Pretty sure this is the "classic" benz bullbar- this is actually a 1924, but same same but different.




And I'm pretty sure this is another "proper"benz bar..



My take on it (and eye do stand to be etc etc...) is that Mercedes must have made these bars an option back in the day. There were so many just like this, good, solid bars, and then there was a million copies, and various home made jobs...
So I reckon if yours is mounted pretty roughly, it's an aftermarket copy of the proper genuine one.
maybe!

There's a million different types of the same thing...




Hope this has added somewhat to your mates confusion.. and if not, it's a good excuse to stick some more 1418 shots up!!!
Cheers
Richard

Richard, I'd say your close to the mark. I reckon there was probably a bar offered by Benz when you ordered/bought a new truck, or a used one without a bar for that matter, built by an engineering company. Then there were the copies, and the home made ones etc. I think if you bought your truck in Sydney the company that built the bars could've been a different company from the one if you bought your truck in Melbourne, that could explain the differences, or just improveing on the previous 50 bars.
Scrubchomper, I think your bar was made for a Benz, but not necessarily a factory job. Maybe not really a copy either, maybe a bloke made 1/2 dozen for someone. Or just a good homemade, one off job, looks ok though.
Jeff.
Upon another look at scrubchompers bull bar, I think that Finemores may have had a truck with one close to it. I will see if i can look in to it.

Scrubchomper,

No bar on this one, just an armour to protect one from being taken pot shots at by unfriendlies...



In case you ask, this is an IDF one used on the route from Lebanon back to Israel. I was very glad I was in the navy back then, a trip on the patrol boat back home was much prefered (even if it took 3 times longer).

These Mercs were used for almost 20 years by the IDF but are gone now, replaced by Freightliners and Internationals.

Cheers,

T

ProDrive,That's one rare beast in Aus.The badge says 1932 which is a single drive version of a 2232.V10,same mechanicals.This cab never came to Aus.Looks the same as the LP1418/1924 but has a "thicker" roofline over the screen and thicker mudguards and tilted.Was introduced in Germany with the V-series engines in 1970 (think).First ones arrived in NZ
early 1972.A dozen chassis as I recall.Half of them were 1926(V8),half 2232.Also first appearance of the H/R axles jointly developed with MAN.

LP2232 at Fielding 1976.


LP1932,Scott's yard,Tahuna 01/80

Great pics and info fellas,
Still a few of 1418's kicking around Perth.

The really good bullbars for mercedes trucks where made in shepparton buy Jim Colandro engineering, most trucks we sold had a bar fitted

One of the old 1418 benzs with a bent one on the back.