The Historic Commercial Vehicle Club of WA held it’s first ever display day in Fremantle recently. And as we found out there were plenty of old bangers on display for the public to have a gander at
WA’s fickle spring weather was initially reasonably kind as the old load luggers rolled into the Bunnings car park. Some were highway heroes of yesteryear others more humble haulers. But, there was plenty of old iron on show.
45 trucks, big and small rolled up. Some on trailers, others roared into town with jake brakes blaring. Model T’s and Chevs from the 1920’s were on hand as well usual smattering of classic American iron from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.
Fargo Kew
Des Curtis had an eye catching 1952 Fargo Kew on display. The UK built Fargo uses a side valve 6 cylinder to make about 35hp and will take a payload of 2.5 ton.
Des opted to paint the old-timer in Western Australian Forestry Dept colours as these trucks saw service with Forestry.
However, this one was actually found on a farm. “There was a bit of rust in it when I got it,” says Des, “I made some things for it like the front bumper.”
The Fargo’s engine is bolted directly to the chassis which means there’s no engine mounts.
The Fargo has a top speed of about 45mph according to Des.
A Piece of Peterbilt Family History
Without a doubt the most eye catching trucks on display were the 1963 Peterbilt 351A and the W Model Kenworth owned by Daniel Ridolfo.
Back in 1963 Daniel’s father Vince made the bold move of buying a big Peterbilt for the growing Ridolfo fleet. This truck was actually the first Laurie O’Neil imported Peterbilt sold into WA. Under the bonnet is an NH250 Cummins.
The old Spicer 4+4 set up was replaced with a 13-speed Roadranger. Vince Ridolfo passed away many years ago but Daniel tracked the Peterbilt down in Queensland before bringing it home and restoring it.
After over 10-years of hard yakka the result is exceptional.
The W model was the last truck that Vince purchased before his death and is beautifully presented. Daniel and his brother continued to run the Ridolfo business before selling the company to Qube in 2013.
Big Red Box
The sight of a butter box ACCO may bring back less than happy memories for some drivers. But, Kevin Lockyer’s 1970 2050 ACCO is a nice looking old jigger all the same. Under the cab is a Cummins V504 and a 5-speed ‘box.
Of course ther’s the obligatory 2-speed diff out back. This truck is the result of a 2 year restoration, “It was a piece of shit when I bought it out of a wrecking yard,” says Des.
It actually took the purchase of 5 wrecked ACCO’s to make this one. Next on the list for Des is to find an old bogie trailer to stick behind it.
Ryan’s Inter 4×4
I’ve got a soft spot for the old AB international pick-ups and D-series Dodges so Ryan Devenish’s AB120 Inter 4×4 definitely caught my eye.
Under the bonnet is the old Aussie made 240 cubic-inch Gold Diamond 6 which is bolted to a 4-speed gear box. The Inter has a single speed transfer case.
Ryan bought the truck from a mate in Kalgoorlie but it was originally from Victoria. It would’ve been a long drive as the AB only sits on about 80km/h on the open road.
This truck is just a starter for Ryan as his next project is a Detroit powered KM Bedford.
Original Character
You’ve gotta love a truck that still has rabbit traps hanging off the head board. Morris Danks’ very…..er…..original 1925 Chevrolet 4 made quite an entrance to the show after it was unloaded off the trailer.
It looks like it shouldn’t be running at all! Morris dragged it off a farm 15 years ago and only had to change the spark plug, leads and fan belt to get it to fire. It may not be show room but it had plenty of character.
Lindsay Hill’s 1938 Chev was a very neat looking jigger that was hiding a couple of major improvements underneath. The truck is now powered by a GM Blue Flame 6 and is back by a Gear Vendors 4 speed with an electric overdrive to help it eat up the highway miles. “It cruises well,” says Lindsay with a twinkle in his eye, “you’ve gotta keep an eye on it.”
Never one to shy away from a challenge Lindsay virtually scratch built the entire truck from a box of parts. If anyone was doubting Linday’s workmanship they only needed to check out the Huckster bodied 1923 T-Model Ford he had sitting on the tray of the Chev.
Lindsay handled all of the coachwork himself and the result up close is pretty amazing. “It was originally a bucket of bits from three farm grave yards,” says Lindsay.
A Huckster body like this one was an early American style of parcel freight body used in the big cities like New York where the freight was sheltered but still easy to get at for loading and unloading.
Lindsay also has a 1923 Dennis fire engine but it doesn’t get to see a lot of miles, “The wife won’t come out in it because it doesn’t have a windscreen, ” he says with a grin.
Foden Memories
Another truck to make a noisy entrance was the 1952 FG Foden belonging to Jim Piercy. The old 150hp 6LX Gardiner had a rough and gruff note to it as Jim slotted it into it’s parking spot.
It’s safe to say that turning circle was never a strong point on any of these Pommie lorries. This one wasn’t bought as a project though, Jim actually bought it to work back in 1967.
For over 20 years it hauled grain dust from the Freemantle wharf to Jim’s cattle farm, it originally had a big bin on its back. The little Gardner would’ve kept Jim’s hands busy on the 4+2 gear boxes. “She’s got heaps of torque though,” says Jim, “And she’s always been reliable.”
As the day grew a little gloomy and rain started sweeping in from the Indian Ocean it was time to go. But for a first outing the WA HCVC showed off some of the best oldies that the West has to offer. We look forward to the next one!