Newly-arrived (but most welcome nevertheless) aussie correspondent 'Ray jay' has sent me these pictrues---which should please AtkIPete Lynch who's right now having a rare old time with Vic Hungerford visiting various Oz truck shows. Anyroadup Ray jay says: "Hello Brian, trust all is well for you at the other end of the planet, I am new to the blog and enjoy it a lot, hence I have these few pics of my new restoration project that the lads my like to see. This is a MK 1 Resin cab 1970 Atkison, noteworthy for a number of resons thus I will be proud to display it even as it is now.
Ray jay continues: "It was ordered new by Ian Cootes as his first tanker truck tractor. At this time issues with engine repairs and pressure from US makers had the local lads working on a tilt set up for this the 14th resin cab to be used as the English timber frames where failing in service.. Ian has just sold the tanker business as the largest fleet in Oz so many more trucks passed through his hand in the years to date, He has restored an International AL180 and the first S2 Kenworth from the fleet but can't handle the Aki in spite of his fondness for it and being the last truck he drove pulling fuel."
Bigloryblog finds the Aussie Atkis fascinating, not least as there seems little evidence of the work done down-under ever having filtered back into the UK. And by that I mean that seeing as this is a 70s truck the cab looks way ahead of the UK equivalent -- the 'Borderer'. Indeed I wonder why it never made it over here. On that note--question to 'The Brochure King' and Bob Tuck. Do you have any shots/brochure pics of the ultra-tall Atki with the massive windscreen that they made for a limited period in the (I guess late 70s). RTITB used to have one for a training artic up at High Ercoll What was it called? The View-line'? 'Hi-line? Euroline? I'd be fascinated to blog on that....
Meanwhile, click through here for the history of Ray jay's Atki and picture of a rather nice Aussie Atki Roadtrain too...
Ray jay tells me; "Model T3064GM in Aki spec Tractor short/ 30 ton/ six cylinder/ four wheel (the rear duels counting as one each) and General Motors engine. So the GM is the famous 6 71 in-line backed up with a Road Ranger 10 speed direct RT 9510 and a Kirkstall rear end and the first tilt cab Atkinson made. It towed semi tankers of ten years with I R Cootes tanker serivce and served well by all accounts then was sold to a timber saw mill whose owners soon resold it to a seasonal retirement job on a fruit farm owned by an English-born fellow!"
"Aware the truck had to be 100% on line when the fruit was moving he rebuilt the engine and transmisson, replaced the clutch radiator and such. Three seasons of trouble-free service saw the rear brakes worn down and needing relining so one side was stripped and dropped into town to be relined at which point the owner passed away leaving his wife running the farm. Not coping with the task she sold the farm and the three-legged Atkinson where a dealer collector who knew the truck bought it, and hauled it home to his place where I bought it from him. I have found almost all the parts known to be missing as the brakes shoes cannot be found and the badges have been "removed" and hope to recover the truck this year as it is still in southern Victoria. Cheers Brian. Ray jay." Fantastic stuff Ray, and keep us up to speed with the renovation as it happens. Now I promised you a cracking Atki and here it is--from AtkiPete Lynch (who else?). And like I say how come we never had that cab over here?
Cheers Ray jay and Pete, great stuff....
Great truck Ray!!
Are you sure that the roadtrain was sent in by Pete, as you blogged that shot from me last year, Brian!
The large screened Atki was indeed the View Line, and whilst I shall see if I can root out a picture of one, your man would really be Chris Gardner as he still owns one!
Cootes still have an Atki in the fleet.
It's the tow truck at their Brisbane yard.
Not my Photo Brian, but as its an Atki, the "Dimantina something or other" I will forgive you. An RP cab did get to UK but for some reason the Poms werent interested in it. Maybe their drivers were happy with the old Preston one?
Anyhow Old Vic and myself have seen some rather interesting lorries in our travels eg a 1924 Mack and will be back to you shortly with photos.
At last I have managed to get on to a computer in the holiday park where Atkipete has been hogging it for the last hour! We are having a great time here, and I managed to get a few minutes sitting in an RP Atki for the first time since I was driving one for a living 36 years ago. It was a real live working one I got to sit in as well; when I get back to a computer that I can put photos on I will do so.
I also managed to get Pete to buy me one of the pies he owed me; the trouble was I had to buy one for him as well as he reckoned I owed him as many as he owed me.
Great to be with the anorac army fat boys LOL ..today is my "jarmie day" to rest up as my "E" for Easy crew are on nights for three nights now ending our rooster five days off then back on days such is life in the mines.
Akipetes Atkinson in oz book tells me that a sample of this cab was sent back and displayed at the Earls Court and pressed into service with a local fleet but no further interest thus the RP product stayed home and the preston cab continued in the UK. Note here than Reinforced plastics of Victoria where making fridge van bodies both semi and body trucks and cabs for Foden, Mack truck, Leader here as part of their range along with resin tops for mini moke and Utes all this goob Ozzie stuff at this time.
The resin fridge van saw servce all over Aust' but in road train service too far to the front and some where pulled in half as the floor structure was not up to the job but second or last in the trian they lastest well and you can see them today resting in the back of transport yards and one of them would "keep the family together" with my Resin cab Aki.This factor and the need to fit two standard pellets wide ( the walls where to thick to allow side by side pallets thus some time hand loading was needed) for faster easy loading was the death of these resin vans along with the cost of plastics in the first fuel crunch of the 70/80's
My other resto job is an International AACO 170 of 1963 funnie as it would be it cab was designed by the same fellow as the resin Atkinson range and if you look at them both with the right light many elements are so much the same.
John L Pearse line haul have a Preston cab gardner powered yard tug in western Toowoomba city compond in fleet colurs and restorable too but they still use it to shunt trailers featuring the Ozzie half sleeper extra air vents and all those ..Nice things?
These "Tupper ware" plastic cabs made Atkinson abile to run with the US gear for another ten years here developing to the series three as seen in the Road trian. As you can compare my old T series cab the larger block US sourced diesels need the cab raised with each model to house the radiators an strange as it would seem most Cummins 14 lt had the turbo side mounted right under the driver and ready to deep fry the shifter tower.
The box shape of the first series has air flow issues improved by parking one behind a high reving airliner with cotton flags taped all over the cab to clean up the lines. If you look at the "Cheek plates of the front of my cab and notice the scoops formed where the side flasher is mounted these are the resault of the tests and provide a wiping action as dirt and such would build up on the side windows and doors.
Kenworth as good a lay out as they produced suffered from this issue most of their life here but Atki rear mounted the turbo solving these heat noise issues and cleaning up the plumbing truncking around the rear of the cab. Notice the clean and orderly lay out at the frames on the rear of my Akis cabin.
Sick of my ramblings yet?
Pies for everyone
Ray jay
While you are reading this the truck standing beside my Aki is a A306 overlander Leader note the smooth seamless lines it is a RP Resin cab too (red with white top)most likly a Caterpillar 3406ta power or Cummins 14 lt.
You can read the Leader story in Rob's The Aussie Callenger book @ blue flyer books (Google him )extra interesting read of any one of Aki petes ACCO and Atkinson books and great read one and all
The Road train Aki is a type three and had a big effect on the breed down here... The front springs did not have a "wrapper" so if the centre bolt broke the broken side would suddenly in some cases push the steering tyre back into the fuel tank and no direction control bang crash big truck fall over..this created a class action by owners against Atkinson Vehicles Aust for damages picked up by International Havester Truck when thewy bought the Aki operation. Inoperation they ahd some "Interesting" habits, I run one with a V6 92 T Driptriot and 3.7 rears when you tryed to reverse the truck with any load on the engine rolled in the frame the cab went the other way the throtte pedal fell to the floor and the engine stalled over and over.
If you stood over 5 foot 2 sitting in the driver seat you look right into the top window rubber I m 5 7 so it was not so easy to see ot off and the cab floor had a ledge 3 inches high to exit over... then monkeys bars down the out side made mounting a riskie event. T he forward munted front axle made ride hummmm how to say .. direct or rough
Sadly, Richard, changing circumstances meant I had to part with my Viewline after 19 years' ownership. I do still have the ultra-rare LWB Mk.2 Rear Steer tractor though, having first driven it at the age of 17 (on a test track) and then having passed my test in it in 1981.
As Atki Pete mentions, an RP cab did make it to Preston - I have photos of it being unpacked out of the shipping crate! Perhaps one reason for it not catching on was the cost of shipping, although I suppose they could have made it over here too. It's my first purchase if I ever win the National Lottery!