Storyboards show the types of loads
carted and places that the big rigs
travelled to, creating a conversation
starter for old timers’ yarns, but most
of us learnt to drive in little Austins or
Dodges – important stepping stones if
we were to handle the bigger gear.
The range of trucks collected and
restored over the last 15 years may have
been fairly comprehensive, but the way
they have been restored and the quality
of these makeovers have changed
dramatically. Once upon a time, it
wasn’t uncommon to resurrect an old
rig from under a mango tree; give it a
quick coat of paint, often just covering
the bird droppings and clogged on dirt
and grease; and pay little attention tothe interior. These days, many truck
owners and restorers strive to collect
a whole set of models produced by
their preferred make of truck and
aren’t happy unless every bolt and nut
has been sourced from the original
manufacturer. Every gauge, light and
paint type must be authentic, which
has given rise to a complete industry of
truck rebuilders, restorers, upholsterers
and painters who painstakingly and for
considerable cost reproduce a truck
worthy to be called an exhibit. “Even
better than the original!” some claim.
When I last spoke to Tony Hopkins,
he had just been invited to the latest UD
truck launch in Japan because out of
all Australian truck operators, Hopkinshave the longest record of buying and
operating UDs. Tony explained that
Japanese UD manufacturers couldn’t
source an example of one of their
earliest truck models, so they made one
for display via a 3D printer – a pretty
fair indication that classic trucks are
even sought after in high-tech Japan!
But Australians aren’t the only other
classic truck show tragics. North
America, New Zealand, the UK and
Europe have well established truck
shows, with several thousand trucks
including new models, working vehicles
and plenty of classics at some meets.
These shows are ideal for networking
and for finding that elusive model
required to finish a collection. In fact,No^ call-out^ service^ in^ the^ mid-^20 th^ C
entury.Fords were fast, (^) but needed plenty of fuel.
Deutz trucks^ were^ popular^
around^ the^ Aramac^ area.
Definition of an Outback road.
< 044 > Truckin’Life
CLASSIC TRUCKS