40 AUGUST 2019 ownerdriver.com.au
thepastcoupleofyearswithhelpfroma localmechanic.It’s
stilltwoorthreeyearsawayfromcompletion.
Kevinownsa 10-year-oldMitsubishitilt-traytruck,which
he uses to cart his vehicles. He took it to Newcastle to collect
the Diamond T when he bought it. “I initially bought [the tilt-
try truck] to cart my own stuff about, but I get people wanting
jobs done here and there.”
Many of the parts he needs for the restoration have
come from a second Diamond T, which he purchased. He is
confident anything else he needs can be sourced from Europe
and America. “There’s not much Diamond T stuff in Australia
because there wasn’t very many of them.”‘Bottomless pit’
It’s not a cheap hobby. His 1943 3/4 tonne Dodge Command
Car is a good example of how a restoration project can
be a ‘bottomless pit’ of expenses. Of all the vehicles he
has purchased, it was in the worst condition. “It had an
aluminium cab on it and it was a pretty big wreck when
I got it. I had to spend a lot of time and money getting it up
to scratch.”TopLeft:In 2015 KevintookhisW WIIFWDonSylvia’sGapConvoy.PhotobyBenWeston
MiddleL toR:KevinPurcellandhis 1943 DodgecommandcaratGundagaiin2017;ThisworkshopLandRover
wasrestoredbya previousowner
Above:Kevin’sshadow,Oscarthedog
Opposite top & below: A 3/4 tonne Dodge weapons carrier; Kevin Purcell’s 1980 Mack 6x6 cargo truck with a
Hiab crane on Sylvia’s Gap Convoy in June