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how many Austin K6's are there


mighty antar

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I have just bought a K6 and was wondering if anyone else had one. mine is a bit of a mongrel sadly but has potential. I think its one of the most attractive british ww2 trucks, but there is not a lot of info around about them.How many are left ?

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I have just bought a K6 and was wondering if anyone else had one. mine is a bit of a mongrel sadly but has potential. I think its one of the most attractive british ww2 trucks, but there is not a lot of info around about them.How many are left ?

 

We have a very tired K6.

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A friend of mine had two K6's, one a Breakdown Gantry, the other was the Coles Crane version, the latter was subsequently bought by IWM Duxford, and the Gantry now owned by another friend and forum member. I broke up the remains of a very decayed K6 that had previously had a cattle body on it, the Pedigree Ayrshires that it once carried went a long way towards speeding up its demise.

 

There is a K6 Gantry in the REME Museum at Arborfield, which was restored by the REME workshops where I worked, about 25 years ago.

Edited by Richard Farrant
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and my old K6 Gantry has a new home in Essex, I agree its a loverly looking lorry, with leg room for someone who is 6ft, but I wished they made the windscreen higher as you stoop forward to look out, and the Gantry could do with a 7.5 litre engine :cool2:, where as my OY goes well but I need to be 5ft to fit in the cab. any pics of it ?.

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and my old K6 Gantry has a new home in Essex, I agree its a loverly looking lorry, with leg room for someone who is 6ft, but I wished they made the windscreen higher as you stoop forward to look out, and the Gantry could do with a 7.5 litre engine :cool2:, where as my OY goes well but I need to be 5ft to fit in the cab. any pics of it ?.

 

I totally agree leg room is great as i'm 6ft plus, but I have to look down to see out of the windscreen. I was going to paint it green but have decided to go with the RAF look as both the vehicles location and its reworking(bomb platform) lend itself to it. I have a friend who used to spray aircraft who will re-spray it for me hopefully at the local raf camp.062.jpgthis is it just before I bought it. There is a picture on here of it during restoration several years ago and there are purists out there that wont like the body on the back. I have plans to sort out the back but iam not a rich man so I will concentrate on keeping it running. I love it ......it makes me smile when iam driving it and there are not many vehicles that do that and it looks good. Hopefully it will look even better in RAF colours :-D

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That's a nice looking truck mate.I brought The K6 gantry from Graham and I must say their a nice truck to drive.Just doing some work to the cab and some of the timber on the rear body then it's all ready for Normandy next year !!!!;)

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Good luck with the restoration, I think there aren’t enough RAF marked vehicles out there. But then again I might be slightly biased!

If you need any help with info on the markings etc. then drop me a line and I’ll send you the relevant orders.

 

Bryan

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There is an ex-RAF K6 Tipper in Coalhouse Fort right now. it was donated to the fort after being fire damaged IIRC.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]78479[/ATTACH]

photo was taken before the fire damage.

 

hope it wasn't too badly damaged it looks nice and complete

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Good luck with the restoration, I think there aren’t enough RAF marked vehicles out there. But then again I might be slightly biased!

If you need any help with info on the markings etc. then drop me a line and I’ll send you the relevant orders.

 

Bryan

 

Many thanks Bryan I may take you up on that offer as I was in the army and not the Raf. I will probably mark it up for one of the local Sqns that served in my village.....Which RAF vehicles had yellow roofs ? Stu

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Hi Stu,

More than happy to help, the colours depend on the time period.

As for the yellow:

from 1944 vehicles regularly used in the movement area of an airfield had their upper surfaces in BSC 591 Deep Orange : http://www.e-paint.co.uk/Lab_values.asp?cRange=BS%20Other&cRef=BS%20591 (before ’44 the actual shade/hue wasn’t specified, just “bright orange”)

 

From 1957 (or at least that’s the earliest mention I’ve found so far) The colour changed to BSC 356 Golden Yellow: http://www.e-paint.co.uk/Lab_values.asp?cRange=BS%20381C&cRef=BS381%20356

 

Regards

Bryan

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by the looks of it you want to turn the rear wheels round as the they should be dished out, and will look a lot better, I had 1100x20 on mine instead of 900x 20 it looks a lot better with the bigger tyres. Loverly looking in sand like my old one was.

I totally agree leg room is great as i'm 6ft plus, but I have to look down to see out of the windscreen. I was going to paint it green but have decided to go with the RAF look as both the vehicles location and its reworking(bomb platform) lend itself to it. I have a friend who used to spray aircraft who will re-spray it for me hopefully at the local raf camp.[ATTACH=CONFIG]78471[/ATTACH]this is it just before I bought it. There is a picture on here of it during restoration several years ago and there are purists out there that wont like the body on the back. I have plans to sort out the back but iam not a rich man so I will concentrate on keeping it running. I love it ......it makes me smile when iam driving it and there are not many vehicles that do that and it looks good. Hopefully it will look even better in RAF colours :-D[/Q
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That's a nice looking truck mate.I brought The K6 gantry from Graham and I must say their a nice truck to drive.Just doing some work to the cab and some of the timber on the rear body then it's all ready for Normandy next year !!!!;)

you`ve got some bottle, not only driving it back 90 odd miles without a toolbox and now your off with it to Normandy, is it still in sand colour ? after banging my head numerous times on the RSJ are you taking it out for the trip ? regards
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Hi Stu,

More than happy to help, the colours depend on the time period.

As for the yellow:

from 1944 vehicles regularly used in the movement area of an airfield had their upper surfaces in BSC 591 Deep Orange : http://www.e-paint.co.uk/Lab_values.asp?cRange=BS%20Other&cRef=BS%20591 (before ’44 the actual shade/hue wasn’t specified, just “bright orange”)

 

From 1957 (or at least that’s the earliest mention I’ve found so far) The colour changed to BSC 356 Golden Yellow: http://www.e-paint.co.uk/Lab_values.asp?cRange=BS%20381C&cRef=BS381%20356

 

Regards

Bryan

many thanks Bryan the info is very much appreciated:-D

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by the looks of it you want to turn the rear wheels round as the they should be dished out, and will look a lot better, I had 1100x20 on mine instead of 900x 20 it looks a lot better with the bigger tyres. Loverly looking in sand like my old one was.
I totally agree leg room is great as i'm 6ft plus, but I have to look down to see out of the windscreen. I was going to paint it green but have decided to go with the RAF look as both the vehicles location and its reworking(bomb platform) lend itself to it. I have a friend who used to spray aircraft who will re-spray it for me hopefully at the local raf camp.[ATTACH=CONFIG]78471[/ATTACH]this is it just before I bought it. There is a picture on here of it during restoration several years ago and there are purists out there that wont like the body on the back. I have plans to sort out the back but iam not a rich man so I will concentrate on keeping it running. I love it ......it makes me smile when iam driving it and there are not many vehicles that do that and it looks good. Hopefully it will look even better in RAF colours :-D[/Q

Cheers Graham I will look at the rear wheels and get them swapped round:-D

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  • 2 weeks later...
you`ve got some bottle, not only driving it back 90 odd miles without a toolbox and now your off with it to Normandy, is it still in sand colour ? after banging my head numerous times on the RSJ are you taking it out for the trip ? regards

 

Hi Graham,

Yep, still in the sand colour and looking looking good.I shall of course take a few spanners with me to France,Just in case !!!! Replaced the timber on rear body behind the cab as that was quite bad,then went on to do some repair work to the cab and now cab is painted and ready to go. Replaced oil seals so it shouldn't cover anybody following me in gear oil ! Just sourcing some windshield rubber and check straps for the doors now. It never missed a beat on the journey back home and she gets a move on! Normandy should be good ,you going ?

 

Brendan :nut:

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Hi Stu,

More than happy to help, the colours depend on the time period.

As for the yellow:

from 1944 vehicles regularly used in the movement area of an airfield had their upper surfaces in BSC 591 Deep Orange : http://www.e-paint.co.uk/Lab_values.asp?cRange=BS%20Other&cRef=BS%20591 (before ’44 the actual shade/hue wasn’t specified, just “bright orange”)

 

From 1957 (or at least that’s the earliest mention I’ve found so far) The colour changed to BSC 356 Golden Yellow: http://www.e-paint.co.uk/Lab_values.asp?cRange=BS%20381C&cRef=BS381%20356

 

Regards

Bryan

 

Bryan, have a look at AMO A 897 of 44 para 12 it refers to AMO486 of 44 as amended by AMO 518 of 44 re "the painting of the upper surfaces of certain vehicles in yellow"; now it becomes a confused muddle because the leading paragraphs of AMO 486 calls for yes you guessed orange !! sec ref 33A 125 However- plate 1 of this AMO gives yellow as the colour, but yellow is subsequently amended to orange on plate 1 by AMO 518 !!!

Any luck with post 1954 stuff ?

regards TED

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AMO 731/40 states Bright Orange and the 486/44 is the one that brings in 33A/125 Bright Orange. Can't find my copies of the later orders though.

As for the Post 54 bits i've had some mixed success, i'll send you an email about it tomorrow.

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Bryan, my copy of AMO 486 of 44 is simply states Orange 33a 125 no DEEP or BRIGHT. During the period 1931 to 1948 BS 381 colours only had 2 numerals i.e. RAF Blue grey was No 33 The only orange in my copy was No 57 which in the 1948 amendment of the BS became 557 and a name amendment to Light Orange; At the same time a new colour was added, this was 591 with the title Deep Orange. I previously spoke to Hendon to see if they had a 33a extract from AP 1086 but they said no !! I recall the hardcopy AP 1086 in the good old days gave a BS or AM/MAP spec reference against every sec/ref- can you help ??? I have some repro early BS charts "somewhere " I will have a dig, Mean while this Albion is displaying the double disc marker which was the alternate to orange upper surface. Apologies for the subject drift .

 

regards TED

crop 30 Nov 39.jpg

Edited by ted angus
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Sorry to continue the subject drift...... very nice looking K6 by the way............ but the orange thing has answered a question.

 

Over the years I've done a number of jeeps and two in particular came with orange upper surfaces and back panels on top of factory OD I speculated that they were either used on air fields although this was just a guess or on ranges.

 

Thanks for supplying the answer

 

Pete

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