AEC trucks to identify

[Andrew Gibb AUS]

G'day.

 

We had a road trip today and saw a few interesting things. I picked up a Leyland front axle, saw a very complete AEC Ltd truck and acquired an AEC chassis.

 

The question is what is the go with the AEC Ltd truck? The brass plates attached to various components didn't have a date on them. The radiator tanks are cast iron. What year and model do you knowledgeable chaps think this is? The owner would like to know. Could this be a war time machine?

 

 

The bare AEC Chassis has the usual dates stamped in the brass plates. The chassis plate says:

Series: XU 37

Part No: R5730

Date: 15.9.20

 

and stamped into the chassis below is: 15557

 

This truck was stripped down to a rolling chassis to have a grain bulk bin put on top, which has preserved it quite well. The parts that were stripped off were left under a tree, with the non-ferrous components being scrapped. However 10 plus years ago I had collected the remaining bits, which include the gear box, steering box, diff worm, pedals, pots and pistons, crankshaft etc, even the original muffler with the brass tag still attached! It has taken a while for the bulk bin to be now made redundant, so now I can reunite the parts. The bonnet was found today too, where it had previously been used as a gate in a sheep yard! it is pretty rusty. (I did pick up a Renault bonnet once that was being used as a dog kennel. Aussie ingenuity and all.) I have also collected in my travels a rather sad AEC radiator with aluminium tanks. If anyone has an engine and better radiator in Aus, let me know!

 

Cheers,

 

AG.

[Zero-Five-Two]

I followed this link http://ccmv.aecsouthall.co.uk/p818743552/h811f263#h811f263 which gives you a whole load of pics of AEC trucks and busses from this period.

 

The 3 ton Y type truck looks most likely these were made from 1916 through to the mid 1920's in several varients for Military and civilian use

[Redherring]

Hmmm. Reference to the AEC Vehicles - origins to 1929 by Brian Thackray. Very quick perusal suggests 15557 was a late Y type chassis. More photos? Robert

[nz2]

Any brass plates with serial numbers on the front axle and diff housing?

I would be interest to know those to relate it to an AEC chassis I know of with dates 11.20 on the diff and front axle brass plates. No visible stamped numbers on the chassis rails.

Doug

[Andrew Gibb AUS]

Here are a few pics from the weekend when we picked up the chassis for the AEC. The cabin had been made into a dunny out behind the shed!

 

Plus a few of the sundry parts previously gathered up 10 years ago.

 

Doug, the diff brass plate has the date 13.9.20 stamped on it.

 

Thanks for the link to the AEC photos. I am still unsure of where the AEC Limited truck comes into it? Is it earlier or later that that dated 1920 chassis?

 

Thanks for any help to date the complete AEC Limited truck. It's engine has AEC cast into it, so is not a Tylor.

[Redherring]

Please let me know the inscription on the brass plate on the gearbox... Thanks.

[James Shopland]

Great find.

[Redherring]

Have an identical AEC gearbox: Series D22, Part no. B5716, date 20.11.17, W.

This one currently sits in a home-made crane at the farm and is utilised to drive the winch.

It seems quite a few AEC arrived on these shores.

Also have a later AEC box in the same piece of equipment which is 'set' as a reduction drive in the drive-train: motor - reduction gearbox - main gearbox - diff.

Cheers Robert.

[Richard Peskett]

According to my listings 'Y' type chassis number ended at about 16264 in late 1920 although sales no doubt drifted on sometime after that although competing with war surplus examples. Probably either a 'YC' - 45 hp Tylor engine, pressed steel frame, David brown worm drive, spur box or a 'YD' same but Lanchester worm drive. Following was the 5 type model 501 with AEC engine.

Richard Peskett.

[Tomo.T]

Very nice picture, which must be after 1918 due to the RASC label on the cab side.Note the original BJ registration and lack of WD no.on the bonnet. Note also the Pyrene fire extinguisher in it's bracket.

 

Tomo

[Andrew Gibb AUS]

Hi,

 

Here are the plates from the diff and the gearbox.

[Andrew Gibb AUS]

Here are some photos of the AEC Ltd truck. The brass plate is attached to the engine, the stampings are on the top of the bonnet, where it fits to the radiator.

 

So no one knows anything about these trucks then? Are they earlier or later then the AEC chassis of 1920?

[NickAbbott]

Here are a few comparison pictures for you - they show the cab and controls of an AEC Y type, and the Tylor engine, which has the inlet and outlet manifolds on different sides, and an AEC engine as fitted to an AEC S type, from the early 1920s - this looks to be very similar to the one shown fitted to the chassis. I suspect the engineless chassis is definately a Y type, but not sure about the other one.

 

I would recommend the "AEC Vehicles - origins to 1929 by Brian Thackray" book, as there is a lot of useful info in there.

 

Nick

[David Herbert]

According to Brian Thackray's book 'The AEC story, part one' page 73; AEC's own engine was in production from 1920, replacing the Tylor. It was known as the 4 type and as the 5 type (no info about the difference) and a 'Y' type built with the AEC 5 type engine was known as a type 501 chassis (or type 505 if longer). Similarly a 'S' type with the AEC 4 type engine became a type 401 chassis. There were aso earlier vehicles taken back by AEC and rebuilt to later standards. The 5 type engine was also refered to as the A109 (introduced in 1921) which ties in nicely with the data plate in the 3rd photo of post 12 above.

 

Also in the same book, page 35, are photos of one of 150 trucks built to a Russian order in late 1916/early 1917, but probably never delivered there. They are basicly to the 1914 B type design but with cast iron round spoked wheels (7 spoke front, 8 spoke rear) and fitted with a "large capacity military radiator and water pump" This radiator is exactly like the radiator with 'AEC Ltd' as its logo but also has 'Anglia' in small Russian (Cyrillic) script in the lower part of the circular depression below the letter 'C' of AEC. I wonder if this same basic casting was reused on the rather later truck that Andrew has posted about when AEC needed a higher cooling capacity for colonial opperation?

 

David

Edited November 10, 2016 by David Herbert

[nz2]

Richard,

Do you have any photos or data on the different diff units? Looking for something to assist in identifying the model and dating an AEC chassis

Doug

[Seb Marshall]

Hi Andrew,

The engine in the complete one is a AEC 5 type.

Effectively it is just the revamped Y type and hence next model on.

AEC ltd is common on Y type radiators it would be more unusual if it had an alternative.

It looks like the radiator is aluminium? This would make it post war as the military ones were cast iron.

Lovely find!

Seb

[Andrew Gibb AUS]

Hi lads,

 

Thanks for the replies. The complete truck has cast iron radiator tanks, but they have been painted silver. So from the details given, it would be 1920 or later going by the engine, as it doesn't have the Tylor engine. I am not sure what the cast iron radiator tanks mean though. Is it ex military or not?

 

I have ordered one of the AEC books.

 

The few engine parts I have from the 1920 truck look to have come from a Tylor engine. The knackered radiator I have came from a different truck, but the castings are made of aluminium, so might suit.

 

Thanks for your help. AG.

[Richard Peskett]

I have numerous original pages from the AEC Maintenance Gazette, ( contemporary) by reading there was obviously confusion from day one . There is about 10 pages of text and listing ,too much to put on here but anybody who would like a copy contact me via this site and I will send a pdf file .

Richard Peskett.