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The Maudslay Project


Great War truck

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Coventry Transport Museum are restoring a 1916 Maudslay chassis as a WD GS lorry. They have a restoration blog here:

 

http://friendsofctm.blogspot.com/p/maudslay-project.html

 

I understand that it was very complete and original and they intended to restore it as a bus. The change of plan is to restore it as an army lorry for 2014 and then if funding allows they will convert it into a bus at a later date. In this unique occasion i do hope that the funding will run out.

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I am involved in an advisory capacity to the Coventry Museum of Road Transport for this project, so rest assured it will turn out fine and they are making a good job of it. The lorry was on a farm in east Scotland near Dundee for many years with a living van body fitted but surviving almost complete mechanicaly, although completely worn out. I believe it finished its working life with a travelling fun fair. In the early 1970s it was acquired by a local collector who started the restoration. About 12 years ago it was acquired by the Coventry museum being of local manufacture it was considered to be of great importance to their collection. The Covenrty Corporation Tramways started a feeder service to the tramway network in 1919/20 using war surplus Maudslays, mostly then bodied as single deckers by Hickman of Balham, London. To reconstruct a bus body today is of enormous cost so the decision was taken to restore the vehicle to its WW 1 specification. I will look out a photograph of it when in Scotland in due course.

Richard Peskett.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Steve, I and a few friends vixited Coventry today and had a good look over the Maudslay. It is going to be a great looking WD lorry when it is finished and they are completing it at a good pace.

 

The steel in the chassis has no real evidence of being out in the weather for protracted period and looked very good.

 

IMG_9573.jpg

 

The engine looks odd. Almost spindly:

 

IMG_9568.jpg

 

IMG_9567.jpg

 

problems with this half shaft though:

 

IMG_9564.jpg

 

I have never seen anything quite like that before.

The diff has all been rebuilt

 

IMG_9560.jpg

 

On round spoked wheels which is unusual:

 

IMG_9570.jpg

 

The gearbox case looks lovely

 

IMG_9575.jpg

 

As are the gears:

 

IMG_9583.jpg

 

With perhaps a couple of exceptions:

 

IMG_9579.jpg

 

Lid even had the date of casting in it:

 

IMG_9589.jpg

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