N.O.S. Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Here is a Chev - possibly a fire truck?? - with some interesting coachwork. Note how the coach line on the cab door is replicated on the sides of the body. Any ideas what it is? Interesting because you'd expect a specialist service vehicle like this to be more utilitarian in design of the body, rather than receiving styling detail like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 An afterthought - could it be a standard panel van with an added side door? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 (edited) K-51 Signals Truck. They built a bunch of plain panels, then a contractor converted the majority of them to K-51 configuration which involved hacking holes and adding side boxes - also did away with spare wheel mount ( sometime just gas axed it off - didn't even unbolt it ) Came with K-52 Ben Hur generator trailer, which had an underslung spare 7.50 x 20 wheel and tyre as spare for the whole combination. They converted so many that the plain panel van is actually rarer than the conversion. You are not seeing the depth of the side pod there because of the angle, and of course you can't see the rear duals and wide rear fenders. The truck nearer the camera is a CCKW with some sort of special purpose body too, I'd guess - more Signal Corps ? Gordon Edited May 8, 2012 by Gordon_M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Thanks for that info, Gordon. I'd cropped the photo but not at the top or left, this is all I had to go on. Mystery solved! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Happy to help. I've seen shots of the interior in use and it was incredibly cramped. It would be 'cool' to have the signals truck and trailer, but I think the plain panel van would be more usable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niels v Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 There is one of those chevys on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1943-Chevy-PK-Military-Communications-Truck-/180878300401?pt=Military_Vehicles&hash=item2a1d2fd4f1#v4-41 I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Any details on the unit the soldiers belong to? The van plus the truck with a special body may be part of an interceptor unit or SLU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 It is a photo of a U.S. bomber base in England, Tony. Most of the guys in the shot are ground crew. So there must have been signals units attached to the bases? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Wonder then if they might have been atached for Flying Control? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Ashby Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 That is one nice truck and looks to be fairly complete, in the e bay link note the early speedo in the dash shot, I also like the guy in the photo he looks like he should be from Zee Zee Top...... probably showing my age now and taste in music..... sorry Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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