Transporting a Champ chassis

[simondema]

Hi all

This is probably best suited to the Aussie con fraternity on this forum.

I need to pick up a brand new Austin Champ chassis from Melbourne and I am in Sydney. I have enquired with a few car carrier companies and most need the vehicle to be driven so they can load it up on the car carrier. Another option is to fly down to Melourne and hire a one way trailer and car. Otherwise only other option is to drive with my own car and trailer from Sydney to Melbourne and back. Hmmmm Any suggestions anyone?

Thanks

 

Simon

[Hoseman]

Hi all

This is probably best suited to the Aussie con fraternity on this forum.

I need to pick up a brand new Austin Champ chassis from Melbourne and I am in Sydney. I have enquired with a few car carrier companies and most need the vehicle to be driven so they can load it up on the car carrier. Another option is to fly down to Melourne and hire a one way trailer and car. Otherwise only other option is to drive with my own car and trailer from Sydney to Melbourne and back. Hmmmm Any suggestions anyone?

Thanks

 

Simon

Go for the drive, take missus or mate. Stop off at memorial museum at Canberra (i think), make it an overnite, few beers, sights etc. Can't beat it, only bout 11 hrs drive, share driving and hell of a lot cheaper than paying transport!

[antar]

Go for the drive, take missus or mate. Stop off at memorial museum at Canberra (i think), make it an overnite, few beers, sights etc. Can't beat it, only bout 11 hrs drive, share driving and hell of a lot cheaper than paying transport!

 

Better still make it 3 days and call in at Pukapunyal tank museum as well !

[Richard Farrant]

Better still make it 3 days and call in at Pukapunyal tank museum as well !

 

and Bandiana Army Museum is close to the Hume Highway as well ....... that is worth seeing.

 

Actually I know a couple of guys in the trucking business from Sydney and if you are interested, PM me.

[simondema]

Ok, I get the message guys! I will make it a road trip! :D

 

Simon

[simondema]

Hi all

I have been absent for a few months however personal issues have taken up a lot of my time. I hope now that things have settled down I will be ale to return to working on the Champ.

 

I managed to get a good friend of mine to travel down to Melbourne and pick up the Champ chassis about 2 weeks ago, as I was away on a trip. The chassis arrived back in Windsor with no dramas and is now ready to be soda blasted, primed and painted. It doesn't even have any dumb iron number on it and no plate either.

 

Simon

[Ian L]

Hi all

This is probably best suited to the Aussie con fraternity on this forum.

I need to pick up a brand new Austin Champ chassis from Melbourne and I am in Sydney. I have enquired with a few car carrier companies and most need the vehicle to be driven so they can load it up on the car carrier. Another option is to fly down to Melourne and hire a one way trailer and car. Otherwise only other option is to drive with my own car and trailer from Sydney to Melbourne and back. Hmmmm Any suggestions anyone?

Thanks

 

Simon[/quote

How on earth did you find a 'brand new' Champ chassis ? if must be 40+ years since the last Champs were made. is this the only one or is there more down under.

[Starfire]

Wow, That's a good looking chassis.

 

A bit of paint and a few bolts, you'll be on the road in no time!

 

Cheers,

Terry

[David Herbert]

Good grief! I had a Champ as my first car 41 years ago and its chassis was not a patch on yours. I thought it was a good one because the axles held oil and the rear diff pinion was ok. I used it as my personal transport for two years with no real problems but sold it when I got a 1950 Lanchester 10. If you put a modern 10W-40 or 15W-40 agricultural universal oil in the gearbox you will find that the synchromesh works a lot better as long as the synchro rings are still in one piece. Good luck.

David

[antar]

Hi all

This is probably best suited to the Aussie con fraternity on this forum.

I need to pick up a brand new Austin Champ chassis from Melbourne and I am in Sydney. I have enquired with a few car carrier companies and most need the vehicle to be driven so they can load it up on the car carrier. Another option is to fly down to Melourne and hire a one way trailer and car. Otherwise only other option is to drive with my own car and trailer from Sydney to Melbourne and back. Hmmmm Any suggestions anyone?

Thanks

 

Simon[/quote

How on earth did you find a 'brand new' Champ chassis ? if must be 40+ years since the last Champs were made. is this the only one or is there more down under.

Seeing as we celebrated the Champ 60th anniversary in 2012 I would think that it is about 55 years since that chassis was made. I agree that it is a very rare spare part to find indeed, even stranger is that it has the two gearbox cover panels with it. Certainly a really nice find !

[simondema]

Hi

Thanks for all the great comments.

Yes, I was very lucky finding this chassis. I received an email which was sent out to a large number of people her in Australia notifying this chassis was for sale, and within 5 minutes of receiving it I emailed the guy back and bought it sight unseen. He sent me photos of it and that was good enough for me. Although located in Melbourne, he had kept it stored for close to 30 years and had completely fish oiled it.

 

Not too sure of the actual history of this chassis, although I believe it was one of 4 or 5 which were brought our from the UK and were purchased by Barry Salkilld here in Sydney. I don't know where the other 3 or 4 ended up, but I know where this one ended up!

 

I found it interesting that the interior of the battery compartments are white. I have been told that is the original colour as painted in the factory. Is that correct?

 

My chassis although in very good condition has some rust on the floor wells (as per all Champs) so I will soda blast it, prime it and maybe sell it.

 

Simon

[snort]

White inside the battery box is correct,so its better to keep it that way. A great find and well done.

[David Herbert]

Is it possible that the white paint was a special acid resistant paint? As the champ was designed to wade with the batteries under water some escape of acid would be quite likely.

 

David

[wally dugan]

THE white paint inside the battery box is a factory finish in general service a coat of black rubberized paint was applied

to the inside of the boxes in a attempt to protect them from battery acid attack as it is such a nice find it would be nice to leave it white

[simondema]

Yes, I agree. I intended leaving the inside of the battery box white anyway as I think it really offsets it nicely.

 

Simon

[Champ4599]

Amazing. Never knew there would be a chassis nos.

Does anybody have nos body tubs in australia ? We are after a good tub to put on one of our champs here in the uk. I hope you put pictures of the febuild on here. Your a lucky fella finding this. I would give my right bollock for this.

[Champ4599]

Would you consider selling this chassis to myself.

Im after another champ to do.

[ferrettkitt]

Would you consider selling this chassis to myself.

Im after another champ to do.

 

Have a look on here he is based. I scrapped a good Champ chassis two or three years ago no one wanted it.

[simondema]

Thanks for the offers, however my restored Champ will be going on this chassis. As far as I know the 4th chassis is AWOL, and no one knows where it ended up. Hopefully it will have been put to good use, rather than be stored under a tarp getting battered by our Aussie climate.

Part of Barry's collection were at least 2 fully crated B40 Rolls Royce engines which had never seen the light of day. Now THAT would be a find. They also were sold and ended up God knows where.

Ahh...don't you just love the Champ mystery?

 

Simon