BenHawkins Posted September 17, 2011 Author Share Posted September 17, 2011 Tim Yes the wheelwright decided the rear wheel was just too heavy and he would probably steer clear of them in future. My scales go up to 130Kg and it is certainly heavier than that. I think once they have the two solid tyres on (around 40Kg each) they will weigh around 250Kg. The three cylinder blocks, three connecting rods a two pistons were all from the same stand. The seller purchased them from a scrap yard when the owner passed away. The family were clearing the site and only one of the sons was keen to see some of it saved. He had one day to collect what he could in a van. There were only three blocks and nothing else that seemed to be from the engine in the scrap yard but they were rescued because they were obviously very early. White and Poppe started making this engine in 1908 and made the last one in 1914 although obviously some of the vehicles Dennis fitted them to were not sold until 1915. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted April 7, 2012 Author Share Posted April 7, 2012 The Dennis is coming along slowly. Yesterday we fitted the wheels to the back axle. I still have to finish making a new front wheel bearing and press the kingpins in before we can put the front wheels on. Then around five years after finding the truck it should be back together as I found it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Looking good, Ben. Well done! I'm pleased to see that you are not wasting your day off and are making an early start! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted June 13, 2012 Author Share Posted June 13, 2012 This evening we put the final wheel on the chassis. It is five years since we first went to see the chassis and we now have it back as we found it! All the wood on the nearside wheel is new. It was necessary to replace the king pins and front wheel bearings. We still have to fit the track rod and make the covers for the top of the king pins. The cardboard cutout of the radiator is to help me get the size right. It is scaled from a photo but I could really do with a photo of one of these vans delivered to Carter Paterson in late 1908 so I can get it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minesweeper Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Coming on! I wonder if Alan (Runflat) could help you with the photo that you require? Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runflat Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Sadly not, but some of the pictures in Pat Kennett's book on Dennis may help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Larkin Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 There's a 1910 with Royal Mail body in CF Klapper's British Lorries 1900-45. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted June 14, 2012 Author Share Posted June 14, 2012 Thanks for the suggestions, I have the Pat Kennet book but will have to find a copy of the Klapper book. The Dennis archives are very good but I believe the radiator was bought in from the Midland Radiator Company so there are no drawings. From the holes in the chassis I know it was the shackle mounted version and this ties in with the various magazine articles of the time. The radiator had horizontal tubes and a cast aluminium shell with brass tube plates. My template is scaled from a high resolution photo of the two ton model but I am not certain the radiator for the three ton was the same size. I have photos of the earlier Dennis vans delivered to Carter Paterson and these have brass radiators. I also have photos of later vans and these have aluminium radiators with vertical tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redherring Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Have been following your thread with great interest. There are three photos to be found on the web that you may or may not have seen before. First two are 'copyright Reed Business information'. Described as a 1909 Dennis with quite extraordinary front wheels (perhaps twice normal width and appear to be rivetted steel – like a road roller?), front axle with U bend, chassis ends same as yours, full frontal shot of the aluminum (?) & horizontal tubed radiator, mounted same as yours. I can’t tell whether it’s 2 or 3 tonne. Described as a 1910 Dennis, similar chassis, very different radiator, pictured from 45 degree angle to front. The third photo you will find on the site of the State library of South Australia Described as c1911 Dennis. This one is similar to b) above. Regards Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 The "cardboard cutout" is actually scaled from picture 1. I purchased the high resolution jpg and pasted it into CAD to draw around it. So the cardboard cutout is correct for one particular model of radiator I just don't know if that was the one originally fitted. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redherring Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 What do you make of the wheels in Pic 1? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 The super wide wheels you mention were to allow it to drive off road. I have extracted this caption from Motor Traction (20/11/1909): "the Dennis lorry specially built for the Nile Valley Gold Mining Co.... The Toward pressed steel road wheels, ample ground clearance and the manner in which all the mechanism is encased for protection from dust are noticible features". It could carry a two ton load on sand and was also used to transport passengers the seventy miles between the mine and river. Wooden blocks could be fitted to the wheels to aid traction. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rlangham Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Looking good - the only pre-WW1 motor commercial lorries i'm aware of off the top of my head are the Albion at the National Motor Museum, the Daimler lorry at Beamish and the privately owned 1913 McCurd so will definitely be a sight to see Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Peskett Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Reference the pre 1914 commercial vehicles, the Daimler at Beamish is a CJ/CK series dating from 1922. Other that survive in private collections are a 1911 Karrier, 1913 Lacre, 1908 Cohendet, 1908 & 1911 Leylands, all of which are complete. There are remains of others including a 1913 Daimler CC and in additioin to these there are of course at least 8 complete buses from this period. Richard Peskett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nz2 Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Surely there must be more pre 1914 trucks remaining. May I add to the list the steam wagons of the time ( or are we only referring to internal combustion engines). Also Thornycroft van no 1. As for this side of the world I can think of eight trucks in collections about NZ built pre war. That is complete and operational vehicles, with a further list as to those in restoration. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Peskett Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 I deliberately left out steam wagons etc., this is entering into another world as you have road haulage tractors / locomotives which towed trailers as well as actual wagons, the number of pre 1914 survivors is numerous. Also omitted are fire engines of which there are probably at least 6 , small car / van convertibles and parcel carriers etc. One 1913 Albion 3 ton has also come to mind. Richard Peskett. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Sorry to hijack your thread, Ben but here is a pic of the McCurd which we took to Bletchley Park today. (We got very wet on the way home!). Can anyone tell me how many McCurds were used by the ASC? I know that they had at least one but have never seen any documentary evidence other than a single photograph. Cheers! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redherring Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Like Doug in NZ I can think of lots of pre-'14 commercials or parts thereof laying about in sheds, under trees, and out in fields across Australia. Would a pre-WW1 thread showing commercial 'truck bio's' be an appropriate use of HMVF resources? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redherring Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Please... an update on progress??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted November 29, 2012 Author Share Posted November 29, 2012 Things have slowed down on the Dennis front. You may have noticed the garage was a bit small for a project of this scale so I am currently building a bigger house to accomodate us! Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runflat Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Ben, A while back you asked for some photos of Carter Paterson Dennis, I hope these are of interest: From an advert in The Industrial Motor Review, December 1907 From The World's Carriers, October 1912 but illustrating an earlier time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runflat Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I see the second picture has the same fleet number, so is presumably the same vahicle, as that pictured at post #9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redherring Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Any news on this restoration. We of the veteran truck brigade have been fairly thin on the ground of late!!! Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted April 2, 2013 Author Share Posted April 2, 2013 Runflat, Thank you for the photos they all help. I am sure you are right that the van with the fleet number 1579 is the same as in my advert. The registration was LC7830 and it dates to around 1906. Van number 2003 is again slightly earlier than mine. I have not yet managed to find a photo of any of the vans delivered in 1908. The "van body" was recycled from the horse vans (and appears to be a standard design); does anyone know if any plans exist for these? The drivers seat would have been made by Dennis and is different on each batch delivered. I am still building my new house/garage for the Dennis but hopefully we will be able to get back to the restoration soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted May 29, 2013 Author Share Posted May 29, 2013 Progress is still very slow on the Dennis as I have been building a house/workshop for the past ten months. The other weekend we collected an Ormerod shaper to go in the workshop. This one was built during WWI and has cast into the body "War Finish" to indicate that it was not finished to the usual high standard. Does anyone know when "War Finish" was oficially adopted? I have seen machines from WWII but this is the first one I have seen from WWI. Hopefully I will be able to post some photos of it making truck parts soon but I need to rig up a drive system as it was originally line shaft/flat belt driven. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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