Info on RAAF vehicles

....Mean't to mention BillyP.... THE 'HIGHWAY' history I referred to was location of ,'HIGHWAY HAULAGE' ARTHUR H GILLOT cnr Bridge St & West St. PYMBLE just off Ryde Rd...

Been following the posts about Autocars, anyone remember ABIGNANO's (later transmorphed into Abigroup) big Autocar float?
They had it especially ordered (from Crouch's I would think) delivered in early 1973. Replaced, or upgraded that old Red Flintstone Mack with the 711 and quad box.

Abi's had some gig gear around that time, had just taken delivery of a brand new Allis HD 41 and I think they also bought a new Drake 4 axle expandable to go with the Autocar. Not sure of the running gear other than I am almost certain it had the 6 cyl Cummins, 335 rings a bell, or maybe even the 380 industrial motor that they used in the Euclid rear dumpers?? It was also a twin sticker, probably Spicer, and had the extra heavy back end, maybe a 55 or 63 thousand Rockwell??
Chap by the name of Billy Fuller used to drive both the Flintstone and then the Autocar when it arrived. Bill would probably be well and truly retired by now, if still around.

This was when they had that yard besides the railway line at Pymble, on the old Pacific Highway just out of Hornsby.

Maybe someone can add a bit, or maybe even have a photo? Was quite a bit of gear in it's day, wonder if it survived?
Cheers, Dave

Dave,
the last time I saw the Abignano Autocar it was painted blue and had just been obtained by Kangaroo Transport,a heavy haulage company in St Marys,not long before they folded.
Kevin Smith who owned Kangaroo told me it was built as the sister ship to his own Autocar,which originally had a Cummins small cam NTA-420 hp in it.
Apparently the Abi Autocar was delivered as a de-rated 420 and only had 380hp from new,but that was only a fuel pump calibration.
By the time Kangaroo Transport acquired the Abi autocar we had already uprated Kangaroo's original Autocar with a reconditioned Cummins Big Cam 400 engine.... and it had been driven from new by a great operator " Russell Miller " who went on to drive for Clarkey's heavy haulage before he sadly passed too soon.
I don't know where either of them ended up...i think J R Bryant may have bought both at the Kangaroo receivers auction but I'm not sure......I too would love to know where they ended up.
I spent a lot of time crawling around on those checker plate guards peering under the gull wing bonnet......"great trucks"

Newto

Giddy up go, it is a small world. I was the allocator/batcher at Hymix Asquith in 75 or 76,with Doug Salisbury(sarge) as the yardman/batcher. Those Hymix KW's certainly earned their keep.I never saw one of them come in with less than a payload and a half on ! cheers

...Evening olddon,great work,yes a'small worid'...even smaller in transport circles. Would've been around 1982 when I was there...been try'in to remember manager's name,can still picture metallic brown Sigma he drove with 'HY ###' plates. Think'in the yard closed down late 80's early 90's?? All factory units now,infact only clue left is small retaining wall across the street made from 'concrete core samples'...(prob with your finger prints all over it!!) . I know of @ least 2 or 3 old HYMIX drivers in HANSON trucks still runn'in out of KULNURA....M8 I'd like a dollar for every ton of concrete you mixed... . NEWTO....interesting detail...maybe a drive thru 'MINCHINBURY' with ya 'metal detecta' & 'bifocals' might reveal some 'RUSTY GOLD'...?? .

Hello all,
Just in reply to your chat about Autocars, I have an Autocar, with the 420 Cummins engine in it, I was told that it was one of only three built to this spec, but I'm not certain of that info, but just wondered if it was one of the trucks mentioned in your post??? My truck spent quite some of it's life as a tow truck up on the Central and North Coast of NSW, but I don't have too much more info that this!

It was black with yellow signwriting at one stage, (I think owned by Recar), then it was light blue with white stripes, then white with a red chassis which it still is today!

Cheers.

Hi gang
That blue Autocar was a 250 cummins 4x4 or 5x4 anyway it had 2 sticks and I think it had 44 rears. The owner told me it was Abiganos don't know where he got it from. It carted gravel around Tamworth. I think he sold it to someone around the Lithgow area, that was quite a few years ago now. Thinking back it may have had a cab change and was yellow because there was rusty cab in the bone yard. Next time I see him I will ask if he remembers...

Hello all,
Just in reply to your chat about Autocars, I have an Autocar, with the 420 Cummins engine in it, I was told that it was one of only three built to this spec, but I'm not certain of that info, but just wondered if it was one of the trucks mentioned in your post??? My truck spent quite some of it's life as a tow truck up on the Central and North Coast of NSW, but I don't have too much more info that this!

It was black with yellow signwriting at one stage, (I think owned by Recar), then it was light blue with white stripes, then white with a red chassis which it still is today!

Cheers.

Hi Phoenix,
well thats an interesting addition to the Autocar story.
Any chance you could post the engine number and I might be able to trace its history.
thanks,
newto

Hi Newto,
I will chase up an engine and chassis number this weekend for you!......Also please pm me with your email address, and I will send you a pic if you like!....Not too good with the computer thing, so I can't post them!

Cheers, Phoenix

Hi Newto,
Details on my Autocar, are as follows, it is a DC9364F, the cab tag says the engine number is NTA40010507750, the engine tag says 420hp, but the block number is 23122525, (possibly a new block at some stage),chassis number is YRIFUH1077341 diffs are SUDD!.....Hope this helps!

Cheers, Phoenix.