Our intrepid NZ Cohort Bryce shot this 1956 Bedford A Series truck, and called it a “Kiwi Classic”. Some of us more familiar with the famous Chevy “Advance Design” series of truck that first arrived in 1948 might call it something else: a curious mutation of the Chevy. The basic cab and hood shape is intact, and I have no doubt the doors would interchange, but from there, things start to get a bit funny. The windshield is unlike the original, with two discrete panes, clearly not looking something that originated in GM’s design studios. The front axle has obviously been set back, undoubtedly for practical reasons.
And the hood now has a seam in it. I suspect the sheet metal presses weren’t large enough to handle the Chevy hood’s size and shape.
That front end is quite the mix of styling cues. The fenders remind me of the 48-52 Ford F series with their 2 piece construction, no doubt due to easier and cheaper stamping but also convient for replacing just the lower half with the new for 51 grille. Speaking of grills the subjects reminds me of the 48-50 Ford in the center with the overall look reminding me of IH’s L series.
I got the same impression on the L Series, which were 1950-52 model year trucks. That makes this a fairly dated look for 1956, especially with the split front window.
Not being burdened with prior knowledge I dropped by Wikipedia to look up Bedford trucks. This may be more rare than we realized. Although it didn’t focus on specific years to any great extent, most of them looked sort of like chevys that had their nose smashed. This looks a lot more like a normal chevy.
Interesting read, both here and wiki.
Not surprising that a Commonwealth GM product had a Chevrolet/GMC North American base, but, obviously, adaptations to the more demanding (then) driving conditions of Kiwiland and Oz. That, and probably body stamping equipment and dies would be adapted/carried on on the outgoing North American model for manufacture elsewhere.
Prime examples: The hodgepodge of stampings for the AP-1 Chrysler Royal, and the 1960 Ford down under was the ’59 Ford in the North American market (albeit with the 1960 style American/Canadian Ford ‘crest’ . . . and RHD!).
Did I forget the overseas only DeSoto Diplomats? Plymouths with DeSoto teeth, trim and tailights?
Remember the first Holden was an adaptation of the still born Chevy Cadet, but with more conventional fenders (vice the bulbous, “macaroni” fenders and Nash-like wheel cutouts the Cadet prototype sported).
Plymouth with DeSoto teeth, trim and tailights until 1959. For 1960-61. DeSoto Diplomat was a Dodge Dart rebadged. http://www.philseed.com/desoto1960.html
And while DeSoto was discountinued after 1961. It runned one more year in South Africa. And there was also Dodge trucks who was rebadged DeSoto in some overseas markets.
We could also mention the 1960 Ford Falcon body who got a longer lifespan in Argentina until 1991!
As for the Aussie Chrysler Royal, I spotted a video showing a 1959 AP-2 Royal
The Holden 48/215 was not directly based on the Cadet — it owed its origins to an earlier Chevrolet compact prototype that preceded the Cadet.
The first Holden was not an adaption of the Chevrolet Cadet. It was actually based on a still-born pre-war design for a small Chevy, which was dusted off when General Motors Holden came to Detroit in 1945 looking for a suitable car to be Australia’s first home grown auto. The Cadet was a later,more radical concept which came fairly close to being put into production before being scrapped in 1950. the Holden first went on sale in late 1948.
Thanks for the corrections. I assumed the Holden 1st gen was a massaged Chevy Cadet as all that I have read about it was that the Holden was a “stillborn compact postwar Chevrolet proposal.” The only one I knew of was the Cadet. Makes sense that there were two small car proposals, but, much like the XP-100 project in the late sixties, the corporation said, “no” (in the case of Chevy’s XP-100 project, GM Corporate ordered Chevy Division to build THEIR XP-100 . . . . the Vega).
That Bedford windshield looks mondo heavy duty. I’ll have to look – did the UK Bedfords of this vintage have the same, ship-bridge-like two piece windshield?
It is a UK Bedford but NZ assembly
The flat & split windshield sections are much less expensive to manufacture and replace than one piece windshields with curves, and rural roads are hard on windshields.
For example 1990’s Freightliner Classics single flat windshields cost about $60. The curved windshields that replaced them in the Cemtury series run about $190. I can see why some old school truck buyers would hold on to the Bedford’s old school split windshield.
Bryce, do you know of where or who (in NZ) has a stock of Beddie engine parts? I am after a good 300 petrol cylinder head and inlet manifold.. Reason:
Want to get more power from a housebus donk. I know Janspeed Ltd used to plane a whole eighth of an inch off the head with Bedford approval, and construct a bigger carb inlet manifold to take twin 150CD Strombergs ex Triumph TR4, but my choice would be to modify the existing inlet manifold to take a Weber 34 ADM (ex Falcon 250), and then free up the exhaust system
At present max revs are 3,400 and power is 115hp – but there is more just waiting to be released with extra compression and air/fuel flow improvements both ways in and out – as she runs on dual LPG and petrol. (With LPG at 99 to 104 octane there is scope for taking off more than an eighth of iron from the head I would say)
Where could I find a good head and stock inlet manifold do you think please? thanks.. Cheers Craig
Not off hand but a guy I worked for in OZ had headers and a 500 Holley on a 300 cube 6 in a TJ flat deck it would cruise at 60mph indicated with 14 bins of pears aboard.
That truck is in very good shape. It looks like it is still punching a timeclock and earning a paycheck.
I was pouring concrete opposite it at 9;30 am it doesnt appear to have regular employment. Most of the old Bedfords are retired now replaced by Japanese cabover imports but these trucks in all sizes were the backbone of jobbing builders tradesmen and companies for decades this from memory is one of the last years of this shape before th J series appeare with its peaked front guards though this shape resurfaced in the 70s once the peaked headlight fad wore off Ill get some shots of other Bedfords as they present thenselves but from being the go to workhorse of the 50s,60s,70s they are rare now.
By the way 214 cube 6cylinder motor 4 speed granny low basicly a British Chevy engine in fact these engines were a popular swap into ols Chevs and being full pressure lube are good for an extra 1000rpm over the stovebolt/blueflame
Do you think it might have an adaptation of the US cab-over cab? Would that explain the windscreen? I would guess the front axle is set back to improve the turning circle and possibly also the weight distribution.
There are still plenty of old trucks running around working, I saw a 75-76 Kenworth semi this morning, that had been continuously registered since new and the stripes etc on the cab & hood were worn through in many places. It had 3 different Caterpillar/CAT badges on it, perhaps signifying the engines it has had. I couldn’t get any pictures unfortunately as I was in traffic.
No, the US cabovers had the same windshields as the regular cabs. This is something unique to the Bedfords; I assume some practical/production reason, but it comes off looking quite crude compared to the Chevy.
S model was the cabover kin to this it too had a spit screen as did the RL 4WD that the Kiwi army used. You certainly pounced on this Paul I went back and shot as I had no camera at work but I only up loaded it last night I had no idea our old Bedfords would generat such interest. We got no US Fords or Chevs from about 1950 some Inters and Dodges But Bedfords Commers and the like were the mainstay
The RL 300 Beddie 4 X 4 troop carrier was a dream to drive !! That truck was so smooth …you just had to take your time over the shifts and the guys in the back never even felt that she had shifted up or down a cog …but some drivers were brutal with them and enjoyed trying to break necks in the back ..and abuse the driveline components …for me ..I loved these machines and drove them as if they were precious Astons. As a reward they allocated me the best and lowest mileage newest RL in the entire motor pool at ATG Waiouru, where they kept this one RL in virtually “new” condition as an eventual museum piece, but they still wanted it driven and maintained per schedule to merit it being in the pool. No-one else drove it while I was there and it was my personal baby – I always warmed her at idle plus 50 for several minutes and let her idle against the stop for the same before shut-off ..every shift was matched and glass smooth, and the throttle was eased …I never had to use more than about a quarter of throttle travel even with a full complement sitting in the back with their range gear. The truck felt as tight and “new” as if it was just come out of the factory. It was a 10/10 honey in every respect. Sometimes factory products are like that, by pure good luck and fluke, every driveline component virtually matched and balanced, as if hand-built. Of course that was rare. Most were 5/5 out of ten if you were lucky . .not to mention Monday morning and Friday afternoon disasters.. the boat anchors!
It’s “discrete panes”.
[/Grammar Nazi]
Those windshield panes are hardly being discreet, eh? Thanks; fixed.
The door window and vent window is certainly shaped like that of the 1951-early 1955 Chevys, and the door’s similar, except of course for the cutout for the fender. But the door handle is quite different. I believe that the Chevrolet hoods were two-piece with a seam down the middle covered by a trim piece, although they were flat at the bottom front instead of the down-turned front corners on the Bedford. It’s interesting how the look can be eerily similar since I suspect that no parts would actually interchange.
These Bedfords were very common in London in the 50s and 60s. Since I didn’t know that Chevy made trucks in those days I always assumed it was British. The two piece windscreen was also normal back then – curved glass was expensive and rare. Read somewhere these were powered by the “stovebolt six” petrol engine, which would make them fairly ordinary. Back then we had Commer trucks running around with 2-Stroke supercharged 3-cylinder ( 6-piston ) diesels, and they made an awesome sound.
In the cab those TS3 Commers made an awful sound
The Chev version also has a two piece screen, but with only a strip of metal between the panes, not a section of bodywork. I wonder whether it is because the army versions had fold-out windscreens?