Thread: Researching history of a 1955 Series 1

You're in the right area, I'm sure you will get some knowledgeable information soon.

Well, for what it is worth, it is clearly not the one I owned in the early sixties - that was ex SMHEA.

Originally Posted by Bitzer55

Hello,

Apologies in advance, I'm a complete novice at posting in this forum. I think I may have posted this in the wrong location initially.

We are interested in learning as much history as we can about a 1955 Series 1 we are taking on as a project. So far we have the chassis number (the engine number is yet to be located, but we do have at least 30 years of crud to clean off first...).

We have decoded the chassis number but we are wondering if there is a way of using that number to confirm when it was originally dispatched (presumably from Grenville Motors) and the original dealership it was purchased through? We know some of the vehicle history and who the original owner was and its likely it was originally purchased in Coonamble NSW via Permewan Wright (but Dubbo, Gilgandra and Coonabarabran remain possibilities).

We are keen to put together and document as many pieces of the puzzle as we can.

The chassis no is 57661733.

Thanks

Sorry, my Grenville Motors ledger info only goes as far as 57660800. Someone may have later pages. The engine number should be stamped vertically on the exhaust manifold machined face on the block immediately in front of the exhaust manifold. (tiny number stamp used) My son has an earlier 1955 model CKD RHD 107 chassis 30 ? I think. Engine block casting dated 7/54 and all Lucas items dated 8/54, so a very early '55 model. These date stamps can be helpful. Yours is a later '55 107. Is there any weight/owners name on the RH front wing still? That info can also be very helpful if still visible. We had great service for engine parts from Cox & Turner in the UK and JP Pistons in AUS. These '55 spreadbore engines have the 11/16" piston pins whereas the '56 on engines have the 7/8" pins. We found out the hard way.
Anybody need a set +0.030" 7/8" pin piston assemblies? 5380

Originally Posted by 5380

Sorry, my Grenville Motors ledger info only goes as far as 57660800. Someone may have later pages. The engine number should be stamped vertically on the exhaust manifold machined face on the block immediately in front of the exhaust manifold. (tiny number stamp used) My son has an earlier 1955 model CKD RHD 107 chassis 30 ? I think. Engine block casting dated 7/54 and all Lucas items dated 8/54, so a very early '55 model. These date stamps can be helpful. Yours is a later '55 107. Is there any weight/owners name on the RH front wing still? That info can also be very helpful if still visible. We had great service for engine parts from Cox & Turner in the UK and JP Pistons in AUS. These '55 spreadbore engines have the 11/16" piston pins whereas the '56 on engines have the 7/8" pins. We found out the hard way.
Anybody need a set +0.030" 7/8" pin piston assemblies? 5380

Thanks for your response and advice
Yes, the original owner and property is printed on the side and we have been able to turn up some of their history via Trove and Ancestry so far. Will keep hunting!

Originally Posted by Bitzer55

Thanks for your response and advice
Yes, the original owner and property is printed on the side and we have been able to turn up some of their history via Trove and Ancestry so far. Will keep hunting!

Good hunting! I find the search for this sort of info fascinating! If only they could talk! I was lucky enough to get to speak to a retired farm worker who remembers driving my 80" around the foothills of the Barrington Tops in the late 1950s and early 1960s when he worked for Belltrees Station. It got a bit tired after 44 years and 74,000 miles and was parked under the woolshed at Belltrees from where I rescued it in 1998. Apparently it ran out of brakes and gave someone a big fright. When I got it home and checked out the brakes, I found that the linings and drums were so worn that one of the front wheel cylinder pistons popped out of the cylinder when the circular band of the drum parted comany with the flat mounting face! I'd never seen a 2 piece drum before that. 5380

Finally picked up the new family member yesterday and located the engine number (thanks for the location tip, we had previously been scraping dirt off the wrong face on the engine block). Engine number is 57115902.
I'll figure out how to upload a couple of photos later.

I live only about an hour away and would appreciate the opportunity to have a look at it some time.

Originally Posted by JDNSW

I live only about an hour away and would appreciate the opportunity to have a look at it some time.

I'm sure we can organise that sometime