Thread: How many civilian Forward Controls are there.

Hi there!
Well looks like this thread need some new life to it so here I go...

I currently own 2 2B forwardcontrols.

*ADR plated Aug73. I purchased in Jan 1991 from a dealer in Melb that said it came from the ACT. 1 interesting point with this 1 is that it was painted in the ser3 magenda gold colour or what ever you call it. This was the orriginal colour as far as I can see. It had a 2.6 motor in it and a std series gearbox and t/fer not the 1ton/FC one. But it had the 11" hand brake.
I later fitted a Ford 250 cast iron head xflow out of a "F" series coupled to a C4 auto through a Marks addapter to a std series t/fer. I had to go this way due to an army injury so I could drive it.
In 1994 I aquired a proto type tray from a 6x6 perentie from Land Vehicle Spares whis I fitted to it.

*The 2nd 1 I purchased in 1997 is a circa 1968 model from a guy north of Townsville who use to use it as a supply truck in the Weipa area. He had started to rebuild it but ran out of interest. It was fitted with a Ford 4.1 aloy head xflow coupled to the FC gearbox and t/fer. It was well used condition but did have the luxuary cab lineing kit so that will probly end up in the other one. I do have some plans for this one but thats for another time.

I will post their chassie numbers when i next get a chance.

Attached is a photo of my 1st FC before I started work on it.

Phil...

Originally Posted by Phil4280

Hi there!
Well looks like this thread need some new life to it so here I go...

I currently own 2 2B forwardcontrols.

*ADR plated Aug73. I purchased in Jan 1991 from a dealer in Melb that said it came from the ACT. ..

I think that I know one of the previous owners of that one! At least he lives in Canberra and says that he used to have a SIIB F/C in camino gold, my guess that it's about as close as you could get to a PO unless it was a Leighton fleet truck or something.

Diana

i have two 11bs one i got in 2008 has a ford 250 motor power steering a really well engineered vehical it was originaly a garbage truck in the snowys, the other i got 5 years ago in bega rough but with a holden engine it is not a goer but when i get time,

Hello all, an old army mate directed me to this site, cause he knows I own a 2B. I bought it in 1982 and did a lot of research into the F/C. I was told that about 1400 of both models came into Australia. When Eric was setting up the register he rang and said Rover Australia only had record of 13 2Bs coming into Australia!!! I said to him we could probably come up with more from what we knew then, and it turned out that way. the 1400 figure is probably near the truth. The trucks that Eric and I have are "sisters" in that they were part of a batch of 6 bought by the Australian Pipelines Commission and were used in the construction of the first pipeline from Longford ( Gas Plant) to Melbourne. The vehicles had welders on them and were hopelessly overloaded. The gross mass was about 5 tons! They regulary split wheel rims and bent axle housings and were traded in on IH D1310 4X4s in 1971. We managed to track 5 of the 6 after they were disposed of by the APL. 1 or 2 went to a drilling coy, Vic Jaeger built the camper on another Eric ended up with another 1was wrecked for parts in the 70s (managed to find out the eng. no.) and I ended up with 1. There was a strong suspicion thet the APL had 4 to 6 more but no one could come up with anything solid. There is one important feature that distinguishes the APL vehicles and that is the top chassis (the "C" shaped member) was CUT OFF just behind the cabin! A new section was welded in to replace it. I was told by the foreman at Woods & Reeves who traded the 2Bs in that the apprentice ( at APL ) was told to cut the welders off, so he did, complete with part of the Landies chassis. If anyone has an example like this then it would fill in a gap or two. I found another 2B in Gippsland that had the same injury, but the owner was adament that it belonged to National mapping and was bought new, but info collected indicated they had 2 or 3 2Bs so there is a chance that they were a used purchace. The cooma Rubbish truck was bought new in 1972 or 3 by that company.There were quite a few more (about 10 I think in Vic and just over border) in private hands when Eric started the register. Someone also said about 20 or so that came to OZ were re -exported as aid to Asian countries. There are a few 2As around as well Eric has 2 and my neighbour's brother in law has another. There was another that was brought in from Malaya by a RAAFie when he came home. It was used by the Malysian army. It had a hydraulic winch fitted and was owned by a Ray Layity and he sold it through a car dealer, at Bairnsdale, to someone in Melbourne. The cabin roof had a cupola hatch over the passenger seat. The APL vehicles were supposed to have been purchased at ULR in Melbourne. Well I hope this is of some interest regards John

As you seem to be recording all the FC's, I had better tell you about the one I had.
It was a 2B. I got it off two young L-R addicts in Cairns in 1976. I swapped a 109 for it and some dollars. The tray was stuffed and I found the rear axle housing was bent. (ENV) I pressed it straight and reinforced it. Never had any more problems there. I cut the roof in half and extended it and added the back of a standard trayback cab, seatbox and doors. The pillars out of a wagon were used to hang the rear doors. It had the 6cyl engine and I made a custom exhaust manifold for the pipe to go straight back. I used it for a few years running safaris on Cape York, The Kimberley and Central Australia. It seated two in the back and 3 in front. (In comfort) The biggest problem I had with it was the Swivel pin housing flanges and the flange on the end of the diff housing that mates with it. They continually tore apart in isolated places! I eventually solved the problem by making the flanges on the diff housings 1" thick and using series III swivel housings and stubs. I discarded the standard gearchange and fitted a "waggle" change between the driver's and middle passenger's seat. All the positions were reversed but it worked perfectly without any problems.It used heaps of oil till I fitted a sIII
oil cooler. Then it didn't use any. It was a fantastic climber when there were five of us on board.

It broke the uni joint yoke on the front half-shaft crossing a river in the Kimberley, but that was the only one.
I lost faith in it in 1978 when teeth broke off the low range gear in the Simpson Desert while crossing dunes, about where Madigan went across.
We limped out up the dune corridor, fixed it with new parts from ULR. in a bush camp, and, after I finished the season, sold it to a bloke in Alice Springs who came across to the Qld coast to pick it up. Originally, I fitted a thomas winch in the middle of the chassis under the tray
with fairleads front and rear. The winch had a major hernia, stripping the worm-wheel on the north side of the Jardine ford in the Melaleuca swamp.
I replaced it with a Braden winch from a Dodge Weapons carrier. No more problems. That vehicle went places you could only dream of now.
I replaced it with a 101" Chev Blitz station Wagon. Can't tell you where it is now.
I'd post some images but I don't know how to do it here.

Originally Posted by Stormy

Hello all, an old army mate directed me to this site, cause he knows I own a 2B. I bought it in 1982 and did a lot of research into the F/C. I was told that about 1400 of both models came into Australia. ...

Thanks John

Vic Jaeger's SIIB is currently owned by a member on this forum - Oliver1981.

SIIB were not built CKD here and going by chassis numbers of those in existence and the Grenville Motors books there are only about 500 SIIB export market 6cyl and neither the diesel nor the 4 cyl petrol were very popular here so it is likely that only a dozen or so came to each of the state distributors and best guestimate probably less than 100 in total came to Australia. I have the complete vehicles or remnants of 3 only one distributed via Regents in Melbourne.

The top chassis rail cut off behind the cab was a variant built by Land Rover in the U.K. and all mine have this, although they all seem to have been cut back again looking at the cuts themselves. See graphic and bottom right vehicle.



Diana

Hi all again, and thasnks to Diana & the rocket for the info.I really wasn't collecting or recording, all that was done long ago 1989 I think. Eric was establishing the register and I gave him some info collected via some phone calls. I wonder Di if the channel section that was welded back in was the same as the original or was it much heavier. Mine was and it was welded to the standoffs from the lower chassis. aif the vehicle was supplied without the top rail I guess the tray builder did the work.I knew of one 2B in Melb. whose number was 411A and the APL were a sprinkling from just under 100 to about 140. The one I have is 138A and the engine from the wrecked one was 2 numbers below mine so its VIN should have been faily close.The one I have was a 2.6, but it was soon replaced with a 4.4 Leyland and early Rangie transmission. The cab was extended into a dualcab by using a wagon body, very like Rover did with the 110 130. I used the panelvan type tailgates to allow access to the tray from the cab. XD Ford type seats, tripple core crossflow radiator and a moded Ser3 landie 6 cyl type brake pedal box and booster with tandem master cyl. Does anyone know of a power steering box thatwill fit without a lot of fuss? The 4400 has been in there for 26 years and has been trouble free in all that time, and nice low noise level in the cab too. I always hate doing anything to the brakes as they can be a pig to bleed. the V8 gives half the distance again for the same amount of fuel as the 6. About 15mpg in the old language, not too bad for 2 1/4 tonnes. I don't remember too many 4 cyl 2bs even in the UK, I'll check the parts book and see if there are any clues there. The Spaniards had a 6cyl version of the 2.25 l four, would have went like a rocket with the good breathing setup. Not far off the 3.5 in Capacity either. It would have made more sense in the F/Cs i think, a diesel version even better??Anyway enough for now thanks again regards John

Going through old books last night, found the no,s of the FC I bought back from PNG. I found it in 1972 and it had been there a while.
The plate and chassis no 30100065B
Engine no [6 cyl] 30000270A
Gearbox 25211933C
Front axle [Rover] 28601023A
Rear axle [E.N.V.] 30000012A.
After using it here for a while the chassis rusted out so I mounted the subframe on a normal control chassis and sold it with the firewall when I was on the Sunshine coast The original axles etc went with it.
Picture shows the cut off leg I kept off the rusty chassis.I cant remember who I sold it to but If he wants to weld the matching no on he can have it. No 30100065B
Photos of the FC in P.N.G. can be seen in my introduction posts.

Didiman