In VTCM issue 37, there was a review of the various chain drive Mack models that once toiled the roads, construction sites, and mining pits of Australia in the first half of the last century.
Of the four locally-seen Mack types that used chains to motivate themselves, the FG was probably the least known, mostly because of its rarity and application. Only 162 were built in its five years of production and the ones that came to Australia, supplied as material under the World War Two Lend-Lease program, were drab military-focused dump trucks, which made them less known to the trucking industry at large.
So, despite their limited US production, 25 FGs fitted with Gar Wood dump bodies made it to Australia in 1942, ready to build a wide variety of defence projects under the guidance of the Australian Government’s Wartime Allied Works Council (AWC).
While this number hardly registered as a blip on the total number of US-supplied military trucks in the country at that time, it was significant, as the FG became the largest road-going, and possibly the most prolific, chain driven Mack model in Australia. Prior to World War Two, there had been just a few chain driven AB and AC Macks sold for general haulage applications.
This good quantity, and the simple and rugged design of the FG, would ensure its future, and appeal to collectors.
On that score, over the last 20+ years, three FGs have been restored, and three other derelict units are held in preservation.
The appeal of this ‘Flamin’ Great’ Mack has been reignited with this most recent restoration – the last complete unit known to exist here and arguably, the most original of the FG units seen in Australia.
We will have a good look at this restoration, but first, a recap on this special Bulldog Series.
SUPER DUTY BULLDOGS
In the mid-1930s, Mack developed a family of heavy-duty construction-focused models - which they called the Super Duty (SD) range - to build upon the success Mack had with the ubiquitous chain driven AC ‘Bulldog’ Series. This new SD range, known as the F series (FC, FG, FH, FJ, and FK) was introduced in 1936, and still used chain drive but with greater carrying capacity. The first of the then-new diesel engines were fitted in some models.
The FG Series was the first of the Super Duty Series to arrive in Australia. These tough left-hand drive 4x2 dump trucks were reasonably large trucks in their day, with a 35,000lbs (16 tonne) gross vehicle mass (GVM). The FG used a Mack 431 cubic inch (7 litre) 6 cylinder petrol engine, producing 124 horses and 325 pound foot of torque. This healthy (by mid-1940s standards) output ran through a Mack TRDX two lever 10 speed (5 off-road and 5 on-road ratios) transmission. The robust rear drive was mounted as a separate unit between the transmission and the rear axle.
Two large link-type drive chains, one on each side of the chassis, ran from it to large sprockets mounted on a very robust tube-type axle. As well as giving it a tall and imposing stance, the truck was mounted on 12.00 x 24” tyres, which provided good ground clearance. It also had air brakes – so the FG was very well equipped for a dump truck life.
As a sidenote, the next and only other Super Duty F Series to arrive in the country was the largest chain drive Mack ever built. In 1947, six FCSWs were ordered by a division of Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP). With a 60,000lb (27 tonne) carrying capacity, the FC was a huge off-road 6x4 dump truck.
LIFE IN THE COLONIES
In the dark years of the early 1940s, Australia’s need for equipment and resources was somewhat answered by the US Lend-Lease program. A wide variety of gear was supplied for military and related defence needs and by mid-1942, over $US26 million of US-manufactured equipment per MONTH was arriving in Australia.
Based on the archives from the Mack Trucks Historical Museum, US Quartermaster Corps. Order No. FG47 was for Chassis No’s. FG1C1143 through to 1167. The factory delivery dates were June 1st through to July 3rd 1942. They were classified as ‘Dump Chassis’ and were equipped by Mack with Gar Wood bodies, and PTOs. The entire chassis, including chrome parts, were painted Lustreless Olive Drab, and there was no Mack identification fitted, which added to their obscurity.
The design and appointments of the FG were equally lustreless. It retained the 1930s C cab with its ‘removable curtains’ (roll-up side windows). Even the dump body mechanism was basic – a horizontally mounted hydraulic ram pushing on a set of curved wedges, with a strong chain to limit movement.
The order was supplied in partially knocked down condition – for ease of shipping - and reassembled locally by GM-H.
The local use and management of the FG fleet was under the control of the Allied Works Council. This government body was responsible for constructing military works and facilities throughout the country. In the three years from 1942, the AWC spent over £200 million on War-related infrastructure – a fair effort in traumatic times.
One of the first defence projects some FGs were engaged in, was the construction of the Cairncross Dry Dock in Brisbane – the largest in the southern hemisphere at the time. Construction was 24 hours a day/six days a week to get the much needed naval repair facility open as soon as possible.
Incidentally, the photo of an FG working at Cairncross is the oldest known photo of a Mack truck at work ‘Downunder’.
Not all work, however, proceeded smoothly, with at least one FG coming to grief in its dump truck activities. An altercation with a Sydney tram saw it come off second best – much to the interest of the gathered crowd.
A number of FGs also worked on the Garden Island naval facility development in Sydney Harbour. This may have been one of them.
IN THE NEXT LIFE
At the end of the War, the remaining FGs, like most of the other useable military equipment, was sold off for civilian use.
Being robust dump trucks, they were good property but having been engaged in frantic, heavy construction work, you have to suspect that some, if not most, would be fairly tired. It is somewhat surprising that six of the 25 still exist, considering their military origins and likely post-War life.
The focus of this feature – the latest FG restoration - Chassis No. 1150, is the same mechanically as the others in preservation. The difference with this restoration, however, is that the truck was found, and today remains, the closest to its original dump truck origins.
Little is known of its post-War activity but what is known suggests it continued doing tough jobs. Having said that, the chassis and drivetrain are in remarkably good condition, suggesting it was well maintained.
The body fitted on it now is the same as the locally-made and higher capacity units fitted to several FGs that were operated post-War by the Victorian Government-owned State Electricity Commission (SECV). It is believed the SECV acquired these units from the AWC soon after the War ended, along with a number of larger Mack NR 6x4s. The SECV FG looks to have been well refurbished in this undated photo, (top of page) and I would guess the unit is about to enter into its SECV coal-hauling life.
From the 1946 advertisement it appears that SECV had at least two FGs. From the dimensions shown, the bodies for sale seem to be the original Gar Wood units. These bodies would have been struggling with the coal-hauling needs of the SECV.
In the image opposite taken in 1949, a fleet of Mack FG and NRs are working in the SECV’s Gippsland coal pit. In the post-War shortage of heavy mining equipment, these units would have been the best available to do this dirty work. The open cabs used on both the FGs and NRs, combined with rain, dirt and coal dust, would have made it tough trucking for the drivers.
Unfortunately, no other history has been found on the FGs operated by SECV to definitely confirm that #1150 is one of their units and that the body fitted was produced by the SECV. It is certainly very likely that #1150 was an SECV unit, based on the body design and its good mechanical condition.
Adding to this conclusion was its first ‘resting’ location – Nagambie in Central Victoria – where #1150 found a home when a local equipment dealer, who in the mid-1950s bought a good amount of gear at various government equipment auctions, acquired it. It spent the next 50 years or so just parked up. Over time, the radiator was repurposed – to be used on a Tournepull scraper!
Its imposing appearance and chain drive, however, caught the eye of a Ballarat-based vintage truck collector and in the early 2000s, #1150 moved to join a good number of historically significant trucks in his collection, and await its retired future.
Fast forward to 2012, and we take up the next chapter in this rejuvenated survivor’s life - most Bulldog fans will know that the best and largest collection of vintage and veteran Macks in Australia live in a huge kennel in Rockhampton, Queensland. The kennel master, Tony Champion, has a very keen eye and a great passion for old Bulldogs, especially if they have some significant and/or rare history.
Over the last two decades or so, Tony has collected and restored an amazing and diverse collection of Macks, with over 100 years spanning the oldest to youngest. Having a mining and construction background, Tony is especially partial to those Macks that were built to work hard and get dirty.
So the chance to acquire an FG was a dream come true. Of the many Macks owned and restored by Tony, the FG would be the only locally used chain drive in his collection – a fact which added to his ‘must have’ passion and need for this rare piece of Mack history, along with its military history and construction configuration.
Despite languishing in cold damp Ballarat for a good number of years, #1150 was very complete, but decades of harsh Victorian winters had all but destroyed the cab and fenders.
Remarkably, the vital mechanicals were still in reasonable condition, and good replacement tyres and rims were also supplied with the truck – which was a bonus, as #1150 could then be moved with some ease.
After a good check-over, and a new coil, the big Mack petrol fired – an amazing achievement after so many stationary years! It was found though that rats had nested in the clutch housing so the clutch would operate just enough to run the body hydraulics but not enough to move the truck.
Its rarity meant a full ground-up restoration was needed and so, starting in May 2015, #1150 was stripped back down to a bare chassis and the restoration commenced.
The Champion workshop in Rockhampton was well equipped to handle the refurbishment of the dump body, and the simple chassis design allowed Tony, his son, Bernie, and a couple of their talented staff to do most of the restoration in-house.
In this teardown stage, #1150’s past started to emerge from under decades of grime and rust. On the engine cowls, its US military serial number could be faintly seen. Even more apparent was its AWC fleet number. It was welded onto the rear chassis cross member!
The biggest challenges, however, were the cab and fenders – they were beyond repair.
With Tony’s Mack and restoration contacts in the US, he was able to get an identical replacement for the C cab made. Like Australia, the early F Series is a sought-after Bulldog, so the cab design and construction were, fortunately, readily available.
The front fenders, however, were not so easily replaced. The model’s rarity made it hard, if not impossible, to find a replacement set but their 1930s sweeping design was very typical of the era so some local help was located, thanks to the vintage car fraternity.
With other vintage Mack restorations Tony has undertaken, many of the small finer parts are general automotive and he has found a wide range of talented locals that can help with replacement or replica parts. One such contact was a whiz on the English wheel so the fenders were built from scratch!
One of the more visual decisions was the paint colour. The Lustreless Olive Drab was hardly an attractive choice, but since the truck was restored as found, in its civilian configuration, the perfect solution was to match the FG to an existing construction-based Mack in the collection. This choice was then easy – Tony has a rare 1937 Mack Jr, set up as a small contractor dump truck. Resplendent in its vibrant orange, it was the perfect partner for the FG.
So, on a fine winter’s day in 2017, #1150 took its first drive in probably 50 years, around the Champion’s yard.
We are not sure what was brighter – the day or Tony’s smile!
The body and other finishing pieces were soon fitted and once again, #1150 was shiny and new, like it had been almost exactly 75 years earlier.
*Gary Richards.
Photos and inspiration from Tony Champion, Stephen Robson at Mack Trucks Historical Museum, Ian Lee, Rick Thege and Peter Morrow.
