Vintage Vehicle Club

of Australia (1919-1930) Inc.

1928 GUY Motors Limited 

Detailed History of this Vehicle

The vehicle was manufactured bu GUY MOTORS LIMITED, Wolverhampton UK.  It was purchased new by my maternal grandfather (Thomas Quain) in November 1929 from the then agents, Dalgety and Co Perth, WA at a cost of $750.00.  The vehicle has been continuously in the family's ownership since then.

From 1935 until 1944, due to petrol shortages during the depression and the war, the truck operated on 'producer-gas' - a 'non-fossil fuel generated from charcoal produced by burning dried eucalypt wood in controlled conditions on the Quain property in the Dalwallinu district, about 230km north-east of Perth in Western Australia.  The gas producer and associated oil coolers and cleaners were constructed by my uncle, Joseph Quain.

The weight of the vehicle unladen is 1 ton 11cwt and it is powered by a four cylinder pushrod operated overhead valve enging of 3.4 litres displacement operating on compression ratio of 4.25 to 1.  The gravity fed fuel system supplies petrol to a Zenith carburettor and ignition is by Lucas magneto.

The truck is load rated as '30 Hundred Weight' and consistently carried loads, mainly bagged wheat, baled wool, superphosphate etc in excess of two and a half tons.

Whilst the vehicle was extensively restored during 1985 it was however in driveable (if rather dilapidated) condition when the restoration commenced.  Prior to this the cylinder head was last removed in 1944 on conversion from producer-gas to petrol operation.  The vehicles running gear, clutch, gear box and rear axle assembly had not previously required any attention other than routine lubrication and adjustment.

The mechanical aspect of the restoration has involved an engine rebuild, new clutch and brake linings and gear-box bearings.

Over-size cast iron pistons, which had been bought from GUY MOTORS in 1945 and were still in factory packing including small-end bushes and gudgeon pins were used in the engine rebuild.

The fully floating rear axle runs in very substantial plain bronze bearings and the differential is of the overhead worm-drive type.

The braking system, which operates on the rear wheels only, comprises four brake shoes inside each brake drum; two of the shoes being operated by the handbrake whilst the other two are operated by separate linkages activated by the foot brake.

The gearbox has four forward speeds (and reverse) and employs straight cut gears and includes a provision for a power take-off from layshaft.

The front wheel bearings, swivel pins and bushes and steering linkages are original and required cleaning only.  The front and rear springs as well as the shackle pins and bushes required replacement doubtless due to the combination of heavy loads and the condition of the roads on which the truck was used.

The tray, originally made of jarrah has been rebuilt using local ash; the cedar cab, dash, and cabin foot boards are original as are the instruments.  The gear-driven generator, magneto and electric starter are also part of the original equipment.

Recently a spare engine, clutch and gear-box has been discovered and provides a most useful source of potential spare parts.  The engine and gear-box (which are in working condition) had been used as a saw-bench in a saw-mill at Drouin, Victoria.

The Guy is the subject of review (including a photograph) in the January 1987 edition of the English veteran car magazine 'AUTOMOBILE'.  The Guy was joint winner of the Canberra Antique and Classic Car Club's "Restoration Award" for 1987.

The Guy is now registered in ACT as a Vintage Car.

This article has been written by the owner, and presented here with his permission, 2005.