TheSamba.com :: View topic - Melville Engineering steel and pipe 54' rhd single

Thu Nov 29, 2007 2:42 pm

Couple old pics from bigbulli.com

Update 24 NOV 2001

"The single cab has landed. Mark Rafferty and I went to Miami last Friday. What a joke we spent 7 hours in customs, you have to show a passport to prove that you are a US citizen. I don't even have a passport but, we got it back ok. The bus is in better shape than I thought it would be! "

Thu Nov 29, 2007 4:12 pm

rich thanks alot for those pics.i havent seen those before.it doesnt look like that anymore.it looks like a kangaroo sitting down on its but on the door under the iron pieces logo...i am not really sure what it is.i really cant be sure if the logo is still there or i kept wiping off paint and thought what ever.i worked on it with some tequila last night until i ran out of stripper.i bought another 7 cans today and am heading back into the ditches for some more skin burning warfare

Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:21 pm

Wed Jan 23, 2008 2:57 am

disgusting

Wed Jan 23, 2008 5:13 am

Is it a pre A 16" Porche 356 rim I see on the left front wheel? That is a rarity if it is!!!

Wed Jan 23, 2008 1:59 pm

nize wrote: Is it a pre A 16" Porche 356 rim I see on the left front wheel? That is a rarity if it is!!!

Bruce asked me if I new anything about that wheel 'cos it was made in ENGLAND but I never could find anything out about it.

Wed Jan 23, 2008 3:40 pm

looks like it might be an english ford wheel.

Wed Jan 23, 2008 5:19 pm

it says RO&CO made in england on it.???

Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:54 am

gatorwyatt wrote: it says RO&CO made in england on it.???

That sounds like something that could have been on a Ford Anglia. It looked a bit like a Porsche rim from that distance...

Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:57 am

hard to tell, but it might be anglia

Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:10 am

You may be interested to know that whilst there is a Melville Engineering in Queensland, this truck actually belonged to Melville Engineering of Albany on the South Coast of Western Australia - I don't think they still exist, I cannot find them listed in the local phone directory, however, I did find a couple of references to Melville Engineering in the local library history collection though (including old workshop address):
http://history.albany.wa.gov.au/index.php?option=com_ahc&task=details&id=30317

This truck was 'found' in a paddock in Albany.

I remembered a mate telling me he sold an early barn door pick up to the US about 5 years ago that had some heavy hack work and plating done to the bed (before I knew him of course else it would be mine!) and just sent him this link.

He was astonished to see that the early photos were indeed the truck he purchased for the princely sum of a bottle of wine. He is a chrysler man so the car was of no interest to him.

Fri Feb 08, 2008 3:34 pm

kombicol wrote: You may be interested to know that whilst there is a Melville Engineering in Queensland, this truck actually belonged to Melville Engineering of Albany on the South Coast of Western Australia - I don't think they still exist, I cannot find them listed in the local phone directory, however, I did find a couple of references to Melville Engineering in the local library history collection though (including old workshop address):
http://history.albany.wa.gov.au/index.php?option=com_ahc&task=details&id=30317

This truck was 'found' in a paddock in Albany.

I remembered a mate telling me he sold an early barn door pick up to the US about 5 years ago that had some heavy hack work and plating done to the bed (before I knew him of course else it would be mine!) and just sent him this link.

He was astonished to see that the early photos were indeed the truck he purchased for the princely sum of a bottle of wine. He is a chrysler man so the car was of no interest to him.

the hack work continued over here too, literally...it has been seperated from some of its original parts wich to me is a war crime against these vehicles but whatever.tell your mate i appreciate him not getting drunk on behalf of donating his efforts to export this vehicle.

it said albany right on the nose so that all makes sense...very cool for finding info.

Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:57 pm

None the less he was very happy to see that this bus was finally getting some love.

He did not recognise it in the later pictures, only when he saw the early ones as it came off the bus.

Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:53 pm

Pretty damn cool!

Thu Mar 20, 2008 8:49 pm

Any progress on this yet?
You wana sell it to me so I can take it with me when I move back to western australia? I think it should really go back home where people drive on the RIGHT side of the road :wink:

Tue Apr 01, 2008 6:43 pm

Are you positive it came from QLD because there is a suburb called Melville from Western Australia (about an 8 hour drive north from Albany where it was found).

I play my sports in Melville :D but cannot find record of any 'current' Melville Engineering co. either. Perhaps there was one but it has now closed?

Anyway good luck, looks to be a sweeet project!! 8)

Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:21 pm

nice single.

Update?

Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:48 pm

Quote: Are you positive it came from QLD because there is a suburb called Melville from Western Australia (about an 8 hour drive north from Albany where it was found).

Have a look at my post a few lines up. Melville Engineering were a steel manufacturing mob from out of Albany for many years, though I think they have now folded. He said he also found 'Albany' on some of the OG signage...Seems this truck spent pretty much it's whole life in Albany until it was sent to the US.

[/quote]

Wed Apr 02, 2008 9:47 pm

the update on the truck is the fellow that is to weld it up is got a few jobs lined up and we are all taking our turn at getting things done as it is a hard thing to find when some one does things right.i have also spent quite a few hours finding and peicing it back together as far as all the things missing when i bought it...

i found on the nose albany and melville it looked like on the other side...

still nothing with the 16s ,noone has also turned up a useable or buyable engine block...progress is slow but i will continue to go further with it.

Wed Apr 02, 2008 11:20 pm

no luck on the engine case yet? damn.