1973 Kenworth W924: Classic Truck Review

Every now and then something will happen in our life to remind us of who we really are. As a road transport journalist traveling the country photographing and talking about trucks is all part of the job, just another day in the office, so to speak.

I’m very fortunate to be able to see and operate the latest machines, and report on their pros and cons. As well as that I’m able to get up close to some of the slickest custom rigs in the country and occasionally even have a pedal. Then there are all the colourful characters I’ve formed lifelong friendships with.

But on recent trip to Darwin I had just such an experience when I stumbled across an old W-model Kenworth that had faithfully toiled the Top End's bush tracks for nearly four decades, discarded in the long grass down the back of a yard.

It reminded me of the days I’d as a child, sitting next to the old Hume Highway watching the big rigs rumble by. Among my favourites were the W-models, I recall one time a shining new W-Model with an 8V71 came rolling along and that two-stroke jimmy was sounding sweet, the driver smiled and pulled on those long trumpet horns.

As the truck disappeared into the distance, my heart was filled with awe, a lump lodged itself in my throat. A dream was born that day. A dream that one day I would be that driver…

Here in Darwin forty years later, a forklift darted out of the shed with a shrunk wrapped pallet, bound for a half laden trailer under the awning.

"You here for the old Kenworth, mate?" The young forklift driver enquired, bringing his machine to a halt. "She's round the back," he motioned, nodding his head in the direction as he rolled himself a cigarette. "Good luck with it mate, you'll need it. She's nothing but a heap of shit."

Her red-stained paint, faded and cracked from years of blistering heat, was washed only by the wet season's rains. Evidence of the hard bush miles and bush engineers' ingenuity to make do with whatever is available at the time was abundant.

I'd be lying if I said that I fell in love at first sight. With shaking head, I almost turned and walked away. But for some reason Banjo Paterson's poem, The Droving Days came to mind.

"Only a pound for the drover's horse;
One of the sort that was ne'er afraid,
One of the boys from the old brigade;
Thoroughly honest and game, I'll swear,
Only a little worse for wear..."

Like the drover's horse, this old Kenworth had honestly toiled for its master year after year in the harsh Australian outback. Arid desert dunes and saltbush plains care little for chrome and glitter. Every extra ornament and shiny strip is just another bolt to rattle loose over endless corrugations.

The stainless-steel straps holding the left-hand fuel tank had snapped out on the track years ago and were replaced by high tensile chain with rust bands for protectors.

“Not pretty,” I thought. “But at least the tank doesn't roll.”

The heat and constant shaking had taken its toll on the fragile exhaust system, now held up with a dog and chain. The bottom elbow had also copped a pounding resulting in a gaping hole.

An old rusting jam tin, cut in half, formed the shield around the mirror-mounted reversing light, screwed on by one of its many drivers to stop the glare when hooking up roadtrains. The roof lining had been removed many years ago for some overhead electrical work and put in a safe place. Unfortunately, it was so long ago that no one can remember where the safe place is anymore. You better believe it, this old girl had plenty of character.

On the upside, she was shod with 70 per cent cleanskin Michelin tyres, the brakes were about 80 per cent all round. A couple of litres of Caltex Delo 500 had the dipstick level right. The coolant looked more like straight dam water than high tech engine coolant, but there was an ample supply. Apart from a few minor oil leaks, mechanically she looked in pretty good nick.

Specced originally for Peko Mining in 1973 with an NTC 335hp Cummins and a RTO-913 13-speed Roadranger and SUDDs on a double-row frame, she was certainly a big truck in her day. The Old Kenworth clocked up a couple of million miles – yes the speedo is still in miles per hour – for Peko mines.

At some time in her life, the 350 Cummins was replaced with a 385 Cummins from a Euclid dump truck. The 13-speed was swapped out and a 15-speed overdrive was slotted in.

Down the back, dual-speed Eatons now sit where the SUDD's once rode. A Ross power steering system from a 1985 W-model has vastly improved the steering offered by the original Vickers power assisted package, which was leaps and bounds ahead of the Armstrong steering commonly found on most trucks back then.

"Only a pound!" and this was the end -
Only a pound for the drover's friend.
The drover's friend that had seen his day,
And was worthless, and cast away
With a broken knee and broken heart
To be flogged and starved in a hawker's cart.
Well, I made my bid for a sense of shame
And the memories dear of the good old game.

That lump came back and the decision was made, I would take her home. "We'd better find some freight for you," my accomplice – who shall remain nameless for fear of serious repercussions from my wife – smiled as he patted my shoulder in understanding.

Freight out of Darwin is scarce at the best of times, however by mid afternoon he'd rounded up a loaded container and a new trailer that needed to go back south. A double roadtrain, a fitting tribute to this old girl's capabilities.

Before heading south there was just one more thing that needed doing. The driver's window winder was frozen in the down position. While that might be fine in the Territory, it tends to get a bit colder and wetter in the southern states. So, it was a quick trip to Paccar parts for new window winder bits.

The service and availability of the guys at Paccar Parts was remarkable. After quoting the chassis number the guy behind the counter jotted a few notes down and proceeded to a back room, returning a few minutes later with an arm full of parts. He laid them all out on the counter and told us where each one went and to give him a call if we needed any help.

In contrast, my car is six years old and when you go to the big dealerships in the city they tell you to come back next week as they have to order the required parts in. My hat's off to the guys at Paccar parts for their service and assistance, it stunned me that you could walk in for parts for a 45-year-old machine and still get them straight away.

A few hours later, the window rolled up and down freely. The tanks were full of fuel, the trailers hooked up.

In today's transport game where profitability drives the decisions we make, I realised that I'd lost sight of the reasons I had entered this industry in the first place. While making money is always a key factor, I yearned to roam the land. To see this great country and meet the characters that helped make our nation what it is today. To meet the challenge of getting the freight through no matter what the adversity.

Remember those nights when we changed tyres in the pouring rain? Replaced a water pump by torch light on the side of the road near Yass? Chained the middle axle up on the second trailer just out of Dunmarra when a wheel bearing seized?

All pains in the butt at the time, but they make reminiscing so much more fun and added zest to our lives. Yes, there was a certain romance in being a driver back then, wild and free.

A plume of black smoke rose from her chimney as the starter cranked the old girl into life. As we rolled out the drive and the long bonnet pointed south against the setting sun those final words of Banjo's poem came to mind.

"Thank you? Guinea! And cheap at that!
Against you there in the curly hat!
Only a guinea, and one more chance,
Down he goes if there's no advance.
Third and last time, one! two! three!"
And the old grey horse was knocked down to me.

The old ’73 W-model may not be a pretty sight anymore. But this trip is for that little boy whose dream came true, even after forgetting he'd ever dared to hope.

Engine: Cummins NTC 335
Power: 335hp (462kW) @ 1600rpm
Torque: 800lb/ft (2779Nm) @ 1100rpm
Gearbox: Eaton RTO-13 13-speed
Front Axle: Rockwell FE-900 TW
Front Suspension: Multi leaf
Rear Axles: Rockwell SUDD
Rear Axle Ratio: 5.78
Rear Suspension: Kenworth Leaf spring with 6 torque rods
Driveline: Spicer 1700 series
Electrics: Power Distribution Box under sleeper
Brakes: Westinghouse 12 C.F.M.
Fuel: 77 US Gallon
Wheels: Six-Spoke Spider
Bumper: Steel Bullbar