Holden body

[Tony Press]

[quote pid='10733' dateline='1527302638']
From what I can gather my vehicle is most likely a late 1927 chummy made by Melbourne motor body builders, I believe the first owner was a lady in carlton and that it originally had a yellow stripe where the swage line would be. It currently has lucas king of the road headlights which I dont know if they are original, however they have always been mounted on the guards.

Does anyone have any information about Melbourne body builders that could be used to support this theory?

One other thing that might be worth mentioning, My vehicle has an aluminium scuttle with a raised join to the steel rear section at the bottom of the doors. 

Thanks, Luke

[/quote]

Luke,

You haven't mentioned the engine number or chassis number of your Austin Seven, which will help date it. 

The engine may not be original but if it is it would be within a few hundred of the chassis number.

For a 1927 car they should be roughly between 30,000 and 50,000.

 As well as Holden and Company and Melbourne Motor Body Builders, other Australian Austin Seven body builders include J W George Melbourne , William Green Sydney,  New South Wales Motors, James Flood Melbourne, A Robinson and Company Sydney, Properts Motor Body Company Sydney, Latrobe Motors Melbourne (who I believe had others build the bodies for them to sell as Latrobes).

Below is the later Holden ID plate fitted to cars in 1929-1930


  csm_Holden_badge_2_a82b44a499[1].jpg (Size: 19.45 KB / Downloads: 222)

My knowledge of Melbourne Motor Body Builders-

Tarrant Motors started selling cars in Victoria during the first decade 1900’s with several operating subsidiaries including Smith’s coach building business in Queensbridge Street, South Melbourne in 1903. Four years later the motor body department moved to larger premises in Exhibition Street, Melbourne and adopted the name “Melbourne Motor Body Works”. In 1909 larger premises in Lygon Street were acquired when contracts were obtained from Fords. There followed further expansion with a new factory at 149 Lonsdale Street Melbourne during the First World War.
In 1925 Ford built their own plant at Geelong and ‘Melbourne Motor Body Works’ returned to the manufacture of bodies for a range of British and American car chassis. In 1929, the trade depression hit hard and a workforce of 400 fell to just 40.
I assume that around this is time they combined with Holdens .
Apparently in February 1930 the company changed its name to Ruskin Motor Bodies Ltd. of Dudley Street, West Melbourne.
As “Ruskin Motor Bodies Pty Ltd,” bodies were made on chassis for Morris Motors Ltd. and Hudson Terraplane, these two accounting for much of the firm’s production up to 1939.

Cheers, Tony.