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Old 07-29-2014, 03:15 PM   #1
BRENT in 10-uh-C
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Default Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

Below are a few pictures of one of two Model-A Deluxe Roadster Pick-ups (a 66-A version so to speak) that were cloned a decade or so ago using a Brookville Roadster pick-up (76-B cab) and what I assumed was a bed that someone fabricated just like the bed from a 66-A pick-up.

I knew that Mike Butcher had a hand in the restoration of those two trucks but I never had thought to ask him about them. Mike called the other day so during our conversation I thought about those pick-up and I asked him who built those beds for them. To my surprise he said those were actually factory-built and were called UTEs, --short for Utility. I have seen UTEs of later models, but had never seen a Model-A UTE before the RP/U pictured directly below. Has anyone else ever seen them, ...and did they indeed use the sheetmetal and wood framework from a 66-A Deluxe Pick-up as the foundation for their bed? I have included a factory photo of a 66-A for comparison. Looks like the railing is the only difference. Thoughts??

TIA!!





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Attached Images
File Type: jpg IMG_2711.jpg (66.0 KB, 258 views)
File Type: jpg IMG_2716.jpg (53.2 KB, 243 views)
File Type: jpg IMG_2710.jpg (52.9 KB, 100 views)
File Type: jpg IMG_2717.jpg (41.8 KB, 95 views)
File Type: jpg 31-pickup-deluxe.jpg (70.9 KB, 245 views)
File Type: jpg DSC01882.jpg (68.9 KB, 240 views)
File Type: jpg DSC01884.jpg (56.5 KB, 99 views)
File Type: jpg DSC01888.jpg (53.2 KB, 99 views)
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Old 07-29-2014, 03:43 PM   #2
peters180a/170b
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Default Re: Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

yep, seen one being restored .... It shares a garage with Bruce Bones 400A , 2- 2 door Deluxe Phaeton another 400A, a Deluxe roadster and a few other "A"s' all down under by a very nice Guy who comes to Hershey almost every year..
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Old 07-29-2014, 05:15 PM   #3
BRENT in 10-uh-C
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Default Re: Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

Quote:
Originally Posted by peters180a/170b View Post
yep, seen one being restored .... It shares a garage with Bruce Bones 400A , 2- 2 door Deluxe Phaeton another 400A, a Deluxe roadster and a few other "A"s' all down under by a very nice Guy who comes to Hershey almost every year..

Awesome thanks Pete. It IS a Roadster cab, correct?? Do you know the history on it??


(BTW, cool profile pic of you & Skyler on FB!!)
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Old 07-29-2014, 05:22 PM   #4
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Default Re: Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

There is one difference that I see, the roadster the rail on the roadster is rounded body line and the closed cab version has a second detail area just below. I apologize for the incorrect nomenclature but if you look at the brown rail and compare it to the other one you will see the difference. Other than that they look identical.
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Old 07-29-2014, 06:31 PM   #5
peters180a/170b
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Default Re: Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

Brent , don't know history of truck. I did not go in detail with Ron W. but he would know for sure. Thanks for [like] FB. picture of Skylar and i. Daughter is back at Fort Hood and husband will be leaving for Germany next month with the 7th.
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Old 07-29-2014, 06:38 PM   #6
JohninKuranda
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Default Re: Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

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I have a a book (at home) "A History of the Ford Motor Company in Australia", by Geoff Easdown that talks about the Ford Ute in Australia.
This web page is based on that book - http://www.fastlane.com.au/Features/First_ute.htm
Have also a look at http://www.roadsterute.com/index3.htm

Cheers
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Old 07-29-2014, 07:20 PM   #7
Bick in New Zealand
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Default Re: Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

Ford of Australia, had the capability and workforce to produce a range of light commercial models for their home market. The roadster utility proved popular up into the mid 30s when the popularity of the coupe ute took over. Unfortunately today we don't see a lot of restored ones, as the bodies were easily replaced with more popular body styles, or they were used as parts vehicles.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 1928 Australian light commercial.jpg (19.3 KB, 63 views)
File Type: jpg 1930 Australian Light Commercial.jpg (52.0 KB, 72 views)
File Type: jpg 1930 Australian Ute.jpg (67.6 KB, 67 views)
File Type: jpg 1932 B4.jpg (41.9 KB, 54 views)
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Old 07-30-2014, 01:23 AM   #8
Tudortomnz
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Default Re: Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

The photos of the yellow LHD version is more like a US Deluxe Pickup.
The Aussie Utes were not bolted at the cab, but were a continuous panel.
Model A versions are rare in Australia, due to the hard use they received, but also they had a lot of wood framing throughout.
New Zealand received a lot of the Canadian sourced open cab pickups with the US steel tray & they mostly survived the rigors of hard use.
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Old 07-30-2014, 06:32 AM   #9
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Default Re: Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

I don't have any pictures of it, but my Roadsters chassis began life as a "Roadster Ute". It was an AR chassis, had an open cowl on it (that got sold off separate to the chassis).

The body or i should say what was left of it.. was i think two slab sides of the ute bed, it had a tourer centre piece (for lack of a better term.. i believe it may be the panel between the front seat and rear seating area) and middle B pillar, as well as the "heavy duty crossmember" from the bottom still attached with some bumper brackets.

What was left of the body, truly was not worth restoring. I do however wish i had kept the heavy crossmember.. although i do remember it was rather bent in the middle. It may of been able to of been straightened. Would of been nice to use it instead of a Brookville one but what can ya do.
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Old 07-30-2014, 06:37 AM   #10
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Default Re: Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

Hello guys. I'm in Australia and from what I have learned over the years, the utes pictured by Bick in NZ differ from the American special P/U's with the sides from the doors all the way to the back corner being one piece. As he says, they are uniquely Australian. They were made this way for many years before the American special P/U (in fact, we reckon you guys copied ours to make the special P/U!!!!) There were also lots of buckboard style utes made mostly by owners or specially bodied from new by body making companies.
The links posted by JohninKaranda show the style of ute going back to Model T days. The article about Lewis Bandt suggests that he designed the first such ute. In fact, he took an existing style a little further with his design. Lewis Bandt was my wife's great uncle.
Getting a little off topic, how many of you guys knew that 3 sedans were fitted with fabric covered bodies here early in the depression in an effort to drum up a few sales? There were none produced other than the demo models. I believe one of them survives.
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Old 07-30-2014, 11:13 AM   #11
Jim Brierley
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Default Re: Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

it's always been to my knowledge that the first vehicle designated by ford as a ute was a '33 or '34.
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Old 07-30-2014, 05:16 PM   #12
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Default Re: Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

This months Hemmings Motor News[Sept.] has forsale a 1933 Ute fully restored. no price.. www.hmn.com/1666290
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Old 07-30-2014, 06:37 PM   #13
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Default Re: Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

Bob Johnson's pictures from the 2014 MAFCA National Judging included several of a blue "Ute".
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Old 07-30-2014, 07:28 PM   #14
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Talking Re: Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

Jim, I guess it is a sign of how communications were nothing like what they are now back in the 1920's that the term "Pickup" was not used here (still not in common use). Any utility vehicle like these was known as a "Ute" right from the word go over here but the term is not used there.
As has been said above, these bodies were made here for our market. I know of a couple that survive but they got a hard life and were not considered worthy of preservation half a century ago so they were scrapped in favour of more desirable bodies.
Until recently, about 3 out of every 5 Model A's advertised are Phaetons plus a few Tudors and all other styles made up probably not more than 10% combined. The flood of cars from your country has changed the balance.
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Old 07-31-2014, 01:26 AM   #15
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Default Re: Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Brierley View Post
it's always been to my knowledge that the first vehicle designated by ford as a ute was a '33 or '34.
The first Ford ''Coupe Utility'' was designed & built in late 1933, when Australia first had the tooling to stamp the Coupe roof panels[ they only sold Sport Coupes before this except for some imported '26 '27 T Coupes].
Before 1933, most makes sold in Australia produced a Utility vehicle, but mostly open models. There was a flourishing body building trade since the First W.War due to Govt. restrictions & high tariffs on imported built up car bodies. Most of the open Utes built by Chrysler, GM etc were also nice looking designs, but the Ford ones, especially the early V8's, were outstanding.... in my opinion
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Old 07-31-2014, 06:44 AM   #16
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Default Re: Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

Yes the Australians definitely made their Ford A "utilitys" and later on the coupe utility using ford v8 and chevs. Over here in NZ all our Model A's came in from Canada but there were no closed cab pick ups imported. For those who wanted a closed cab, a standard car chasis cowl guards bonnet etc was purchased from the ford dealer and you got the local coach builder to build a cab. Maybe the dealers also organised this. Anyway so what we call the Colonial Cab Pick Up was born. These are now very rare as early restorers paid little attention to them. All our AA trucks were bodied the same way. Happy Motoring.
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Old 07-31-2014, 05:30 PM   #17
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Default Re: Question for my 'Down-Under' friends. Tell me about Model-A UTEs please.

Hi Brent -

In response to your earlier inquiry, the yellow roadster deluxe pickup is one that I believe was built by the late R. T. (Mac) McDaniel back in the mid to late '80's. If so, it has (or at least had at that time) a set of Kelsey-Hayes adjustable spoke 19" wheels, among other unusual items. Mac is also the one who sold his Model A parts business to Mike back in the 1980's as well - Mike has since built on that business and built it to what it is today.

As to the roadster-pickup UTE, one of Mac's daughters inherited this car upon his death, and it is my understanding that Mike bought the car from her sometime later. As best as I can recall, Mac had represented to me that it was not an original production car, but rather one that he had built from pieces and parts. Mac also had another original closed cab deluxe delivery - it would not surprise me if he had the bed replicated by making patterns and taking dimensions from the original.
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