That black channelled 34 Ford Coupe is owned by Lynn Arrowsmith, he built it in the early 60's and it still runs the 318 Poly V8 that he installed when built, originally it was a turquoise blue, unchopped.....when painted black in the 1980's he chopped the top....but kept the bits taken out........and the original manufacturer of this Ford Coupe?.............the Ford Motor Co. of Australia, Geelong Victoria.
The rib just below the rain gutter on the roof is still there. It is an extension of the body line from the top of the door and would have taken a lot more work than a backyard customizer would have done. On the UTE it fades into the roof behind the door. I suspect by PV (Panel van) side panels you mean the little vents on the side? These were used on the 46 Dodge panel shown below and would be needed on any panel to help vent the hot air. the rear quarters in all photos are 1954 Plymouth and the rear quarter work above the fender to the seam matches my UTE. I did not argue the fact it had Holden tail lights when it was black but the rear quarters are still Plymouth and the Holden light somewhat fit the same area when turned upside down. I am arguing that the work was done by a custom shop not someones back yard the question is, "was it done by the same shop that did the conversions on the UTEs?" All the Desoto, Dodge and Plymouth UTEs of this era started life as 4 door sedans and were converted by the factory either in house or in a outside custom shop. I suspect the same shop did the work to make this panel. My question is if it was a factory order or a customer order? I have a lot of factory to dealer correspondence from this era. and in none of the notices do they mention a panel but they often mention the UTE.
Roadkill, the rib you refer to looks like a rat's arse to me, particulary the left side in the second shot you posted ...but I was referring to the five ribs running across the top of the roof, the panel is humped between each suggesting they're covering joints and they've vanished when it's turned yellow. If you still think this is the work of a professional perhaps you'd be interested in investing in an Alice Springs beachfront timeshare apartment
Sorry not a coupe ute. More or less a C-cab. see the roadster doors? Roadster utes have been around since the mid 20s. The coupe ute which was an all weather vehicle and is credited with being designed by Lew Brandt.
...credited by who? sorry C-cabs don't have doors and you know roadsters don't have tin tops, more or less a coupe
I said more or less a c-cab. Credited by who? I pulled the name Lew Brandt out of thin air to fool everyone to the fact that I in fact designed it even though I wasn't born for another 48 years. Look up the history of the Ute. historians credit Lew Brandt as the designer of the first Coupe Ute. Why the picture of a Sulphur Crest Cockatoo? Did ya mean to post a pic of a Galah?
The lines you are talking about are still there when yellow just harder to see. My contention is that the rib I am referring to would not have been continued along the roofline by a backyard shop and would have been left flat. The shop that converted the UTEs for the factory left the rear door opening structure in place and just welded/leaded in a piece of steel in the opening rather than reform this area behind the cab and can be seen if you remove the inner bed panels. How they would have extended the roof line without being able to use a stamping like the 46-48 Plymouth sedan stamping used to make the UTE rear cab roof is a good question. The UTE was not a high production model that would have allowed for special tooling to stamp out body panels and the panel van would have been even fewer, I would like to examine the panel in person, hell I would like to own it because I like the way it looks! But I don't see that happening. PS I know where Alice springs is located without looking at a map.
Jimmy I'm familiar with the Lew Brandt Story as it's so widely parroted as gospel, hence the cocky but a Galah is apt . It's hard to imagine that it took at least 25 years for someone to put a closed cab on a station utility with the hundreds of coachbuilders about at the time and the government going to lengths to foster the local motor industry. If you search the papers you'll find many stories like the famed 'church on sunday, pigs on monday' Ford one and descriptions of passenger car comfort and truck utility. Take a look at the body styles described in the 1933 Ford ad below and you'll see there's something wrong with the Lew Brandt Story timeline but these 31 Chevs should really rock your faith in 'historians' I seem to remember Lew couldn't find a 34 ute to restore and ended up building one from a coupe which is why the bed is shorter.
Had a couple of 56 Mainline utes over the years, cool cars, one had a split-back drivers seat and a rear seat, could hold 5 people.
This little red Anglia came from Oz in a small box. After all the wood had been removed there wasn't much left. The body was just a flat stack of metal panels and the firewall, along with the windshield frame and the curved quarter panels that wrapped around the back of the body behind the seat. The rear fenders are widened Prefect sedans and the box was custom made. It was powered by a Older Datsun pickup 4-banger.
That Anglia looks great. I am assuming it was a roadster pickup style conversion built. Whoever did the work on this one, Nice job .
To be pedantic b-bob, that's not actually a ute. The body and box need to be a single unit. Actually, I take that back, it's not being pedantic, it's just a fact.
X38 is correct a true Utility has the back as part of the Cab after all the original name was a 'Coupe Utility' when Lou Bandt designed it. As an example the existing model and last of the Falcon Utes is more of a pickup as the bed back is not built as part of the cabin. That Anglia is a Pickup. This is an Anglia Ute.
You would know a lot more about them than I do. My late friend and owner always called it a ute, this one originally had a wooden box.
My old man has at least one fullsize Ford ute for every year from '54-'59. He's decided he doesn't like the Aussie commercials and is currently in SD picking up his '56 Courier.
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