Customs Cars made into Pick-ups

any pics of the Plymouth "truck" from the front or side view?

 

Very true, but a lot of those that didn't get it quite right doesn't have much to do with making a pickup out of a car.

Here is a ''26 Chevy service body kit:

 

I will contact them Monday -
Like all old chrome plated items there are always many pits whether steel or pot metal. The most expensive part of real chrome plating is all the prep. You can only grind/ sand so much before the parts loose definition. With real chrome plating it's lots of copper layers each buffed out.
What kind of filler can I use that will let me finish like polyester body filler but withstand the powder coating temps.
A pitted powder coating would look as bad as any other shiny pitted surface.

 

This is probably the most often debunked myth of WWII, but it keeps coming back. Ration cards were issued to people, not cars. It didn't matter whether you had a V16 Cadillac or a Austin Bantam pickup, you got your ration card based on your occupation: doctor, farmer, factory worker, etc.

 

Pre-truck side view

 

Ute?


This merc is cool

 

Went a little extreme on this 51 Ford, turned it into a little fenderless truck

 

Short for coupe utility.

 

here's a few I sketched, and a Hudson model I'm workin on...

 

Near Savanna GA. Owner refuses to sell.

 

Ok, so the idea of what is a UTE is somewhat clarified but that leads me to:
Why were they not marketed in the US until Rancheros and El Caminos?
Some history helpful.

 

I think that the two hardest parts to get right on these conversions is the flow of the lines when constructing the back of the cab and the overall visual balance.

 

Proportions often get thrown out of whack by a top chop that conflicts with body height, as well as door length. These two items can really upset the visual balance, as you stated.

 

In my opinion Utes don’t have a good flow or roof lines. Any conversion looks better to me. I’m glad the 57-up Ford never followed that style and set the American trend.

 

Head office would have been aware of what was going on in Australia since the 30's, but why they didn't think of going with the idea in the U.S. you'd have to ask them. I guess they thought they had the market covered with regular pickups.

 

A buddy of mine built at least 4, here are 2 of them.

 

My Sport Coupe was made into a pickup at some time in it's life.

 

Wow that back window treatment is pretty wild. I've never seen anything close to that

 

Utes don't have a good flow ???

 

Here’s some
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/great-depression-homemade-trucks.1156761/
and these two

 

https://www.autoblog.com/2021/01/05/1956-packard-patrician-pickup-conversion/

 

correct

 

My RPU started life as a Roadster and had the genuine 27 T box fitted many moons ago. For $25 in 26-27 you could buy a box from a Ford Dealer, undo a few bolts and presto. You could also buy them that way but on mine there is pitting where the trunk fitted. Also a large number of T RPU's are cut down Tourers and don't have the stamping on the back body panel. JW

 

This 64 was converted to this from a Long Roof by General Motor NZ in 64. JW