Hi everyone Can we see more photos of car based panel trucks, they are also referred to as "utes"... '40's -50's -60's -70's...whatever you have...
In oz we dont call them utes, they are vans or panel vans, not a lot of early ones around these days, the holden eh panel van is one of my fav
Hey, Any idea as to who was the coachbuilder of the ute Armstrong Siddley? I've also seen one bodied as a shooting brake, but doubtful it was bodied in OZ! Thanx, Swankey Devils C.C. " Spending A Nation Into Generational Debt Is Not An Act Of Compassion! ''
Bodies were built in the UK by Armstrong themselves .This made an already expensive car really expensive. I seen quite a few of them over the years.. The other little white horror in Ehdubya's post is a lightburn zeta,less said about those the better,suffice to say that lightburn are more famous for concrete mixers than cars.
That doesn't look like an original AP2-3 wagon,is it a factory one ?. In Brisbane ( redCliffe i think) is an original wagon,they made an incredibly ugly car even uglier by making the wagon with a join in the roof. Even the factory ones looked like they were home made. hat roof has a solid line running straight back which looks better. An old mate worked on the line in Adelaide when they were building them and even the factory workers were shocked by the roof line. A real one coukld have looked like this Ghia concept Plainsman of 1956.
OK, so they are not actually called "utes", my mistake... I really love these panel vans though, thanks for the picture...
Well spotted, a friend put on of those on a Mk 2 Zephyr in the 70s. Check out the forward look motif wagon's c pillar, I like the cow hide interior of the Ghia. I remember someone here in the 70s building a lot of one off utes from US fordors, they were quite well done but I've not seen any for years apart from a rough 60 Pontiac at a swap. Someone was trying to sell this New Yorker here awhile back sans 392, I think it was still in the US. Not sure what the 36 for started as.
Ehdubya, on the subject of American cars cut into utes, My flatmate in Auckland in the early 70's had a 59 Ford Custom 300 two door hardtop made into a ute . He pulled it apart to put a big block and supersnipe box into it,then i don't know what happened to it. Some of the old Palmy Nth Rodders may remember it. His name was Steve Gutry. It was miles better looking than a Ranchero.
Shit yeah Moit! These days anything with a tray on the back is called a ute though,so don't take my word...
I have a rough 35 Ford Roadster ute and a rougher 37 coupe ute. Also found the remains of a 33 Dodge coupe ute. Sorry no pics though. Michael
George, it's a badge engineered export 54 Plymouth, probably a ute that's been customized with a Holden roof.
I guess I do not see where it is a Holden roof? the roofline matches the 54 Plymouth cab that the cars is based on. I think this is a factory job not a later custom?
My first post and it has to be about my favorite subject "UTES" they are "great" they firstly are a 2 door, 2 seater (or 3 if you have a bench seat) Coupe plus you can fit everything in the back that's important - the Barby, the Esky (Cooler) as much beer and Jim as you need the dog and all your gear. I have 4 of them 3 of them pictured below... just love them...gotta have a ute!!!
Roadkill, it sort of matches, nothing is straight in the join areas and it looks to be full of bog. Any more pics?
Here are some more shots. The area below the tailgate was know for rust so it probably does have bog (Bondo) but look at the body line that extends from the top of the door frame to the back of the body. Granted they started with a UTE and put the roof on but I think it is factory? The vents on the side were common in OZ to help dissepate the heat. I see them in other panels and in the literature.
It's a holden ( FC ,too flat for a EK ) roof welded to a Desoto ute body. Somewhere I have a picture I took about 30 years ago of a Valiant AP5 ute with a falcon station wagon roof ,it looked more factory than that thing does but it certainly wasn't considerd factory job. All the panel vans here are just utes with a roof added on top and no rear window panel. A common dodge in the 80's was too buy worthless panel vans ( Ave value $2000 they are hard to get stuff into and out of) and remove the roof. Weld in the rear window section and trble your money,ave price in 1988. $14000. BTW the valiant is the most desirable ute although none have been pictured here ...yet. Holden EK with it's rounded roof.
Yes look how distorted it is. It's had some extensive 'work' in this area, most likely where the Holden panels have been extended between the drip rail and swage to match the door rather that a rust repair or a tree falling on it.
FC panel Van. you can the remnants of the FC swaging along the gutter line but the back has been changed to fit the Desoto's rear section. a side veiw indicating the above swaging.
I would like to take a closer look to see if the roof graft is true before I come to any final conclusion. The graft in the roof is at the same location as my ute where they put the 46-48 Plymouth sedan rear roof section in. The rear end of the body line also matches my UTE Here are some pictures of later MoPar UTEs
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