Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

I have a '52 Pilot and was wondering how many more of these are running around? I know of another up in Or. and one in NH. and I know of a chassis in northern Ca. Rough ideas? WAGS?
Thanks
Art b Jr.

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

We're these imported new?
Martin.

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

Did these Pilot's really have brass W/S frames.That would have been a great idea for the USA made ones???? ken ct.

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

I remember back in the 60s, the shop that did most of my Dad's engine repairs had an old French Ford Vedette with engine problems. I had never seen one before or since other than in pictures. That particular car had leopard skin seats so you know the person who owned it spent some money keeping it up. I found out later that it was brought into the US by a person who had been stationed in Europe after the war and just liked the car so much he brought it back with him. I have an old 1947 Triumph TR-1800 roadster that came into the country the same way but it's right hand drive so you know it wasn't exported to the USA.

If it's left hand drive, then it might have been exported to Canada but I don't think they were exported to the USA much due to competition with the parent company here. There were a lot of English Ford tractors exported to the USA though.

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

yes pilots had brass w/frames

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

Did Canada get any?
They would have got cars from Commonwealth countries.

Manuel in Oz

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

I saw a very nicely done Pilot street rod at the NSRA Show in York Pennsylvania last June. I don't know of any good way to determine how many are actually here in the USA.

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

Vid, is the one in NH with Tony Bullard?

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

the pilot pickups are real rare ive only seen one down here and that was years ago

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

There were a few around here, one was sold fairly recently in Waimate. They were all built from sedans, and quite roughly finished around the back of the cab as I recall.

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

This one is for sale on Trade me at the moment.
There is a dismantled cab and chassis here in this town owned by a garage proprietor, and I know of a complete Ford Pilot van, very rare, owned by a museum in Christchurch, who is looking for parts for it, used to be owned by a hotrodder.

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

Have a 1942 Lucas Mech advance flathead distributor that was used in the early Pilots
Very well made distributors - Grandpa brought it back in 46 after WWII - and fit it to his / my 41 Super Deluxe - it's still on there after a recent rebuild!

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

There were always a few around Christchurch ''back in the day''. A relative got one new for taxi use but I think it proved to be too thirsty/unreliable.
I sometimes saw a pickup Pilot with a matching trailer that an old guy [ me too] used for gardening work. Often saw him at the dump offloading [ I am in the same game] but never since the ChCh Earthquakes from late 2010.
I can find no reference to Pilots having been exported to Nth America ; I think they banged out a pre War model because it was easy to sell in car starved Commonwealth Countries.
Ford Dagenham did export other small English Fords to Canada & also to the US for Ford buyers seeking a small economical car. The Pilot would have been laughed off the lot if it had of appeared against the post War US autos.?

I

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

Tony MacAuley Had one when he worked at the Caltex Service station in Stokes Valley when I was still at school and before I knew him. I think it was a greyish duck egg blue colour . Can't remember if it was a wellside or a flat deck. I remember it was flatty powered and had "Lay rubber" painted in cursive writing above the back window. It may have even had the exhaust in stacks like a big rig.

GB

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

Also Pilot grills were diecast and rocks would bugger them on unsealed roads.

GB

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

As I understand it all Pilots were built RHD and ford would not have sent any to LHD countries where they already made a simular car LHD

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

Pilot Pick up, Sedan, and earlier English v8 62 ( stolen off Wikipedia)

GB

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

There are a couple of pics of LHD Pilots on the Net , one is a very expensive Woodie & a Sedan in the Netherlands. I think Dagenham would have sold some in Europe post War, but most were for local & Commonwealth markets.
Someone in Europe may know of any there?

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

The Ford Pilots in were developed from the 1936 to 1939 model 62 Ford which had the V8 - 60 22hp engine, and in 1947 this design was updated, rubber body insulators, bakelite interior parts, diecast grille, and a facelift, and fitted with a 2.5 litre side valve V8. the Pilots were made until 1951 unchanged. The 2.5 litre side valve engine was dropped at the finish for the OHV six which saw service in the Zephyr in later years. Pilots share some 1936 U.S. Ford parts including the windscreen frame, and door glass.

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

All the pilots I ever saw here in New Zealand had a badge on the grille which said 3.6 litre.

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

Read an article that the Pilots in developmental stage had the 2.5 engine but production was ramped up with the 3.6 as you say. The 2.5 in the Pilot was too gutless.

GB

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

more Pilot pics

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

I know of two of the Model 62 (picture on the right ) one in Wanaka .There is one regular pilot I know of up north of Auckland , .

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

I don't know, It is another woody, this I found out from the author of the English woody book

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

Well, I know at least one LHD Pilot woody :) and it was definitely built this way. I have been told that there was production aimed at Continental Europe and Canada due to the English economy being in poor shape after the war
the run was only '48-51 but with the custom bodied cars they dribbled out of coach builders into '53. This shot is from Wavecrest '12
Attachment 166091

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

Some of the export ones, exported from England had aluminium dash boards rather than bakelite. Their was a Model T roadster years gone, that had a narrowed ally dash in it. Can't remember if it was left or right hand drive. May have been Jimmy hibard (valley gas)? If any more Brits remember it?
Martin.

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

Here's a pic of a LHD Pilot and the link.

GB

http://www.oldwoodies.com/gallery-shootingbrakes5.htm

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

Here's a link to English E-pay with a Pilot a v8 62 Woody for sale now.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-V8-Pi...item43c5bb43cf

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Type-...item43c0693b35

GB

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

We saw Lots of Ford Anglia and Prefect models in Ontario in the 50's and 60's. These were 4 cylinder cars and LH drive, and I never saw a V8 Pilot.
Saw this 4 door Prefect this year from Windsor ON, but with OHV 8.

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

There was a 1951 green wagon [a shooting brake] for sale in the April 13, Classic and Sports Car magazine.

Manuel in Oz

Re: Ford V-8 Pilots? How many in Usa???
 

Thats a nice little modded "Defect"... as a mate of mine from school called them. He had 2 ,a metallic brown and a blue one . He took a sweeping bend at speed into the valley where we lived and rolled it over. He just went home, took the body off the other one unscrewed the chassis plate on the firewall and and did a switch with the blue body and drove it around until it died. These were 10 a penny in the 70's down here at the "ass end of the world" and can still be bought today quite cheep on NZ Trade me.

GB