History of Ford in Australia

[mercman from oz]

Ford Motor Company of Australia produced many cars in the Early Ford V8 era that differed from the cars released in the USA. Of particular interest are the Utes, an abbreviation of Utility that were offered in both Open & Closed models.
For those of you who would like to read more on Ford Australia's History, the book "The History of Ford in Australia" was published in 1986 & is still available from the Publisher. This Book was produced by Eddie Ford, the Editor of Restored Cars Magazine in Australia in conjunction with noted Author Norm Darwin.
This Book has 224 Pages , 1,100 Photographs including 83 in Colour & measures 8 & 1/4" x 10 1/2" & covers the early history from 1904-1908 up to the then current Ford Falcon. It is available in both Soft or Hard Covers.
For further information, contact Publisher Eddie Ford by Fax on 613 5476 2592 or email him at [email protected]

[Tudortomnz]

That is a very informative older book, tons of era photos. But the section they discuss early Ford in New Zealand is not accurate or well researched.
For that you need to read Ford Ahead, Ford in NZ by R. Gardiner.

[koates]

Hi Tudortomnz, Maybe you could briefly describe which part of page 89 is not accurate or well researched. It is only one page which gives an overview of Ford in NZ. I have tried to get that book on Ford NZ but had no luck. I guess its out of print. Thanks. Regards, Kevin.

[66miles]

Sounds like both books would be a great read! I've read quite a few pictorial histories on Ford in the US including a great one on the Rouge Plant but it is much harder to find mention of Fords little cousins in this part of the world. My '47 Merc was assembled at the Ford plant in Porirua NZ. Sad to say Ford ended assembly in NZ years ago. Also just as sad to say Ford will end Aussie production in a couple of years. Some great cars have come out of plants on both side of the pond!

[Tudortomnz]

Hi Kevin, yes it is just one page. I do not know why it was put in as the Ford story in NZ had little relation to Ford Australia in the pre War era, until Falcons, Fairlanes etc [ & some Mainline Utes in the '50's] were sold in NZ.
The piece says Standard Motor Bodies, Wellington, built car bodies as per all the body builders in Australia that supplied Ford there until 1926. That is not so, as most Fords [ T, A early V8] had Canadian sourced bodies as is evident by the photos shown. In fact all Model A's & pre 1936 V8's in NZ had bodies built in the Ontario Plant & have Ontario stamped numbers. There was no duty tax put on imported built up cars like in Australia until the mid Thirties when all the assembly plants started up in NZ. Standard Motor Bodies only made some cabs & bodywork for commercial chassis which was common practise in nearly every market in that era.
A lot of the confusion about Ford in NZ stems from the Model T era, where the local Agent & distributor, Colonial Motor Co, fully assembled T's after 1921. This was not complicated , as Canada supplied CKD kits, but their facilities could not fully assemble Model A's/early V8's [ no electric welding for body building & different plant layout required] & the cars came in as semi built up units from Ontario until the Ford Plant opened in late 1936.

I was lucky to buy my copy of History of Ford in Australia at Ford Discovery in Geelong before it closed. Still can not forget the 1934 Coupe Ute there built by Lew Bandt.
Cheers.
.

[mercman from oz]

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TUDORTOMNZ made mention of the 1934 Ford Coupe Ute that he saw in the Ford Discovery Centre, in Victoria. (since closed up) This Ute was/is an absolute disaster, as it was made as a retirement present for the designer of the original Ute. This Ute started out as an Australian Sedan & they cut & shut until they came up with a car that they could call a Ute. Unfortunately, not much thought went into this project, as nothing on this created Ute matches the original.
For starters, as Ford Australia used a modified 32 Ford Sedan body as the basis for the 33/34 Ford Sedans, the doors continued on with the wide full length molding as per 1932. On the true 33/34 Fords, this molding was much narrower.
As some body panels were imported from the USA, like Roadster rear quarter panels, which had the narrow moldings, Ford Australia had to use a front door that was different from the one that they used on the Sedans. Therefore, the Doors from the Sedans are completely different to the doors that were used on the Coupes & Coupe Utes. Furthermore, the small side windows & back window on the genuine 34 Ute are the same as the local Coupes. The recreated Ute uses the complete back section from the Sedan, as well as the sedan doors, & from there, the design just gets worse. Check out the photos of the Lew Bandt 6 wheel equipped 34 Ute (cream colour) with the photos of the genuine 1934 Coupe Ute (green), & you will see how wrong this car really is. Unfortunately, the staff at the Discovery Centre promoted this recreated Ute as an Original, & many people have accepted this fact as Gospel. Nothing could be further from the truth. Actually, Lew Bandt was killed in this Ute & his widow asked Ford Motor Company to restore it in honor of Lew Bandt. It was very badly smashed up. at this time, Ford Motor Company should have looked for an original to spend their money on. A restored original 1934 Ford Coupe Ute would have been a much better way to remember this great designer.
Check out the photos & decide for yourselves.

[mercman from oz]

Just for the record, the recreated 34 Ute was made up as a Straight Side Ute, while the proper restored 34 Ute is a Wellside variety.
Buyers of 1934 Ford Utes had the choice of a Straight Side or Wellside in either Coupe Utes or Roadster Utes.

[mercman from oz]

Classic Carlectables, a Model Car Manufacturer in South Australia wanted to create a model of the unique Australian designed 1934 Ford V8 Coupe Utility, so they contacted Ford Australia who directed them to the Discovery Centre in Victoria where the recreated Lew Bandt 1934 coupe Ute was on display.
They came & took Photographs & Measurements for their upcoming 1934 Ford Coupe Ute in 1/43rd Scale. Some months later, their product was available for sale in Model Shops. While Classic Carlectables have done fine job on the model, including such details as 6 wheel equipment & opening Tail Gate, it is portrayed as an Original 1934 Ford Coupe Utility, something which it is definitely not. Refer to story in this same Thread above.
No Ford Ute had the Tail Lights mounted on long stalks like the Sedans & other Passenger Cars, but they are on this made up 34 Ford Ute.
The personel at Classic were simply mislead by the staff at the Discovery Centre, which is a great shame, as this model could have had great potential if they had of had the genuine 34 Ford Ute to copy in the first place.

[DavidG]

I seriously doubt if any of the body panels or any other part of these unique vehicles came from the U.S. Throughout the early V-8 era Ford Australia (like Ford New Zealand and all other Ford operations in Commonwealth countries except the United Kingdom) was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford of Canada and therefore the supplier of whatever components were imported by Ford Australia (with the exception of four-cylinder engines which were imported from Ford of Britain).

[koates]

Hi Tudortomnz, Thanks for your reply on the history of ford in NZ. Interesting to note that the ford "made up" coupe ute you observed at the now closed Ford Discovery Centre in Geelong, Victoria was owned and built by Lou Bandt in the late 1970s and was built from a 1933 ford V8 sedan. Lou retired from Ford Australia in Geelong in 1975 after 48 years with the company. He longed to own and drive his original design coupe utility again but could not find one to restore so decided to build his own. The old 1933 sedan he found provided the raw materials for his new retirement project. Lou worked for approx. four years on this project and when finished and painted light blue and white with painted murals on each side of a kookaburra (Australian bird) framed in the southern cross stars over the map of Australia it was quite a sight. But it was a bit removed from the original ute design as in the shape of the rear of the cabin roof which was the back section of that 33 sedan. The ute tray was also slightly shorter than the original ute. Sadly Lou was killed in his beloved utility on March 18th 1987 after a collision with a sand truck near Geelong. He was 77 years of age and on that day was returning home from filming a documentary on the "Ute Story". The ute was very badly damaged (some said beyond repair) and later with the blessing of Lous widow and family the Ford Motor Co and members of the Early Ford V8 Cub Of Victoria commenced a total rebuild of Lous utility. It was rebuilt as a 1934 model which was the same year the first production models were produced. And as stated above by mercman of oz the decision was taken to restore lous ute just as he had built it in the 1970s and not exactly the same as an original 1933 or 34 model .Several coupe utility prototypes were built in 1933 and were 1933 models. Some argument exists as to how many prototypes were built but it was at least two and could have been as many as five. One very rare 1933 prototype 4 cylinder coupe utility still exists today in as found condition and funny thing about it the rear of the cabin roof is different to all the production models and lous own rebuilt ute as well. Its serial number suggests it could be the first prototype. Best regards, Kevin.

[mercman from oz]

Here is a picture of Lew with his Ford Ute.

[mercman from oz]

This is a copy of the original Blue Print for the 1934 Ford Coupe Utility. This is what the production 34 Utes looked like.

[52merc]

66miles your car was built at the seaveiw plant petone not porirua

[66miles]

Thanks 52merc! I guess you can tell an Aucklander who cant tell his Porirua's from his Petone's. Point noted. Thanks again.

[Graeme / New Zealand]

Another book is "A history of the Ford Motor company in Australia and New Zealand. written by Geoff Easdown. Golden Press 1987

GB

[Tudortomnz]

Great comments on Ford Australia Utilities.
I realise the one I saw at Ford discovery, made up by Lew Bandt & Ford apprentices, was a recreation of the first prototype done by Lew in I think 1933. That first proto was itself done from a Sedan just as last one which Lew was killed in returning from an event in Victoria. It is interesting to hear that this first proto may still exist. The production models had a different roofline & quarter window, like the Aussie Coupe top. After the Utility was restored following the crash, it certainly looked superior to the pictures of it done by Lew & the apprentices.
Whether Ford Australia imported any panels for the '33 '34 models is up for debate as they were all set up to produce just about anything they required ; that was the whole point of having the Geelong Plant & the reason the govt. allocated land there & use of the port. But I have read in the excellent Restored Cars magazine in an interview with Lew Bandt that they did sometimes import doors [ '37 Cabriolet] in the late '30's & modify them for their production models. He used to go to Detroit during at least the 1930's, especially after Henry Ford saw what Geelong could do with the unique Utility models.

[trevo]

Very interesting downunder stuff good on you guys!

[mercman from oz]

As I don't live in Victoria, where these old Fords were manufactured, I have to rely on what I read. Before the actual design for the 1934 Ford Coupe Ute was established, I guess that it is reasonable to suspect that some Prototypes still exist? While the Coupe Ute was not officially available in 1933, Ford were manufacturing the Roadster Utes, which were continued up to & including the 1938 model. The first production 1933 Ford Roadster Ute would have had the Body Number 40LD1. (Model 40 is what the 33 & 34 Fords were know as, plus LD for Light Delivery)). Similarly, the first 33 Sedan would have had the Body Number 40S1. (S for Sedan). As regards the Prefix LD of the Body Number, both the Open & Closed Utes started off with 40LD, followed by the production number of each utility.
All told, there were 1387 of the Model 40 (33/34 Models) Utes in Open & Closed models made.
Now, as has been established, the Production 1934 Coupe Utes were based on the Australian Coupe. Now, when the 1933 Coupe was first released in Australia, they were actually Sports Coupes & are unique to Australia.
Some months after the Sports Coupe were released, Ford started production of the Coupe, which had Five Windows, but differs in all areas from the American model. The Sports Coupe was then discontinued.
Now, it is believed that the first Coupe Ute was based on the 1933 Ford Sports Coupe, & there are pictures on pages 18 & 19 of this Prototype in Larry O'Toole's excellent book, "The Good Old Aussie Ute" which is still available from Graffiti Publishing in Victoria. Ford Utes from other years are included in this 260 page book, as are Utes from the other manufacturers. It is a great book.
This Prototype bares the Body Number 40LD161 & there are no small side windows behind the Doors & the Roof Line is very Boxy.
That is because the Sports Coupe from which it was derived didn't have side windows behind the doors, so they just made a roof to suit the body.
You may wonder why a Prototype would have such a high Body Number as 161? Well, this would have been the 161st Ute made, presumably, all lower numbers would have been the open or Roadster Ute.
This Prototype 40LD161 has Coupe Doors, which is consistent with the production 1934 Ford Coupe Utes. To sum up, to surmise that the original Prototypes were made from Sedans does not seem to hold water.
Any further information about these fascinating Utes would be appreciated.

[turnpikecrusier]

Great reading guys! I'm ordering books today!

[HamerAuto]

A very good book. Long live the ute.

[Old Col]

.....did someone say "sports coupe?".....here's one I prepared earlier ( much earlier)...



....I have some other pics of it that I'll chase up a bit later,plus there's a few others of Fords peculiar to Oz.....regards,Col.

[Old Col]

I know this is slightly o/t, not being a V8....but we also had "little Fords" and I thought that it might be interesting to someone on here to see.....



....here's the other Sports Coupe pics ,quality is a bit poor as they are old pics from when I restored the car and then later on they were scanned on to Photobucket....







....the car is factory original and was restored for owner Ian Watson about 20 years ago ,and is one of two that he owns....the other is a stock bodied car he's had since about'58 , runs a 289 and C4, dropped axle with discs and a 9" rear axle.....built that one for him as well, about 35 years ago.....he keeps things These cars were built on a full timber frame unlike their US counterparts , so no steel floor or body structure at all. Makes the resto a bit of a challenge at times.....

...hope it's OK with Mercman to add this stuff here ,if it's problem just let me know,cheers, Colin.

[66miles]

What is the little white coupe in the first photo? Beautiful looking car.

[FlatheadTed]

David G You would know more than I would ,but did Canada did a panel stamping plaint in 1934 ,and were panels sourced across the river ,

Originally Posted by DavidG

I seriously doubt if any of the body panels or any other part of these unique vehicles came from the U.S. Throughout the early V-8 era Ford Australia (like Ford New Zealand and all other Ford operations in Commonwealth countries except the United Kingdom) was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford of Canada and therefore the supplier of whatever components were imported by Ford Australia (with the exception of four-cylinder engines which were imported from Ford of Britain).

[mercman from oz]

This 33 Sports Coupe attended the 12th Australian Early Ford V8 Nationals in South Australia in 2010. They are very rare cars.
Classic Carlectables did make a lovely model of these cars in 1/43rd Scale.

[mercman from oz]

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Col, Please add extra your great photos to this Thread. The more the better.
all very interesting.
Regards Mercman <><

[mercman from oz]

Here are some pictures of Classic Carlectables 1933 Ford Sports Coupe. It is a delightful model in 1/43rd Scale. It was released during 2003 to celebrate 100 Years of the Ford Motor Company. They are also available in Blue. They are all Numbered & come in a nice Box, & are still available at reasonable prices on Australian eBay.

[Old Col]

Hi Mercman, they scaled that model from Ian's Sports Coupe

.....and the little white Coupe is an CX model Ford , same running gear as Prefect /Anglia....

[66miles]

JEES that coupe looks good! thanks for the pic. Just goes to show. The "baby" fords could be good lookin cars. My wife is a fan of those 4 banger Fords, and especially loves the early 50's Zephyrs!

[mercman from oz]

Hi TUDORTOMNZ, can you please add a picture of the cover of the Ford Book that you recommended entitled "Ford Ahead, Ford in NZ" by R. Gardiner.
I tried to Google this Book but it came up blank?

[mrtexas]

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Sear...d+in+Australia

[Bick in New Zealand]

Here is a link to the book Ford Ahead by Roger Gardner :http://www.allteams.co.nz/motor-pioneers/for-sale/

[Bick in New Zealand]

I photographed this '36 ute at the Marrickville railway station, Sydney, in 1975. It was parked there most days.

[mercman from oz]

Thanks Bick from NZ for the Link & the Picture. I have contacted Roger.

[DavidG]

Ted,

Yes, Ford of Canada had its own stamping capability, but like Ford U.S., it would be devoted to the closed body types in the '33-'34 model years. The stamping work for most, if not all, of the requirements for the three North American open car body types was outsourced.

[HamerAuto]

I have been told that the roadster and phatean bodies were imported from the us the 3 window and cabriolet were outsourced in canada and the rest were built in canada by ford.

[mercman from oz]

The only body styles that Ford Australia offered in 1933/1934 were the Sedan, (4 door only) Sports Coupe in early 1933 (refer to great pictures of these rare Sports Coupes earlier in this Post) These Sports Coupes were replaced by the Coupe, (5 window body). We also had Roadsters, Phaetons, Roadster & Coupe Utes in Straight Side or Wellside.
While the Cowls were imported, Australia built their own bodies matching up with these imported Cowls. All Australian 33/34 Ford are built on a Wooden Floor. The only part of the Floor that is Metal is under the rear seat. Because of this Wooden Floor, you don't sit down as low as you would in an car with the full steel floor.
Because of this extra height, Ford Australia added Spears beneath the "D" Mold under the Doors & above the Running Boards. The Utes didn't get these "Spears", so the Chassis was painted Body Colour. (however, some photos of these Utes when they were near new have surfaced showing some Utes with these Spears?)
As this "D" Mold at the bottom of the Cowl takes a different direction on Australian models because of the Wooden Floor, Ford Australia had the "pie-cut" the sides of the Cowl, so that the "D" Mold could follow the higher route of the relocated "D" Molds under the doors.
It is believed that the Rear Quarters on the Roadster & Coupe were fully imported. These Roadster Rear Quarter Panels were lengthened when used on the coupe, to fit the Coupe with their shorter doors.

[Old Col]

Originally Posted by HamerAuto

I have been told that the roadster and phatean bodies were imported from the us the 3 window and cabriolet were outsourced in canada and the rest were built in canada by ford.

...then they told you wrong,my friend . All the chassis ,engines and driveline as well as fenders,grilles,and some other items were imported into Australia through Ford Canada ,then the bodies were pressed and assembled here at the Geelong plant. The reason for this was that Canada was part of the British Empire , as were we here, and import tariffs favoured British Empire countries. We didn't have the full model range that was available to the USA ,possibly this had much to do with our smaller population. Aussie bodies are often easily distinguished from the US counterparts , like on all '33/34,we have an separate sill panel that runs below the body and fits between the running boards and the body itself....as if they messed up the dimensions and made this as a filler panel. Model 40 Coupes and Sports Coupes were totally different to US cars, particularly in the roof line and windshield shape....the model 40 sedans used '32 pressings around the rear quarter window area....the list goes on and on. Most signifigantly, all of our local cars are built on a full timber platform with all the body framing done in "coach built style"......this was the case until the all steel '35 year, excepting for the 28/29 Tudors which were on the US steel platform for some unknown reason....and we did not have Tudors from 28/9 until 1939, or any 3 window Coupes of any year ( though you could argue the Sports Coupe we had from A thru early'33 only have 3w......)....but we did have some unusual models that were available nowhere else in the world , like the Utes and Panel Vans , '39 and '40 Slopers ( Tudors) , the '33 Sports Coupe, plus a few oddities made during the War like the open topped Pickup cabs and the 1/2 door pickups , and r'h'drive '41 Woodies ( like mine)......so we missed out on some good stuff, but also we have some other good stuff to offset that ....

[mercman from oz]

Old Col, I think that you Post is in reference to Hamer Auto's Post, not the one that I added just before your Post?

[mercman from oz]

As all these 1933 & 1934 Ford Bodies had Wooden Frames, For Australia issued new Owners with an "Instruction on Care & Maintenance of Ford Car Bodies.
Attached are some pages from this little Booklet.

[mercman from oz]

Here are the last Pages of the Booklet that Ford Australia issued to buyers of new 1933/1934 Fords so that they could give the car the proper maintenance.

[DavidG]

Neat pamphlet for DIY door adjustment. The dealers must have wondered why this was given to the customers as they would likely end up with having to unscramble the omelet of owners taking matters into their own hands.

[Old Col]

Originally Posted by mercman from oz

Old Col, I think that you Post is in reference to Hamer Auto's Post, not the one that I added just before your Post?

..sure is, it's quoted atop my answer to him......I would have been putting that post together at the same time as you I guess....cheers....

[Tudortomnz]

Originally Posted by Old Col

..."......this was the case until the all steel '35 year, excepting for the 28/29 Tudors which were on the US steel platform for some unknown reason. ....

Old Col, the 1928 '29 Tudors [ also the Sport Coupe, Briggs 4 Dr Fabric back] were imported bodies, built up from Canada. They were finished & painted at the Aussie Plants. The Tudors were advertised in Aust. as all steel, imported & good value. The 1930 Tudors were not imported as Geelong began production of their Murray based Fordor ; the '30 Sport Coupe was also produced [ some were imported] but the Aussie one is distinguished by the use of the Sedan door, not a Coupe door which is similar construction to a Tudor.Geelong also wanted to produce fabric panelled Fordors & Tudors, but they were not a success & probably too expensive to make; a couple still exist.Geelong sometimes imported one off bodies , probably to aid their body building or maybe just for one of the bosses, who knows. There is the one & only ''29 steel top Coupe still in Tasmania, plus a handful of early roadsters , a couple of Taxis & even a Town Car which appears to have disappeared. There was also one new '31 S/W Fordor but it has the '30 shell. They may have been considering a new Sedan as they were listed in the 1932 Aust.Model A Parts Catalogue but of course no 1931 types were ever produced at Geelong.

[mercman from oz]

Talking about the Briggs Body Model A Fords, my Grandfather bought a Briggs Body Model A Sedan brand new. He lived in Maryborough, Queensland.
My Dad said that the rear portion of the body rotted out, (under all that fabric) so they went to the local wrecking year & found a 6 Window Sedan [non-Ford] (remember that the Briggs Body Model A was only a 4 Window Sedan) bought the rear section, came home & welded it in. after that, it was a 6 Window Briggs Body Sedan. If the car still exists, I reckon that it would cause a lot of confusion with those extra side windows. By the way, it did look very good when it was finished. They really did a great job on this conversion. Just wish I could lay my hands on a photo now?

[FlatheadTed]

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I am with the US sourced camp for Roadsters body panels . And some if not all of the body panels of the phaetons,. This goes along with David G post .Part of the reason for this is that the tooling for Geelong in 33/34 was sourced through Canada from the parent Co most likely in Detroit and was owned and controlled by them .The projected sales could not justify the great expense of independent tooling just for 4 or 500 cars . So bodes were stamped then sourced through Ford Canada,
Quote Mercman
It is believed that the Rear Quarters on the Roadster & Coupe were fully imported. These Roadster Rear Quarter Panels were lengthened when used on the coupe, to fit the Coupe with their shorter doors.

Originally Posted by HamerAuto

I have been told that the roadster and phatean bodies were imported from the us the 3 window and cabriolet were outsourced in canada and the rest were built in canada by ford.

[tub1]

tudortomnz one and only steel top 29 coupe in Tasmania ,do you belive in santa and easter bunny lol mate the hot rodders had it a couple of owners before the present owner ,and the imported top bolted on a sport coupe ,that will throw some shit in the fan

[Tudortomnz]

Originally Posted by tub1

tudortomnz one and only steel top 29 coupe in Tasmania ,do you belive in santa and easter bunny lol mate the hot rodders had it a couple of owners before the present owner ,and the imported top bolted on a sport coupe ,that will throw some shit in the fan

I am going by the Ford Australia records which show one Coupe imported.
This information was published in The Restorer mag. [ Model A] in 2010 from an article by Dave Slater who went to considerable trouble to sift thru the era records that Ford Australia allowed him to see.
The Coupe , described as this one [ I have no proof if this is true], is or was recently on display at a car museum in Tasmania of which I have only seen a picture.
We know US Ford bodies have been imported into Australia since the 1970's to satisfy the Rod market, & lately all the ebay sales for original US cars, so anything is possible.

[Old Col]

Originally Posted by Tudortomnz

Old Col, the 1928 '29 Tudors [ also the Sport Coupe, Briggs 4 Dr Fabric back] were imported bodies, built up from Canada. They were finished & painted at the Aussie Plants. The Tudors were advertised in Aust. as all steel, imported & good value.

....Hiya, I'm not a big Model A perve ( to small for me ) ,so thanks for the info.....I was just trying to give guys on here who might be interested in the offerings of Ford over here on this side of the world , a bit of an idea of what we had available to the general buying public without muddying the waters with the one-offs and special imports. Still have much to learn about A's ,probably only done 5 or 6 ( but as Hotrods for clients), so the specific details weren't a big issue back then.....cheers, Colin.

[Bick in New Zealand]

Here is the car Tom is talking about.

[Old Col]

Originally Posted by FlatheadTed

I am with the US sourced camp for Roadsters body panels . And some if not all of the body panels of the phaetons,. This goes along with David G post .Part of the reason for this is that the tooling for Geelong in 33/34 was sourced through Canada from the parent Co most likely in Detroit and was owned and controlled by them .The projected sales could not justify the great expense of independent tooling just for 4 or 500 cars . So bodes were stamped then sourced through Ford Canada,

Hi, I'm not so sure thats accurate.....certainly the 2 -'33 Sports Coupes I have done had lengthened sections to account for the shorter doors compared to the roadsters ,but the USA 5window we had here last year has much more height in the quarters from the lower edge up to the body reveal pressing.....and as the US body hangs over the frame rails and goes right down to meet the running boards , but the Aussie body doesn't.....then it would appear that they aren't the same quarter as the USA offering. Easiest way to put it to rest would be for someone to measure from the lower edge of the quarter ,behind the door.....and then up to the beginning of the reveal moulding , then have someone do the same to a similar body from the opposite country of origin...any takers?...and photo's of course.....

[48-710]

G'Day Old Col,
Would one of those '33 sport coupes come from the Mildura area ?
Cheers, Gary

[FlatheadTed]

After importing the quarters were cut and the swage stamped slightly higher up ,Before cutting the dimensions were identical to US ones .The lower cowl was pie cut and a patch panel added .
Merc Man
Australians ones this "D" Mould at the bottom of the Cowl takes a different angle ,Ford Australia had to "pie-cut" the sides of the Cowl, so that the "D" Mould could follow the higher route of the relocated "D" moulds under the doors.

The quarters were

Originally Posted by Old Col

Hi, I'm not so sure thats accurate.....certainly the 2 -'33 Sports Coupes I have done had lengthened sections to account for the shorter doors compared to the roadsters ,but the USA 5window we had here last year has much more height in the quarters from the lower edge up to the body reveal pressing.....and as the US body hangs over the frame rails and goes right down to meet the running boards , but the Aussie body doesn't.....then it would appear that they aren't the same quarter as the USA offering. Easiest way to put it to rest would be for someone to measure from the lower edge of the quarter ,behind the door.....and then up to the beginning of the reveal moulding , then have someone do the same to a similar body from the opposite country of origin...any takers?...and photo's of course.....

[mercman from oz]

Mention has been made about the Australian 33/34 Fords having a Wooden Floor. The only metal part of the Floor is the part under the rear seat. The attached picture in the Metal Floor that is in the Australian 34 Ford Phaetons. From here forward, it is all wood, & not shown.

[mercman from oz]

These 2 photos show the inside of the Cowl of an Australian 1934 Ford Phaeton.
You will see this "pie-cut" that we have been discussing. It is more evident in the second picture. This was done on the Imported Cowls to change the direction of the "D" Molding, on account of the higher Wooden Floor used in the Australian manufacture of these 1933 & 1934 models.
Remember that this car is Right Hand Drive, & you can just see the Spoon of the Accelerator Pedal in the second picture.
Some may ask what that Angled Piece that is located just under the Accelerator Pedal is?
It is actually a Foot Rest when driving. This Bracket is screwed into the Wooden Toe Board. The right part of your foot or shoe rests on this bracket. It works out very well. Otherwise, your foot would be "hanging" in mid air.
If you want to see more pictures of this Bracket, lets know & I can post some.

[tub1]

my mate has his 33 5 window coupe in the nude as the moment it has the lengthened quarters as well got a feeling he had another set of quarters that didn't have anything joined on maybe they were roadster .Bick did you see the bit on the bottom of that sign in front of the coupe that said CHEQUE IS IN THE MAIL .

[mercman from oz]

This great book, "The History of Ford in Australia" by Norm Darwin is still available. It is highly recommended reading.

[Rudolph]

Australia did some horrible shit to the cars back in the day, messed with the 34 a lot,

[mercman from oz]

In response to the comment by Rudolph, here is a picture of an Australian 1934 Ford Sedan with 1932 Ford rear door added for comparison. It appears that Ford Australia modified the 1932 Ford Sedan Body to use as 1933 and 1934 Ford Sedans. In hindsight, it was not a good look.