Ill bet you havent seen one of these....

[JeffM]

Introducing my 1930 Colonial cab model A.

Just before Christmas, 2010, i spyed this funny looking model A outside a nieghbours home.
I dragged my mate down for a look, and took the camera.


I catch up with the owner a few weeks later, and he says its for sale. The price is right, so i buy my very first model A.
Back in 1930, importing cars into New Zealand was expensive, so several car makers would import them as "knock downs", basically, everything but the body.
Then local coach builders would build the bodies. It gave them employment, and made car ownership cheaper.
The Colonial motor Company in New Zealand, not only built bodies for Ford, but also other brands.

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/cars-and...tor-industry/3

[JeffM]

Heres how this pick up looked when the guy i brought it off, found it.
It had been tidied up in the early 70s, used for a while, featured in a local movie, (more on that coming) and then sold and parked up.
The nicer pic was how it looked in the 70s, and how it appeared in the movie, "Bad Blood".

[eystein]

Same story here from Norway. We also had many commercial chassis furnished with locally built cabs, and you always see a couple of them at "A" meetings over here. Hopefully the owners can upload some pics.

[Pepsi Mechanic]

Same for us here in Canada ... Our Pepsi AA has a Canadian Cab -- We all have to be a bit different ...... Makes the world go round

[Jack '29 Sport Coupe]

I want one of those! Can you throw in a case of Pepsi?

Jack

[jhowes]

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It is hard to see the pictures on my computer but the door seems much bigger, tthat would be a blessing. Is the cab any bigger so that a 6 footer can actually be driving in some comfort? Jack

[bobpo]

Where do you fellas in NZ and Norway purchase your parts? Do you have Model A parts suppliers in your country or do you have to order from suppy houses in the US?

Just curious..

[JeffM]

Awesome to see that more countries did this. This is why i titled the thread as i did. Figured it may drag some out.
Pepsi Mechanic, thats a nice truck, i do know of an AA one here to. Ill see if i can get a pic.
jhowes, its a little wider, but only by a few inches. Not sure on lenght.
bobpo, yes there are several suppliers here. Some more expensive than others.

[JeffM]

This is how it looks at the moment.
Im going to marine varnish the wood work, and make a feature out of it. Im looking at painting it gloss black, and will build another flat deck for the back, like it used to be.

[eystein]

Bobpo,

We have a couple of vendors stocking A parts here in Norway. Then we have also got a very active MARC chapter. Anyway, the selection of parts is limited, so I buy most of my parts directly from the US on internet. Everything in Norway is very expensive, so you usually save money buying directly from US vendors. Also, I go a lot to the US on business travel, so I usually go home with my suitcase filled with A parts.

[Tudortomnz]

Those New Zealand 'Colonial Cab' commercial chassis bodies were actually made by Standard Motor Bodies' in Wellington. SMB was owned by Colonial Motor Co. who imported & distributed Fords before 1936. They did not build Ford car bodies, as they had no equipment like Ford Factory jigs or electric welding gear like Ford Australia etc. Minor assembly only.
Other small commercial body builders also made cabs & decks for Ford Commercial chassis. But the most popular commercial Model A in NZ was the 'open cab' pickup supplied by Ford of Canada.
Was that truck at CHCH swapmeet?? Good luck; lots of work there!
Tom in CHCH 'still standing'

[Pepsi Mechanic]

Originally Posted by JeffM

Awesome to see that more countries did this. This is why i titled the thread as i did. Figured it may drag some out.
Pepsi Mechanic, thats a nice truck, i do know of an AA one here to. Ill see if i can get a pic.
jhowes, its a little wider, but only by a few inches. Not sure on lenght.
bobpo, yes there are several suppliers here. Some more expensive than others.

Thanks Jeff -- Hope you find the pic ... Harry / Pepsi Mechanic

[JeffM]

Tom, would like to see one of the open cabs, any pics?
The link up top of page says there was a place in Timaru that did them to?

Harry, i know where the pic is, just need to ask, before i pinch it, lol.

Now for the movie.
For those interested, heres a couple of links to info on the man, and the movie.

http://www.filmarchive.org.nz/featur.../Bad-Blood.php

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/timeline/08/10

[JeffM]

Originally Posted by Pepsi Mechanic

Thanks Jeff -- Hope you find the pic ... Harry / Pepsi Mechanic

Sorry its taken so long Harry. found it, just got to ask if i can post it.
As well as another like mine that Bic from New Zealand sent me.

['29wagon]

jeffM,
are those wood cabs ?

my '29 looks similar to yellow pepsi mechanic's up until the hinge , of course my windshield is not so tall as pepsi and my piano hinges are full length four foot tall.
the worms had their way with this body, one stick remains. one riddled stick.
i'm debating a design, no points.
and that film, did i read it's a horror film?
where's my popcorn ?

[john charlton]

In England far more commercial vehicles were built with the "chassis cowl" .I suppose was cheaper than buying one with the steel cab . If you remove the body you will find it is a modified roadster cowl even has the slots to take the roadster door hinges also the "reveal" that the vertical front end of the roadster door would shut into .This meant that the wood body front edge had to be fitted over the reveal also the pressed steel cowl cap which runs over the gas tank top. This was just cosmetic to avoid the step in the cowl sides being visible. The down side is that the rear portion of this panel gets rotted out under the wood across the lower windscreen area. This is a pain as these panels are virtually unobtainable so love the one you have got !!! When the indented cowl came out a purpose made cowl was made it had no reveal and no hinge holes. Ford plant at Dagenham built A and AA commercial vehicles into 1936 all of these had that late cowl.

John in partly cloudy warm morning England.

[Pepsi Mechanic]

Originally Posted by '29wagon

jeffM,
are those wood cabs ?

my '29 looks similar to yellow pepsi mechanic's up until the hinge , of course my windshield is not so tall as pepsi and my piano hinges are full length four foot tall.
the worms had their way with this body, one stick remains. one riddled stick.
i'm debating a design, no points.
and that film, did i read it's a horror film?
where's my popcorn ?

Our Pepsi truck is a wood cab ( called a Brantford cab ) Made in Brantford Ontario in 28-29

[Pepsi Mechanic]

Originally Posted by JeffM

Sorry its taken so long Harry. found it, just got to ask if i can post it.
As well as another like mine that Bic from New Zealand sent me.

Hey no problem Jeff ... Our cab is a little more square -- Our door frame is square at the top .. the one in your picture is curved ... the windshield is also not as high ... More streamlined ... maybe it can go a km. or 2 faster than ours

[JeffM]

Originally Posted by '29wagon

jeffM,
are those wood cabs ?

my '29 looks similar to yellow pepsi mechanic's up until the hinge , of course my windshield is not so tall as pepsi and my piano hinges are full length four foot tall.
the worms had their way with this body, one stick remains. one riddled stick.
i'm debating a design, no points.
and that film, did i read it's a horror film?
where's my popcorn ?

Yes, its a wood framed cab, although the roof and doors are steel.
The movie is a true story, but its kinda horrible, just not in a horror movie way.

[JeffM]

Originally Posted by john charlton

In England far more commercial vehicles were built with the "chassis cowl" .I suppose was cheaper than buying one with the steel cab . If you remove the body you will find it is a modified roadster cowl even has the slots to take the roadster door hinges also the "reveal" that the vertical front end of the roadster door would shut into .This meant that the wood body front edge had to be fitted over the reveal also the pressed steel cowl cap which runs over the gas tank top. This was just cosmetic to avoid the step in the cowl sides being visible. The down side is that the rear portion of this panel gets rotted out under the wood across the lower windscreen area. This is a pain as these panels are virtually unobtainable so love the one you have got !!! When the indented cowl came out a purpose made cowl was made it had no reveal and no hinge holes. Ford plant at Dagenham built A and AA commercial vehicles into 1936 all of these had that late cowl.

John in partly cloudy warm morning England.

Thanks for the info, John. Great stuff.
Jeff, on a rainy evening in New Zealand.