Vehicle Description
NEW PRICE! Yes, it’s factory-built, not a home-made custom! Beautifully crafted with 350 Chevy power, overdrive transmission, A/C, power steering and brakes, and spectacular paint. The coolest thing you’ve never seen before!
It’s an Australian-built Ford Utility Coupe, or Ute for short. It’s the same as the 1949 Ford up front, but the pickup bed in back pre-dates the Ranchero by a couple of years. And after everyone gets past the unusual bodywork, the thing that they notice is the paint, which is a spectacular hue called Candy Cinnamon Pearl from PPG. It’s gorgeous in person and outside in the sunlight, it’s downright amazing. Of course, you don’t get great results without a lot of work going on behind the scenes, so every inch of the bodywork was smoothed, straightened, and finished before the paint went on, and once it was dry, it got a comprehensive color sanding and buff to really bring out the shine. The doors open and close with precision, the hood (which is on pneumatic struts, not springs) snaps closed easily, and there’s not a wave or a ripple anywhere on those long quarter panels. The bed is beautifully finished, with oak slats, polished skid rails, a spare tire mount, and interior panels that are finished to the same high standards as the rest of the bodywork. The chrome and stainless trim was also fully restored, starting with the “bullet nose” grille, which also includes an accessory dealer-installed center driving light (the bulb is unique and uses 6 volts, so it’s not hooked up). The hood ornament has a Plexiglas crown, all the stainless was polished and reinstalled, and 1949 Lincoln taillights were used out back, because the Ute only used a single taillight on the right. A custom bumper was fabricated using two 1950 ford sedan bumpers that were seamlessly stitched together and chromed to look completely OEM.
The interior was given a complete makeover as well, but the essence of the original design survived 100% intact. Most notably is the switch from right-hand to left-hand drive, which was accomplished by simply transplanting a domestic 1949 Ford instrument panel. Since the chassis got a GM subframe grafted on, the steering column moved at the same time. All the original Ford gauges were retained and rebuilt, so they look great and work properly, even with the modern hardware under the hood. The original bench seat was upholstered in luxurious-feeling tan vinyl, with pleated door panels to match, so it feels period-correct from behind the wheel. And yes, that’s an original Ford wheel and steering column, which really completes the illusion. A neat custom panel was created to hold the Vintage Air control panel and vent, while the other vents were discreetly tucked under the dash and out of sight. The original radio is fully functional with an FM converter inside and controls for a CD changer installed in the cargo compartment behind the seat.
The valve covers say Cadillac and that’s a ‘50s Cadillac air cleaner, but it’s actually a tried-and-true Chevrolet 350 cubic inch V8. It’s neatly detailed with plenty of chrome and polished aluminum, body-colored block and intake manifold, and a fresh Edelbrock carburetor up top. The guy who built this truck clearly knew what he was doing. It starts easily and idles well, and it’s got plenty of horsepower to be entertaining on the street without ever getting fussy. The front suspension is part of a late-model GM subframe, which also includes power steering, so this Ute is effortless around town. The transmission is a 200-4R 4-speed automatic overdrive unit, so it’s a fantastic highway cruiser that just loafs along at modern highway speeds. The chassis shows signs of use, of course, because this car was built to drive, but the floors and rockers are spotless and the workmanship on the frame modifications was professionally done. Flowmaster dual exhaust system uses three-chamber mufflers, so it’s muscular without being annoying and a GM 10-bolt rear end hangs on leaf springs so you can even put it to work if that’s your thing. Color-matched steel wheels with Ford hubcaps and trim rings are a low-key look that really works on this commercial vehicle, and it’s wearing a set of brand new Firestone radials.
We’re extremely impressed by this Utility Coupe. It’s the coolest thing you’ve never seen before, but you’ll be even more pleased by the quality that went into the build. We promise that you’ll always be the only guy at any show with a car like this and if our experience is any indication, you’ll always have dozens of questions to answer about it. We love the Ute!
For more details and photos, please visit www.HarwoodMotors.com
