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The Ford Ranchero and Chevy El Camino were kind of following the Ute concept. There were quite a few cars with the bodies cut off behind the front doors (and some behind the windshield) with homemade wooden flatbeds running around central Florida when I was growing up. It must have been cheaper to buy a sedan and cut off the back than to buy a pickup or the family car got replaced by a newer model and got turned into a Ute.

I have the "Ute" my great-grandfather built out of a fresh off the car lot brand new 1930 Model A Ford. My gramps, and then my Dad, and then me always threatened to bring it back to life but none of us ever got a "round tuit". It's too far gone now.

The old man went up to the rural Ford dealership one morning where my Gramps was working as a mechanic, with the expressed intent of buying a pickup truck (his first ever motor vehicle). Upon being informed there wasn't any available at the time, but one could be brought in within a day or two, he stubbornly pointed at a new coupe and said "I'll take that one instead. I ain't waiting around, and I got cash money." They had to give him driving lessons right there in the lot, in front of a small crowd of passer's by and the rummies who bailed out of the tap room across the road. My Gramps said he stood in the back disbelieving what his Old Man was up to, but knew better than to interfere. There was no talking sense to that old guy. Great Gramps lurched that car down the road to his farm and proceeded to remove most of the body off that new car, leaving just the cowl and engine cover in place, no windshield, no fenders, no nothing. A new wooden truck bed was fashioned, and an old wooden wagon seat installed to sit on. Voilà, a truck. It served him for 20 years of hauling fruit, veggies, and chickens over the Dornsife Mountain to market every Saturday. Jeezuz, he was a tough bastid.

Wyo1895,
Love the 55 pickup!!! Right now my ute is a Ford Raptor. In town, there are other choices....... like my 1968 Datsun 2000 Roadster in the photo. Have a 1958 Triumph TR3 in pieces in the garage that I need to start working on "in my free time."

We like a tiny bit more horsepower around here,like 750.

There's something you don't see much of anymore. I still remember the arguments between the Datsun guys and the MGB guys as to which one was better. That TR-3 really needs to breathe again!

Nice Hot Rod David!

Still playing with the 66 Fairlane.

Steve

Anything that you can't put a dead bloody deer on or in, that you can't slap into 4 wheel drive and spin your way out of a mud hole, or can't hook a chain to and pull a tree stump out with, or can't pull a fishin' boat with or carry your hunting dogs with...is useless to me.

Well, I hauled a few deer in the trunks of MGB's. Anymore, I try like hell to avoid all those other scenarios, so a truck means little to me. The couple of days a year when I would find one mighty handy don't justify the extra cost in gas, maintenance, and insurance to keep one around the rest of the year, and having driven pickups as daily drivers in the past taught me I don't want to in the future.

Can we disagree on this point and still be friends?

I hauled a deer in a fiberglass dune buggy once. Since it was VW powered, I actually pushed it further than I drove it.

[quote=99guy

Can we disagree on this point and still be friends?

[/quote]


Oh, hell yes!!!

I wish I had a pic of my 63 International Harvester one ton pick up. No dually's back then, 7.50X16 split rim mud and snow tires. The odd thing about the bed was it had a 9' step side. I could put a full cord of firewood in it and it hardly went down to the helper springs. Big inline 6 with granny four speed, 4X4. It had been a power line inspection truck in the mountains of Western MD. It would fit Randy's specs. I just did a search and the model was a C1300 and the bed was actually 9 1/2'.

Too bad Savage never got into automobile manufacturing. Aside from Arthur's tire venture, did he pop out any other automotive related gizmos, ideas, patents? I could have pictured him building a line of motorcycles in a plant next door to the gun factory too.

Couldn't live out here without my 4 wheel drive Dodges but variety is the spice of life therefore the hot rod and the Ute. The 2005 2500 is so beat up we call it the battered Ram.

I bought a 1948 Pontiac convertible in the late 80's,it was a full size model car kit,it was 86,311 pieces,lol.It had been a late 50's hot rod,red and white roll and pleated interior,lightly padded top,389 w/ 3 deuces. The motor had been blown up years ago and had been through 3 owners since.I spent 2 years putting it back together,the directions had long been lost lol.I sold the 3 deuce manifold and bought a straight 8 to go back in it.I got it going,drove it around town with a 6 gallon Johnson boat tank,was fun.They called it ''The old tennis shoe''.Quit my job and went to work as an electrician's apprentice,sold the car as income level went way down for about 4 years.A guy from British Columbia bought it,2200 miles from me.I don't know what ever happened to it after that.It was a cool car

My story about cars and trucks is a little different. The first time my dad saw me showing an interest in cars he said "I'm a carpenter not a mechanic so don't ever drive home anything that needs fixing or drips oil !!!" He bought a new one every 5 years. I kind of followed in his foot steps. More time for firearms.

Rick, your dad sounds like mine. He said I'm a house painter, I don't expect other people to paint their houses and not going to work on cars. However, it didn't rub off on me. I love to tinker with them and once upon a time I restored old Harleys from the ground up.

Been having a blast with my Chevy powered 1942 Willys. Was originally a drag racer, but now a street rig.

That's freakin' cool and hilarious at the same time. Laughing.

That Willys is cool!