lrdg pilot car bed

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Interesting question. I always thought this was a commercial pick-up bed, altered for use by the LRDG by adding the boxes etc.

Maybe it isn't a US market bed, but a type of bed built locally for the local civilian market? It doesn't have any hallmarks of being a military bed originally.

Ford.jpg v_ford1.jpg wd_LRDG_Ford 01 V8_07.jpg

[Scott Cacciamani]

I never noticed it before. No clue maybe a trailer bed? The ford bed is pretty strong don't know why they would go to all that trouble.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Here's another 1940 Ford Pickup, modified for desert use.

The more I look at these type of trucks the more I am convinced these have standard pickup beds, albeit modified.

317495561_10230797898753251_4390131190200934779_n.jpg image_zps01qwqvsw.jpg

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Via Brendan O'Carroll: "Major Clayton's Ford V8 pilot car "Te Rangi" after capture by the Italians after the battle of Jebel Sherif in Jan 1941. Also captured was his NZ crew Wink Adams and Clarrie Roderick."

10376334_342013512613211_4541473982205332165_n.jpg 10492584_342013549279874_1690074695649020120_n.jpg

[Scott Cacciamani]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Here's another 1940 Ford Pickup, modified for desert use.

The more I look at these type of trucks the more I am convinced these have standard pickup beds, albeit modified.

Attachment 131102 Attachment 131103

The bed in this photo does look standard. I can see the panel line. I'm not sure about the others. I have decieded to make a bed from scratch. I Have most of the feature but will have to try and scale some photos.
thanks scott

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Scott Cacciamani

I never noticed it before. No clue maybe a trailer bed? The Ford bed is pretty strong don't know why they would go to all that trouble.

These were not US made vehicles. They were made in Canada, assembled in the UK and shipped to Egypt for the commercial market there.

So fitting a US made bed would actually be going to a lot of unnecessary trouble.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Tony Smith

. They were made in Canada, assembled in the UK and shipped to Egypt for the commercial market there.

So fitting a US made bed would actually be going to a lot of unnecessary trouble.

I agree with Tony, I think you are barking up the wrong tree looking at US style pickup bodies as a reference. Some Canadian made military vehicle CKD kits were shipped directly to Egypt from Canada and assembled in Egypt. In that case these kits would have been purchased through British orders. From memory the T212 Dodge was one such case.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

I agree with Tony, I think you are barking up the wrong tree looking at US style pickup bodies as a reference. Some Canadian made military vehicle CKD kits were shipped directly to Egypt from Canada and assembled in Egypt. In that case these kits would have been purchased through British orders. From memory the T212 Dodge was one such case.

Except that they were not made to military spec and orders - see Tony’s remark above. So it must have been some sort of standard civilian bed, either of North American (US and Canada) or local origin. But it has lots of features pointing towards a pickup bed, IMHO