lrdg pilot car bed

[Scott Cacciamani]

Thanks again from all i was locked out of the site for a few days. It is still a problem for me, not seeing the embossed lines, but i have come around to Hanno's thought that it
is a standard bed which has it's lines hidden by all the add on bracktes etc. It does not have the original tailgate however and i don't know why they added conopy mounts at the front and rear of the bed when a standared bed has them build it.

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Scott

Don't let any one deter you from building a pilot Ford truck. Most information is very scant and in the fever of war if they could make it fit, work or serve the purpose then it was great. It's your truck as you would have built it in Cairo in 1940 with whatever you could scrounge...

Captivated with the North African campaign and the LRDG I have acquired and read most of the books floating around.

My conclusion is that local workshops, military or private, were pushed by a few individuals ( Badnold) to modify what they could find.... in the rush of war not too many detailed records / photos were kept. All we know for sure is they purchased, acquired or liberated various vehicles....most of which were found on location, previously delivered in some degree of knock down configuration for eventual selling locally with local made mostly wooden bodies. The military used what they could find that came either as a bare cowl frame power train.... some cowls had a full civilian wind shield frame that may have been cut up. I would say that the initial vehicles were 99% cowl only whether GM or Ford........some 3/4 ton pick up may have slipped in.... so most would have had a wooden bench with,if lucky a one piece coil spring seat similar to a pick up...... and the cargo box would depend on what steel or wood was available,,,,always trying to keep them simle and aslight as possible...... surely parts from damaged vehicleswere salvaged from both allied and captured vehicle dumps.......

do your own design based on the frame you have.....welded/bolted or mixed
be inspired by the technology of the day in other documented trucks and trailers from early 39/40..... you can't go wrong and no one can prove your wrong either.....alot of these vehicles were unique and based on what was available and/or where they were going... some woody station wagons made topless...car into crude UTE models

I have acquired a 1940 WA 1533...... 3 spare cabs.... also scored a C15 2x4 for the special beam front axle, Have a frame reinforcement plat for a template, 16 inch rims which I will modify to 8 inches wide to take the STA Chevron 10:50x16 and all kind of factory and book pictures to be guided from...... it will represent the early local made LRDG trucks....been collecting Gerry, USA British and Cdn fuel containers.......assorted back packs......will have assorted Lee Enfield Mark 1 rifles ( from the first world war old stock)fully de-activated and NO machine guns due to stupid regulations.........

My box will be hand made, welded to look like gas welding,,,,,copied loosely from 4x2 1942 model with the 3B4 box but will be shorter to mach my 1533 frame..... it will include cheater wooden boards and home made sand channels.....

One thing is holding me back.....can't find a good set of 39 or 40 front (Chev or GM)fenders to save my soul!!!!

Fee free to contact me at home at RAC1812 hat AOL.COM.... it is far easier to forward/share photos in large quantity.

Bob C.


PS,,,, steel repro rear Ford fenders are readily vailable to install and futher modify.....ie openned up,.....

PPS 2........ apparently the GoodYear Tire Cy is now making or has made a recent batch of 900 x 16 All Weather Traction ( sand ) tires...... selling from $400 each to some one gauging at $999. each............... AND they are not MOT approved......BUT they do look good..... meant for golf and gardening.....

[Scott Cacciamani]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

Hi Scott

Don't let any one deter you from building a pilot Ford truck. Most information is very scant and in the fever of war if they could make it fit, work or serve the purpose then it was great. It's your truck as you would have built it in Cairo in 1940 with whatever you could scrounge...

Captivated with the North African campaign and the LRDG I have acquired and read most of the books floating around.

My conclusion is that local workshops, military or private, were pushed by a few individuals ( Badnold) to modify what they could find.... in the rush of war not too many detailed records / photos were kept. All we know for sure is they purchased, acquired or liberated various vehicles....most of which were found on location, previously delivered in some degree of knock down configuration for eventual selling locally with local made mostly wooden bodies. The military used what they could find that came either as a bare cowl frame power train.... some cowls had a full civilian wind shield frame that may have been cut up. I would say that the initial vehicles were 99% cowl only whether GM or Ford........some 3/4 ton pick up may have slipped in.... so most would have had a wooden bench with,if lucky a one piece coil spring seat similar to a pick up...... and the cargo box would depend on what steel or wood was available,,,,always trying to keep them simle and aslight as possible...... surely parts from damaged vehicleswere salvaged from both allied and captured vehicle dumps.......

do your own design based on the frame you have.....welded/bolted or mixed
be inspired by the technology of the day in other documented trucks and trailers from early 39/40..... you can't go wrong and no one can prove your wrong either.....alot of these vehicles were unique and based on what was available and/or where they were going... some woody station wagons made topless...car into crude UTE models

I have acquired a 1940 WA 1533...... 3 spare cabs.... also scored a C15 2x4 for the special beam front axle, Have a frame reinforcement plat for a template, 16 inch rims which I will modify to 8 inches wide to take the STA Chevron 10:50x16 and all kind of factory and book pictures to be guided from...... it will represent the early local made LRDG trucks....been collecting Gerry, USA British and Cdn fuel containers.......assorted back packs......will have assorted Lee Enfield Mark 1 rifles ( from the first world war old stock)fully de-activated and NO machine guns due to stupid regulations.........

My box will be hand made, welded to look like gas welding,,,,,copied loosely from 4x2 1942 model with the 3B4 box but will be shorter to mach my 1533 frame..... it will include cheater wooden boards and home made sand channels.....

One thing is holding me back.....can't find a good set of 39 or 40 front (Chev or GM)fenders to save my soul!!!!

Fee free to contact me at home at RAC1812 hat AOL.COM.... it is far easier to forward/share photos in large quantity.

Bob C.


PS,,,, steel repro rear Ford fenders are readily vailable to install and futher modify.....ie openned up,.....

PPS 2........ apparently the GoodYear Tire Cy is now making or has made a recent batch of 900 x 16 All Weather Traction ( sand ) tires...... selling from $400 each to some one gauging at $999. each............... AND they are not MOT approved......BUT they do look good..... meant for golf and gardening.....

Thanks Bob. I will reach out to you. Would like to follow your build. I have the 9.00x 16 diamond thread goodyear tires for your truck new.

[Scott Cacciamani]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

Hi Scott

Don't let any one deter you from building a pilot Ford truck. Most information is very scant and in the fever of war if they could make it fit, work or serve the purpose then it was great. It's your truck as you would have built it in Cairo in 1940 with whatever you could scrounge...

Captivated with the North African campaign and the LRDG I have acquired and read most of the books floating around.

My conclusion is that local workshops, military or private, were pushed by a few individuals ( Badnold) to modify what they could find.... in the rush of war not too many detailed records / photos were kept. All we know for sure is they purchased, acquired or liberated various vehicles....most of which were found on location, previously delivered in some degree of knock down configuration for eventual selling locally with local made mostly wooden bodies. The military used what they could find that came either as a bare cowl frame power train.... some cowls had a full civilian wind shield frame that may have been cut up. I would say that the initial vehicles were 99% cowl only whether GM or Ford........some 3/4 ton pick up may have slipped in.... so most would have had a wooden bench with,if lucky a one piece coil spring seat similar to a pick up...... and the cargo box would depend on what steel or wood was available,,,,always trying to keep them simle and aslight as possible...... surely parts from damaged vehicleswere salvaged from both allied and captured vehicle dumps.......

do your own design based on the frame you have.....welded/bolted or mixed
be inspired by the technology of the day in other documented trucks and trailers from early 39/40..... you can't go wrong and no one can prove your wrong either.....alot of these vehicles were unique and based on what was available and/or where they were going... some woody station wagons made topless...car into crude UTE models

I have acquired a 1940 WA 1533...... 3 spare cabs.... also scored a C15 2x4 for the special beam front axle, Have a frame reinforcement plat for a template, 16 inch rims which I will modify to 8 inches wide to take the STA Chevron 10:50x16 and all kind of factory and book pictures to be guided from...... it will represent the early local made LRDG trucks....been collecting Gerry, USA British and Cdn fuel containers.......assorted back packs......will have assorted Lee Enfield Mark 1 rifles ( from the first world war old stock)fully de-activated and NO machine guns due to stupid regulations.........

My box will be hand made, welded to look like gas welding,,,,,copied loosely from 4x2 1942 model with the 3B4 box but will be shorter to mach my 1533 frame..... it will include cheater wooden boards and home made sand channels.....

One thing is holding me back.....can't find a good set of 39 or 40 front (Chev or GM)fenders to save my soul!!!!

Fee free to contact me at home at RAC1812 hat AOL.COM.... it is far easier to forward/share photos in large quantity.

Bob C.


PS,,,, steel repro rear Ford fenders are readily vailable to install and futher modify.....ie openned up,.....

PPS 2........ apparently the GoodYear Tire Cy is now making or has made a recent batch of 900 x 16 All Weather Traction ( sand ) tires...... selling from $400 each to some one gauging at $999. each............... AND they are not MOT approved......BUT they do look good..... meant for golf and gardening.....

went to send goodyear photos but your email address is not going through.

[Bob Carriere]

try...... RAC1812@aol.com


You must be wet with all that Winter rain..... here it is blowing snow like it will never stop.......

Cheers

[Scott Cacciamani]

2 degrees now. send you some photos in your box know.

[Mike K]

Higher resolution pic

https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/d...stom_att_1=emu

https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/d...stom_att_1=emu

[Scott Cacciamani]

thanks, i was thinking about buying copies of several photos from them hoping they would be even better.

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Scott Cacciamani

Thanks again from all i was locked out of the site for a few days. It is still a problem for me, not seeing the embossed lines, but i have come around to Hanno's thought that it
is a standard bed which has it's lines hidden by all the add on bracktes etc. It does not have the original tailgate however and i don't know why they added conopy mounts at the front and rear of the bed when a standared bed has them build it.

But it is not necessarily as standard US bed, in fact highly unlikely it would be.

It may be the standard commercial Canadian, Standard UK or the standard local Egyptian product for those markets. It does not have to look anything like a US product. In the 1930's so much global vehicle production involved local content that it would be impractical for shipping and uneconomic to ship a bed complete with a vehicle chassis when a locally sourced factory standard item would be cheaper (and possibly more suited to local market demand).

[Mike K]

Try and find a copy of this book. The author, a Canadian airman, drove a Ford pickup for the SAS in Egypt. Although not detailed, there are a few pics of the Ford. He met David Stirling at a remote desert base hundreds of miles behind the lines. Quite a good read.

[Scott Cacciamani]

I will pick it up thanks, Mike