Tag: pickup

Ford Model A or GAZ 4? @PreWarCar.com

Ford Model A or GAZ 4? @PreWarCar.com

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The Model A Ford is probably in the top 10 well-known old cars. But have you ever heard of the GAZ 4? Well, we hadn`t till we received photographs of this pick up from Bart Kleyn. He came across the car during the rally he is organizing in Georgia, at the car museum in Tbilisi.

Apparently, there are only 5 of these licensed built cars still around. The Russian car make GAZ is something we have heard of before but this type 4 (or Model A, as we call it) not yet.

We found some information about this pre-war. And even found a photograph of the car in the video game GTA (!).

The GAZ-4 is a truck of the Soviet vehicle manufacturer Gorkowski Awtomobilny Zavod. It was produced in series from 1933 to 1936 and is technically based on the passenger car GAZ-A and the truck GAZ-AA.

In the early 1930s, there was a significant demand for light commercial vehicles in the Soviet Union. Since the only mass-produced suitable vehicle at this time was the passenger car GAZ-A.

They developed a light truck on its base, which used the car’s chassis. In addition, the driver’s cab of the truck GAZ-AA was installed. Since the GAZ-A was a copy of the American Ford Model A, also the GAZ-4 still has significant technical similarities with this vehicle. The size of the loading area was 1.10 × 1.60 meters.

Source – PreWarCar.com

Forties technology would make for a perfect 1928 Ford Model A shop truck. Here’s how I’d build it – David Conwill @Hemmings

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A Ford Model A roadster pickup like this 1928 Ford Model A roadster pickup (“Open Cab Pickup”) in the Hemmings Classifieds would make a great shop truck or long-distance hauler with just a few period upgrades.

This one caught my attention because it’s nearly identical to the one we have in the Sibley which was once dragged to TROG. I saw it there for the first time, and I’ve harbored ambitions about turning that little pickup into something with a bit of 1940s flavor ever since. Talking to Jeff Koch about his plans for his family’s 1931 coupe re-energized my appreciation for Ford’s 1928-’31 masterpiece and the myriad ways people have found to improve them since. Jeff wants to walk the line between hot rodding and touring using some newer equipment, but left to my own devices, I’d always hew closer to how Ford developed its cars from 1928 to 1948. It’s a good lesson for making any ’20s car a better driver without sacrificing the vintage experience.

Although the Hemmings pickup is the one I see most often, any ’28 or ’29 would fit the bill. It’s mere coincidence that this one is also a Commercial Green (Rock Moss Green? Something like that) 1928 model. The Hemmings truck is somewhat rarer as it is an early 1928 with the slightly nicer looking splash aprons and the hand brake near the door, Model T-style. Supposedly, Pennsylvania didn’t permit the early design, hexing a big potential market for Ford. I seem to recall the objection was that the hand brake was used to set the rear-wheel service brakes, but PA required separate systems for emergency/parking brakes and service brakes.

No matter, all those interesting old parts, new design or old, could be removed and preserved someplace after a proper pickling/mothballing. In their place would go the best of early 1940s technology, starting with 12 x 2-inch hydraulic drum brakes, front and rear. Up front, I’d go with new Lincoln-style units from Bass Kustom and in back, Ford-type brakes, as they’re somewhat easier to retrofit to an early axle. The Lincoln units have the advantage that Ford chose to license Bendix’s self-energizing technology for its up-market brand, whereas regular Ford and Mercury cars stuck with the Chrysler-Lockheed type through 1948.

The original axles and Houdaille shocks, if in good condition (and the listing says the little pickup has only “88 miles since completion” of a “complete frame-off restoration,” so they ought to be) can stay. If not, there’s always longtime Hemmings advertiser Apple Hydraulics. If my planned tires (which I address below) look a little lost under the fenders, a reverse-eye front spring is a good way to get the nose down slightly without resorting to dropping the front axle

Four-million Ford owners can’t be wrong. The 200.5-cu.in. Model A four-cylinder was a solid, dependable unit that saw millions through the Depression and World War II. The basic design stayed in production for years and fitting one with pieces developed in the Thirties and Forties improves them further still.

I’d ideally give this shop truck a touring-grade Model A engine with a balanced crank and pressurized oiling, but retain the poured bearings. Some of those upgrades may already be present on what is supposed to be a fresh, low-mileage engine, but if not, it would be a good canvas to add them. With a solid foundation to rely on, I’d add performance with a Model A police-service 5.5:1 compression cylinder head (marked with a cast-in B; actual Model B engines got heads marked with “C.” Very confusing) or a cast-iron Winfield head for as close as I could get to 6:1 compression (poured bearings get cranky when you go higher than that); single downdraft carburetor on an aftermarket intake; Model B camshaft and either a Ford Model B distributor or the upgrade unit produced by Mallory for many years in place of the manual-advance Model A unit; and the Duke Hallock-designed exhaust header I had wanted for my late, lamented Model T.

You could probably run this fairly mild engine against the original un-synchronized three-speed, but it would really up the ease of driving if you followed Ford’s route and adapted a V-8 gearbox with synchronizers on second and third gears. The 1932-‘34 Ford Model B used a trans behind its 50hp four-cylinder that was internally the same as the V-8 models but used a different case. Now, you can put any 1932-’48 Ford passenger-car transmission or 1932-’52 light-truck three-speed behind a Model A engine using an adaptor from Cling’s. The pinnacle of early Ford V-8 transmission technology is widely agreed to be the nice-shifting ’39-’52 Ford floor-shift three-speed (exclusive to trucks from 1940-on) containing ’46-’48 Ford passenger-car or close-ratio Lincoln-Zephyr gears in order to mate with the enclosed driveline.

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RANGER GENERATIONS THROUGH THE YEARS – Meghan Drummond @CJPonyParts

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THE RANGER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

The history of the Ford Ranger doesn’t begin with the first midsize pickup truck to use that name. For decades before it would find its rightful home, Ford experimented with the Ranger nameplate. They knew they wanted to use it, but where it belonged seemed a matter of much disagreement.

The loosest definition of Ranger is a keeper of a park, forest, or countryside. It’s associated with woodlands and outdoors folk. With that in mind, the first Ford vehicle to bear the Ranger nameplate was a 1958 sedan: The Edsel Ranger. This obviously missed the mark entirely.

In 1967 though, Ford got significantly closer. When the fifth generation of F-Series Pickup was introduced, the top of the line trim package was dubbed the Ranger. In either F-100 or F-250 size, the Ranger trim was heralded as “Ford’s finest full-size pickup.” In ’70, the popular Ranger trim level was joined by a Ranger XLT.

Though there’s nothing wrong with a feature-packed truck, somehow it still seemed to miss the mark when it came to a truck that embodied the spirit of the word Ranger, which doesn’t really call finery to mind. It took thirteen years, but eventually, the Ranger found its place as a pickup for people who just needed a pickup.

FIRST RANGER GENERATION: 1982-1992

The path for the Ranger to become its own line instead of a trim package in the F-Series started in the ‘80s. When Ford introduced the F-150, it quickly took over the F-100’s sales, making the two pickup trucks redundant. Anyone who wanted an F-100 was happy to upgrade to the F-150.

Ford knew that it needed a smaller pickup to promote though. The F-150 was a big pickup, and there were people who didn’t want that kind of size.

At the time, the only pickup that Ford had that was smaller was the Ford Courier, a vehicle that carried the blue oval with pride despite being manufactured by Mazda. So, Ford axed the F-100 and the Courier and ushered in its first in-house compact pickup: The Ranger. The Ranger XLT became the XLT trim, and the Ranger Lariat became the Lariat (still the F-Series’ top trim level).

The first Ranger was produced on January 18, 1982, and by March, Rangers were already in showrooms around the United States. The first Ranger was priced at just $6,203. Adjusted for inflation, that would be $16,570.

Though it replaced the Courier, the Ranger had several key differences that would make it a better pickup truck for many consumers. It had additional engine choices (adding a V6 and a 4-cylinder diesel engine option to the standard inline-four-cylinder) and it had a six or seven-foot-long bed.

It was during this first generation that Ford started to understand what the typical Ranger customer really wanted. In 1984, a Ranger S was offered. Unlike other trim levels (which added comfort features and additional options) the Ranger S was a stripped-down, bare-bones, spartan pickup. A truck for people who needed to haul things.

The 1985 advertising emphasized the materials used to make the Ranger, as well as the frame construction and i-beam suspension. It was an advertising strategy that capitalized on what the Ranger was instead of focusing on all of the things that it wasn’t, and people responded positively. Almost a quarter million Rangers were sold in 1985 alone, but the Ranger’s top-selling years were still to come.

Perhaps one of the more curious packages to come out of this era was the Ford Ranger GT. This version of the Ranger was only available between 1987 and 1989 and came with a 2.9L V6. Its most performance-oriented detail was a five-speed manual transmission manufactured by Toyo Kogyo and sport bucket seats.

BRONCO II

Though the Ranger’s early years were all good, the Ranger chassis was contributing to the downfall of another popular Ford nameplate.

The first generation of Ford Ranger served as the basis for the Bronco II, one of Ford’s more famous catastrophes. “Bronco”-ing the Ranger threw it off balance, making it top-heavy. A series of very famous roll-over accidents eventually led to several large lawsuits and the discontinuation of the Bronco II.

During the years it was produced, the Bronco II averaged about seventy deaths per a year or about as many people as are killed by tornadoes in the United States in the same time period.

If you happen to still drive a Bronco II, no need to worry. According to the Insurance Institute, it’s perfectly fine as long as you drive it slowly, infrequently, and maybe don’t go off-roading with it.

SECOND GENERATION RANGER: 1993-1997

The second generation of the Ranger saw a major redesign. The grille size was reduced substantially, creating a smoother, more aerodynamic face for the Ranger. Slight fender flares added to this more rounded look. This redesign sought to improve the overall driving experience by making improvements to reliability and acceleration. Unfortunately, the fuel efficiency declined, partially due to more features.

The Ranger, much like its F-series brethren, became flush with options, from six-disc CD changers to the sporty “Splash” model. The Ranger aimed to be the truck for a wide range of customers, and in that endeavor, it was astonishingly successful. From 1993-1995, the Ranger sold more than 300,000 units per year.

Starting in 1994, a surprising turn happened. The Ford Courier had been produced by Mazda, rebranded, and sold through Ford, but was replaced by the Ford produced Ford Ranger. Starting in 1994, a rebadged Ford Ranger was also sold as a Mazda B-Series. Though this series had different grilles than their Ford equivalents, it was essentially the exact same truck inside and out. Mazda would continue to sell the Ford Ranger through 2004.

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1955 Ford F-100 Previously Owned by Patrick Swayze Is up for Sale – Ciprian Florea @autoevolution

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Second-generation Ford F-Series pickup trucks aren’t the most desirable vehicles from the 1950s, but they sure are pretty. At least in my book, because I love the bulged hood and wide fender design from the era. Well, if you’re in the market for one of these mid-1950s haulers, here’s your chance to own a 1955 F-100 previously owned by Patrick Swayze.

The truck was recently listed by Patrick’s wife, Lisa Niemi, on eBay, where it’s being auctioned off at no reserve. The F-100 is located at the Swayze Ranch in Sylmar, California, where Patrick and Lisa found it when they bought the property back in 1986.

“Patrick and I inherited this super-cool pickup when we bought our horse ranch in LA 35 yrs ago. We always intended to restore it but never got around to it. However, it did serve as an awesome backdrop in many photo sessions,” the ad reads, suggesting that the truck has been sitting ever since the couple purchased the ranch.

Needless to say, the F-100 is a proper yard find, showing a lot of surface rust and needing a great deal of TLC before it can hit the road again. But it appears to be complete inside and out and still has the original 239-cubic-inch (3.9-liter) V8 engine under the hood.

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War-era Ford pickup turns heads on North Coast roads – Juan Venter @NorthCoastCourier

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Manufactured shortly before the start of World War 2 when Ford halted the production of 1942 Ford pickups, this one was found in pieces by local Ford enthusiast Poobal Govender and lovingly restored to mint condition.

A candy red Ford pickup that you might spot on the roads of the North Coast has a fascinating history.

Manufactured shortly before the start of World War 2 when Ford halted the production of 1942 Ford pickups, this one was found in pieces by local Ford enthusiast Poobal Govender and lovingly restored to mint condition.

Poobal, who owns a farm slap-bang in the middle of Seatides and Westbrook, picked up the iconic truck for R120 000 – even then a hefty price as the truck was in pieces.

With trucking in his blood, the retired trucking transport Ford owner who dabbles in the restoration of tractors spent 3 years restoring the Ford to an almost original condition, with the exception of some chrome work and a lick of paint.

What makes this Ford stand out is the 99.9% original engine, with the only exception being a modern alternator.

It even sports its original carburettor which is in near mint condition.

Poobal added custom 76mm stainless steel exhausts to highlight the already flamboyant pickup which originally hails from Rhodesia.

According to Poobal, he originally intended to buy a Mini Minor, which he enjoyed restoring at the time, from a Durban car dealer in 2013.

By chance he spotted the pickup and it was love at first sight.

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This Ford F-100 Outruns Muscle Cars While Making A Solid Daily Driver: Video – Chris Teague @FordAuthority

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The Ford F-100 helped Ford establish its leadership position in the pickup truck segment. Though the F-100 was a very capable machine for its time, it wasn’t really anywhere close to being a lively performance vehicle. A company called QA1 is hoping to change that with a line of performance parts for the F-100 that have culminated with the test truck you see here.

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Honda Restored A Chevy Truck Because History Matters More Than Brand – Christopher Smith @Motor1.com

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Honda Restored A Chevy Truck

It was done to help celebrate American Honda’s 60th anniversary.

Mention Honda to the typical Motor1.com reader and you’ll probably get a response relating to the Civic, Pilot, or possibly the NSX. That should be no surprise because these days, Honda is among the most successful automobile manufacturers in North America. In 1959, however, things were a bit different. Back then, the manufacturer was just beginning its American journey, and it didn’t start with cars. It started with motorcycles, and to get them into brand new Honda dealerships opening across Southern California, the company bought a small fleet of Chevrolet pickup trucks. You probably see where this is going.

 

Honda Restored A Chevy Truck

Read the rest of the article here 

Related – 100 Years Of Chevy Trucks