Aussie Utes


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By iowa fords - 14 Years Ago
How many members have a Ute and are they all Fords and I think I want one.
By LON - 14 Years Ago
Tom ,

I have owned 3 Mainline utes in the past (2 x56's,and a 57 ).I did offer one for sale to a couple of years ago to a guy on the site .Ended up selling it here .Try this link for a few photos .

Lon

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jawaha75243/3131478140/in/set-72157611562997106

By rick55 - 14 Years Ago
Here in West Australia Ford utes were very popular with trucking companies and farmers in the 50's. There was nothing else available that would pull a load like a Ford V8 ute - we called them Mainlines here.

As they were always working vehicles they are a bit thin on the ground now.

Stories abound here that you could carry a 44 gallon drum full of fuel around to service vehicles and you wouldn't even know it was there. This led to the downfall of most of our utes cause although they had the sunliner chassis with the big x beam strengthener they didn't halve much strength in the cargo bay floor and dropping drums full of fuel in the back would cause the rear section to bucKle and then you could't close the tail gate. They would become quickly unuseable after that.

They were popular with farmers because they could be used on the farm during the week and were a good vehicle to use for recreation purposes. Probably much the same as the F150 is today in the states.

My mainline has seen many uses through it's life, a bricks ute and a plumbers workhorse.

It survived all that pretty well but the chassis rails certainly show the wear and tear of being jacked up with a load in the rear to replace flat tires over the years.

They are still in my opinion one of the sweetest cars on the road. I've had mine for nearly twenty years now.

Hope this gives you some insight into these unique Aussie cars.

Regards
By rick55 - 14 Years Ago
I got a bit if a surprise with this post, I checked out the photos on the link that Lon posted and my ute is the last one in the listing. I didn't even know this photo existed. It appears to be from the All Ford Day from October 2007.

My ute is the last of the Mainlines. The sharp ones among you will recognize that though we had this model in 1958 it is heavily based on the '55 Canadian model. Y blocks were not used in Aussie cars from this model on, though they were still used in F trucks til 1964.

Ford Australia was going to replace the Mainlines with English Zephyrs but had a change of heart and released the Falcon in 1960.

We didn't get another V8 ute til 1967.

Anyway I've waffled on enough.

Regards
By Grizzly - 14 Years Ago
I'll add to the number. I've had mine about 15 years. It's been off the road for a while but a lots happened personally in that time. It's getting the attention it deserves and will be back on the road this year.

I bought a reasonably original car that was looked after. My tray has never seen a "real" days work. Although I must say that I used it as it should. It's helped me do up a house an move a few times. Often I'd get to a hardware shop buy a heap of paint and timber ect the salesman would offer to help carry the stuff out to the car and they ask, "your not going to put this in that". I always wrapped items in blankets and a tarp. The salesman would help Smile

Several things make them rare, even here. Firstly number produced I have seen production figures on Mainlines produced. The star models only had about 1800 a year for 58-59. Previous years were better supplied but not much. The price was restrictive the local GM product was about 800 quid (pre decimal currency) the Mainline 1800 quid. The GM item was an inline 6 of about 2600cc but Australia was full of english cars at the time. American cars were prestigious. The Mainline was a Statement on how well your business was doing.

The louts of the 60's liked the Mainlines and Customlines to "make out" and for performance as there weren't a lot of V8's about. No self respecting father would let thier daughter go out with a boy with a "Cusso" Wink. Between the tradesmen, farmers and louts the attrition rate was reasonably high.  

By aussiebill - 14 Years Ago
Grizzly (2/9/2011)
I'll add to the number. I've had mine about 15 years. It's been off the road for a while but a lots happened personally in that time. It's getting the attention it deserves and will be back on the road this year.

I.

The louts of the 60's liked the Mainlines and Customlines to "make out" and for performance as there weren't a lot of V8's about. No self respecting father would let thier daughter go out with a boy with a "Cusso" Wink. Between the tradesmen, farmers and louts the attrition rate was reasonably high.  

The aussie mainline ute was termed this as it was formed from the 55/56 US Mainline sedans, no screen chrome trim, plain upholstery,no interior light door switches, no interior sunvisors, a real plain jane basic vehicle, then ford Aust carried it on and the cars till 58/59. All were 3 speed manual trans with 4.09 rear end and 16" wheels but there was a limited amount of fordamatic auto trans utes in 58/9 run, they had 3.54? rear end and had the oval hole in trans tunnel for band adjustment compared to manual trans floors without it. In my time i,ve noticed QLD a northern state and big farming area seemed to have the most, due as warren said to being a work truck, when the farmers crops came in each year they would just leave the old ute in the shed or yard and update their equipment. I had US mate that had 55 mainline ute and lic plates read "55 ute m8". regards bill.

By Moz - 14 Years Ago
ive had my mainline for nearly 5 years now it was a local farm ute that was actually treated very well she's a 59 so in the last run of them & the rare factory auto when i bought it the odometer had 75000 miles on it its now at 91800
By lowrider - 14 Years Ago
I run across a yellow/white 55 here in SE Michigan at different events. It's not in pristine condition but I'd like to have it. I really like the 54's.