Mystery Ford - Help Needed to Identify

fte50 · 05-09-2013, 07:38 PM

As the title suggests, we need ANY help or leads as to what this Ford is and its origin of manufacture.

The car is missing its ID plate, however all the componentry such as engine g/box and diff are Ford.

From the limited available details we have on the chassis , its believed to have been manufactured around 1939.
Car is RHD believed to have been registered in Australia at some point, Engine is a 4 cyl , 3 speed non syncro box, rear drive via transfer case making it a 6 speed.
Body is Galvanised, features no doors - climb over , with a full tilt front.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

SPArKy_Dave · 05-09-2013, 07:48 PM

Looks like a Land Rover to me.

Nikked · 05-09-2013, 07:54 PM

Land Rover, could have had a driveline conversion.

monte.b · 05-09-2013, 08:14 PM

It aint no ford its a Landrover ,mark 1 id reckon

fte50 · 05-09-2013, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPArKy_Dave

Looks like a Land Rover to me.

Yeah initially thought the same but the running gear threw us off as it looked original.
Searching all the Land Rover sites / forums etc, have never found the same body with exposed front wheels and no doors - continuous sheeting, though some have suggested it could have been a prototype.

Got me stumped - thanks for your help so far fellas.

79FordEsky · 05-09-2013, 08:30 PM

Any other photos? any numbers/ markings on chassis?

MAD · 05-09-2013, 08:38 PM

Dept of Defence special built at Ford?

Geez Louise · 05-09-2013, 08:39 PM

On first looking at it, I thought it may have been a Hotchkiss car...but they were a little more rounded at the front.

Cheers
Col

fte50 · 05-09-2013, 08:41 PM

Few possibilities - I will get some more pics tomorrow as I accidently deleted them when I tried to upload ....... fail.

SPArKy_Dave · 05-09-2013, 09:18 PM

What does the badge on the grille say?
Howcome you reckon the build is around 1939?

fte50 · 05-09-2013, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPArKy_Dave

What does the badge on the grille say?
Howcome you reckon the build is around 1939?

Badge displays Ford, chassis has a '1939' stamp near chassis number.
Everything is an assumption at this stage, but unlike anything else 'jeepy', this one has no external board flanks above front wheels nor are the front guards contoured as a radius around the wheel...

The other thing that hinted LandRover was the gal body but they started production around 1947-8 so I just don't know.

Road_Warrior · 05-09-2013, 09:25 PM

If the build date is correct that aint no Land Rover as they didnt start appearing until 1948.

Geez Louise · 05-09-2013, 09:46 PM

I did a bit of a search on Willey's overland jeeps as I thought it may be one of them. Also found some Canadian ford military vehicles that were similar but not the same.

Hope someone helps you find out what it is.

Cheers
Col

burnz · 05-09-2013, 09:47 PM

maybe check with old holdens dot com dot au.

as it could be HMBB ford.

just a thought.

XR Martin · 05-09-2013, 10:18 PM

Some farmer special that he made with all the good bits left over.

dave351cid · 05-09-2013, 11:58 PM

possibly a pommy version of a jeep type vehical prototype. ???

the usa military called for vehcal builders to come up with an all purpose vehical which ended up being the jeep built by both ford and willys.

just a wild idea that i have never heard of before but maybe the british made a simillar request and this could be the result. would make it a very rare machine if it is.

looks like a pre runner to the series 1 landrover. could be the above that provided later inspiration for the landrover design which has carried on until present times with the defender. the bonnet and dash/cowl section is much more curvered then any landrover i have seen.

The FOMOCO · 06-09-2013, 09:15 AM

I was thinking it might have been re bodied at some stage on an old Ford chassis. Maybe the body was built by a body builder what do you think ??

fte50 · 06-09-2013, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The FOMOCO

I was thinking it might have been re bodied at some stage on an old Ford chassis. Maybe the body was built by a body builder what do you think ??

Sheetmetal / panelling has been pressed in a dye so I would assume its some factory job rather than a re-body.

I will upload more pics later. Thank for all your help so far fellas, though this mystery will possibly never be solved.

gavs74coupe · 07-09-2013, 06:05 AM

I do know the british did their own sort of version of a jeep ...believe it was called a champ ...only thinking this because again I believe the body was galvanized & it has that military look to it

tommof · 07-09-2013, 08:34 PM

The suspension will be the answer...

The body is very crude. Looks like home built that, accidentally, mimics a landrover.

Probably a home built from the '50s

xrystl · 08-09-2013, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gavs74coupe

I do know the british did their own sort of version of a jeep ...believe it was called a champ ...only thinking this because again I believe the body was galvanized & it has that military look to it

You're thinking of the Austin Champ , these were early fifties to about 1960 and came with a 4 cylinder fully sealed engine as they were able to be fully submerged (they were supplied with a snorkel and an exhaust extension) the engine was built by Rolls Royce , they were sold in Perth in the sixties by "Archie Marshall" when you bought one you got a second one for spare parts as parts were not available for them Marshall bought a lot of them from the Australian Army and others came from South Africa (from memory), most went onto farms because they weren't really good on the main roads , quite a few farmers North of Perth bought them because they were cheap (about $500 for a pair in 1969) I worked on a few that were bought into the workshop where I worked with mostly gearbox problems and it was just a matter of swapping gearboxes as no parts were available and when the second box called it quits the farmer had two dud vehicles and used the engines to drive water pumps for irrigating the crops.

79FordEsky · 06-09-2013, 04:29 PM

Also check if there are any part numbers?

Mr mk2 · 06-09-2013, 05:00 PM

You said it had been registered in aussie at some stage is there maybe a way to find the old details of that time with the info you got, i know you havent got much just a thort, ill do some lookin myself i like things like this be awsome to find out what it actually is!

Mr mk2 · 06-09-2013, 05:23 PM

Thats got me buggered haha the only idea i could think of is a old ford military jeep of some kind or a landdrover with a bit of custom work on a ford chassis or a prototype of some kind its a bit of a odd one but very awsome! Sorry i couldnt help ya but ill keep lookin

TC200six · 06-09-2013, 04:56 PM

That's no Land Rover. I'm leaning towards a custom built Jeep-ish vehicle. Interested to see pics of the engine bay.

imugli · 06-09-2013, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TC200six

I'm leaning towards a custom built Jeep-ish vehicle.

Yep, me too.

Those guards, the wheel arches, lack of doors etc all say home build to me...

imugli · 06-09-2013, 04:59 PM

I'd say it's later than '39. Headlights and fender design isn't from that era.

TC200six · 06-09-2013, 05:15 PM

Also fte50, is it RWD or 4WD?

I have a feeling it could be a custom body put over a Ford chassis. Maybe a Ford Anglia due to the size and the fact it's a four cylinder, (American Fords of the late 30s were bigger and had V8s.)

The FOMOCO · 06-09-2013, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tc200six

also fte50, is it rwd or 4wd?

I have a feeling it could be a custom body put over a ford chassis. Maybe a ford anglia due to the size and the fact it's a four cylinder, (american fords of the late 30s were bigger and had v8s.)

did you read post 17 ??

TC200six · 06-09-2013, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The FOMOCO

did you read post 17 ??

No, I missed your earlier comment. But that does seem to be the theory that makes the most sense at the moment.