MII
Ute REGO GUL 779
By
Marcus Chick
This Ute was bought by My Grandfather from Wangaratta
Motors, Wangaratta Victoria Australia and registered
on the 27th March 1958. It has carried those plates ever since.
Grandfather was a Carpenter & bought the Ute not long before he retired,
much to my fathers chagrin, as he and others felt that getting a drivers
license at his age and with his previous inexperience, was terrifying.
This was not sour grapes, as time proved him right & several nasty
dents were attributed to Granddad’s driving prowess. However, the car managed
to survive him. Albeit that I was driving it & doing maintenance on it for
several years: I eventually bought it out of the estate in 2003.
The most entertaining feature of it when it was new was the fact that it
was the same colour as the Police cars of the day. The other unusual thing that
I have never been able to get a straight answer on, is the rectangular “Zephyr”
plate (photo sent) which I have never seen another Zephyr with. It came out of
the Factory with it. I have the delivery
docket so I do not have to rely on memory, to recall what extras were fitted.
I was going to put a radio in it but a family member nicked the radio
& panel from the wreck it was in. I have since acquired another minus a
knob, but this one was “restored” for $300 (have docket) by a mob of criminals
in Melbourne, prior to me getting it. My estimate is that it will take me at
least three hours or more to actually overhaul it and fix everything they
botched or didn’t. I fix valve Radio’s
as one hobby. That’s why I spent most of my life studying & working in
Chemistry as well as on the farm, after father died.
Apart from Grandfathers efforts the vehicle has not been restored, as
such. The engine has had a water pump replacement, the radiator in 1982 and
took out the head gasket not long before I acquired it. It had one of those horrid tin plate looking gaskets that required the
head to be tightened about every 10,000 miles & nobody had done it. So it blew 5 to 6 and nearly 4. Cylinder 4
had a crook valve.
The only other thing that might qualify as an engine mod., was caused by me getting seriously “P’d”
off with the walking stick: Serious engineering blunder. Exhaust gas venting at
around 4000 degrees was always going to flame harden the iron & make it
porous & brittle. So it was replaced (1983) with a hand made stainless one,
which is still there (photo). As an aside a spigot was welded inside the pipe
to ensure that the flanges lined up, could not slip & assisted the clamp in
maintain a seal. The Bolts in the clamp are also now SS.
The problem with Ford transmissions of that era was solved by them
getting someone else to build them. Unfortunately this is one of their
gearboxes and is number four. Second gear on the early Anglia had a similar
problem, only it did not cause self destruct, although MKII GB had other issues
as well. E.g. they put it in a vehicle.
Other than that it’s been general maintenance: This year new tyres
100,000 service, “O” ring in main jet failed, rear universal & extension
shaft seal (Granite dust is murder on oil seals) Handbrake lockup.
CASA Australia did warn on this. As grease ages it hardens. Mixing
grease with other brands & types can and will cause it to chemically react
and harden. Cable lockup was due to the grease. Hubs should be cleaned out &
repacked with new, as the old grease will have “fretted” material off of the
bearings in it.
I also changed it over to “Silicone” brake fluid about 30 years ago.
This stopped all corrosion problems, especially up front. Seals wear out around
every 10 years.
As you can see by photos, it has not retired, is fully registered and
being the only Farm road vehicle with a tow bar, is the road tow motor.
