UTE-1949 Ford

 

Page 1 of 3

What is a UTE (pronounced "yoot")? It is an Australian ID for pickup trucks, with a bed not separate but integrated with the body.
This is my first model to be made of fibreglass resin. In fact, it is a GRP (glass reinforced plastic). It is very thinly molded, and can easily get broken. The maker is Jaymar Models, Australia and this conversion fits AMT 49 or 50 Ford kits.
How I got this kit? Well, my very dear friend Mac (a self-proclaimed Glue-Bomb Hacker, in his own words!) was the original owner but after breaking the body while opening the windows, and figuring out that he could not do the dusty cutting at home, he offered to send it to me and me build it.
He even sent me the donor kit! Sincere thanks for his generous trust in me...
 

Now to the model.

STARTED  March 07th, 2004

This is the donor kit.
These two pictures are as the kit arrived to me. The right B-post and part of the door was broken.
On the left door, there were two breaks in the door panel too.
I began cutting the openings with my Dremel, taking good precaution against dusting. While cutting, I held the piece close to the hose of a vacuum cleaner, which I held between my thighs (tip of hose seen just behind my left hand).
OOOPPS!!! Some part of the door broke apart while filing! I temporarily fixed it back in place with CA glue.
Now the remedy for the B-post. I made a foil mold, covering the gap made by the missing part and fixed it on the body by tapes.
On the left door, the breaks were minor so I put a masking tape on the outside and placed a piece of foil (folded a couple of times to build some thickness) at the upper level of the door panel. This foil edge will stop resin from flowing away.
I poured resin in the foil mold
and also to the left door.
After curing, I ripped the foil away to display the roughly filled resin.
This is the left door after cure.
l scribed the door line and glued the quarter window bar made from styrene.
March 11, 2004: I cut the front internal panels from the donor kit to transfer to the UTE.
The hood is serving as a fixing template for the assembly. To prevent sticking of the glue to the hood, I put masking tapes on the edges of the hood and then fixed the taped hood on the body with another masking tape on the outside.
Then I applied epoxy glue along the mating edges.
Taking off the hood, the front part is fixed.
March 13, 2004: I cut the inner tub to suit the shorter cab of the UTE.
I tailored and built the bed from styrene sheet..
..and fixed it to the body with epoxy glue.