VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 27 Chev Ute

Hi Guys,

This may be of interest to some.

http://my28chev.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/1927-chev-ute.html

Cheers

Ray

Ray
Your photo is a Miller Bros. Sydney built 'ute'
There are quite a few around including one that does all the Chev 4 tours.
GMA Holden didn't make a ute. Holden advertises that they produced the worlds first ute in 1926. They didn't and the photo they used was of a 24 ute, so they don't even know thier year models.
I have over 30 original factory photos of Miller bodied early Chevs, including, 490's, F models and later.
They mainly made 'utility'type or trucks but also did a few passenger vehicles.
Chris

Great Blog Ray, nice ute too, another one went on ebay last week down in Victoria, guy sold his collection 3 complete basket cases 1 steel body ute and a truck load of parts. RAY

Chris, there are a few things to note about the info in your post. GMA and Holden are two different companies and you can't correctly use the two terms together. GMA Holden isn't correct.

General Motors (Australia) abbreviated as GMA was the Australian distributor of GM vehicles and they contracted body building services to Holden Motor Body Builders (HMBB) up until the point in 1930 that GM was forced to acquire HMBB as they were under threat of going broke. This combination resulted in GMH coming into existence.

Prior to the acquisition, HMBB produced bodies for all of the GM brands sold in Australia and for many of their competitors.

HMBB produced many examples of what may be called a "ute" and they did so under most of the GM brands available in Australia at the time. Here is an example of a Chevrolet advert in a 1929 West Australian newspaper;




Here's a picture of a 1928 Chev... could we call this a "ute"? Most members here would call it an "express delivery".



The problem is that when you use the term "ute" and describe the Millers Bros example as a "ute" and then say that GMA didn't make one, it can be easily refuted by any of Norm Darwin's great books on the history of Holden and GM in Australia.

HMBB made very many of these things on behalf of GMA for most GM brands well before 1930.

G'day Skidd,

Now thats what i would love to get my hands on next...

Hope all is going well with your "collection" of goodies mate and we must catch up again soon....

Andrew
I meant to put a hyphen between GMA and Holden, should have read GMA/Holden as it was a partenership, sorry about that. I agree about Norm's great books as I contributed some of the info in it, and have face to face discussions with Norm re a number of errors. History is an evolving thing as research updates speculation.
There were many enterprising body builders in the 20's/30's and most made utes. There is evidence of Utes (utilities) being made in NSW Qld Vic. at least, and I have a photo of a WA Skipper and Bailey dealership showing a 1917/18 490 tourer with a nickled radiator surround and bone colour hood suggesting some dealers did their own thing.
BTW it was 1931 when GMA changed to GMH, I have copy of the official registration of the name in my achives.
Thanks for correcting me.
Chris

Yep, working on something like this as we speak, only in a 1929 guise. I've got a few panels and bits left over from other projects, as well as a radiator surround that Ray donated to the cause, so a build of a 'buck board' is definitely on the cards.

Chris, LOL... No dramas at all mate, it wasn't a "correction" per say, just an acknowledgement that the term "ute" actually has a pretty broad meaning and so when we start asking when was the first one made and by whom it, the whole discussion can actually hinge more on how you define the term "ute".

Of course you are right about the 1931 change to GMH, I did mean that the move to GMH happened "at the end of the 1930 model run". I actually have a 1930 tourer that has a GMA chassis tag and HMBB body tags.

We have had Norm as a guest speaker at our club meetings a few times and I've certainly exchanged a few emails and had a bit of phone time with him over the years. He has certainly been able to pull together a lot of fantastic archives on the automotive history of Australia. I certainly take the point about history updates as new research evidence comes to light... such a pity about the holes in our Holden history from the archives lost in the fire and lack of records kept in the early 30's!

It's great that the discussion about some of our auto history can be posted on here to let them 'mericuns know we actually weren't behind them at all.

You guys know so much about Chev utes. I own a 1927 Chev ute which I bought as a wreck and restored. The ute body looks to be very well built for a 'cut tourer' job, although that's what I have always assumed it is. I would really like to put a picture of it here for your comments. I'm not so techno-savvy about these things; perhaps someone can tell me how to do that.
Thanks, great reading.
DeeCee.

Do you have the picture on the internet anywhere, or it it just on your computer?

If on the internet it's pretty easy, if only on your 'puter then you'll need to upload it somewhere and then link to the hosted image.

The only pics I have are on my computer. Where do I upload it to?

Hi Aussie Chev,

If you google photobucket or picasso, you can open an account free of charge. You then upload from your PC to photobucket, and then click on the IMG code, paste that on this reply, and presto.



Dont worry Aussie Chev, some time back I had no idea what so ever how to do it, and this country kid from up Monty's way showed me how.

Good luck, but if your not sure keep asking. We are here to help.

Cheers

Ray

Righto, after hours of mucking around creating Google accounts and passwords I have managed to get onto Picasa and upload (I think) a photo of my Chevrolet.
I'll copy the link:
https://plus.google.com/photos/111754612293387428537/albums/5741239608102368513
I hope that works.
Cheers.

Hi Aussie Chev (Darryl),

You are 99% there, and what a beaut ute you have by the way. You have copied the link, which is fine, but people need to click on it to open. If you copy the IMG code and come back to the VCCA posting you are writing on and right click paste, the actual picture will appear, but hey if the link works well for you, go for it.

You know it took me weeks to get it down pat, so good on ya!

Cheers

Ray

Ray, I just took the time to go over the full article and the photo essay on these marvelous creations of the 20's/'30's. I've been an old car history buff for 40+ years and an owner/restorer for 5, and during that time have read thousands of articles on every make imaginable. However, I have never run across such a fascinating article as you set out, how in response to the challenges of the depression era for economical "commercial" vehicles, that owners and local shops could re-body/re-create vehicles to suit countless purposes. This type of response to necessity deserves an article in Automobile Quarterly, as an example of how the local automotive industry (and not the big three) responded to the crisis. Thanks for posting it.

Glad you enjoyed it Gunsmoke.

If you have any links to other like minded stories please let me know and I will add them to my blog.

Cheers

Ray

Ray,
Thanks for the advice and encouragement. Here's my shot at posting the picture of my ute. Right click paste - here goes:
https://plus.google.com/photos/1117...2293387428537/albums/5741239608102368513

Ray,
Hmmm. Still no pic. Ah well.
D.

Definitely a tourer cut down to a ute.The give away is the tourer centre panel just behind the front door.Still a nice little ute.

D.
During WW11 there was petrol rationing and farm vehicles could get more than cars so a lot of farmers cut the back off to get more fuel. A nive little ute and a piece of Aus history. In South Australia they were called buckbords.
Chris

Try this mate;



Nice ute by the way.

Cheers,

Andrew

Not many people realise that petrol rationing continued in Australia right up until 1950. It was stopped after Menzies was voted into Government.

Petrol rationing in Australia