Steve Bright's 1948 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery / Ute

From Steve:

       Hi. I'd like to submit pictures of the truck that I just bought and have begun the process of restoring. It's a 1948 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery that was made in Canada (I am rying to track down exactly where) then shipped over to Australia where it was converted into right-hand drive at the General Motors Holden factory.

       The roof was removed then replaced with a new shorter version with side and rear windows added to make it into a Ute or Utility pickup for sale here. The story behind these modifications goes something like this. A farmer's wife wrote a letter to the corporate staff of Ford - Australia asking for a vehicle to use on the farm during the week but would also be able to take the family to town or church on the weekend in style. The corporate powers to be liked the idea so much that they decided to modify a number of sedans into Utility coupes for sale. Instant success! Thus was born the Ute which continues to be an extremely popular model for both Ford and Holden (General Motors) Australia to this day.

       My Ute has spent the last 40 years on the island of Tasmania. The original owner had stored it in a barn in 1984. The next owner purchased it in 2002 and then proceeded to upgrade the front suspension by grafting in a newer model front suspension with disc brakes. A 327, backed by a Turbo 350, now provide the motivation in place of the original 6 cylinder and three speed.

       I'm working on finishing all the little minor details now such as rubber and trim items. After that, it's off to work on the registration process which is extremely lengthy and fairly painful over here. I plan on having it shipped back to the US in 2007 when my current tour is up over here.

       If anyone can help fill in any of the history of these model - I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks,

Steve Bright
"Wildrideute" / #1147

Gunny Sergeant Steve Bright
United States Marine Corps