The Utility Bed
- Thread starter Ryan
- Start date
racingrufus
Senior Member
I have a 1955 Ford F100 bell truck. Before I bought truck 13 years ago someone changed bed to a later model bed and the rear fenders don't fit. I wish they had left the Bell utility bed on truck. The only Bell bed I have found was at the 2014 F100 Ford Truck Nationals, and it was a rust bucket.
Bell had strict rules about service and the linemen went out in any kind of weather. Office staff was supposed to report no matter what it was like outside. My grandmother who worked for bell was an excellent driver but still had to put chains on in her dress clothes sometimes to get to work.
The service trucks were good in snow she said, normally the men would go out looking for operators who were stuck trying to get into the office.
My grandmother later in life was always amazed at how crappy the service had become with the phone carriers and couldn't believe some of the sub contractors they have working now. So much for progress.
The service trucks were good in snow she said, normally the men would go out looking for operators who were stuck trying to get into the office.
My grandmother later in life was always amazed at how crappy the service had become with the phone carriers and couldn't believe some of the sub contractors they have working now. So much for progress.
rustyfords
Junior Member
My dad retired from Southwestern Bell and drove trucks exactly like the restored green one when he started working there...same color and everything.
I remember sometime in the 70's, they had retired all of those trucks and I remember seeing them lined up behind a fence where he worked....must've been a dozen of them.
He said they were selling them all off and I asked him to buy one of them. He told me they were asking $500 apiece for them and he said that was too much money for an old worn out truck without a real pickup bed on it.
Oh to go back in time and scoop them all up! I'm sure the engines were worn, but the bodies on nearly all of those Texas trucks were rust free and as straight as an arrow.
I remember sometime in the 70's, they had retired all of those trucks and I remember seeing them lined up behind a fence where he worked....must've been a dozen of them.
He said they were selling them all off and I asked him to buy one of them. He told me they were asking $500 apiece for them and he said that was too much money for an old worn out truck without a real pickup bed on it.
Oh to go back in time and scoop them all up! I'm sure the engines were worn, but the bodies on nearly all of those Texas trucks were rust free and as straight as an arrow.
Wagga A'er
Member
http://www.fastlane.com.au/Features/First_ute.htm
Sadly they are no longer produced.
They race a professional series of V8 Utes.
Thought you might like this pic.
triumphleroy
Member
Many early UTILITY BEDS were made by company named "POWELL" I bought a 1960 Dodge D-100 with Powell utility Body in 1960. The utility boxes were often moved from truck to truck when new trucks were purchased.
Quiet possible that "Powell" Built the Bell Company's beds. Powell was around for a very long time and were here in Business very early on, but like a lot of other USA firms are no longer around.....
I put 400,000 miles on that old truck and sold it in a weak moment and have tried in vain to find it for years.
And of course "UTES" and UTILITY BEDS ARE NOT THE SAME ANIMALS!!!
Quiet possible that "Powell" Built the Bell Company's beds. Powell was around for a very long time and were here in Business very early on, but like a lot of other USA firms are no longer around.....
I put 400,000 miles on that old truck and sold it in a weak moment and have tried in vain to find it for years.
And of course "UTES" and UTILITY BEDS ARE NOT THE SAME ANIMALS!!!
hotrodfreak
Senior Member
The 16" wheels on my 32 roadster are from a 49 Ford phone company F-1 with utility bed. They are still the faded green paint color. The neat thing I discovered after removing them in a wrecking yard and having old tires removed is that the fronts are 4 1/2" bead and the rears are 5 1/2 bead width so I put 7.50's on the rear and 5.00's on fronts. Works for me.
VeryTangled
Well-known member
Lawson Cox
Well-known member
Oh my gosh. I haven't thought of Andy Gump in years. LOL
mercman from oz
Well-known member
The Ute is not quite dead yet in Australia. Attached are photos of the brand new Falcon Ute for 2015, code named FGX (the one with the new Ford family familiar oval Grille) Parked next to it is the older FG MkII which was released in December 2011. In Australia, most cars enjoy a few years without change. The latest FGX retains the same basic body, with a new Grille that is in line with the styling of the latest Ford models. This FGX will be the last Australian built Falcon, as they plan to shut down manufacturing in Australia towards the end of 2016. This is very sad, as Ford Motor Company started production here back in 1925. Meanwhile, over at General Motors Holden, who also produce a Ute, they will also cease manufacturing in Australia slightly after Ford closes down. These are sad days for Australian car manufacturing. In future, all new cars will be imported.
Attachments
mercman from oz
Well-known member
ModelAMike1930
Senior Member
I worked for Bell for 30 years and drive many of those trucks with the utility beds on them--at around 1963 they changed over to vans. The only problem with the vans was getting the ladders off the top of the vans-utility trucks were easier to work with..
ModelAMike1930
Senior Member
They used the same exact bed from the 40's to the early 60's on our trucks.
havi
Senior Member
Oh, ok. I thought maybe the earlier ones had an "open back" in the center.
ModelAMike1930
Senior Member
I was an installer for Illinois Bell and drove one of those for years. They retired that style of truck for Ford Vans.