Old Photo. Nice Oz Bodied Car.

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: Old Photo. Nice Oz Bodied Car.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dane Hawley Near Melbourne Australia on Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 06:47 am:



Caption-"Will Lee, with Jean Lee and Mrs Ash in a Ford motor vehicle, near San Remo, Victoria, ca. 1920"


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Chantrell - Adelaide, Australia on Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 07:18 am:

Wow, Tarrants coming out of the woodwork everywhere...great photo.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Friday, April 27, 2012 - 03:12 am:

I really enjoy the Australian photos! Thank you to all of you that share them.
That car, I REALLY like!
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Chantrell - Adelaide, Australia on Friday, April 27, 2012 - 08:04 am:

Yes, we made some stunning coachworks. I love this side of the Australian Ford 'T' history...


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Chantrell - Adelaide, Australia on Friday, April 27, 2012 - 08:10 am:

I forgot to add a photo of a surviving real life 1914 Tarrant bodied "deluxe" roadster, engine number C15057. Boy, this old girl can play in my shed anytime!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hap Tucker on Friday, April 27, 2012 - 09:53 am:

David -- thanks for providing the name of the body maker – Tarrant.

Below is a copy of a copy of a Tarrant illustration from Peter Kable’s article on page 25 of the Nov – Dec 1981 “Vintage Ford” used by permission to promote our hobby and club. As with any illustration it may or may not accurately portray what was produced. Based on the brass rimmed 1915 style side lamps – I would guess and it is only a guess that this advertisement was from around 1915 sometime. Notice it also has the twin belt line / double molding near the top of the body.



Do you have any idea what time frame that body style was used? Norm Darwin's book "The History of Ford in Australia" with the Model T section written by Peter Kable has a photo on page 14 labeled “A Tarrant Deluxe body circa 1913. This photo was found in Tasmania” It shows a touring which has the brass radiator, the hood that flares out from the brass radiator to better flow into the body and the “double molding around the body top.” That is very similar to the roadster. It has external door hinges but does not have external door handles. (I need to figure out who I need to obtain permission to post photos from that book. Often times if we ask they will gladly let us do so. Sometimes not – but often times they will).

Also thanks for posting additional modern photo of a 1914 Tarrant body. Note it does not have that twin belt line / double molding near the top of the body. I wonder if there is any pattern to which ones did and which ones did not have that extra molding? In some of the photos from the Tarrant’s delivery department and body works during the black radiator time frame (page 17, 18, & 19 of Darwin’s book also pages 22, 23, & 24 of Peter Kable’s article in the Nov – Dec 1981 “Vintage Ford” I do not see any of the bodies with the that twin belt line / double molding near the top of the body.

And at the posting at: http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/257047/274069.html the photo below also has that that twin belt line / double molding near the top of the body. And in that case if I understood Dave C correctly – you think that one is a Sweeney body. The cowl does appear shorter than the Tarrant bodies.



Note that the cowl vent appears the same or very similar on the body of the original photo -- zoomed in below and on the Tarrant illustration and the possible Sweeney body above. Do you think it was a standard common part used by many folks or was it a part found on only on one or two of the Australian body maker’s cars?



Also, I’m 90% sure that it was mentioned about someone trying to gather information on Tarrant or one of the other Australian body makers similar to the way Dave C has done for the Duncan & Fraser bodies. Would you please refresh my memory on who that was and which Australian body company they were going to research?

Again – great photos and information -- please keep those cards and letters -- I mean photos and postings coming.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Andrew Brand on Friday, April 27, 2012 - 06:48 pm:

Hi Hap. It might be me you were thinking of - I've been interested in Tarrants for some years. I'm positive the touring and roadster shown above are Tarrant bodies. The cowl vent is a Tarrant feature - as is the hood handle on the roadster. Years ago I found a Tarrant turtle deck, door, and a pair of windshield/lamp brackets. Since then I've found a cowl, a pair of vents, a set of crowned fenders, hood, and even the unique radiator shell (another Tarrant feature - as per the Touring car above and roadster below).



There were a lot of variations in Tarrant bodies and to be honest I don't have much verifiable info. The roadsters were available in 1914 - perhaps earlier. I know a similar style continued until 1917 or 1918 - somewhere I have a photo of a car with a nickel plated later radiator shell. Some of the variations seemingly happened within the same period. For example the roadster above doesn't have the double molding around the top. It also has a 2 piece windshield. In general hinges and door handles varied, and there were blade mount sidelamp brackets as well as a style for the Ford sidelamps.

Andrew


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chris Martin on Friday, April 27, 2012 - 07:30 pm:

Not sure if I have posted these before, I think the first one I have, but it fits here anyway. It shows Bob Lane, later to become a well known dealer himself, at the wheel of a Tarrants Roadster or Runabout.
The second one shows Harley Tarrant himself at the wheel of a Tarrant bodied Tourer.
The third has a body by Newnhams, also of Melbourne.
Chris M.






Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Chantrell - Adelaide, Australia on Friday, April 27, 2012 - 08:08 pm:

G'day Andrew, love that Tarrant photo. Note the electric horn button, so we are talking electric lights etc. May be a dating point for the introduction of the 2-piece windscreen on Tarrants?
The second beading was dropped by Duncan & Fraser in 1915, looks Tarrant had the same idea around the same time. Dave C.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Peter Kable on Saturday, April 28, 2012 - 04:30 am:

Hap, I don't think there is a problem posting pictures from the book. Although I didn't supply all the photo's for the Model T section I was given free rein in writing it. If you like I can contact Norm Darwin but can say now it isn't a problem.

Most sights allow copying of photo's, as long as its not for financial gain it's OK so should be same here we are not selling anything just exchanging information.

It seems to be normal that all the bodies here that were custom made vary car to car as Andrew suggests. They were really one off's. Even in the 1920's it was noted by Hubert French from Canada that the body shops had several body types and styles varying because each customer asked for his vehicle to have features he liked.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Allan Richard Bennett on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 08:30 am:

Peter has nailed the fact that many Australian built bodies were made to order and many variations can be noted.

Duncan's made a standard line of bodies in the 1920s in South Australia. I recently helped in the restoration of a 1922 tourer which had many variations to the norm. Among them were;

One piece nickel plated windscreen and pillars.

Steeply raked seat cushions, requiring revised rear mudguard brackets, and fuel tank.

The fuel tank was squared off, a drop section made between the chassis rails to regain capacity, and a vacuum tank fitted on the firewall to supply the feed from the much lower tank outlet.

The doors had external, nickel plated door handles.

The side curtains opened with the doors.

The rear doors had door pockets with flaps.

All of these were unique to this car and all were present when the car was stripped for restoration in the early 1970s.

This is what makes the Australian bodied cars so interesting, and so difficult to get a handle on.

Allan from down under.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Chantrell - Adelaide, Australia on Tuesday, May 01, 2012 - 05:04 pm:

I agree with Allan on this particular car. I first saw it over 30 years ago and it is exactly as Allan describes. Duncan Motors made this one special to order!


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