please help with details

[extremeblasting]

hi all, my mates ek ute can someone tell me what month and year it is please.

motor b325387
vin ek574725
paint 585 4679
body ek2106 668 a

many thanks for any help
graham

[MeFB]

I'll have a crack at it because I'm bored. But don't take it as gospel until someone like Tim (the human FK encyclopedia) confirms or corrects it

B325387 is a really late EK engine number. Would be a replacement.

EK 2106 - 668 - A 668th Adelaide built ute body.

EK 574725 will actually be EK 57472 S (Sydney assembled).

Paint as you know is 'Katherine Beige' (I like it).

I'll go out out on a limb and say that the ute was probably on the showroom floor shortly after the release of the EK in May 61.

One thing I didn't know (and there are many) is that Katherine Beige was used that early on EKs. Live and learn.

[extremeblasting]

thanks mefb. the info ive had so far is that the katherine beige ek,s are the last of the eks and the colour is a ej colour. its also got a blue engine wiring harness which i was told is a late ek. would like to know more about this car and why the dealer fitted the sedan type chrome molds down the side.

cheers graham

[MeFB]

thanks mefb. the info ive had so far is that the katherine beige ek,s are the last of the eks and the colour is a ej colour. its also got a blue engine wiring harness which i was told is a late ek. would like to know more about this car and why the dealer fitted the sedan type chrome molds down the side.

cheers graham

The body doesn't seem to be late as there were over 7500 ute bodies with Adelaide tags, and this one is number 668.

Again, I'm not sure of my facts, but I think some assembly plants used blue tape on the looms going into commercial and standard vehicles. These looms were different than those going into the specials (black tape) as they did not have indicator wires. I've seen blue harnesses on Perth and Sydney assembled commercial / standard cars.

I'm not so sure that the dealer would have fitted the molds. I know of at least one guy that did this to a ute himself.

There are only three other cars in the register that have Katherine Beige paint, they are all late(ish) Adelaide utes with body numbers 4892, 6805 and 6869.

Interesting car!

[MeFB]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the body number has possibly been given to you incorrectly. I have a ute with engine number B314562 and chassis number EK53491S. Ask your mate if he has maybe missed the last digit off the body number, and it's actually six thousand, six hundred and eighty something.

I had another thought too; the last commercials were given the surplus chrome bits left over from the 'specials' production run. My ute has factory chrome dash and chrome headlight surrounds. I guess it isn't beyond the realm of possibility that a few of the last utes to be sold were dressed-up by dealers using surplus special body molds, and possibly even fitting indicators and the other chrome bits to essentially turn them into actual 'specials'. I don't think we'll ever know for sure unless an old photo turns up showing a ute sitting dressed-up like that in a dealer's showroom.

[Mick]

unless there's paperwork saying body/chassis/engine were all the originals there's also the possabillity that any of them could have been changed over the years same goes for anything on these cars that's just held on with bolts or screws

[Blacky]

thanks mefb. the info ive had so far is that the katherine beige ek,s are the last of the eks and the colour is a ej colour. its also got a blue engine wiring harness which i was told is a late ek. would like to know more about this car and why the dealer fitted the sedan type chrome molds down the side.

cheers graham

My early FB ute has/had a blue wiring harness .....

[Blacky]

Later EK standards had a blue wiiring loom and the wiring for the indicators is contained within - at sometime in late 61 early 62 EK standards seemed to have indicator wiring fitted as standard. Blacky I think your ute must have had an EK loom put in it sometime. No wonder it goes so well
No real variations from timing/plant to plant that I have seen of this changeover to blue tape. My guess is the blue tape clearly identified that the indicator wires were already there rather than the earlier ones where you had to put in the entire loom which just sat on top of the original loom as an afterthought.
Tim

That would explain the trip from Adelaide to Narrandera

[MeFB]

Thanks Tim. That makes very good sense.

Graham, I thought you might find this pic of an FB ute interesting. It shows that even back-in-the-day people were dressing-up their utes to look like specials. Can't quite see if it has the molds, but it has at least been painted to look like one.

[tommy63]

Hi all,
Tom here, Grahams mate that owns the ek ute -
Alan, yes, you were right, we double checked numbers and did miss one - they are:
vin - ek57472s
body - ek2106-6685a (we missed the 5)
eng - b325387
paint - 5854679
we also located another plaque on flywall - GMH 1j032 526-34068 paint ,can anyone let me know any info on this? (As the car has been repainted thinking this is related?)
Thanks everyone for helping me to unravel some info on my new project!!
Its being stripped at the moment, will keep you posted.....
Tom

[MeFB]

Welcome Tom

That ute is a nice score, well done.

Usual disclaimer - I'm not an expert, I just pretend to be to win friends and influence people. Not working out for me though...

The FB / EK factory paint codes are 253 or 256 for nitro paint (early FBs only) and 585 when they changed to 'magic mirror' acrylic.

526 is a more recent formula, and 34068 is an early commodore colour called Alabaster White, or just Alabaster. The tag would have been added when resprayed as you said. Probably at the same time the 'EK Special' molds were added...

[MeFB]

Forgot - 1J032 is the new code for Alabaster White.

The painter put both the old and the new codes on the tag.

I wonder if he is still painting cars? Obviously a thorough sort of chap!! I bet his paint job has lasted well.

[tommy63]

Hi all,
yeah the paints been on there for 16 + years. Is off road getting pulled apart and getting a makeover, back to original colour. By stripping it down looks like chrome moulds were dealer fitted, but who knows???
Pictures will be taken as i go and will get listed soon.

Great site, very helpful members to us new Ek members.
Thanks Tom

[extremeblasting]

here are some pics of toms EK ute and my daily driver FB

[tommy63]

Just from both sides looking identical in drill fitment, measurements are spot on-on both sides, original spear holes on guards are still there, genuine strip clips and part number is written on strips. To me just looks genuine, alot of care taken on removal and refitting when previously repainted. Am no expert, and could be totally wrong, but have done a few cars in my time so just my thoughts, unfortunately no real history on the car, am looking into this a bit further. Maybe this is wishful thinking on my part, looks good!!!
Tom