North American Split Uni

bobenhotep · Post by **bobenhotep** » February 8, 2014, 9:40 am

I have started saving my pennies to try and find a uni in really bad shape, I just need the bed. I have studied the pictures of the Argentine trucks and really want to build one. I could even use a trailer someone cut out of one. I have nowhere near the funds yet, but I think it will be a cool project.

William-in-St George · February 8, 2014, 11:14 am

I saw a Uni trailer on ebay a while back. Kinda felt sorry for that old Ford. It would be cool though.

slick4x4 · Post by **slick4x4** » February 8, 2014, 6:28 pm

I have thought about that
I'm not enough good body man to pull it off though
But........
If I was going to do it , I would use a long bed UNI
Shorten it to a length between a short & long bed
This would make you have to customize a wheelbase length
Not a terrible job, but it has to be done right

mercuryv8 · Post by **mercuryv8** » February 8, 2014, 6:51 pm

Can you post a picture?

Nic

Post by **foodstick** » February 8, 2014, 7:19 pm

My friend Bill has a short uni box setting next to his garage right now

bobenhotep · Post by **bobenhotep** » February 8, 2014, 8:23 pm

Like this. This was the Argentine answer to the bed flex on the unibody. I wish they did this up here.

Post by **foodstick** » February 8, 2014, 9:16 pm

Gritsngumbo · Post by **Gritsngumbo** » February 8, 2014, 10:08 pm

bobenhotep wrote:Like this. This was the Argentine answer to the bed flex on the unibody. I wish they did this up here.

Never seen the attraction of doing this to a Uni. But maybe that's just me.

LM14 · Post by **LM14** » February 8, 2014, 10:09 pm

I'm with you Grits. Kind of kills the attraction of the uni in the first place.

SPark

unifarmer · Post by **unifarmer** » February 9, 2014, 1:11 am

http://medford.craigslist.org/for/4312560358.html

This may be what your lookin for.

bobenhotep · Post by **bobenhotep** » February 9, 2014, 9:16 am

something like that would work. i have no desire to butcher a good truck. now to save funds.

Post by **foodstick** » February 9, 2014, 1:50 pm

I think the styling is good, and its all about finding the right DONOR, Bill bought a parts truck that was totally gone underneath the cab,firewall, and was even toast up in the plenum. the only thing salvageable is the box...

Post by **Greg D** » February 9, 2014, 2:10 pm

Cool idea.
I still want to built a Unipanel.
Yea, I know -
I have been saying that for 10 years now.

crewcabstripper · Post by **crewcabstripper** » February 9, 2014, 5:41 pm

So your looking to make a slick with unibody lines? but have the bed and cab separated like the non unibody slicks?

bobenhotep · Post by **bobenhotep** » February 9, 2014, 8:22 pm

Pretty much. I have a wrongbed now, and it has some pretty nasty damage to the back of it. I thought it would be cool to take a uni bed and stick it behind it. I have done some looking at the Argentina trucks, and it appears they have a standard cab and a sawed off uni bed, and are not a uni cut in half. This is further shown by ads from the early 60s that show the "uni bed" trucks with the standard doors and not the uni doors.

1961 ford truck commercial from Argentina

Toyz · Post by **Toyz** » February 9, 2014, 9:07 pm

Greg D wrote:Cool idea.
I still want to built a Unipanel.
Yea, I know -
I have been saying that for 10 years now.

X2, as well as a full size '61-'63 Bronco!
Course there's the matter of my current un-completed slicks (and other :twisted:

, projects!
Paul

Leeroy · Post by **Leeroy** » February 11, 2014, 6:26 pm

They look cool, but I wonder why Ford went to so much trouble to make the southern slicks cab and bed and not a uni? It seems like a lot of mucking around when North American ford had already designed the uni and made the tooling.

I never noticed before uni doors + non uni doors, maybe they just used whatever was in front of them at the time!

I still want one though.... Or maybe two! :twisted:

Toyz · Post by **Toyz** » February 11, 2014, 7:02 pm

It may have had something to do with the normal usage for a pickup, and road conditions in that era "down south". There also may have been different assembly methods on those trucks which did not translate well to the probably lower production goals there.
Paul

bobenhotep · Post by **bobenhotep** » February 11, 2014, 7:53 pm

My guess is that instead of figuring out how to make a 57-60 bed fit on a 61 model, that they just cut a uni bed off and put a bulkhead on it. From what I know about Argentina, they farm and probably don't have the best roads. They probably found out about the bed flex/body twist problems a lot faster than the US, and since they have a smaller market footprint, they fixed it faster. Fixing it probably involved a sawzall or a torch and welding a bulkhead in a uni bed then adding a standard cab. I think it was a solve a problem with the resources you have on hand type of thing.

Leeroy · Post by **Leeroy** » February 11, 2014, 8:53 pm

I like it regardless.

Is it easy for you guys to import this stuff across the border? Would save a lot of hassle cutting/welding yourself. And unlike us, at least the steering wheel is in the same side! :lol:

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