i have cum across this ute through a mate. it is mine to restore but will only do so if i can find a factory style side tray for it (tub).
i have been told it is a 64 b1500, but ive seen pictures of them and it doesnt look like them. it does have a b1500 motor though. does anyone know wat it actually and alos possibly were i could get a tub from.
cheers
(would post pics if a knew how?)

Send a message to B1500boy he has a styleside restored one and a few others all in Brissy. We getting together for a cruise this sunday check out the events section come say hello
Cheers
Marek

_________________
round and round and now up and down!

Hey hey!

Do you have a picture? Is there some one else in the world who wants to do up a B1500? Yah, I'm not alone!!

First question is how many headlights?

BUA61 chassis were the first, we didn't actually get them here but the model run was from August 1961 to September 1963.

BUB61 chassis were the second gen running from September 1963 through to the major change in December 1965. All of the earlier models head two headlights. This is my restored 1964 model here.



The BUD61 chassis changed completely in every way shape and form. Four headlights were added, it became very square and coil spring suspension was added. Really the only common part was the engine.



The B1600 followed the same shape being the BNA61 chassis, the only major change was the NA 1600 OHC engine. Here's the B1600 in the fleet.



The engine code for a B1500 is the UA. 1484cc OHV, about 60 odd HP. This engine was only fitted the the B1500, the 1500 sedan had the very different UB which was OHC. The UA engine also was fitted to the D1500 two tonne truck which we missed out on. The engine went for many years until the 1980's as Yale forklifts used Mazda engines to power them.

The chassis number location to help you is on the front left hand chassis rail at the top. If you look down next to the radiator there is a raised plate with it stamped on with 'made in japan' punched there too.

Unfortunately there was only a handful of the early shape that came in with a styleside tub. They were a full 1.25 tonne ute and the early dealers found the buyers found the tray hopeless for storage and carrying. It took a lot of work to reconstruct this one!

Talk soon Timbo

_________________
Too many Mazda's in the collection. 4 Mitsubishi's, 6 Toyota's and now 3 Datsun's as well.
Putting together a Mazda/Japanese motor museum. New bigger venue for the museum has been bought, watch this space!

mine is more similar to the one in the second picture. just with a different style front end. the grill is three or four pieces i think.
and a mate is posting pics up for me
cheers guys

Here you go Karl






URL=http://img413.imageshack.us/i/karl2.jpg/][/URL]




Uploaded with ImageShack.us

_________________
round and round and now up and down!

no problems - yes the B1500 BUD61 chassis was similar to that shape but did have a three bar metal grille. It also had the old M badge in the middle of the bonnet where the B1600 had the word Mazda there. The early B1600 - January 1971 to January 1973 also shared that same three bar grille - only difference was B1500 were factory painted white and B1600 were optioned to the cab paint colour.

The only real body change was under the bonnet as the B1500 you have has the big cylinder type air filter on the drivers side and battery to the passengers. B1600 was powered by the NA 1.6 crossflow engine, putting the battery to the drivers side.

The UA engine in yours was the upgrade engine over my earlier one with a much better cylinder head and valving systems and a downdraft carby instead of the sidedraft like on my earlier model - bugger to keep in tune I can tell you!

Production in Japan started in December 1965 of the second shape B1500 but most of the models that got here didn't get a manufacturers date plate until the last of the run in 1970. The only way I can date them is the chassis number itself. They basically averaged 15000 units per year worldwide, some months better than others.


Basically even this model is quite hard to find a good styleside tub for, let me know if you find a few!! Most were sold through the Westco Mazda dealers back in the day and the majority of the east coast delivered vehicles actually came in as cab chassis minus trays so the dealer could fit a larger dropside and better use it's 1 tonne payload.

Hope this helps. Timbo

Mate don't leave it there in that yard - its looks lonely

_________________
Too many Mazda's in the collection. 4 Mitsubishi's, 6 Toyota's and now 3 Datsun's as well.
Putting together a Mazda/Japanese motor museum. New bigger venue for the museum has been bought, watch this space!

really? a very close friend of mine, his father owned Yale Forklifts up until about 8 years ago when he got aggressively taken over by an OS firm.
I'll have to ask him about that next time I see him.

Yeah, stumbled over that with a few old Yale forklift workshop manuals. There was a few forklifts that went on to use old Mazda engines. TCM were there as well - they used datto engines as well. I'm not sure they ever got to our shores though. Be great if he had an info on the subject - be great for the museum, I'm looking to get a couple of old forklifts to add in.

I believe the NA 1.6 and MA 2.0 engines got under the seats as well. I'd love to know how reliable they were as I'm on a constant battle with headgaskets in roadcars!!

_________________
Too many Mazda's in the collection. 4 Mitsubishi's, 6 Toyota's and now 3 Datsun's as well.
Putting together a Mazda/Japanese motor museum. New bigger venue for the museum has been bought, watch this space!

I'll ask, his old man had a stroke I think so I don't know how "with it" he is these days, apparently he is fighting fit though.

I think at Smorgon Steelmark we had a small hyster that used a buick V6, basically the same motor as the VN commodore.

Here is a picture of a B1500 ("s1") survivor, identical to the first B1600 and B1800 in US (only?).










I ve got the parts catalog of this car (I think of the B1600) if anyone wants any information.

thanks for the help guys
now if i can find a tub all will be good