Panel thickness of original Ulsters

[Bill Sheehan]

Hi All,

This is more of an academic question to enrich my knowledge, rather than something that I can change on a car. In working on my CC Ulster body, with some welding that a friend is doing, the body is made from 40 thou, what I would guess is 1100. Pretty soft and basically pure aluminum, rather than a harder alloy. Were the original cars the same or similar? I would guess, pure aluminum, but would the thickness have been the same rather than perhaps 50 thou which is a bit more robust?

Erich in Seattle

If any help, the Original Ulster bodies were built in Imperial thicknesses - ie- SWG (Standard Wire Gauge). The only two Original Longbridge AE bodies I worked on (the others were either replacement repairs or replicas) were Steel floor, bulkhead etc = 18gauge (TT versions possibly 20g for lightness, or even aluminium), the Aluminium skin 18gauge.  As I believe your Special is a long wheelbased, stretched copy of a 1930/31 AE, (and AEs were never called an Ulster by the factory), I can understand why your question is academic.  But why do you keep calling your good-looking special  an Ulster?  Good Luck with it.   Cheers,  Bill in Oz