UPDATE 31.08.20 Save Val! '71 coach Ex Sam Glover/Edd China + related questions...

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I know there's an egay thread on here, but thought this old dear deserved a separate thread. Searching around the 'net, it transpires that the customer who it's being sold on behalf of is none other than Edd China. Seriously rare old thing now, and better looking than the twin steer Italian job coach in imo.
It's also been mentioned on here in the past, on this thread:

http://autoshite.com/topic/2814-old-travellers-trucks-photos/

It looks like a shitload of work, but let's hope it's given a reprieve. If it was local, I didn't have a house and had access to a field, I'd be buying it, getting it transported and moving into it.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/252329689372

Back in '94...

[HMC]

Gr9 for filling with metros ( if autoshite did gold heists in Turin)

[rml2345]

The thing that worries me about that Val is the missing rear screen as Duple bodies rot fast enough with all the glass intact and major body frame repairs can be very involving. Nothing is impossible but you'd need somewhere dry to keep it for now and deep pockets.
Anyone got a spare barn?

[Dick Cheeseburger]

To be fair, the extra wording added to egay ad suggests it's a full on, major project. The fact that China hasn't seen it through isn't a good sign, but to the right person, it's got to be worth doing.

[lisbon_road]

Eight people have bid on this.  Eight people who are prepared to do that much work?  Even if we discount the early bids as time wasters as it started at nearly nothing, it is still a lot of interest.  Well hope it gets fixed.  

[hauserplenty]

Roll up...roll up for the mystery tour...&c.

[Felly Magic]

Whoever buys this will need serious metal and woodworking skills, as it's totally rotten sadly

[Inspector Morose]

It's not beyond yet but it will be an imperial shitload (no metric nonsense in Blackpool in those days) of work. Best hope in reality is as a donor to keep the few remaining viceroys in body parts and glass.

 

Just to prove it can be done is the King Alfred val that was restored a few years back. That was found as a cut down flatbed transporter and was rebuilt back as a coach. Needed a donor body to replace the missing rear two thirds of the body.

 

Anything can be restored.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

^ If Edd can't fix it, etc. 

[cms206]

I used to do buses in a big way but I don't honestly have a good word to say about Bedfords. Or Duple bodies.

 

For that reason, ah'm oot.

[holbeck]

Is that not the one that was previously owned by Sam Glover and offered for sale here many moons ago?

[Six-cylinder]

Oh, I just love that but don't know enough about them to take it on by myself. I would love to be a partner with other more knowledgeable Autoshiters?

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Is that not the one that was previously owned by Sam Glover and offered for sale here many moons ago?

Good sleuthing work. Turns out it's the one and the same. Back window was lost on the A14 in 2012! There seemed to be a lot of love for it when Sam owned it...

 

Further down this page.

http://autoshite.com/topic/10183-bus-shite-ive-been-papped-noooooo-lol/page-4

 

[Pete-M]

I've just sent the link to my mental Foden restoring buddy. He'll either hate it or buy it.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

When I was about 4, apparently I thought these things were off Captain Scarlett. Fatha N used to do a bit of moonlighting (from his job driving Midland Red Motorways Expresses)for a local character ; Billy Mann and I would go with him on Mystery Tours etc( usually ended up at a pub in Ludlow, according to Fatha)

 

The actual Manns "6 legger" in question. It was yellow and black, must have been a dark yellow.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I've just sent the link to my mental Foden restoring buddy. He'll either hate it or buy it.

He needs* to buy it...

[HH-R]

^ If Edd can't fix it, etc. 

It's too big to paint with stone chip, he'd be there all year.

[HillmanImp]

TerryWogan, on 29 Mar 2016 - 10:06 AM, said:

 

If Edd can't fix it, etc.

 

"Having stripped down the bus it was clear that it needed a lot of work to put right, so I contacted my mate at a local bus company and have managed to get hold of a whole new bus at a very reasonable rate. I know its not what the bus purists would like to see us do but its the only reasonable option in these circumstances"

 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Edd needs to try harder; its on <£600 with only a few hours left...

[Dick Cheeseburger]

£686.66 selling price. I can only assume Satan's mate, Santa, purchased this fine automotive beast.

[Six-cylinder]

That does not seem a lot of money, I wish I had been braver I do love it.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Its a beautiful thing, I love it

[Justin Case]

For once I'd say that one is too far gone to restore, even by a group, and would be best used to keep other examples going, especially when a very good late one with class 6 MOT went a couple of years ago for (I believe) a shade under £10k. The one on Ebay would probably cost about £40k to restore, even doing part of the work yourself, which no doubt is why it has been going the rounds of some very experienced restorers 

[Inspector Morose]

I sank about £20k into both of mine and still they weren't on the road when I had to sell.

 

Duple body? Yup, around 20-25 doing it partially yourself I'd have thought.

 

Still my favourite body of the time though. So stylish.

[simmo]

When my old man operated coaches I'm sure this configuration was called a Chinese Six

[rml2345]

When my old man operated coaches I'm sure this configuration was called a Chinese Six

Yup, it was a general term given to anything with that layout at one point. The two steering and one driven axle set up was popular on lorries but went out of fashion in the 70s.

[Inspector Morose]

Other examples of chinese six buses and coaches:

 

 

 

 

And still a current idea:

 

 

[lisbon_road]

Johnsons of Hodthorpe have two (I think) Bedford VALs in fantastic condition.  

[HMC]

There's a bit of a sad story about the original Italian job VAL; survived till 1989 and was scrapped iirc.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Another old thread bumped, but I'm trying to do our re-mortgage online, and appear to have become a little sidetracked, as always. 

The Val I started this thread hasn't been spotted since the ebay auction ended, but I'd imagine it's sadly a spares package, bearing in mind it sold for <£700.

 

Anyway, back to my main point. The Bedford Val I started the thread about looks like this:

 

 

 

I've since seen photos of a 'Ford Duple Viceroy':

 

It's not twin steer, but the body looks really similar. Could someone educate me on them? Classic coaches are a newish interest to me, and I'm still learning! 

 

TIA. 

(Mods: Would you be able to edit the thread title so it also says 'and related questions' at the end of it. Ta.