HMC- Return of the Cheeky 500

[chaseracer]

I do hope Mr Wobbler gets a go in the V8 Sherpa and reviews it, I bet it's faster than an MGB with the same engine LOL

 

FTFY 

[406V6]

Is that the dealer that used to be on the Chiswick roundabout?  Seem to remember they had  T16 rally car in there at some point in the early 90s.

 

It is, and they’re still there selling Pugrats. I think the 205 Turbo16 has moved on though, unsurprisingly.

 

Yep. My car - a fleet order - came from there and still has its original dealer plates. As far as I know it was Peugeot owned at the time. Later it became Robins & Day. I was shocked when I drove past last week to see the whole building, still covered in Peugeot signage, surrounded by those temporary metal fences and being demolished. No idea whether they moved or if it's being replaced by another Peugeot building.

[HMC]

A positive week for the LDVGT. I have been slowly going over the bodywork where a previous owner had daubed paint over scratches with a mahoosive brush...

 

After careful wet and drying in most cases the daub was reduced to a fine scratch....

 

A set of pressed old font plates were ordered (it seems commercial vehicles were specified with these long after cars went acrylic)

 

And I've been busy reconnecting it with its Scotland Yard past- a cb kit has been installed and a few other things more of which in due course....

[Bucketeer]

Good to see you're cracking on with this old crock. I'd love to come down and see it again some time. Maybe when I buy the Wartburg or Citroen.

There may be some number plate purists who are offended but I reckon those new plates look great. They'll proper suit it nicely.

[tooSavvy]

^^^ Always loved tin-pressed plates...

 

1st mod on ToMM©

 

 

TS

[JeeExEll]

Interesting thread on the LDVGTV8

 

I really like those pressed plates too, and the font looks much better IMO.

 

I just checked out a supplier's site for info on these and even the supplier warns not to put a jetwash on them!!

 

Only a very minor setback but plz be aware of it.

 

 

. . . (Awaits reply, "Jetwash, what's that?").

[barrett]

Have they used the wrong '0' on those plates or what? Then other six characters all look good though

[DodgeRover]

Have they used the wrong '0' on those plates or what? Then other six characters all look good though

That's my thought as well

[500tops]

...and mine

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Damn it, I hadn't noticed that, now it's all I can see

[barrett]

Soz guys!

[Felly Magic]

I bet it is faster than the 2.0 400 luton I once drove, would love to drive summat like this, sadly the DVLA says NEIN!

[phil_lihp]

I caught a glimpse of this magnificent beast whilst passing through on my way home last weekend.  Methinks I need to find an excuse to pass that way again for a closer look.  Good work on the paint removal, the finish looks great - what grade of sandpaper did you use?  I could do with achieving the same thing on my Hiace.

[HMC]

I used 2000 grade, took a while but wanted to leave the factory paint alone as much as poss. Feel free to pop round sometime!

[bezzabsa]

show us the CB then............we need MOAR

[HMC]

I feel a bit like Grossman or Lemon when I ask who lived in a house like this? Well we basically know, but it's been interesting figuring out how they laid out their gaff. You may remember it had been ply lined since coming out of service....

 

I got rid of that to find a fully insulated load area, with an inner fibreglass skin, held in place by ally strips and a lower skin of thick acrylic sheet with various holes, wires hanging out and evidence of its previous lay out.....

 

 

In some places the protective wrapping of the acrylic liner was still intact, suggesting for most or all of its police life those bits were covered up- just mainly on this side. A long countertop probably created this with a 60cm width cupboard unit ether side of the wheel arch. Further toward the cab area the under counter units end and the counter top carries on. Here there's quite a bit of scuffing and dirt...

Which suggests here there was a chair or stool where someone sat (with their shoes scuffing up the wall under the counter) A ghosting of a computer screen / monitor mount above the counter backs this up. My "artists" impression gives us this more or less....

Which I'm hoping to reinstate. There's lots of other little things that are cropping up, more of which soon.

[Felly Magic]

A while back I saw a vid of a US surveillance van that was up for sale that still had all the gear still fitted, most get stripped out before sale, somehow this one didn't, was full of monitors & recording equipment, and hidden external cameras, I wonder if this had a caravan type bog fitted too? More than a possibility I would say

 

Edit found the video again

 

[phil_lihp]

I used 2000 grade, took a while but wanted to leave the factory paint alone as much as poss. Feel free to pop round sometime!

 

Cheers, I may have to take you up on that offer!

[holbeck]

I used 2000 grade, took a while but wanted to leave the factory paint alone as much as poss. Feel free to pop round sometime!

 

 

Cheers, I may have to take you up on that offer!

 

I'd be up for a mini meet to see this beast.

[HMC]

Up on the roof there's a 150mm circular hole that's been covered over and a corresponding grille in the fibreglass ceiling. There's also wiring going to it so I'm assuming there was some sort of fan assisted roof vent. A normal rotary roof vent usually needs the van to be moving or a decent breeze and presumably most of the time this was at rest in a side street somewhere so the extractor was needed. This leaves a bigger hole than most rotary vents need (150vs 95mm) so if I reinstate something a bit of thought will be needed.

 

There are a further 3 smaller holes down the middle of the van presumably for antennae. Oddly given the fact it's unmarked, there's definite evidence of the blues and Twoes on the roof with large round black sealant residue and small covered over holes with wiring going to them in the roof void, roughly mapped out......

 

 

It's difficult to know how far to go- I can't put blue beacons up there as that isn't legal, and it seems strange to me that a surveillance van would draw attention to itself with the 2 spinning lights attached to the roof!

[Felly Magic]

Could have been a pair of amber beacons to further disguise the van

[DodgeRover]

You can fit blue but they must be bagged whilst in sight of a public highway.

[mat_the_cat]

Could have been a pair of amber beacons to further disguise the van

 

Sounds like a possibility. Maybe they were amber but fitted with blue bulbs in the event that some kind of chase was required?!

[Talbot]

A chase? In a vehicle that does a standing quarter mile in over 30 seconds?  :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

Mind you, not that I can talk.. I was once pulled over by a Non-Turbo Diesel Ford Transit.  I think I could have outrun him by taking all the plugs out and cranking the engine on the starter.  I did pull over though.. it's not a *brilliant* idea to run from the fuzz!

[Felly Magic]

I suspect quite short gearing in this, added V8 engine, it may well have been no slouch on the QT, a few plod had V8 Sherpas remember, and many London ambulances were Sherpa 400 V8s

[andy18s]

Sounds like a possibility. Maybe they were amber but fitted with blue bulbs in the event that some kind of chase was required?!

https://youtu.be/jZn1fhMdrbQ

[spike60]

The roof beacons may just have been amber ones fitted during it's 2nd life as a builders or whatever van. That exactly what we did at work when we got a ex plod Tranny minibus for use on site.

[HMC]

I would agree but the wiring has been carefully threaded between the skins of the cargo area within the insulation identical to the other wiring and the holes for access in the fire glass inner shell carefully cut with the same closing hatches in the manner of all the other holes. The type of sealing grommet and sealant all match to close up after removal. The site of the beacons on the roof matches what seems common practice for plod Vans from what I can fathom....

 

[SierraMikeHotel]

A chase? In a vehicle that does a standing quarter mile in over 30 seconds? :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

Mind you, not that I can talk.. I was once pulled over by a Non-Turbo Diesel Ford Transit. I think I could have outrun him by taking all the plugs out and cranking the engine on the starter. I did pull over though.. it's not a *brilliant* idea to run from the fuzz!

I'll tell my dad on you. Don't forget he used to run these as front-line ambulances and was a huge fan of them.

 

This was for the Red Cross, they generally got retired LAS vehicles but they did get one non-turbo diesel Transit that had seen service in Wales, now that was slow!

 

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

[Kiltox]

Wonder if it was used as a more standard police vehicle to begin with