Let's buy a Bedford Val car transporter together

[busmansholiday]

41 minutes ago, HMC said:

Wow That’s great fleets you guys had / have @cms206 @busmansholiday . Does being in the industry make a big difference with handling bills/ sourcing bits?

I wasn't in the industry, the only break we got was that a mate's dad had a scrap yard where we kept them and we knew the chief engineer for the company they were new for. Even then, in the very early 80's, they were money pits.

[cms206]

"... alledgedly with others, but it was always me that bought them etc."

That sums up my experience. My last one was the only one we actually completed, and I ended up giving my share away as the bloke I owned it with and I literally couldn't be in the same room.

[sierraman]

Can imagine something like a radiator going being a sod to track down and bloody expensive. 

Weren’t these really popular with the New Age Travellers (Whatever happened to those guys?)?

[cms206]

1 hour ago, HMC said:

Wow That’s great fleets you guys had / have @cms206 @busmansholiday . Does being in the industry make a big difference with handling bills/ sourcing bits?

Yes and no... my Dennis Lancet worked for it's keep and was maintained by the company. It was an ace little thing and is definitely one I regret punting on.

Sourcing bits... that was harder. Obviously having contacts at various suppliers helped some way but stupid things - wheel studs for some Leylands, for example - are NLA. They're also not just sided, but cornered - drive and steer axles are different, and they're sided. Anything like that we used to go through a bloke called Keith at Chatfields DAF in the north east of England. Our last ones came from Australia ISTR.

One thing that being in the industry was, as a hinderance. I was working six twelve hour days back to back on stage carriage at one point in particular, the very last thing I wanted to do was work on my own after that.

[RoadworkUK]

This would be a Duple Viceroy, wouldn't it? Always get this and the Commander muddled up.

I remember visiting Plymouth Navy Days back in about '93, and the sea cadets had one of these. I was 12 and I think this was the first time I'd seen one in the flesh. With those quad headlights behind glass panels, the glazed cove panels and the VAL axle configuration, there's a distinctly Gerry Anderson Thunderbirds look to it. I had no idea where it came from in time and space.

Probably my favourite old Brit coach body, and I'm ashamed that I get its name confused.

[chodweaver]

Weren’t these really popular with the New Age Travellers (Whatever happened to those guys?)?

I believe a good few of them headed for the hills - in Spain.

Sent from my BV6000 using Tapatalk

[jonathan_dyane]

On 12/19/2019 at 6:08 PM, sierraman said:

Weren’t these really popular with the New Age Travellers (Whatever happened to those guys?)?

The 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act rather curtailed their activities.

[Zelandeth]

12 hours ago, Scotty2 said:

Tacho from the big trip

Judging from that tacho she goes pretty well!

Really miss messing around with this stuff...

[jonathan_dyane]

Scotty2, I very much enjoyed reading about your German adventure.

[strangeangel]

23 hours ago, jonathan_dyane said:

The 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act rather curtailed their activities.

 

That was more aimed at illegal raves, the new age travellers were dealt with largely by extreme police brutality some years before that.

 

[jonathan_dyane]

Yes the Police beat the crap out of them but the CJPOA provided a framework around trespass and unauthorised camping which made things much harder.

OTOH it did decriminalise anal sex between heterosexuals, although I seem to remember you had to be 18 or over to engage in that particular activity...

[hennabm]

To be a motorcaravan the whole of the interior has to be made over to living space.

The minute you add an area to carry a car for example, it becomes an HGV., same as all the horse boxes with split living accommodation and horse carrying area. 

Many old buses converted to car carriers and living accommodation are been wrongly driven as motor caravans.

[bezzabsa]

would love a spin in a coach, started doing my D licence - then got offered a job driving wagons...

the front screen would be a sense of panic every time I used it though, i expect they're NA by now - or way expensive if you could find one"

[Dick Longbridge]

Back on ebay 2½ years later, same photos and still £10k! 

Val

I still reckon Sam Glover's old one would be ideal as a donor for this one...if this one didn't cost £10k, obviously. 

[Dick Longbridge]

Annnnd it's back on sale again, still for 10k and with the same seller. I guess when the fella eventually pops his clogs, it'll end up being dragged out and scrapped or something.  

At least drag the damn thing into the daylight, give it a jet wash and take some decent photos. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/196514961289?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=pAOKXtjQQeO&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=FV05_6LQQo2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[Stinkwheel]

8 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Annnnd it's back on sale again, still for 10k and with the same seller. I guess when the fella eventually pops his clogs, it'll end up being dragged out and scrapped or something.  

At least drag the damn thing into the daylight, give it a jet wash and take some decent photos. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/196514961289?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=pAOKXtjQQeO&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=FV05_6LQQo2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

I bet they would hate being flooded with messages on e-bay asking why it has been listed 3 times in the last 5 years with the same photos and crazy price, really hate it 😉

[Dick Longbridge]

Apparently it was first listed 10 years ago for £10k and with the same ad. I assume the owner is holding out for the right enthusiast* with a spare £10k burning a hole in their pocket. 

Still needs saving, mind.