The beast is home!

[wuvvum]

JU250 is a little bit quicker than a J2, being fitted as it is with a 1622cc B-series (although presumably in a lower state of tune than that fitted to the A60). It will supposedly do 60 flat out, but having driven it I can't see it wanting to do much more than 45-50 on the flat. If I keep it long term it will be used as a van as well as a classic, so it will probably end up getting a 1798cc Marina engine and a higher-ratio diff from a Sherpa or something. Engine looks surprisingly easy to get in and out for a between-the-seats install - the hatch is big enough for the whole thing to lift up through, so it'll just be a question of removing the passenger seat and sticking an engine crane into the cab. Got to get it MoT'd first though. I tried tying the front of the Patrol to a tree yesterday and it has straightened it out to an extent - the inner wing is never going to be quite right but I reckon the rear half is now straight enough that a new wing could be bolted on. The front of the wing might have to be held in place with brackets (or cable ties or a shoelace) though. Drove it about five miles yesterday to stick it in a mate's garden and oddly although it drives absolutely straight and true the steering wheel is 180 degrees off what it was before. Also the front end feels a bit bouncier over rough roads, as if one of the shocks has packed up. Still perfectly driveable though - all I need to do is find a wing and then I can sell it. I've bought a diesel Trooper to replace it as it's just too darn thirsty for long distance towing.

[mouseflakes]

Was that R4 the brown one with the roof chop and lowered? Whatever happened to it - remember seeing it on the interweb years ago.

Ooh - I loved that R4 - followed it's transformation on ScrapingScrap, but never saw it finished.

 

**thinks** - scraping scrap, scrapman,

 

Perhaps there's a connection there?

 

Excuse me - I'm always this slow.

 

Engine looks surprisingly easy to get in and out for a between-the-seats install - the hatch is big enough for the whole thing to lift up through, so it'll just be a question of removing the passenger seat and sticking an engine crane into the cab.

I thought I could do the same on my old '72 Hiace, but in the end it was easier to drop it downwards and out - there wasn't enough head room in the cab to accommodate engine and crane head.

 

Van looks great wuvz. You'll now have to borrow greenvanman's user name.

[MrRegieRitmo]

Sorry gents, should have introduced myself. Chris here, previously known as ScrapingScrap and UtterPiffle on RR.

Wow, the Man, the Legend! Saw your website blog where you chopped the R4 roof & turned it into a sort of hot rod thing. Heard your name (or username) brought up many times on this site by long term posters of Retro Rides & on Retro Rides itself. Pleased to make your online Acquaintance!

[mk2_craig]

It's funny, as a child I noticed virtually every kind of vehicle, being the junior enthusiast that I was, but I have no recollection whatsoever of these Austin/Morris medium sized vans like the J2 / JU250 or whatever. They are definitely something that reached my conciousness during my adult enthusiast years. I just don't remeber seeing them around! Did they decline quite rapidly, when did production cease?

I think they generally had quite short yet hard lives meaning very few survived very long. I don't remember seeing them in the late '70's / early '80's when I was a youngster!

They're unfamiliar to me as well even though I might have expected to notice them as a kid in the mid 1980s. Here's one I did see recently here in Jersey, don't know much about it though apart from it's most likely a recent-ish import to the island.

 

[mouseflakes]

You probably could have squeaked a bit more out of it with modern, hi-tech mods, like fitting some wheels for example.

there really are wheels under there

Sorry - I knew it had wheels, I was just trying to do the old 'humour' thing by making myself appear to be a fuddy-duddy, who wasn't 'down with the kids' and didn't understand the whole 'slammin' scene.And now I appear to have succeeded :oops:Back to the vans....I think Wuvvum's new van is of the type referred to by SpottedLaurel as 'Carp-faced'!

[MrRegieRitmo]

I think Wuvvum's new van is of the type referred to by SpottedLaurel as 'Carp-faced'!

The van can count Leslie Ash as one of it's fans!

[Spottedlaurel]

This seems like an appropriate thread for me to return in – sitting here discussing old rubbish with Wuvvum and ScrapMan seems just like, ooh, Wednesday night?! Good to see the pic’s of the new ‘carp-van’ Wuvvum. As we’ve discussed, probably not as user-friendly as the Transit but once you’ve sorted your house-move then it’ll be great for occasional furniture/parts hauling duties.

 

Having seen the Patrol a week or two back it has definitely got me thinking. Sadly I’m not sure that this one is for me, but after discussion with Datman and with a bit of lateral thinking I’m looking at the following Y60 model. It would be fantastic for hauling materials about for the cottage and for towing, something which with the loan of a trailer (through my boss or a farmer friend) I’m increasingly finding myself thinking about. Also good for retrieving anyone who gets stuck if they venture off the track leading to my new place, something which happened several times on moving-in day! LWB ones with 4.2 straight-six petrol seem to fit the bill, dire economy but I won’t be using it very much for long trips. With the 7-seat/estate capacity it could ultimately replace the Camry, in which case I might look at a cheapo diesel (309TD?) or little petrol car for work.

 

Welcome ScrapMan! Make sure you post pic’s of that green Lada estate soon, they’d be a fine spotting introduction.

[seth]

Think I've somehow managed to not respond to this thread yet! Well done Wuvs! Looks great!I suspect the diff from an A60 would go in (4.22) and there must be a fair few of them available from racers. There are two different spline patterns though depending on year so you'd need to make sure you got the right one. Its probably a low compression 1622 like our Sun-Tor had. 55hp I think as opposed to the car's 61. I put the diff from my Oxford in the van and it was no problem at all.Welcome Scrapman!

[seth]

Oh, fogot to say I have a spare 1798 here from a late sixties B....

[Mash]

If you like the BMC vans these pics will interest you. I used to work for a commercial vehicle bodybuilder in the design department and we built vans for Tesco, Asda, Ocado and so on. One of the companies absorbed into this one about 20 years ago was Wilsdon and I still hold part of their photo archive. Here are some of the BMC vans they converted for butchers, bakers and so on. Many, many more like this of all makes.

 

Enjoy

 

[michiel]

You've got me all hungry for sausages now!

[mouseflakes]

Was this from Walmington-on-Sea?

 

Fantastic period shots there Mash - corkers all!

[seth]

A brilliant bunch of examples of the signwriters art. I presume its all computerised vinyl graphics nowadays

 

 

Not sure about "Village Maid Cakes" though

[pogweasel]

Outstanding pics, thanks for sharing! Mmmm. Sausages.

[Richard]

I can remember seeing "maid" spelt like that when I was a boy, I suppose it's supposed to suggest that the cakes are *ahem* maid by a little woman and not a vast industrial machine. It never really sat well with me either.The first few pictures look like toys. I think it's a combination of the colour coding and the tyres looking as if they start from the hubcaps.According to the excellent Austin-Rover site the Sherpa was cobbled together from JU and J4 bits so there's probably quite a lot of Sherpa bits that will fit.

[mk2_craig]

 

Wonder if this was taken following an overhaul? It looks too old to have been fitted with those reflective plates from new.

[Mash]

Well spotted!!The date stamp on the back of the photo is July 1971.

[MrRegieRitmo]

I do love the Leyland EA !

 

Very rare these days, remember them as Royal Mail parcel vans.