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#Post#: 76255--------------------------------------------------
New Project. 1966 BRS "Noddy Van". JOY 430D
By: GlenAnderson Date: October 1, 2013, 8:00 am
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After this morning I am fairly sure there's something wrong with
me.... :smilewide:
I touched on the possibility of this as a project on another
thread, but I'll start one of my own here now I've some pictures
to share.
Bit of back-story...
When I was a kid, my parents bought a small plot of land to
build a house on. My dad needed somewhere dry and secure to keep
his tools etc. whilst the house was being built; preferably
something cheap, easily erected and disposed of once it was no
longer needed. My uncle Ken worked at the local BRS depot as
workshop manager, and suggested that one of the parcel vans he
had been charged with scrapping might be ideal. One of them was
duly commandeered, the choice of which was down to the unlikely
coincidence of it bearing the registration JOY, which is my
sister's name.
It did sterling service as a shed for several years, here it is
in the background, with me in front on another of dad's toys (a
Thwaites dumper), circa 1972.
HTML http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt313/glenanderson/JOY430D/Scan3_zpsc3f26399.jpeg
It wasn't very old when it arrived with us, but I'm lead to
believe they had hard and short lives. Whilst my dad never used
it for work, or indeed I don't think ever drove it other than
the short distance from the depot to our home, I spent hours and
hours in the driving seat and "drove" all over the world in it
in my imagination.
Here's another pic, probably from about 1976ish again with it in
the background.
HTML http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt313/glenanderson/JOY430D/InTheGarden_zpsecb07eb0.jpg
And this is a library pic I found on the web of one of the
handful of survivors.
HTML http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt313/glenanderson/JOY430D/IMG_1324_zps8b08a8e3.jpg
One day I got home from school and it was gone. My dad had
passed it on to the local farmer to use for storage.
A few years passed and I found myself "working" at aforesaid
farm, charging around on a silencer-less motorcycle keeping the
birds out of the fruit trees. The lorry was still there, albeit
slowly dropping to pieces. I harboured notions of rescuing it,
but without the funds, space or wherewithal it was only a
pipe-dream.
A few more years have since passed. Decades in fact. It has
always been in the back of my mind, but space and funds have
always been against me. That and the fact I knew it was likely
to be very badly deteriorated. I have always fancied a classic
commercial though, and like the idea of the "truck-rods" that
enterprising sorts across the pond make up out of bits and bobs
of old wagons.
I heard this summer that the farmer had died. As he was a
contemporary of my own father, he must have been at the least in
his late eighties (my dad would be 91 were he still alive
today), and he was the sort never to throw anything whatever
away. I also heard that his son was continuing to run the farm,
but was having a bit of a tidy up, so decided I'd better get up
there and see if there was anything salvageable before it all
went to be turned into tin cans.
Well, I had a bit of time the other day, so I went and visited
the farm to have a look at the remains...
Remains is the right word! Whilst the body has all gone, the
chassis/engine/box/axles/front guards/steering etc. are all
still there.
HTML http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt313/glenanderson/JOY430D/PA011369_zps4fd72e42.jpg
HTML http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt313/glenanderson/JOY430D/PA011377_zpsb08506a5.jpg
HTML http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt313/glenanderson/JOY430D/PA011379_zps3e1efa8d.jpg
Chassis, which is the important bit, despite the nettles,
thistles, brambles and other spiky/stingy shit, is perfectly
salvageable. Spring shackle pivots still have grease on them,
chassis rails are sound, axles, springs etc. look OK and the
steering still works. The engine is locked solid though (no
surprise there), and what is left looks a bit forlorn. The
remains of the alloy sheets from the body are laying along side
it, but 95% of the timber framework has long gone as has the
fibreglass roof.
When I asked him what he wanted for it his reply was "if you
want it, and you'll do something with it rather than cut it up
for scrap, you can have it". When pressed, he added, "buy my mum
some flowers".
So, it looks like a done deal. It'll probably cost me a good
£2-300 to get it transported from where it's lying to my place,
and until I manage to move house I've nowhere to put it, but for
the moment it's mine! Even SWMBO took the news with remarkable
calmness, seeing as it's likely to take me a decade to complete.
I knew that the wood and alloy body of the Noddy van would
likely be well beyond saving, so the fact that it has
disappeared is actually a blessing as a parcel van wasn't really
going to be the most practical of vehicles to add to my fleet.
My current master plan is to get it recovered to my place (once
I've moved house), and put some effort into getting it
registered in my name. I'm hoping the farmer can turn out the
RF60 logbook as that will make recovering the number fairly
straightforward. If not, I'm hoping that the couple of photos I
have, together with whatever documentary evidence I can get from
anywhere else, will see it at least registered
"age-appropriately".
Once I've got that sorted, my master plan is to replace the
current engine and gearbox (a 6-cylinder BMC unit and 4-speed)
with a Cummins 6B and six-speed from a Leyland 45. I will likely
have to scratch-build a cab and plan a bonneted "normal control"
configuration, with a flat-bed rear body. Although they were
known as vans, they are actually 9 tons gross, so the chassis is
fairly substantial. I'm currently leaning towards the idea of
buying a complete mid-90s Leyand-Daf 45 to break for it's major
components as, if I'm careful/lucky I can get something with the
right engine (150 or 180 bhp), the right gearbox (a
six-speeder), a flatbed rear body and maybe a HIAB as well for
around the £2-2.5K mark, and be able to recoup £1K or so of that
back selling off and scrapping all the bits I don't need.
Make no mistake, I know how big a project this is. I reckon it
could take me a decade. Before I can even start I need to
complete my house move, install a bathroom, build a garage and
do a load of other stuff, so don't expect rapid progress!
All the best, Glen.
#Post#: 76257--------------------------------------------------
Re: New Project. 1966 BRS "Noddy Van". JOY 430D
By: chippers Date: October 1, 2013, 10:16 am
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Remember the green 'uns really well. Great history and
provenance. Very best of luck with the project.
#Post#: 76262--------------------------------------------------
Re: New Project. 1966 BRS "Noddy Van". JOY 430D
By: megatoad Date: October 1, 2013, 10:52 am
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I recall those delivering parcels around Leeds when I were a
lad!
'D' reg was I believe the year after my birth! The first car I
recall my dad having was a grey D reg Rover 2000 (P6)
As for the vans I recall they used to have a BRS symbol similar
to a Y junction road sign
#Post#: 76266--------------------------------------------------
Re: New Project. 1966 BRS "Noddy Van". JOY 430D
By: bubble Date: October 1, 2013, 11:24 am
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Good luck with the resto..lots of work ahead by the looks of it.
Definatley worth doing though... :thumbs:
#Post#: 76281--------------------------------------------------
Re: New Project. 1966 BRS "Noddy Van". JOY 430D
By: mr.scruff Date: October 1, 2013, 1:29 pm
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AWESOME. >rock<
#Post#: 76286--------------------------------------------------
Re: New Project. 1966 BRS "Noddy Van". JOY 430D
By: rowehillmaster Date: October 1, 2013, 2:11 pm
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Was it a petrol engine? our coal man had a BMC with a straight
six petrol, it used to sound ace, as it came up our hill, it
would then sit there burbling as he unloaded, I can smell it now
all hot and ticking with a whiff of burning oil. :smilewide:
It will be a cool project
#Post#: 76290--------------------------------------------------
Re: New Project. 1966 BRS "Noddy Van". JOY 430D
By: Albert Ross Date: October 1, 2013, 2:18 pm
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Well!!! What a superb project! I guess the original engine and
box will be spoken for/screwed beyond belief/salvage?? If not,
bear me in mind please? I'm looking for a large unit for a bit
of a project....
#Post#: 76313--------------------------------------------------
Re: New Project. 1966 BRS "Noddy Van". JOY 430D
By: GlenAnderson Date: October 1, 2013, 4:08 pm
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Thanks for the positive comments.
The engine is a six cylinder diesel which has sat, effectively,
outside for the best part of 40 years. Whethe or not it's
salvageable I couldn't say. Nothing is beyond recovery if your
pockets are deep enough, but I think I'll be wanting a bit more
power than it's likely to be able of giving. The gearbox
selected all four gears, and may well be ok with just a minor
looking over.
I think they were built to do 40-50 mph, which is why I think a
later engine/box transplant is on the cards. I don't want to
spend loads of time and money on the original lump, only to find
it underpowered.
Albert, I will drop you a line once I've made my mind up one way
or the other. I'm going to hang on to as much of the original
wagon as I can, even if it's only to use them as swaps for other
bits I might need. I'm fairly sure the chassis and running gear
is the same as used on the Morris FG "Three-penny-bit" wagons of
the same period. BMC badge engineering saw them as either Austin
or BMC badged and their official model code is VA or VAK 100.
If anyone has any leads to spares, abandoned ones in fields or
scrapyards, please let me know.
Glen.
#Post#: 76316--------------------------------------------------
Re: New Project. 1966 BRS "Noddy Van". JOY 430D
By: GlenAnderson Date: October 1, 2013, 5:08 pm
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A bit of internetting suggests the engine may be 5100cc. More to
follow as I learn stuff.
#Post#: 76475--------------------------------------------------
Re: New Project. 1966 BRS "Noddy Van". JOY 430D
By: GlenAnderson Date: October 3, 2013, 6:53 pm
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I've been tracking down the whereabouts of another one that was
lying not too far from here a year ago. Will be investigating it
further as a source of spares, as well as getting dimensions etc
of the cab area off it if I can. I don't rule out buying it
complete if it's still there and a deal can be struck.
I've given it a great deal of thought, and I'm currently leaning
toward keeping the appearance of the new cab as close to the
original as possible, but just a small one without the box body
behind it. I'm not massively keen on replicating the wooden
framework as it is both structurally less than ideal and a
potential future maintenance nightmare. I plan a steel framed
affair, likely with slam doors rather than sliding ones, with
three across the front seating and a sleeper bunk and storage. I
need to source or make lots of stuff though, whichever way I
jump.
I'm as excited as a kid in a toy shop! Can you tell? :smile1
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