breakdown truck

[Grumpy Northener]

Gerald Palmer

Yes but he went on to design a far superior vehicle 'The Jowett Javelin'

What do you think of Fords

Well & truly kippered by Ford Motor Company with a brand new Transit that they sold me 15 years ago, had an Orion Ghia best thing that ever happened to that was that is got nicked never to be found, Mk 4 Escort - best thing with that is that it got nicked and written off - had an early Transit that fell apart at the sight of any work - Sierra that used to eat the rear crank seal every 5,000 miles - Never and mean never will another Ford cross my path during my lifetime

Had a Volvo 345 that went through a couple of heads but then again the engine was supplied by Renault, Citroen BX that cracked it's head, Nissan Navara that went through 3 x dual mass flywheels / clutches, rear axle, gearbox, front drive shafts & engine within 80,000 miles thankfully all under warranty

Had a little Renault Clio Diesel that was a flying machine, Toyota Hi Lux that 100% reliable but the most uncomfortable thing to drive ever

Out of everything I ever owned I have had some cracking Vauxhalls - Diesel Astra SRI, we still have a 10 year old Corsa with 80k miles trouble free that we purchased new and also have a 18 month old Mokka which is a great motor

Just in the market to purchase something for the business and am undecided if I just purchase a modern or I get something more appealing / classic (ish) - would ideally need to be a largish estate or a pick up / small commercial - thinking maybe Merc 123 / Volvo 240 estate or Minor / Marina / Meastro van - maybe even a Chevette or Mk1 Astra van - even better maybe a small breakdown truck ? - Now back on thread

[rich.]

I'm never annoyed, it's too much like hard work!

Great image there, GHT, I wonder how many massive health & safety infringements we're seeing on that production line? (That wasn't in fact a question, Rich would have my bawbag for a watch case if I derailed his thread further..)

your little bag is safe john
just play nicely children

great idea gn a classic breakdown truck would be great addition to your enterprise/fleet

[Grumpy Northener]

GHT said

That is where we differ, and vive la difference. I'm simply not into, so called, modern classics. When members post about their 1980's cars, I simply have to bite my tongue

Whilst appreciating your point and whatever era / type of cars you are in to - still regardless of issue it's great to find that the 70's /80's & onwards (in future years) motors are loved because if they wasn't it would a poor show on the car movement / society in general - Fact is when they are pushed through the crusher and gone - they are gone never to come back - and if that happened to the car / cars that you loved / appreciated / aspired to - again that would be a sad indictment on society. We all own / appreciate / aspire our classics for different reasons - some are just jaw dropping / feats of engineering, some are ugly ducklings, some are the cars we grew up with or have a sentimental attachment to as a member of the family once owned / drove one. So regardless of taste / style / era between us (the classic car movement as an whole) can largely ensure that our motoring heritage is preserved and not just for our own pleasure but for that of future generations.

I can also appreciate your decision on membership of car clubs too - I have been a member of several clubs only to find that they operate in very strange circles / cliques and it is somewhat difficult to get involved / accepted - For the last several years I have only been a member of one (not without some minor battles scars and there are a few of them that don't have the time of day for me) - However, the other 600 members are salt of earth people.

What is really good is that we can all have our say / opinions / gripes on this forum and still be none the less thought of - it would be sad day if that was not the case - sounds all a bit serious and it's not meant to be really - right then better start looking for a breakdown truck

[Grumpy Northener]

So currently on the radar / shortlist:
http://angliacarauctions.co.uk/en/class ... state-lhd/
http://angliacarauctions.co.uk/en/class ... to-estate/
http://angliacarauctions.co.uk/en/class ... 6-cwt-van/
http://angliacarauctions.co.uk/en/class ... d-pick-up/

So it needs to be something that I can occasionally collect parts / panels in, look decent enough to probably sign write / vinyl letter up with the business livery - obviously it has to be reliable & classic (ish) enough to draw enough interest (otherwise I can just go & purchase a 2 -3 year modern van) now & again I need to trip off to estimate / auction or to a club meeting so needs to capable / comfortable for a couple of hundred miles @ sensible speeds (otherwise it could be a Jowett Bradford van) so that sort of takes the Minor & Lloyd out of the running - I suppose that towing ability would help but I have enough contacts for vehicle movements around the country and they are all good at what they do / fair in price - to compound this the best use of my time is in the workshop and not trapesing around the country collecting vehicles

Not in too much of a rush I have a really nice 18 month old modern but the plan is to replace madam's aging 80k miles Corsa with the Mokka hence the search for something for me & the business

[arceye]

The Mercedes fits the bill perfectly, though the Minor van is the eyecatcher for getting noticed by the general public, a rolling advert every time you go out with it.

You could remain sympathetic to the van while still dropping in a 1275 engine, electronic ignition, and a slightly taller diff, then it will probably do all you could need it to.

[JPB]

Every other health food café, classic car parts specialist, dog groomer and other niche business seem to run a Minor commercial these days, they're far too common to make a major impression the way they would have done say fifteen years ago but lack of performance is very easily addressed as with anything A series equipped, as Arceye has unsurprisingly also said.

From that selection, the Benz is probably most practical but expect to spend a fortune on welding consumables if you buy one, unless it comes with photographic evidence of correctly replaced inner sill, floor well and rear chassis sections, often missed but usually holed immediately above the area each driveshaft passes below on its way from the diff to its respective hub.
As a leftfield selection though, and don't take my word for it, ask one of the many Jowett folk who run one alongside their Javelin or Jupiter : Reliant Fox or kitten (van or estate). The Reliant engine is a sort of evolution of the Austin 7 engine but with ohv layout and some real potential. It's light enough to pull out unaided for major work (52Kg with alternator attached but sump empty) and is so small that it makes the A series look massive by comparison. The rare van, only distinguishable from a kitten estate by the van's round headlamps and the absence of ventilation slots behind the rear side panels, has a diff ratio that suits the car much better than the estate's 3.23:1 or you can go higher with a 2.7:1 from a Rialto "E" grade diff if the car has the matching HE "Yellowtop" engine, which reduces power to below 40bhp but makes an amazing amount of torque for an 850 so is perversely much livelier in real world terms than the 43bhp red top, though it is worth trying to find one of the 55bhp engines assembled as sealed units for ease of scrutineering in the Rebel Racing series. Formula 750 versions can have as much as 70bhp but they're not found in every scrapyard and are a little fragile compared to the usually bombproof basic engines.
The Fox has a removeable hard top that can be swapped for a cab rear window panel if you need the extra headroom of a pickup, yet it can also be fitted with rear seats that drop into otherwise dead space, making it a useful dual purpose vehicle. The rearward weight bias of the kitten and Fox makes them very handy in mud and snow too. Chassis rot in kittens can be a killer but it's ironic that the Fox chassis tends to deteriorate more before anyone realises how bad things have become. Ironic because Fox chassis are all Galvanised. Badly in many cases as the raw chassis came from piles stacked on the muddy floor in the old Two Gates factory. I saw a pile of them during a visit to Reliant in the eighties, the guy responsible for wheelbarrowing the chassis over the road for dipping reckoned that only a handful would be free of rust before the pickling took place.

That Lloyd is very, very tempting though..

[Grumpy Northener]

All suggestions very welcome & considered - If I am honest what I don't need right now or anytime in the next 8 - 10, ok make it 12 months - is something else / project that I have to find time that I don't have in the first place have to work on - tempting as it is to purchase something that I can spend a bit of money on along with 5 - 10 days of my time to make it right - run for a couple of years before selling on and have all of the money out of it plus a bit of a margin - Fact is I just don't have the time - the business + own classic projects + ongoing house restoration and throw work / life balance into the mix alongside doing other things = No more time to spend on any other motors - so it has be something that requires next to no work / turn key & go situation - Merc would do the job very well but I can find reasons for not owning it - although I have parking for circa 8 motors - it's always squeezed to the max (even have one parked up at my neighbours at present) so in an ideal world the Merc is a tad oversize - Now the Subaru is unusual & rare enough - it works on Jowett design principal (boxer engine) and it's the right size - I might just have to find time to attend an auction next Saturday

[rich.]

can i vote for the subaru? its a thing of beauty
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https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater

[GHT]

can i vote for the subaru? its a thing of beauty

No you can't, ugly looking thing, I've told you before, get yourself off to Specsavers, or if you have lived in the land of Les Grenouilles for too long, Lunettes/économises.

Chris, I've never heard of that Lloyd, but it reminded me of my first ever car, a 1955 Hillman Husky, which I bought in 1964 for £50.

[GHT]

Chris, you said that you liked some of the Vauxhalls that have passed through your ownership. The company that I worked for in the 70's had a fleet of small Bedford vans. They took some serious punishment from our drivers but stood up to it well. You can still get good ones at reasonable prices, if the model floats your boat, just don't ask Rich if he likes it, the poor boy wets his pants at anything with four wheels and a steering wheel.